Locked in: A Department Q Novel

In the stellar conclusion to Adler-Olsen’s Department Q series (after The Shadow Murders), intradepartmental turmoil rattles the Copenhagen cold case unit. The action kicks off with Carl Mørck, Department Q’s lead detective, being taken into custody when a suitcase he agreed to store for a colleague 15 years earlier is opened and revealed to contain large quantities of drugs and cash. Though Carl had just broken up a network of murderers led by a wealthy Danish businesswoman, his colleagues on the police force—with the exception of those in Department Q—turn on him. As he awaits trial, Carl receives anonymous threats from someone who wants him dead before the court can investigate the origins of the contraband. Certain that Carl’s been framed, the other members of Department Q—Rose Knudsen, Haffez el-Assad, and Gordon Taylor—defy their bosses to help clear his name, imperiling their own careers in the process. Adler-Olsen sends this excellent series out on a high note, reaping the benefits of his deep character work in the previous novels. Fans will be thrilled. (Dec.)