The Hanging Girl

<b>(B+) 76%</b> | Good<br /><i>Notes:</i> After a promising start the bottom falls out and it chases its tail like a single-minded dog. Also, hippies are not scary.

I guess I am now officially hooked on this series. I love the setting in Denmark and the way the Danish place names roll off the tongue. I really enjoy all of the characters and I was pleased to see in this book that Hardy has achieved some small improvements in his life.<br /><br /><a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/24611980.The_Hanging_Girl__Department_Q___6_" title="The Hanging Girl (Department Q, #6) by Jussi Adler-Olsen" rel="noopener">The Hanging Girl</a> opens in a very dramatic fashion although I was unable to visualise how the hanging part was actually achieved. I know it was explained later but I still couldn't come to grips with it. Anyway it was dramatic and pictorial and really set the scene for the rest of the book.<br /><br />There was a lot of good, painstaking police work, some gruesome deaths and a few near death experiences but everything came good in the end with Assad and Carl becoming closer friends than before. We are steadily inching towards some kind of explanation of Assad's real life story. I am looking forward to that!

Series just gets better. I thought I had it figured out but I was very wrong. Lots of twists in this. Really good reading. I like how Adle-Olsen uses humor with his characters and how he gives a glimpse of Danish life thru his writings. <br />If you hadn't read the others in the series, I'd say start at the beginning with <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/10822858.The_Keeper_of_Lost_Causes__Department_Q___1_" title="The Keeper of Lost Causes (Department Q, #1) by Jussi Adler-Olsen" rel="noopener">The Keeper of Lost Causes</a>. It helps with some of the support characters and also, why Carl is the way he is. Highly recommend.

<br><br>In this 6th book in the 'Department Q' series, Detective Carl Mørck investigates a murder that occurred 17 years ago. <br><br>*****<br><br><img alt="" height="315" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1565668913i/27983937.jpg" width="320" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>Detective Carl Mørck heads Department Q of the Copenhagen Police Department. Department Q, a sort of orphan division that investigates cold cases, is confined to a cramped basement and staffed with police oddballs, including Carl's invaluable assistants Assad and Rose. <br><br><img alt="" height="339" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1565668913i/27983936.jpg" width="640" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>Carl, who was gravely injured in an incident that killed one colleague and paralyzed another, prefers to laze around, drink coffee, nap, and avoid work. Thus, when Detective Christian Habersaat asks for assistance with a 17-year-old cold case involving the death of a beautiful girl named Alberte, Carl refuses.<br><br><img alt="" height="228" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1565668913i/27983931.jpg" width="320" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br>Habersaat, whose life was ruined by his obsession with the case, commits suicide the next day. Rose is horrified and bullies Carl into investigating Alberte's death.<br><br>Carl and his colleagues gather Habersaat's massive collection of 'Alberte files' and painstakingly go through them. They eventually find a poor, grainy photo of a man beside a van and expend great effort to discover who the man is and how he was connected to Alberte.<br><br><img alt="" height="417" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1565668913i/27983932.jpg" width="640" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>During their inquiry the detectives speak to Habersaat's family and colleagues, and to Alberte's relatives, friends, and teachers. Many of these people are oddly hostile and uncooperative.<br><br>A parallel story line involves a nature-worship cult headed by a charismatic leader called Atu Abanshamash Dumuzi - a man who's oddly irresistible to women. <br><br><img alt="" height="478" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1565668913i/27983935.jpg" width="640" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br><img alt="" height="358" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1565668913i/27983934.jpg" width="640" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>This has unfortunate consequences because Atu's assistant Pirjo carries a huge, unrequited torch for him and will do anything to get rid of the competition. <br><br><img alt="" height="290" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1565669471i/27983952.jpg" width="400" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br> <br>For me, this book isn't as successful as previous books in the series. The plot is disjointed and Department Q's inquiries are too drawn out and tedious. I also feel that the characters aren't as engaging as usual. Assad - with his warm heart, confusion with idioms, crazy driving, and intuitive detective work - is still a fun, memorable character. <br><br><img alt="" height="358" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1565668913i/27983933.jpg" width="640" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>Rose, however, doesn't exhibit her usual kooky, multiple personality traits and Carl's interactions with his friends, colleagues, ex-wife, and ex-stepson aren't as compelling as usual. Moreover, many of the ancillary characters are too self-centered or psychopathic to be sympathetic.<br><br><img alt="" height="299" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1565668913i/27983930.jpg" width="400" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>The book can be read as a standalone but readers unfamiliar with the previous books may be confused about some characters and situations. All in all this is a pretty good mystery with lots of unexpected twists. The story ends with a dramatic climax that leads to a satisfactory conclusion. I'd recommend the book to people who like mystery books, especially fans of Jussi Adler-Olsen.<br><br>You can follow my reviews at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="http://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com/">http://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com/</a>

<i>'Are you actually aware why there are camels in the desert and no giraffes?' asked Assad.<br />... 'The answer is simple. If there were giraffes in the desert they'd die of sorrow.'<br />'Aha! And why's that?'<br />'Because they're so tall, they'd know that there was just endless sand as far as the eye could see. Fortunately for the camel, it doesn't know this, so it trudges on assuming that an oasis is just around the corner.'<br />Carl nodded. 'I understand. You feel like a giraffe in the desert, right?'<br />'Yes, a bit. Just right now.'</i><br /><br /><b>Bless Assad and all of his camel analogies.</b><br /><br />I really do immensely enjoy this series. Crotchety old Carl who grudgingly takes on cases when he'd much rather be napping in between cigarettes with his feet up on the desk. The quiet and strange Assad, who has a camel-related saying for any situation. Crazy old Rose who has a quick temper and strong stubborn streak. Even slimy Gordon who is slowly working his way into the team. I love the way they all work together. I love how Carl's reluctance is completely ignored by his subordinates.<br /><br />This time they're forced to take over an old, unsolved hit-and-run case that left a girl hanging in a tree. It leads the gang to a spiritual <s>cult</s> organisation that we're given inside info on through the viewpoint of the <s>cult</s> organisation leader's right-hand woman. <br /><br />The split view, as always, keeps things interesting, because you're pretty sure you know what happened but it's still vague enough to keep you guessing. There were some really fascinating characters built into this one, and as a spiritual person I was particularly fascinated by the ideas and theories and the way the organisation operated. I mean, spiritualism is one thing, but blindly following the ideas of another is a little scary. So the story angle was fascinating and hooked me slightly more than the previous books.<br /><br />The police work is always fun, and while I did lose track a little of who was who, the writing seems to expect that and reminds you each time a minor character is re-introduced. It's a fairly lengthy novel at 600+ pages, but there's plenty to keep the story moving, and keep you invested in what's happening.<br /><br />Six books in, I still don't know if the brilliantly direct writing is genuine or a by-product of the translation, but either way I thoroughly enjoy it. It can be really vague at times, but Carl is so snappy and sarcastic and his little comments peppered throughout are a lot of fun. Add to that Assad's endless optimism and enthusiasm, and his imperfect English (Danish), and it makes for rather creative and enjoyable interactions. I love the way these two work together.<br /><br /><i>'Something fishy? I don't always understand what you are talking about, Carl. What are they doing with the fish?'</i><br /><br />We also get another (minor) glimpse at the progress of the case that started it all - the shooting that killed one of Carl's colleagues and left the other permanently paralysed. Hardy does make a brief appearance, and it's quite symbolic to realise how slow that case is progressing in parallel to the cases that have been solved so far throughout the series. <br /><br />I'm really pleased to give this series another 4-star rating. These books are always so much fun to read, with the unique characters, fun, snappy dialogue and detailed stories. The research that must go into these books is astounding.<br /><br />Highly recommend this one to others continuing the series, and if you've not been introduced to Carl and the Department Q gang, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of <i>Mercy</i> and get started!

So ignoring one friend..... who gave this a one!! For shame!! ;)<br /><br />Starting in the present we have the trio invited to help on a case which they (Carl) ignores only for a sequence of events thereafter to bring them front &amp; centre on the case..... and obliged to solve it.<br /><br />As usual the story works along the lines of converging timelines, one in the present, the other from the past. Its a method ive come to enjoy with the trio &amp; as always there quirks &amp; interactions make for a mostly entertaining read..... I say mostly as I did find at times it went on a little too long with some scenes, for little gain, with Rose &amp; Assad seemingly having to chime in....... As I got further into the book I actually found myself enjoying the “other” timeline much more then the trio’s &amp; have to admit to drifting a little during the trio’s “investigation” where it was office based in the mid-sections..... <br /><br />The Rose &amp; Assad development (backstory) seems to have died completely or is so slow its not worth doing, I mean department Q has been going 7 years now.....<br /><br />The ending is lively enough as everything comes together &amp; there’s a fair few surprises, however...... All in all not the strongest of outing’s in the series &amp; certainly not a patch on the Marco effect which was the prior in the series &amp; the best for me, so its my first 3-3.5 stars (rounded down to 3) for this series with a dip in form for me.<br /><br />PS I can see why my GR friend gave this a one now.

After reading the five first books of the series during the last months, I was very excited to finally read the next installment and I really enjoyed this book. The plot might not have been that gripping than other parts of this series, but however I liked the context/setting a lot. Like usual, Jussi Adler-Olsen managed to create great characters. After thinking that I already knew, who the murderer war, the ending came as quite a surprise to me. The twists were well done and felt real. Such a tragic story; if all those misunderstanding hadn't been, a lot of sorrow could have been avoided. I'm still in love with the exceptional and totally crazy investigator team! A few more details about Assad's past are revealed, but the full picture still needs to be uncovered. I can't wait for the next part! 4 stars!

Ο Νυσταγμέν��ς Καρλ και το φοβερό παρεάκι του Τομέα Q σε νέες περιπέτειες. Μια υπόθεση από τα παλιά και ένας αστυνομικός που την πάλεψε μέχρι τέλους με τεράστιο προσωπικό κόστος,μια παράλληλη ιστορία που δεν ήτα�� τίποτα πρωτότυπο αλλά ωστόσο έδωσε μερικές ενδιαφέρουσες ανατροπές και μια ομάδα που δούλεψε σαν ρολόι,πρόσθεσε ένα ακόμα όμορφο βιβλίο στην αγαπημένη σειρά. <br />4/5⭐

It's been awhile since a man kept me up all night ...reading. Geez, what were YOU thinking I was talking about? This was the first Department Q book that I've read, but it definitely won't be the last. I really liked police officers Carl and Assad,the mystery just kept getting darker and there were just enough twists to keep me wanting more. Excellent read!

Definately a bit disappointed with the latest in the so far excellent series. I didn't really engageed in the crime very much at all and feel that his was a bit haphazardly put together. Unlike in the previous books the characters were not as well drawn and therefore I didn't care that much about most of them. Obviously the story around Carl, Assad and Rose and their relationship is still engaging and they are brilliant characters, but I think it is about time we find out what Assad's background is and what really lies behind the shooting of Carl and Hardy. For a while at the end of the book I thought we finally might find out at least the answer to one of those questions, but know, yet another teaser. Getting a bit tedious. Well, let's wait for the next one!