The Keeper of Lost Causes

Jussi Adler-Olsen introduces readers to Carl Mørck, a once-renowned homicide detective in Copenhagen, whose career is derailed after a tragic incident leaves two colleagues dead and him riddled with guilt. Relegated to the newly formed Department Q, a desolate basement office for cold cases, Mørck finds himself with only a mountain of forgotten files and the unexpected companionship of his enigmatic assistant, Assad. While his colleagues dismiss Department Q as a bureaucratic graveyard, Carl stumbles upon a five-year-old case involving the mysterious disappearance of a prominent and charismatic liberal politician, Merete Lynggaard. Initially presumed dead, the lack of a body or solid evidence gnaws at Carl. As he and Assad delve deeper, they uncover a chilling truth: Merete is not dead, but held captive, enduring unimaginable horrors. The investigation quickly escalates into a race against time, forcing Carl to confront his own demons while piecing together a terrifying puzzle to save a life presumed lost.