Most days something arrives in the mail or on the front stoop for my book world. My husband is always sad when he sees what it is as he is a voracious reader with a daily train commute. But our tastes are separated by a book ocean as such we rarely touch or read the same books.
When THE KEEPER OF LOST CAUSES arrived and I had a chance to take a peek, I 
suggested this might be up his alley. However, he rolled his eyes and thought it was just another book outside of his preferred genres that I thought would be good for him to read.
I put the book on the kitchen table still hoping and about two weeks later it disappeared. And a few days after that he was raving about it. He even offered to write-up his thoughts and those are presented below:
GUEST BLOG FEATURE:
I found Jussi Adler-Olsen’s book to be enjoyable and very satisfying. I am a fan of mystery novels which take place in Europe, and I am particularly fond of Scandinavian authors. This book is a police procedural which takes place in Denmark and the author does not disappoint.
The main character of the story is Carl Morck, a Copenhagen homicide detective.
Morck is basically lazy and sarcastic, but very intuitive – my kind of guy. Morck has just
been selected to run the newly formed Department Q, which specializes in cold cases.
Department Q ends up being a department of one, with offices in the basement. Morck
has been put out to pasture.
Through political acumen Morck is given an assistant to make coffee and clean the
basement. He finds the assistant, Hafez el-Assad, to be rather odd. In addition, Morck
is not happy that Assad’s drive and ambition is resulting in the need to actually work.
Morck does a cursory review of the case files while Assad takes the time to read through
them. The first cold case they take on is a five-year old case of a missing politician.
They initially tread on old ground of the prior investigation; however, as a result of
Morck’s instincts and Assad’s attention to detail, they begin to peel away the layers
surrounding the mystery.
The interplay between Morck and Assad is enjoyable throughout the book. In addition,
certain aspects of Morck’s personal life add a little humor to the story. However, make
no mistake – this is a solid police procedural. I look forward to (hopefully) more of
Jussi Adler-Olsen’s Morck, Assad and Department Q.
Thanks Dutton Books for providing a copy of THE KEEPER OF LOST CAUSES by Jussi Adler-Olsen. I think my husband now looks at me and the books that arrive with a whole different attitude.
