‘The Shadow Murders’ by Jussi Adler Olsen

Published by Quercus,
27 September 2022.
ISBN: 978-1-78648-623-3 (PB)

Present day Copenhagen, and Carl, the head of Department Q (cold cases), has been asked to look back into a case he remembered as a young policemen: an explosion in a garage which killed all the mechanics and a little boy in the street outside. The boy’s mother has now committed suicide – and his boss, Marcus, looking at the photos of the garage incident has noticed a pile of salt at the scene. He remembers another suicide case where there was a pile of salt. Soon Carl and his team find several more. Meanwhile, the homicide team are investigating the macabre death of Tabitha, who seems to have been a member of a violent vigilante organisation. The perp is known, and soon her body turns up in circumstances that link the two cases.

This dark and chilling thriller is set in in frozen Copenhagen around Christmas. The reader quickly gets to know and like the characters: Carl himself, the sort of policeman you’d want in your neighbourhood, harassed Assad, naive Gordon and spiky, organised Rose. To make life harder for the team, it’s December 2020, so that they’re also struggling with the difficulties of the second lockdown. Once they work out the killer’s ‘system’ they realise it’s no longer a cold case but frighteningly current – in fact, a race against time. Short chapters moving from their point of view to the killer’s and the kidnapped victim’s make for a real page turner, especially with the extra pressures of Carl being set up for a crime he didn’t commit. There’s a real northern atmosphere, the most twisted and sadistic sort of killer, and a heart-racing finish.

A treat for Scandi noir fans. This is the eighth Depatment Q thriller, and while it reads well as a stand-alone, there are a lot of references to previous events, so if you’re new to this series you might want to start with the first in the series, The Keeper of Lost Causes.
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Reviewer: Marsali Taylor

Jussie Adler-Olsen was born Carl Valdemar Jussi Henry Adler-Olsen on 2 August 1950 in Copenhagen, Denmark.  He is a Danish author, publisher, editor and entrepreneur. Jussi Adler-Olsen's career is characterised by his great involvement in a wide range of media related activities.

 www.jussiadlerolsen.dk/

Marsali Taylor grew up near Edinburgh, and came to Shetland as a newly-qualified teacher. She is currently a part-time teacher on Shetland's scenic west side, living with her husband and two Shetland ponies. Marsali is a qualified STGA tourist-guide who is fascinated by history, and has published plays in Shetland's distinctive dialect, as well as a history of women's suffrage in Shetland. She's also a keen sailor who enjoys exploring in her own 8m yacht, and an active member of her local drama group.  Marsali also does a regular monthly column for the Mystery People e-zine.

 Click on the title to read a review of her recent book A Shetland Winter Mystery