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Mercy (Department Q 1) [Paperback]

Jussi Adler-Olsen
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (142 customer reviews)
RRP: £6.99
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Book Description

12 May 2011 Department Q 1

Hunted. Imprisoned. She’ll never beg for

Mercy

Jussi Adler-Olsen

The No. 1
International
Bestseller

Mercy by Jussi Adler-Olsen is Scandinavia’s new bestselling crime writing sensation…

At first the prisoner scratches at the walls until her fingers bleed. But there is no escaping the room. With no way of measuring time, her days, weeks, months go unrecorded. She vows not go mad. She will not give her captors the satisfaction. She will die first.

Copenhagen detective Carl Mørck has been taken off homicide to run a newly created department for unsolved crimes. His first case concerns Merete Lynggaard, who vanished five years ago. Everyone says she's dead. Everyone says it's a waste of time. He thinks they're right.

The voice in the dark is distorted, harsh and without mercy. It says the prisoner's torture will only end when she answers one simple question. It is one she has asked herself a million times:

WHY is this happening?

A dark and mysterious story, Mercy establishes Jussi Adler-Olsen as the master of the Nordic thriller.

‘This pitch-black novel will have readers hungry for more’ — Independent

‘The new “it” boy of Nordic Noir’ — The Times

‘Gripping storytelling’ — Guardian

Jussi Adler-Olsen was born in Copenhagen and worked as a magazine editor and publisher before starting to write fiction. Mercy, Disgrace and Redemption are the first three in currently four novels in the Department Q series. He holds the prestigious Glass Key Award, given annually for a crime novel by a Scandinavian author, and is also winner of the Golden Laurels, Denmark's highest literary accolade.


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  • Read a Q&A with the author, Jussi Adler-Olsen. [PDF file viewer required]



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Mercy (Department Q 1) + Disgrace (Department Q 2) + Redemption (Department Q 3)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 512 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin (12 May 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0141399961
  • ISBN-13: 978-0141399966
  • Product Dimensions: 12.9 x 3 x 19.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (142 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 9,595 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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Product Description

Review

An unusually fine and extremely fascinating thriller which will keep you breathless till the very last page (politiken.dk )

Jussi Adler-Olsen tells his stories as wickedly as Dean Koontz and has his detectives work as hard as Stieg Larsson (Jydske Vestkysten )

About the Author

Jussi Adler-Olsen was born in Copenhagen and studied medicine, sociology, politics and film. He worked as a magazine editor and publisher before starting to write fiction. So far he has written three Department Q thrillers, which all hit the Danish bestseller lists on publication and stayed there ever since.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
43 of 44 people found the following review helpful
By DebB VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
This is good, although both I and my other half who read it before me both found the beginning poor. He didn't like the very quick time changes, but those soon settle down, and I thought the translation was a bit clunky, although flicking back now I can't find anything specific to quote! HOWEVER, that all disappears and this quickly settles down into a gripping, well paced, interesting book, with a scary story line and the odd unexpected lift of humour.
I liked our battered, stressed, damaged hero, loved his sidekick who started out as a bit of light entertainment, but acquired depth and character towards the end - and left unanswered questions, such as who was he, and how the heck did he get the job in the first place? The "heroine" is one tough cookie, and I read her chapters with as much interest and anticipation as I did the others - the author's trick of sliding her time line up to meet the book's present day created a gradual increase in tension that kept me seriously interested in what happened next.
So - I recommend this, I will be passing it onto other friends and family, and I'll keep an eye open for other work from this author.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars A good "nordic dark" 26 Aug 2011
By bookelephant TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
A new entrant in the genre of Nordic detective books aiming to prove to us all that the Nordic countries are in no way the civilsed and charming places we had supposed, this is the first in a series of "closed case investigations" to be conducted by the burnt out detective Carl Mork and his enigmatic sidekick Assad.
In this one he tries to find Merete Lyngaard, a beautiful but unpopular young legislator who has disappared over five years ago. Everyone thinks she's dead, but we know that she is being held in solitary confinement in truly haunting conditions (I had bad dreams about this one) being asked to answer the question "Why are you here?".
Despite this being way darker than the detective novels I normally chose (it was a gift from a friend) I liked the book a lot - the idea was good, the suspense was excellent, the detective-side team were intriguing. For me the weak spot was Merete herself - apart from sympathy for her predicament and admiration for her toughness one did not actually warm to her - not least because in six years the blazingly obvious answer to the question why someone was so VERY mad at her never once seems to have crossed her mind ...
Still, I suspect I shall follow the next books when the make their way over here. I do want to know who Assad really is, and how Morck's friend Hardy (paralysed on a job with Morck, and conceivably injured because Morck was too slow) gets on.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Good plot and well-written 3 Jan 2012
Format:Paperback
This is a great read if you like a crime story with a tense and clever plot which is also well-written. All the central characters really lived and both atmosphere and place are vividly described. I loved the complexity of the story-line and the way the various strands come together as the time lines gradually converge. The humour gave the characters warmth and humanity, which provided a good contrast to the darker side of the story. I have recommended it to a friend and I will definitely read more Adler-Olsen in the future.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars AMAZON START PAYING TAX IN THE UK
A really good story, thoroughly enjoyed the book. Some people have commented on the parallel time lines that gradually converge, honestly this doesn't detract in any way from the... Read more
Published 9 days ago by Michael Hirons
4.0 out of 5 stars A very good read
Well translated, a riveting police procedural, a new name up there with Nesbo et al. Can't wait to read Q2
Published 10 days ago by stephen charlton
5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book
I bought this book on a whim having read all girl with a .... and Harry hole books.

Entertaining. , I would recommend to anyone who loves crime thrillers. Read more
Published 14 days ago by R ELLIOTT
5.0 out of 5 stars Very, very good!
Particularly liked the character Assad. Can't wait to read next book in series to see how the relationship develops and what surprises Assad pulls out of the bag. Read more
Published 28 days ago by p j holland
4.0 out of 5 stars A good read
I was expecting a dark Nordic novel but although grim in parts, Mercy turned out to be a really enjoyable book. Read more
Published 1 month ago by B. Cowen
5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant book
Excellent book full of humour which helps portray the main character. Very much in the style of Henning Mankell with a wry touch. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mrs. E. Everiss
3.0 out of 5 stars Not quite a Mankell or Larsson!
Some great characters and an intriguing concept that I just found a little hard to get through at times. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Colin Edwards
4.0 out of 5 stars Mercy
Thoroughly enjoyed this book after the first 3 or 4 chapters which focused too much on governmental affairs. The plot was gripping and the end did not disappoint.
Published 1 month ago by mrs s worthington
5.0 out of 5 stars What a read
This is my first read of Jussi Adler-Olsen after being recommended by a friend. Thoroughly enjoyed it - what a page turner! Thanks
Published 1 month ago by rosebud wainwright
5.0 out of 5 stars Destined to Become Another Great Danish Thriller
With the popularity of such Danish produce such as A Royal Affair, Borgen, and The Killing TV series, Jussi Adler-Olsen got an English translation, back in 2011, to his 2008 novel... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Andy Norton
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