The Marco Effect by Jussi Adler-Olsen + a Giveaway

Tomorrow marks the release of the latest installment in Jussi Adler-Olsens's Department Q series and thanks to the publisher I've got two - yes, two - copies to giveaway! Be sure to read to the end to enter.

By 2011, Department Q is enjoying a high success rate and complete control over their own case load. All of that changes, though, when the head of homicide announces his retirement. Now the division - including Carl Mørck's cold case devoted Department Q - have come under management of one of his least favorite people: Lars Bjørn. And Bjørn has plans for Department Q! 

Life goes on, though, and Rose has chosen the department's next case - William Stark, a ministry man who's been missing for almost three years. The case is an odd one - the man had taken a sudden trip to Africa ostensibly to oversee a project in the region but he'd cut the trip drastically short, returning home the same day he arrived. His flight landed in Denmark, with him on it, and then the man vanished. 

Meanwhile, Marco, a trained thief who longs for a normal teenage life, has key information into the case of William Stark. But Marco and his clan are in Denmark illegally and the boy has always been taught to avoid authority at all cost. The teen finds himself torn between loyalty to the only family he's ever known, his own self-preservation, and doing the right thing. Worse than that, though, is the fact that Marco is now being hunted by his own people. 

I do love this series! Carl Mørck really is a bit of an ass. He's a great cop, but he has some serious issues including the guilt of surviving a case that left his friend and partner paralyzed. What's more, Mørck seems to believe the world is at least partially out to get him. People whispering amongst themselves must be talking about him, laughter in the hallway is likely about him, that sort of thing. He's really his own worst enemy, going out of his way to be rude and brash with just about everyone around him. And yet, in The Marco Effect we seem to be seeing at least some improvement - his concern over Assad's recovery, for one. And his growing relationship with Mona! Yes, The Marco Effect begins with our grumpy detective on something of a high note even in spite of learning that Bjørn is to be his boss.

It doesn't last, though. Poor, Mørck.

This is the fifth book in the series but it works well for beginners. There are of course plot lines and character development that you'll miss from the earlier books but nothing that's too spoilery (should you go back to the beginning) or too necessary to enjoy The Marco Effect on its own.

Marco himself is a fabulous piece of the plot. He's a clever and resourceful teen determined to do the right thing here and fighting every ounce of his upbringing. There's an embezzlement subplot as well - in fact, it's this that kicks off the story with an assassination in Cameroon and a corruption scheme involving one of Denmark's banks. It takes almost 100 pages for the various threads to begin to come together but I was hooked from the very beginning. This is pretty standard for Adler-Olsen, though, a careful building up of the plot before the main investigation begins. It's one of the things I enjoy most about his books, in fact, the time and effort in really immersing the reader into the story before the real action kicks in.

Another fabulous one from Jussi Adler-Olsen!

Rating: 5/5

And now for the giveaway: as mentioned above there will be two winners. To enter simply fill out the Rafflecopter below before Monday, September 22. Open US/Canada only - and no PO boxes please!

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