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  • The Scarred Woman

  • Department Q, Book 7
  • Written by: Jussi Adler-Olsen
  • Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm
  • Length: 14 hrs and 26 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (48 ratings)

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The Scarred Woman cover art

The Scarred Woman

Written by: Jussi Adler-Olsen
Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm
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Publisher's Summary

The New York Times and number-one internationally best-selling author of The Keeper of Lost Causes delivers his most captivating and suspenseful Department Q novel yet - perfect for fans of Stieg Larsson.

Detective Carl Mørck of Department Q, Copenhagen's cold cases division, meets his toughest challenge yet when the dark, troubled past of one of his own team members collides with a sinister unsolved murder.

In a Copenhagen park the body of an elderly woman is discovered. The case bears a striking resemblance to another unsolved homicide investigation from over a decade ago, but the connection between the two victims confounds the police. Across town a group of young women are being hunted. The attacks seem random, but could these brutal acts of violence be related? Detective Carl Mørck of Department Q is charged with solving the mystery.

Back at headquarters, Carl and his team are under pressure to deliver results: failure to meet his superiors' expectations will mean the end of Department Q. Solving the case, however, is not their only concern. After an earlier breakdown, their colleague Rose is still struggling to deal with the reemergence of her past - a past in which a terrible crime may have been committed. It is up to Carl, Assad, and Gordon to uncover the dark and violent truth at the heart of Rose's childhood before it is too late.

©2017 Jussi Adler-Olsen (P)2017 Penguin Audio

What the critics say

“[S]atisfyingly dark, both in tone and content...an undeniable page-turner.” (Publishers Weekly)

“[R]iveting...All of the Department Q books contain dark humor, high satire, social commentary - not always politically correct - and grand villains, with The Scarred Woman being no exception.” (BookReporter)

“You’ll be desperate to figure out the identity of the scarred woman as the suspense drives toward a deadly and at times comical conclusion.” (Associated Press)

What listeners say about The Scarred Woman

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Rose gets her due

One of the things that is so appealing about this series of novels is the cast of mysterious characters that inhabit the basement in HQ. In this novel, Rose, the complex and troubled young woman who normally keeps Carl and Assad on track, collapses into herself and her colleagues are stricken and unsure what to do. All of this happens at the same time as a series of brutal murders perpetrated by a most unlikely assassin. As a woman who has lived through the last 5 decades, I was unsure at times what Adler-Olsen is saying about 'scarred women'. The title suggests that there is one, but I would say that all the women in this book are scarred in one way or another, most often by the men in their lives. Carl's persistence in tracking down the truth about Rose's father in order to help her is moving and tender. And it is clear that Brigit and her daughter Denise were both scarred by Brigit's father, an unrepentant Nazi. But the one character who eludes clarity of motivation is the murderess herself. Her distain for her victims is complete and certainly, these young women are troubled and have made a myriad of poor choices but her complete lack of empathy certainly comes from a place within herself that we, as readers, do not see. I came away thinking that the murderess is the most scarred woman in the book, but unlike the other characters, I don't feel that I was given enough information to understand why. That being said, this was a terrific and spellbinding read.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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loved it

Splashing out a 5, because it has one of the most satisfying conclusions I have ever read. Explosively brilliant.
I love this series, but wow, this was a rough one. It’s also the only one I listened to the audiobook of. The narration was very good, but somehow, listening to it made the awkward, horrible parts that much worse.
So here’s the thing. I’ve read a lot of mysteries about terrible people, but this takes the prize. The benefits scroungers, the burnt out case manager, the nazi grandma, oh my gosh. I read those parts with my whole body clenched. They made me viscerally angry. Well, not Annalise.
Annalise, the case worker turned murderer/social cleanser/angel of vengeance, is simultaneously horrible and wonderful. She’s unlikable, but gosh darn, she is relatable. …No? Just me? You couldn’t help but wish her a successful rampage. Her “clients” had no redeeming qualities, the sort of folks you desperately want to beat about the head and neck with a sack of oranges, smug, entitled, rude, nasty and completely useless. And also murderous, with no conscience. So yeah, Annalise is a sadsack with a chip on her shoulder the size of a small European nation, but I was rooting for her. And when she had a "success", I could feel the tension leave my shoulders. Such a perfect revenge fantasy.
This one also focussed on Rose and her story. It didn’t disappoint. It was fascinating, and it was a relief to see her finally make a breakthrough in her mental health journey. I love the team of basement dwelling misfits, and their familial relationship with one another. It's kind of heartwarming.
Also, the running joke with the camels never fails to make me smile.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Pretty good...

Mr. Olsen is a master storyteller, and that is consistent across his books. Ultimately, at least for me, these ratings are about the mystery or the story itself. This time there are several stories moving at the same time and unfortunately none of them grabbed me as much as some of the other stories. There is a main development about one of the core characters, moving the overall dept. Q story forward a few steps. I still recommend the entire series and this one won't disappoint you if you're already a fan.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful on many levels!

As well as an interesting and many layered story there was more development of the characters we love. Well paced with fantastic narration as usual, this book had me listening almost non stop!

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