Book Review: Victim 2117 by Jussi Adler-Olsen

Oh. My. GOODNESS! I LOVE THIS SERIES!!

Okay, gushing aside, I seriously do. I have been meaning to start the Department Q books for some time now. I love dark noir detective fiction and had heard great things, but somehow just never got started. I had a so-so time with one of Adler-Olsen’s stand-alones on here (The Washington Decree), but was still eager to try the Department Q series. When I was asked to review this latest (eighth) installment on here, I asked whether I’d need to read all seven before starting it, because I was worried about continuity and timing. I was told I only needed the first to establish the characters, which was just enough cover for me to jump on the request and the opportunity to start the series.

I know myself. It was highly unlikely that I’d read book one and then book eight; I have an obsessive need to read series books in order. The author writes them that way. Ergo, that’s how they’re meant to be read. Characters develop A LOT over the course of seven books (or at least they should) and it seems to me that it’s impossible to really get the impact of the story if you’re missing all of that development.

I was, of course, right on all counts. (It happens…)

I raced through book one and was immediately hooked. I proceeded to request the next five from my local library before Things Happened in The World and libraries closed, at which point I bought a used copy of the seventh online because there was no way I was going into book eight without the fullest possible understanding of where these fascinating characters had been…

I’m immensely glad I stuck to my guns and read them all in order. This is an INCREDIBLE series full of rich, complex characters who undergo tremendous personal and professional development, and I cannot imagine reading Victim 2117 without all of that backstory to inform it. This latest book tackles the history of one of the series’ central characters (Assad) and his journey – within the Department and within his life – was, I think, absolutely necessary for this book to have its full emotional, gut-wrenching impact.

The writing is superb. The characterization and character development are incredible. The plots are always intricate and involved and full of a push-pull between the past and present, both in terms of the specific cold case (and some not-so-cold cases) being addressed by the team in the book and in terms of the storylines of the individual team members (and associated supporting characters). The stories just keep getting better – they are action-packed, emotionally gut-wrenching, violent and dark. They keep me furiously flipping pages in a way that few well-established series do, and I cannot wait to see where book nine (purportedly taking on Carl’s experience with the shooting that sets up the entire Department/series) will take readers!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy of this incredible book.