Jussi Adler Olsen

Redemption

Detective:  Carl Morck
Location:   Copenhagen
Time:         Current
Genre:       Scandi-Noir

This is the third in the Adler-Olsen Department Q series. The detective Carl Morck is in charge of some form of cold case department. He is assisted by an unlikely team of his cleaner Assad, a Syrian immigrant and a ditzy woman called Rose.

The story begins with a badly deteriorated message in a bottle from a kidnap victim which finds its way to Morck via Scotland 20 years after it was launched. This leads Morck eventually to discover similar crimes being committed. As the reader, one is already following this crime which involves the mistreated son of a religious clique minister preying on families in similar cliques feeling secure in the knowledge that the way he has set up his kidnap and blackmail will ensure his victims will never reveal what has happened.

Jussi Adler olsen's website

Previously Read
Mercy
Disgrace

Sara Blaedel

Blue Blood
(Also published as "Call me Princess")

Detective: Louise Rick
Time:        Current
Setting:     Copenhagen
Genre:       Scandi Noir

This is the second of Blaedel's Louise Rick novels. It concerns a brutal rape of a young woman  and dwells a lot on the consequences for the victim before there is a second rape, this time resulting in the death of the victim.In order to trace the perpetrator Rick is drawn into exploring the world of internet dating which takes her dangerously close to the villain. At the same time Rick's best friend, a journalist is trying to exploit the problems of the original victim and unwittingly exposes her to further danger.

The background story of Rick's problems with her partner are a little drawn out and slow the pace of the story.

Rating B+

Sara Blaedel's website