The Scarred Woman cover art

The Scarred Woman

The bestselling crimes series that inspired the hit Netflix show DEPT. Q, starring Matthew Goode

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The Scarred Woman

By: Jussi Adler-Olsen, William Frost - translator
Narrated by: Steven Pacey
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THE NO. 1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR | 30 MILLION BOOKS SOLD | WINNER OF THE GLASS KEY AWARD

In a Copenhagen park the body of an elderly woman is discovered. Though the case bears a striking resemblance to another unsolved homicide from over a decade ago, the police cannot find any connection between the two victims.

Across town a group of young women are being hunted down. 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 a breakdown, their colleague Rose is struggling to deal with the ghosts of her past - a past seemingly connected to one of the division's most sinister case-files.

It is up to Carl, Assad and Gordon to unearth the dark and violent truth plaguing Rose before it is too late.

Praise for Jussi Adler-Olsen's Department Q series:

'Everything you could possibly want from a thriller and much, much more' Kirkus

'Department Q is a must read' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ reader review

'Adler-Olsen is the new "it" boy of Nordic Noir' The Times

'Impossible to put down' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ reader review

'Engrossing' Sunday Express

'Heart-stopping!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ reader review

'Gripping storytelling' Guardian

'Brilliant as always - these books keep getting better and better' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ reader review

'As impressive as it is unnerving' Independent©2017 Jussi Adler-Olsen Crime Thrillers European International Mystery & Crime Mystery Police Procedurals Suspense Thriller & Suspense World Literature Exciting Scary
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Critic reviews

The new "it" boy of Nordic Noir
Gripping story-telling
Adler-Olsen's prose is superior to Larsson's, his tortures are less discomfiting, and he has a sense of humour
[A] sordid tale . . . inspired by actual events during a dark period of Danish history. Ah, but there is more, so much more in this frenzied thriller
Mesmerising writing
Scandinavian crime novels don't get much darker than Jussi Adler-Olsen's Department Q police procedurals
All stars
Most relevant
Addicted to this series . Karl and Asad are the dynamic duo . This book we learn about my favourite Rose and her tragic story. Still wanting to learn more about the mysterious Asad. Stephen Pacey is absolutely amazing - as ever. He is a one man theatre company .

Another triamph

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Really enjoyed this one and felt it was back on form after the overly long and no as high quality The Hanging Girl which after listening to I gave up on the series as the next title wasn't narrated by Steven which for me was the nail in the coffin for this series. I was then surprised to see these books re-recorded by the original narrator so jumped back in. Next one in the series purchased.

Steven Pacey is back!!!!

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the girls! awful people and I lost their motivation somewhat however persevered and pleased with ending

the relationship in Dept Q

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More about the team from department Q with an interesting back plot to solve.
Great way to add depth familiar characters

Slower paced yet touching

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I’ve really enjoyed this series so far. I’m usually quite good at guessing the ending of most detective stories, but this one has kept me guessing throughout.

I’m also quite picky when it comes to audiobook narrators, as some can quickly get on my nerves (especially certain American narrators), but Steven Pacey is an absolute pleasure to listen to. I also find it quite amusing that although the story is set in Denmark, the characters seem to have accents from Birmingham, London, Newcastle and even Scotland.

I’ve just finished book seven and I’m about to start book eight. One thing I have noticed though – despite each mystery being solved, not a single perpetrator has actually survived to face justice. They’ve all died before they could be brought to account. Has anyone else picked up on that?

Brilliant Series

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