The Hanging Girl

by Jussi Adler-Olsen

Part of Department Q, book 6

First published 2015

Carl Mørck tries to enjoy his morning nap in the basement of police headquarters when a call from Bornholm island disrupts his peace. The head of Department Q wants nothing to do with another case, but shocking news forces his hand. His assistant Rose grows angrier than usual as the team takes on a cold case that has waited too long for answers. A seventeen-year-old girl disappeared from school and turned up dead, suspended high in a tree branches. The investigation pulls Carl and his team from the remote Danish island into the world of a sun worshipping cult. Carl works alongside Assad, Rose, and newcomer Gordon to track down a manipulator who kills to protect secrets. New murders pile up as the team races to stop someone who destroys anyone who threatens their plans. The case tests Department Q as they confront a killer who uses others' devotion as a weapon.

Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller

Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful

Tropes: amateur-sleuth, found-family

Setting: Bornholm, Denmark

Period: contemporary

512 pages · Hardcover · Dutton

Content warnings: murder, violence

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