Reviews

Den grænseløse by Jussi Adler-Olsen

coenobi's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

I like this one a lot better than the last. Very tragic and a lot happens to the main characters of the series.

miss_canthus's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Well written but I think I need a break from this series. As I said for the other books, I don‘t need the near-deaths-experience at the end in every book. However, the setting is great and I liked the twists of this one.

kmatthe2's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Yet another great Department Q novel. The characters are getting more complex and yet more knowable. The mystery is more complex, yet timely.

amn028's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

I love this series. It is one of my favourites and look forward to a new book coming out like most kids look forward to their birthdays. The story is well written and engaging. The mystery of whether it was an accident or murder, and who may be responsible, keeps the plot moving along. However, it is really the characters, their stories and struggles that draws me in and holds my attention. With each book, the characters develop another layer that is stripped away and gives them more depth and makes them that much more human. There are so many open-ended questions that result from the character development that each one could have their own book and we would still want more. Slowly Assad’s back story is being revealed and it gets more interesting. Carl still struggles with the nail gun case fall-out. Gordon is coming along but is still just a shadow that may or may not stick around. However, the end of this book belongs to Rose. Where this will lead will most likely be the most fascinating part of the next book.

I think the book could have done without the Ronny/Sammy storyline as it only took away from the rest of the plot and story. It does deal a little with Carl’s character and his back story, but the character is deep enough that this secondary plot seems unnecessary.

xenlinde's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

The first half of the book was a struggle. Fortunately, it picked up steam at the end. I’m glad the ending wasn’t predictable.

joeri81's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Another book finished in the Q series, and probably the last one for me. The book had again the same strenghts but also similar weaknesses as the previous installements. The big plus here was that this book provided a twist at the ending that the other books completely lacked.

This time the members of the Q series are involved in a seventeen year old case about a hit and run car accident. They pick up the investigation from a colleague after he has commited suicide. They have to work through his documentation from years of research, but gradually make some progress and find some leads. I thought this part of the story was again the most interesting one. It involves the characters we know the best (Carl, Assad, Rose) and these characters are still the biggest strength in the series.
On the other hand we also follow the events in some sort of a sect, a community that is devoted to the sun. I have to say that these chapters were often a struggle to get through, both the characters as the plot weren't as interesting. In the end both stories come together, but long before that I thought I had a pretty good idea who would be the perpetrator. It was good to see that for once Jussi Adler-Olsen provided a twist at the ending and didn't choose for the obvious perpetrator in the story. This is a huge improvement in comparison to his previous books in the Q series.

Besides the main case there are still other things happening; Carl's nephew dies and it seems Carl's actions linked to the death of his uncle risk to be made public.
Further there are also some new leads in the nailgun case. It is interesting to see that there is some progress this time, but on the other hand it is starting to become tiresome that this case still hasn't got a solution after six books. Adler-Olsen should really end this story line by now.

Finally I still have the same complaints with regards to the writing / translation. There's probably some improvement (or some habit formation), but I still feel it isn't good enough for an established writer.

Conclusion:
I have finally finished all the books in this series that I bought in bulk some time ago. I know that there's still one available that I haven't read yet, and there will probably follow some more in the future, but I'm not inclined to read them for now. These books just aren't good enough. Maybe someday in the future I'll give Adler-Olsen's books another shot, but not right away.
Rating: 6/10

sas_'s review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Not the best in the Q-series. It starts promising, but halfway through gets boring and the story loses a lot of dynamic and speed. Near the end it all gets better, but again not the best book in the series. It was the first book of Jussi Adler I had trouble finishing.

sonnenblumenmadl's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

dogtrax's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Another great story in this series .....

argimiro's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Otra novela del Departamento Q. No és la que más me ha gustado. Los personajes de fondo son interesantes.