Danish Homicide Detective Carl Morck has never been on the best of terms with his superior, even though Morck is one of Copenhagen's best cops. Now, he's recovering from a bullet wound gotten in his last case. But he's luckier than his two partners; one is dead, and the other paralyzed from the neck down. Carl is dealing with a load of guilt, since he didn't even pull his weapon.

Expecting to be reprimanded harshly, Carl is shocked to actually receive a promotion. He's to head up a new division, titled Department Q, which is being funded by the government to look into cold cases. His excitement is short- lived, however, when he finds that he's the only detective and his new office is in the grubby basement. His desk is soon loaded down with stacks of folders of unsolved cases. Insisting there is too much to do by himself, that he needs an assistant who can take care of paperwork and cleaning, he is sent Assad, a Syrian immigrant with some very unique and useful talents.

Figuring he's been set up to fail, Carl isn't too enthusiastic about getting started on the case files. Casually leafing through them, one does catch his attention -- that of politician Merete Lynggaard, who vanished five years ago. Presumed dead, her disappearance still intrigues Carl enough to start looking into aspects of the incident and interviewing witnesses. With Assad by his side, as well as running errands for him, Carl starts building an unusual case. Could Merete still be alive somewhere after all this time? And, if so, will Carl and Assad be able to locate and rescue her?

Set in 2007, this first book of a series originally published in Danish is an outstanding police procedural thriller. With flashbacks to the victim's circumstances and her thoughts, it made for an excellent reading experience. Penguin has just released the next book in this series, THE ABSENT ONE, in hardcover. I've finished reading it and am even more impressed with this chapter in the life of cold-case investigator Morck and his assistant Assad.