After the great success of solving his first cold case for Department Q, Danish Homicide Detective Carl Morck is ready to tackle another one. But with so many files in his office, which one should it be? The choice is made for Morck when an anonymous person places a file on his desk about the 1987 brutal murders of an 18-year-old brother and his 17-year-old sister. At the time, police suspected a six- member group of privileged boarding school friends made up of five boys and one girl, but they could never find enough evidence to prove their guilt. Nine years after the event, one of the boys finally confessed and is serving time in prison. As the only member of the boarding school suspects who wasn't from an affluent family, it's amazing the wealth he's acquired while incarcerated. Did he take the fall for someone else -- and a large amount of money?

This is only one aspect of the reopened cold case that bothers Morck. After 20 years, the rest of the boys in the group are now highly influential, extremely wealthy leaders in society, while the girl is a homeless woman, stealing to survive on the streets of Copenhagen even though she's worth millions. Why is her life so different from the others? Feeling she may hold the key to the investigation, Morck and his assistants Assad and Rose search for her. But there are others who don't want her found and will do whatever it takes to silence her.

As Morck delves deeper and deeper into this cold case, the more evidence he uncovers of other crimes that seem to be linked to this dysfunctional group of school chums over the years. It all seems too depraved to be true, but when Morck and Assad find themselves fighting for their lives, the horrible reality is finally revealed.

THE ABSENT ONE is the second book in the Denmark-set Department Q series by best-selling Danish author Jussie Adler-Olsen following THE KEEPER OF LOST CAUSES. I reviewed the first book and found it exceptional. This new novel is even more atmospherically compelling and interesting than the first. The main characters are believably complex, yet affable, and the plotline will keep you turning pages long into the night to reach the riveting finish. I can't wait for the next installment!