You finished Dept. Q on Netflix, and now you need the books. That’s exactly how it happened for me too.
There are ten of them. They need to be read in order. And half the lists online will confuse you because the same book has two completely different titles depending on where you live.
This sorts all of that out.
TL;DR: Jussi Adler-Olsen wrote one series that matters: Department Q, 10 books, starting with The Keeper of Lost Causes (2011). Read them in order. Character development runs through all ten, and the ending pays off everything. Full list with dual titles below.
I’ve read all ten. Everything below is in reading order, with both the North American title listed where a second title exists. Some books were published under different names in different markets, which causes endless confusion online. This clears that up.
Fair warning on one thing: the names. Danish streets, Danish names, Danish institutions. It can slow you down at first. Push through it. The story will carry you.
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The Dept. Q Series (Reading Order)
1. The Keeper of Lost Causes (2011)
Also published as: Mercy.
This is where you start. Carl Morck gets demoted to Department Q, a basement cold case unit nobody takes seriously. The case: a politician who vanished from a ferry five years earlier. It sets up everything — the dynamic between Carl and Assad, the tone, the pacing. Don’t skip it to get to the “good ones.” This is one of the good ones.
2. The Absent One (2012)
Also published as: Disgrace.
A twenty-year-old double murder at a boarding school. Class, privilege, and the things money buries. The Carl-Assad partnership starts to deepen here. You’ll feel it.
3. A Conspiracy of Faith (2013)
Also published as: Redemption.
A message in a bottle. An old crime. A religious cult. Some of the most claustrophobic, uncomfortable scenes in the series. The team’s methods — unorthodox, stubborn, effective — are fully in gear by now.
4. The Purity of Vengeance (2013)
Also published as: Guilt.
Two books in one year, and both are strong. This one deals with forced sterilizations and a decades-long cover-up. The most socially heavy entry in the series. Adler-Olsen doesn’t flinch.
5. The Marco Effect (2014)
Also published as: Buried.
Rose joins the team officially. The case moves around more than I’d like — political corruption, international crime, a lot of geography. Still a good book, but one of the weaker entries for me personally. The local Copenhagen cases hit harder.
6. The Hanging Girl (2015)
Also published as: Boundless.
Back to form. A suspicious death, religious extremism, family secrets. The stakes for the team get personal and you start to see where this is all heading.
7. The Scarred Woman (2017)
Also published as: Selfies.
Social media and cyberbullying as the backdrop for a revenge case. The two-year gap between this and Book 6 doesn’t hurt the series at all.
8. Victim 2117 (2020)
The biggest departure in the series. The case goes international in a way that felt too sprawling to me. It works as a thriller, but it’s the one time the series loses the tight, basement-cold-case feel that makes it special. Read it — you need it for the full story — just know it’s different.
9. The Shadow Murders (2022)
This is where everything starts pulling together. Nine books of character work begins to pay off. Don’t come here without having done the reading first.
10. Locked In (2024)
The ending. It earns it. I won’t say anything more than that.
Where to Start If You Watched the Show
Book 1. No exceptions.
The show captured Carl and Assad better than I expected — the sighs, the banter, the friction that’s actually just two people who respect each other more than they’ll admit. That dynamic is in the books from page one. If you loved it on screen, you’ll find more of it on the page.
Edinburgh and Copenhagen both have the same grey, cold European feel that the show nailed. You won’t feel lost.
Getting the Books
All ten are available through the Toronto Public Library, physical and digital. If you’re outside Toronto, check your local library system before buying. Ten books add up fast. If you want to buy, head over to Amazon for some great deals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to read Dept. Q in order?
Yes. The character development runs through all ten books, and the ending is a direct payoff of storylines that start in Book 1. This isn’t a series where you can jump in anywhere.
Why do some books have two titles?
The books were originally published in Danish, then translated for different markets. Some editions used different English titles in the UK vs. North America. The Keeper of Lost Causes and Mercy are the same book. The same goes for all the dual titles listed above.
Is the Netflix show faithful to the books?
The setting is different — Edinburgh instead of Copenhagen — but the tone, the characters, and the feel are right. If the show worked for you, the books will too.
How long is each book?
Most run 400-500 pages. They read faster than that. The pacing is deliberate but never slow.
Are there any standalone Jussi Adler-Olsen novels?
Yes. The Alphabet House (1997) and The Washington Decree are both standalones. Neither is part of the Dept. Q series. Worth reading once you’ve finished the main ten, but not required.
Start with The Keeper of Lost Causes. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be at Book 3 before you notice.
Like reading thrillers? I suggest James Patterson. Here’s the full James Patterson reading order and authors who write like him if you need somewhere to go next.
Have you read the series? Did the Netflix show bring you to the books or the other way around? Let me know in the comments.
Looking for more reading recommendations? Check out my Books, TV & Media hub.
