Fulfills both the "nordic noir" from the POPSUGAR challenge and Denmark from my read around the world challenge.

A rounded up 3.75 stars.

Carl Mørck is a detective who has recently returned to work after a shooting, in which one of his colleagues died and the other is paralyzed from the neck down. He is depressed, traumatized, guilty and despairing of the money and stress his ex-wife costs him with her frequent calls at just the wrong time. To get rid of his unpleasant self, his boss shuttles him off to a brand new department that is supposedly dedicated to cases that need "extra love". Carl is determined to do jack shit, but Assad, the assistant he is given is a blessing in disguise - he creates an obligation to do something. That something turns out closing the case of a missing politician from several years ago, who disappeared from a ferry on a trip with her disabled brother and was never seen again.

Spoiler alert, she's seen again.

Assad was the saving grace of this whole damn book - I want to know everything about him and less about Carl, who is a typical divorced, teetering on alcoholism, depressed LEO. Assad is a refugee to Denmark from Syria who is intelligent and sly and interested in the work the police do, even if he is officially not allowed to help at all. He does the bulk of the investigating, using ties he has built in the community to grease the way. I may pick up the next in the series if I can be promised to more of that.