Order of Book Series
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Jussi Adler-Olsen Books in Order

Jussi Adler-Olsen has written 14 books, published between 1997 and 2026. The first book is The Alphabet House (1997) and the newest is No Song for the Dead (2026). Publication order is the reading order below. 11 of the 14 books listed here are in the Department Q series, which has its own page: Department Q books in order.

Books
14
Published
1997–2026
Confirmed
14 of 14 titles
Pages on record
4,824 in 10 of 14 books
Reading time
80–121 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 4,824 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 10 of 14 titles with a page count on record.

See all 14 books in order Printable Jussi Adler-Olsen checklist
Photo of Jussi Adler-Olsen, author

Department Q, a Copenhagen cold-case unit, is the centre of Jussi Adler-Olsen's crime fiction. The Keeper of Lost Causes (2011) opens that series, while the catalogue itself starts with The Alphabet House (1997) and reaches 2026. Fourteen books are listed, long at a median 482 pages, taking in missing persons, murder investigations and the Second World War.

How many Jussi Adler-Olsen books are there?

Jussi Adler-Olsen has 14 books, released between 1997 and 2026. 11 of them belong to the Department Q series.

Jussi Adler-Olsen Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 14 Jussi Adler-Olsen books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. Cover of The Absent One / Disgrace by Jussi Adler-Olsen, book 2 of the Department Q series (2012)
  2. Cover of A Conspiracy of Faith / Redemption / Flaskepost fra P by Jussi Adler-Olsen, book 3 of the Department Q series (2013)
  3. Cover of The Purity of Vengeance / Guilt / Journal 64 by Jussi Adler-Olsen, book 4 of the Department Q series (2013)
  4. Cover of The Marco Effect / Buried / Marco Effekten by Jussi Adler-Olsen, book 5 of the Department Q series (2013)
  5. Cover of The Hanging Girl by Jussi Adler-Olsen, book 6 of the Department Q series (2014)
  6. Cover of The Scarred Woman by Jussi Adler-Olsen, book 7 of the Department Q series (2016)
  7. Cover of Victim 2117 by Jussi Adler-Olsen, book 8 of the Department Q series (2020)
  8. Cover of The Shadow Murders by Jussi Adler-Olsen, book 9 of the Department Q series (2021)
  1. 1
    The Alphabet HouseJussi Adler-Olsen Standalone Novels #11997 · 465 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1997465
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    TakeoverJussi Adler-Olsen Standalone Novels #22002 · confirmed 3/4
    2002–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    The Keeper of Lost Causes / MercyDepartment Q #12011 · 416 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2011416
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    The Absent One / DisgraceDepartment Q #22012 · 406 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2012406
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    A Conspiracy of Faith / Redemption / Flaskepost fra PDepartment Q #32013 · 504 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2013504
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    The Purity of Vengeance / Guilt / Journal 64Department Q #42013 · 500 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2013500
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    The Marco Effect / Buried / Marco EffektenDepartment Q #52013 · 484 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2013484
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    The Hanging GirlDepartment Q #62014 · 528 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2014528
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    The Scarred WomanDepartment Q #72016 · 472 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2016472
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    The Washington DecreeJussi Adler-Olsen Standalone Novels #32018 · 569 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2018569
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Victim 2117Department Q #82020 · 480 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2020480
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    The Shadow MurdersDepartment Q #92021 · confirmed 3/4
    2021–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    Locked InDepartment Q #102024 · confirmed 3/4
    2024–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    No Song for the DeadDepartment Q #112026 · confirmed 3/4
    2026–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Jussi Adler-Olsen series in order

The series linked below has its own reading-order page.

Jussi Adler-Olsen books grouped by series

Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.

Jussi Adler-Olsen Standalone Novels

3 books

3 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.

Jussi Adler-Olsen Books in Chronological Order

By publication date, the Jussi Adler-Olsen books run from The Alphabet House (1997) to No Song for the Dead (2026), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for Jussi Adler-Olsen in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.

Do you have to read Jussi Adler-Olsen books in order?

You only need to read Jussi Adler-Olsen books in order within the Department Q series, which holds 11 of the 14 Jussi Adler-Olsen books listed here. The numbered table above gives every book in publication order.

Where to start with Jussi Adler-Olsen

Start with The Keeper of Lost Causes / Mercy (2011), the first Department Q book. The earliest catalogued title overall is The Alphabet House (1997).

What is the newest Jussi Adler-Olsen book?

No Song for the Dead (2026) is the newest Jussi Adler-Olsen book released so far.

Is there a new Jussi Adler-Olsen book coming?

No next Jussi Adler-Olsen book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Awards Jussi Adler-Olsen has won

Wikidata records 5 awards for Jussi Adler-Olsen. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

  • Barry Award for Best Novel2012Wonfor The Keeper of Lost Causes
  • Grand prix des lectrices de Elle, catégorie policier2012Won
  • Harald Mogensen Prize2010Won
  • Glass Key award2010Won
  • De Gyldne Laurbær2010Wonfor The Purity of Vengeance

Jussi Adler-Olsen at a glance

Still publishing
Jussi Adler-Olsen published a book as recently as 2026.
Release pace
Jussi Adler-Olsen books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
Length
4,824 pages across the 10 of 14 books with a recorded length, a median of 482 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Jussi Adler-Olsen books, 8 of 14, were published in the 2010s.

What the Jussi Adler-Olsen books are about

10 of the 14 Jussi Adler-Olsen books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: mystery & detective, police procedural is tagged on 6 of 10. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.