Order of Book Series
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Department Q Books in Order

Department Q by Jussi Adler-Olsen contains 11 books, published between 2011 and 2026. The first book is The Keeper of Lost Causes / Mercy (2011) and the newest is No Song for the Dead (2026). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
11
Published
2011–2026
Confirmed
11 of 11 titles
Pages on record
3,790 in 8 of 11 books
Reading time
63–95 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 3,790 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 8 of 11 titles with a page count on record.

See all 11 books in order Printable Department Q checklist

Department Q is a Nordic noir crime series by the Danish novelist Jussi Adler-Olsen, built around a Copenhagen police unit that reopens cold cases. The first book, published in English as The Keeper of Lost Causes and as Mercy, appeared in 2011, and 11 books follow through No Song for the Dead in 2026. Kidnapping, murder and missing persons drive the investigations, which run to a median of 482 pages. Danish films and a Scottish-set Netflix series have been adapted from the books.

How many Department Q books are there?

Department Q has 11 books, released between 2011 and 2026.

Department Q Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 11 Department Q 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 Keeper of Lost Causes / Mercy2011 · 416 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2011416
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    The Absent One / Disgrace2012 · 406 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2012406
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    A Conspiracy of Faith / Redemption / Flaskepost fra P2013 · 504 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2013504
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    The Purity of Vengeance / Guilt / Journal 642013 · 500 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2013500
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    The Marco Effect / Buried / Marco Effekten2013 · 484 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2013484
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    The Hanging Girl2014 · 528 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2014528
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    The Scarred Woman2016 · 472 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2016472
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Victim 21172020 · 480 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2020480
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    The Shadow Murders2021 · confirmed 3/4
    2021–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    Locked In2024 · confirmed 3/4
    2024–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    No Song for the Dead2026 · confirmed 3/4
    2026–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Is there a chronological order for Department Q?

No separate chronological order is on record for Department Q, because none of the book listings this catalogue draws on publishes one; the publication order above is the only order given.

Do you have to read Department Q books in order?

You should read the Department Q books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Department Q book also stands alone.

What order should you read Department Q books in?

Read them in publication order, starting with The Keeper of Lost Causes / Mercy (2011), the earliest published title. After it come The Absent One / Disgrace (2012), A Conspiracy of Faith / Redemption / Flaskepost fra P (2013), The Purity of Vengeance / Guilt / Journal 64 (2013), The Marco Effect / Buried / Marco Effekten (2013), The Hanging Girl (2014), The Scarred Woman (2016), Victim 2117 (2020), The Shadow Murders (2021), Locked In (2024) and No Song for the Dead (2026).

What is the newest Department Q book?

No Song for the Dead (2026) is the newest Department Q book released so far.

Is there a new Department Q book coming?

No next Department Q book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Department Q at a glance

Still running
Department Q is still running, with a title published as recently as 2026.
Release pace
Department Q books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
Length
3,790 pages across the 8 of 11 books with a recorded length, a median of 482 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Department Q books, 7 of 11, were published in the 2010s.

What the Department Q books are about

8 of the 11 Department Q 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 8. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.

More books by Jussi Adler-Olsen

The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.