7 m2: this is the size of the cell in which inspector Carl Mørk finds himself locked following his arrest at the end of Salt, the previous opus of the investigations of Department V. Suffice to say that if you have not read the nine previous volumes written by the Dane Jussi Adler-Olsen, you risk missing a large part of the story. And that would be a shame. Certainly, the investigations carried out by these Copenhagen police officers, specialized in unsolved cases, can be read independently. But that would be to forget all the work done by Adler-Olsen to build his characters who we see evolve and change over the course of the volumes. And then 7m2 doesn’t he come to give the key to the events – the nail gun murder affair – which led Carl Mørk to find himself on the sidelines, propelled to the head of what was then this brand new and obscure Department V in Mercythe first volume of the series?
In short, here is Carl, in whose home a suitcase filled with drugs and a large sum of money was discovered, thrown in prison. Suitcase that he had agreed to store in his attic, without worrying about its contents, at the request of Anker, his former colleague killed in a shooting years earlier, and whose contents he had subsequently forgotten. existence. In addition to drug trafficking, the police officer is accused of theft, corruption, murder or complicity in murder… Things look complicated for the star inspector of Department V, trapped by a powerful organization. Especially since he is isolated from his team but surrounded by inmates who – inevitably – only wish him well.
This latest opus largely lives up to the previous volumes and it is not without a pang in the heart that the reader must say goodbye to Carl, Assad, Rose, Gordon and Mona. Because Jussi Adler-Olsen promised it: the series ends there. But there is no doubt that he will be able to create new, equally inspired universes.
