Jussi Adler Olsen’s Mercy is a gripping psychological crime fiction novel set in Denmark. It is the first in a series and has earned worldwide acclaim. The series is to revolve around a dark and bizarre organization known only as Department Q.
Carl Mørck plays the stereotypical gritty, grimy crusader that’s become withdrawn after witnessing a traumatic shooting that took his colleague’s life. Mørck’s forced to pair with an unlikely assistant in an inexperienced Syrian named Assad, who works with him on the few cases he gets; on the rare occasions that they do spark his interest. That is, until he stumbles upon the case of Merete Lynggaard, a politician who went missing whilst on a ferry 5 years prior. The case transforms the tormented policeman into a determined detective; inquisitive once more. Despite the prevalent notion of her death; his gut tells him that she’s still breathing. His relentless determination helps reveal the details of the once cold case, one that he finds was investigated with reckless negligence.
The writer tells the tale through two different protagonists, Carl Mørck and Merete Lunggaard. When the story’s told through Merete’s eyes, her desperate situation overcasts every page as the bleak circumstances of her capture are revealed. Not knowing where she is, she finds herself trapped in a desolate room devoid of any sanitary provisions, food, water and hope. The futility of her situation is poignant as she’s left wondering who did this to her, and why?
The book opens with:
“At first the prisoner scratches at the walls until her fingers bleed. But there is no escaping the room. With no way of measuring time, her days, weeks, months go unrecorded. She vows not to go mad. She will not give her captors the satisfaction. She will die first.”
The book continues in such engaging fashion and is a page turner till the last chapter. Each character is nuanced and contributes to the story without detracting from the pace. Even overtly visceral scenes inspire shock without ever seeming like unnecessary shock and awe. Nothing seems to have been lost in the transition from its original Danish version. Olsen effortlessly manages to capture the essence of each of the dialogues, portrays every mannerism and idiosyncrasy while keeping reader’s enraptured with every word.
