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Nov 06, 2017D_Kyle rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
The Woman of the title may emerge to be one whom fans of Jussi A-O are already familiar with, but there are many scarred women in this novel which I anticipated for so long - so good to meet the crotchety Carl Morck and the lovely Assad again - but the story did not have connection for me. It was difficult for me to empathize with any of the new characters in this tale because they are quite shallow and single-minded; revenge and gluttony are the themes here and they did not resonate. Is this an indication of how difficult the craft of writing truly is, or something more personal? Welfare girls who leach off the system, the widow of a Nazi war criminal, a welfare case-worker with a systemic imbalance and Department Q's own Rose Knudsen are among the scarred women whose stories are woven together in this welcome update on the progress of what feels like an old friendship, spanning seven novels. If you've missed Carl and Assad like I have, surely pick this book up, but his earlier Dept Q novels are more tightly constructed with antagonists that seem to pose a greater risk to the balance of society. Not his strongest work.