Jussi Adler-Olsen so admired the writers who paved the way for him in the Nordic noir genre --- Henning Mankell, Jo Nesbø and Stieg Larsson --- that he followed their lead by joining them in winning both the Barry and Glass Key awards for mystery/crime fiction.

Translated by Caroline Waight, LOCKED IN is the 10th and final installment in Adler-Olsen's criminally underrated Department Q series. It begins the day after Christmas when the head of Department Q, Detective Carl Mørck, finds himself inexplicably led away in handcuffs and deposited at Copenhagen’s Vestre prison. He has been charged with myriad crimes ranging from drug trafficking to murder. Readers of these books will find this hard to believe, and they would be right. Carl is being framed.

"LOCKED IN is a mammoth novel at over 500 pages, but Jussi Adler-Olsen has such a subtle way with words that it never feels like a lengthy read."

Just who is behind this deception is at the heart of LOCKED IN, and both Carl from inside the prison walls and his loyal team on the streets will have to work tirelessly to find answers. In the Prologue, we see a younger version of Carl in 2005 on a case with a few of his closest colleagues. When things go sour for him years later, one of these comrades will be the first name that comes to mind as the reason for his imprisonment.

Next, we see present-day Rotterdam cop Eddie Jansen being threatened at gunpoint by a mysterious and powerful individual. Recognizing that he will never get rich on a detective’s salary, Eddie will give up any information or assistance he can provide regarding Carl’s situation. It is even Eddie who hires the first Vestre inmate to put a knife in Carl’s heart.

Having Carl's career survive the mountain of charges against him will be a nearly impossible task to pull off. What may be even more difficult is making it out of general population, especially when the first-day taunts of “Kill the pig” show that his presence at Vestre was expected. Carl is limited in what he can do from the inside, even though he will learn that he has some surprising connections there willing to help for a price. In reality, the only true chance he has of ever seeing the light of day and having his record expunged is if his most trusted colleagues --- Rose, Assad and Gordon --- can find out who is framing him.

It will be easier said than done, especially as most members of the Danish police force have been ordered to turn their back on Carl. The Department Q loyalists who still believe in him will risk not only their careers but perhaps their own lives and the well-being of their families and loved ones if they pursue their private investigation. Of course, someone who has been on the job in the capacity Carl has been for so many years must mean that he has made some powerful enemies. The problem here is that they are not on the other side of the law, and the political reasons for wanting him permanently silenced are indeed chilling.

LOCKED IN is a mammoth novel at over 500 pages, but Jussi Adler-Olsen has such a subtle way with words that it never feels like a lengthy read. The characters are always well-developed, and the action and inner workings of the police department are consistently intriguing. For those who follow primarily American-based crime fiction, it is refreshing to see that other parts of the world have crime fighters facing some of the same obstacles and challenges as our homegrown heroes do.