The Department of Sensitive Crimes cover art

The Department of Sensitive Crimes

A Detective Varg Novel

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The Department of Sensitive Crimes

Written by: Alexander McCall Smith
Narrated by: David Rintoul
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About this listen

From the beloved and best-selling author of the number one Ladies' Detective Agency series comes a lighthearted, comedic novel about a Swedish police department tasked with solving the most unusual, complicated, and, often, insignificant crimes.

The detectives who work in Malmo Police's Department of Sensitive Crimes take their job very seriously. The lead detective, Ulf Varg, prioritizes his cases above even his dog's mental health. Then, there are detectives Anna Bengsdotter, who keeps her relationship with Varg professional even as she realizes she's developing feelings for him...or, at least, for his car, and Carl Holgersson, first to arrive in the morning and last to leave, who would never read his colleagues' personal correspondence - unless it could help solve a crime, of course. Finally, there's Erik Nykvist, who peppers conversations with anecdotes about fly fishing.

Along with an opinionated local police officer named Blomquist, the Department of Sensitive Crimes takes on three extremely strange cases. First, the detectives investigate how and why a local business owner was stabbed...in the back of the knee. Next, a young woman's imaginary boyfriend goes missing. And, in the final investigation, Varg must determine whether nocturnal visitations at a local spa have a supernatural element.

Using his renowned wit and warmth, Alexander McCall Smith brings a unique perspective on Scandinavian crime. Equal parts hilarious and heartening, The Department of Sensitive Crimes is a tour de farce from a literary master.

©2019 Alexander McCall Smith (P)2019 Recorded Books
International Mystery & Crime Literature & Fiction Police Procedural Fiction Mystery Witty Heartfelt Detective Scandinavian Noir Swedish Mysteries
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What listeners say about The Department of Sensitive Crimes

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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My heart!

Lovely narrator, such a wonderful job! And the dear Martin/Ulf and their world is truly fascinating, humorous, and touching.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Too Much Dialog

The reader was fantastic, but I found the character talked far too much about NOTHING! Too much unrelated information made it just too difficult to keep track of the central story. It felt like it was all over the place like a tail on a rabid monkey! But the narration, the reading itself was fantastic.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Does anything happen in this book?

Does anything happen in this book? I guess I will never know cause I can’t listen to it for another minute. Even on 1.5x. Argh

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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Stinks

I guess I should have guessed that a writer who poses as Alexander with an umlaut would not have much to offer. This was definitely the case.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

The story is annoying

The characters in this story all seem like simpletons. The author has them explain the most basic things to each other. I couldn't finish the book, it was just too annoying to listen to, it was like listening to a children's book.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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Incredibly Lacklustre

There was nothing much wrong with the performance, but it couldn’t make up for the lack of plot. All three mysteries had the potential for a more interesting or inventive solution, none of which materialized.

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