Katrine Engberg’s star is on the rise. The author of the critically-acclaimed Korner & Werner series, Engberg has amassed dedicated readers in her native Denmark and around Europe—and this week, Engberg’s debut novel hit American bookstores. THE TENANT effectively blends elements of bookish suspense, human drama, and police procedure to deliver a story that, despite is Nordic setting, refuses to be confined to the “Nordic Noir” category—or to any single crime fiction category at all, for that matter. Engaging, offbeat characters and an intricate mystery drive THE TENANT: readers follow two Copenhagen police officers who are tasked with solving a bizarre murder, one which appears to be heavily inspired by the unpublished manuscript of the victim’s landlady. What secrets do the landlady and her manuscript hold? What motivation could she possibly have had for murdering her tenant? And if she didn’t do it, who did? In her debut crime novel, Engberg takes readers down a twisty path filled with plenty of red herrings, a moody Danish atmosphere, and a dash of humor, too. THE TENANT is a strong debut, a slow-burning story that will surely earn Engberg a loyal American fan-base.
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Interview with Lars Kepler, Author of THE RABBIT HUNTER
I’ve been a Lars Kepler fan for years now, and a new book by Kepler is always cause for celebration! Today, Kepler’s newest U.S. release THE RABBIT HUNTER hits bookstores, and I’m thrilled to share a Q&A with the authors to celebrate their newest crime novel. Kepler, the pen name for a husband-and-wife writing duo, is known for writing big, intricate, terrifying serial killer thrillers. These books follow a police officer in Stockholm, Sweden, but their real focal points are their villains: psychopaths with well-crafted, totally creepy backstories and motivations, whose shocking crimes seem built for the big screen. THE RABBIT HUNTER is no exception. In THE RABBIT HUNTER, the Stockholm police face off against a twisted killer with a terrifying modus operandi: first, his victims hear a nursery rhyme… and nineteen minutes later on the dot, his victims die. Read on for more information on THE RABBIT HUNTER, including plot details, early praise, and my conversation with Lars Kepler!
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Book Review: DEATH DESERVED by Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger
What do you get when you combine the writing talents of two popular Norwegian crime writers? The answer, as it turns out, is a delightfully devious serial killer thriller called DEATH DESERVED, the first joint offering from Jørn Lier Horst (author of the William Wisting series) and Thomas Enger (author of the Henning Juul series). In this new series launch, Horst and Enger team up to deliver a story that draws on both of their strengths, blending Horst’s knowledge of and eye for police procedure with Enger’s skill at crafting engaging, endearing characters. DEATH DESERVED is a race-against-the-clock thriller, a story following an unlikely pair of protagonists - a police officer and a celebrity blogger - who find themselves embroiled in the shocking disappearance of a star athlete in Oslo. As bizarre and dramatic clues begin to pop up across the city, it becomes apparent to those involved that they are dealing with a devious and increasingly emboldened killer, one who will stop at nothing to achieve his twisted goals—and make his work known to the public at the same time. Cleverly plotted and seriously entertaining, DEATH DESERVED is an excellent new serial killer thriller and strong series launch from two acclaimed Norwegian crime writers.
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8 Recommended Bookish Mysteries & Suspense Novels
What could be better than a crime novel about books? For so many of us bookworms (myself included!), there’s something especially fun about reading a book about books or authors. In today’s blog post, I’m rounding up 8 mystery and suspense novels that deal with exactly that! The books discussed here all relate to the world of books in one way or another. Some of them feature protagonists who are authors or aspiring writers, some have “book within a book” style plots, and all of them will satisfy your desire to dig into some good old bookish intrigue. This is a category of crime novel I personally never tire of, and I hope this list will help you find a book or two that catches your eye, too! Happy reading!
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Book Review: UNSPEAKABLE THINGS by Jess Lourey
Some books terrify with blood and gore, others with the realities of life’s darkest corners. Jess Lourey’s stunning suspense novel UNSPEAKABLE THINGS falls into the latter camp. Inspired by a true story from the author’s hometown, UNSPEAKABLE THINGS explores exactly what its title suggests: the unspeakable horrors of a small town with unthinkable secrets. Something is rotten in the town of Lilydale, Minnesota. Young boys are disappearing, and then they’re returning… changed. For protagonist Cassie, the world is a strange and dangerous place; threats both outside and inside her own home make her young life a treacherous one. Told through the eyes of a girl on the brink of becoming a teenager, struggling to understand the dangers lurking on the periphery of her life, UNSPEAKABLE THINGS is an exceptional piece of suspense fiction. This book is sure to provoke strong reactions on both sides of the fence, in large part owing to the challenging themes explored within its pages, but it was a home-run for me. Vivid, atmospheric, and genuinely unsettling, UNSPEAKABLE THINGS is a coming-of-age story as you’ve never read it before.
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