I've been struggling to find a Nordic crime novel that compares to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. In recent years, I've been picking up books from the big names: Kepler, Lackberg, Edvardsson, Nesbø, Bjørk, Lagercrantz... And now Engberg. And here I am about to say what I've said about all those books before: I was bored. I didn't feel connected to the investigators, I didn't care about the victims, I didn't get a sense of what Copenhagen is like. Plus, I can't take a grisly murder mystery book seriously when there are quite so many exclamation points. Jeppe was a limp blanket and Anette was crass and selfish. The rest of the investigative team felt like stereotypes rather than people.

Where was the intrigue? Where was the tension? Because of Jeppe's personal baggage, the attitude towards the crime from the very beginning wasn't horror or determination, it was resignation. I don't feel a drive to root for the investigators if they don't feel a drive to solve the crime. This one wasn't for me.

A debut Scandanavian crime thriller featuring two police detectives, Jeppe Kørner and Anette Werner, who are the Copenhagen officers assigned to the case of a brutally murdered young woman. Jeppe is the main character and he is well-drawn as a stereotypical flawed police detective who has been on the job a long time. He's divorced, but hasn't gotten over his wife leaving him. We don't learn a lot about his partner, Anette, other than she's married and that Jeppe finds her irritating.

The case is a complex one and there are a few possiblities to throw you off the track of figuring out who is really the murderer. The writing is well done and I think this will make a good detective series. I would certainly read more in this series.

Thanks to Gallery/Scout Press through Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was given an ARC copy for an honest review. This was a good debut novel. The book was a little slow in places but picked up with some interesting plot twists.

This was a well-plotted murder mystery with interesting characters, although not always very likable. It has a bit of “Professor T” a pinch of “Vera” and a dash of “Hinterlands”. A Copenhagen cop duo that are alternating sides of the same mirror. One is a sensitive wimp and the other is a bulldozer. Totally different personalities, annoying to each other and each totally committed to their job. Lots of side relationships, character studies and warped behavior. A bit of dark self-deprecating humor kept everything interesting.

Back to the murder - typical high drama with a superintendent that needs to have it solved and put to bed quickly. That’s not happening. We have all read this type of murder mystery and as the saying goes; “It is all in the details”.

The story held my interest throughout and I would definitely read another installment of Copenhagen Police investigator Jeppe Korner and Anette Werner. Hopefully the misused words and grammar will be cleared up before publication. I discovered a new favorite thought: “THERE’S A VERY fine line between seizing an opportunity and doing something that you know is downright stupid. Sometimes the road less traveled is only traveled less because it leads you straight off a cliff.”

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery, Pocket Books for a copy

3.5 I was loving this book, and planned on giving it at least a 4, until I got to the ending. I'm not sure if something was lost in translation or editing, but the story just seemed to stop unfolding as it had been and suddenly just came to a rapid ending with many strings tied up with less than satisfactory explanations.

That sounds like I didn't enjoy it but I did, the characters were wonderful and I could see this turned into a television series.

I didn't love this book, and I didn't dislike it either. It was just kind of there for me. I found myself reading and enjoying it, but not really fully engaged.

I had a hard time liking the main male character (he was extremely whiny the entire time) and the female character seemed underdeveloped. There were a ton of random side plots that could have been axed without a huge detrimental effect.

The plot overall was intriguing but it seemed like the crime was solved by a lot of coincidence than actual detective work.

I know this book was a translation of a Nordic book, so maybe I'm missing something.

I don't regret reading this book, but I don't see myself reading any further in the series. It earns a solid 2.5 from me.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC to read and review.

I was greatly anticipating this book's official release and was granted the opportunity to read it *for free* through NetGalley!

Nordic mysteries tend to be super fun and interesting to me. From Jo Nesbo to Camilla Lackberg to Stieg Larsson, I'm generally a big fan of authors that write about one of my favorite genres and setting the plot in that part of the world.

Unfortunately, The Tenant did not meet my high expectations. Sluggish, tedious, and dull are the three words that throb at the front of my mind to describe this underwhelming debut. I felt a severe dislike for both of the detectives (Jeppe Korner and Anette Werner), who fit the classic are "polar opposite partners" model. But not in an interesting way. There's a forced quality about the few times they see eye to eye on the case(s), which makes their relationship appear superficial and flat to the reader. I literally could not wait for the book to be over and skimmed the last 25% (which happened to be even worse than the first 75%).

Maybe something was lost in the translation of the book. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for a story I had to work to like. But whatever happened, this is not something I would recommend my thriller connoisseur friends partake in.

I give this a 2.5 star review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Ohhhh Nordic noir.

How you excite and bore me! Is that even possible?

In this book, a young woman is discovered brutally murdered in her own apartment and Copenhagen police detectives Jeppe Korner and Anette Werner are assigned to the case. In short order, they establish a link between the victim, Julie Stender, and her landlady, Esther de Laurenti.

Is she the culprit—or just another victim, trapped in a twisted game of vengeance?

There were definitely parts that kept me frantically turning pages and others that I kinda skimmed over.

It's a police procedural-the main character is Jeppe Korner with Anette Werner as a quirky secondary character. Their relationship is far from perfect and I look forward to seeing how it grows and develops.

I wish I had more to say, but it was just another good thriller for me. Great start and it has the potential to be an amazing series.

Katrine Engberg’s debut Scandinavian noir thriller, The Tenant is a gritty crime mystery with a riveting plot that is intricately constructed. Katrine bases her story in Copenhagen and crafts a Nordic atmosphere that is uniquely styled and vividly portrays the location in all its sweeping facets.

Julie Stender is a young woman found brutally murdered in her apartment, with multiple stab wounds and a pattern carved into her face. There is no theft or sexual assault so the crime screams out revenge, but revenge for what? Detectives Jeppe Korner and Anette Werner are assigned to the case and form a partnership that is unusual, both as individual characters and in their relationship. There is something a bit moody about Korner and Werner and it is refreshing to see that they don’t always agree and can irritate each other.

“He thought Anette was a bit of a bulldozer; she called him sensitive and a wimp. On good days they harped on each other knowingly like an old married couple. On bad days, he just wanted to throw her into the sea.”

Jeppe is recently divorced and is having real difficulty coming to terms with his new single life. He is a frustrating character, while well-intentioned he often seems unsure of himself, irresolute and unfocused. With regards Anette we find out very little about her personality and background, in this novel. Together this gives me a big issue with this book but for the upcoming series, I can imagine it will improve.

The investigation explores Julie’s family, friends, colleagues, other tenants, previous boyfriends and the landlord. The resident landlord of their apartment building is a lady called Esther de Laurenti. She is an intriguing character, well developed and maintained with suspicion as most of the story orbits around her. Is she the murderer, the target or just another player in the game? As an author, she is writing a thriller, which she shares privately with other writers in her online group. The terrifying and damning magnitude of this is that the murders follow scenes described in Esther’s book, and the writers' group must all be assumed, potential murderers.

As the investigation progresses, new suspects are revealed without upsetting the wonderful balance between all possibilities, which leaves you completely guessing right throughout the book. At a point, you feel you have all the pieces of the puzzle but you still can’t see the overall picture and can’t piece it together. The mystery and surprises are sustained right to the end.

As the characters develop over the series, I can see how this is going to be a stellar addition to the many great crime thriller collections out there. I love the atmosphere of Nordic thrillers and I believe Katrine Engberg is set to translate well to US and UK markets. I recommend reading this book and I would like to thank Gallery Books, Scout Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC version in return for an honest review.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley for an honest and unbiased review. The Tenant was a very good murder mystery. The story centers around a young single tenant’s murder with many possible suspects. The police detectives follow multiple leads and many secrets are revealed . The mystery is well written and keeps the reader guessing until the end. I enjoyed how each suspect’s story unfolded and everything came together .

A brutal murder in a building owned by an author who is writing a book with a similar story line causes her to be the main suspect.

Julie and her roommate Caroline live in a building owned by Esther de Laurenti, the author. Julie is murdered, and the murder has the entire police force baffled.

Nothing like this has ever happened in her building, and Esther can’t understand it.

The clues all seem to point to Esther, though, and especially since the murder scene and situation are similar to her book, but is it really Esther? There are a number of possible suspects.

The victim and her family had a few secrets of their own, but would someone murder for those secrets? And what all-around, complicated secrets they turned out to be.

The detectives, Anette and Jeppe, are on the case and seem to be relentless in their efforts to solve this crime. This detective team is very likeable and definitely add to the story line.

Many other things happen that will keep you reading every chance you get, and you will be thinking about the characters and the situations even when you aren't reading.

Ms. Engberg’s writing flows nicely and keeps the story line moving and the interest high with all of the what if’s and possibilities.

Be aware that there are some upsetting situations and graphic descriptions.

THE TENANT is a book for those who enjoy being kept on the edge-of-your seat.

I hope to see more of this detective team and Ms. Engberg's books.

Are you a good enough detective to solve this crime? 4/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy! This was a solid police procedural with all the trimmings of a great foreign crime novel. It had that gritty feeling that Danish novels have come to be known for. I loved the duo of Jeppe and Annette and the rest of the police team were a great joy to read about. I think it has the perfect set-up to be a series, like some of the great long-standing crime sagas we adore like those of Tana French, Jo Nesbo, and others. I wish the relationship between the artist and his assistants was a little bit better fleshed out but, overall, a highly enjoyable read! This was originally published several years ago in Denmark, but has been translated into English and will be published in the U.S. in January 2020.

I didn’t find this novel to be a thrill ride, more a slow burn. Well developed, flawed characters drive a dark tale. Twists and turns will keep you guessing, with several red herring thrown in for good measure.

If you're looking for some cracking good, violent, kinky Nordic noir in the tradition of Larsson, Nesbo, et al, this is probably not going to pickle your herring. The Tenant is more blanc than noir. Oh, it has many of the classic Scandinavian hallmarks: elaborate murder scenes, unpronounceable names, casual adultery, excessive caffeine --- but it lacks the punch and bite of the best of the genre. The detective pairing may be the least interesting and most bland since True Detective threw a shotgun wedding of Colin Farrell and Taylor Kitsch. Annette in particular, is a joyless, chain-smoking harridan whose people skills remind one of Leona Helmsley. The plot seems a good one until the resolution turns it into a convoluted mishmash that requires a flow chart to understand. The Tenant is neat and pays its rent on time, doesn't throw any wild parties but not a distinctive resident of the fraternal lodge.

The Tenant is a wonderful, dark and incredibly rich mystery thriller novel, so well built and fast paced that I wasn't able to put it down till I reached the end. I was absolutely captivated by the atmosphere and characters..

I love Scandinavian mysteries. They're always dark and violent and complicated - and this one was all those things. Jeppe and Anette were interesting characters. Jeppe very flawed with Anette a good counterpart to that. The other characters were well done as well - very vivid.

The pacing of the story was excellent with clues gradually being made clear as the convoluted mystery finally came to a satisfying conclusion.

The Tenant is an intelligent atmospheric urban mystery. There is a generic Scandinavian milieu in this contemporary police procedural. The plot is initially straightforward and engaging although oddly in the last third the complexities multiply into a not necessarily compatible denouement. The characters are strong idiosyncratic portrayals. The writer created murky suspicions and the resolution upended initial impressions. An author to be followed.

This debut mystery set in Copenhagen is a page turning thriller about a murdered young women and the two detectives assigned to find the killer. The characters are interesting and the plot moves along with multiple twists.

Tense, taut, suspense thriller with evocative setting in the world of arts and literature in Copenhagen.

Young, beautiful Julie Stender is discovered murdered in her apartment by her elderly upstairs neighbor. The detectives assigned to the case, Jeppe Korner and Anette Werner, could not be more different. He’s gaunt and sad, recovering from the end of his marriage and a growing fondness for prescription painkillers. She’s jolly, plump, and happily married. But their skills are complementary as they delve into the disturbing case. Neighbor and landlady Esther de Laurenti is more closely tied to the murder than even she imagined, as the murderer seems to be drawing inspiration from her unpublished manuscript.

Jeppe and Esther, despite their flaws, win the reader’s sympathy. And as annoying as she is, affable Anette is impossible to dislike. This riveting story with unexpected twists is impossible to put down. Hopefully it is the first in a series for Korner and Werner.

An excellent psychological thriller with plenty of suspects, lots of twists and a lot of sadly dysfunctional people.