This took me ages to read. I couldn't get into it at all, and, just when I was able to climb in a little bit, any one of the tremendous number of awful typos made me want to put it back down again.

I loved this book! Creepy? Yup! Scarey? yup! Well written? VERY! The characters were flawed in all the best ways and I am hoping this is a series. Is it?

Those drawn to Scandinavian novels will lavish in the writing style of Katrine Engberg. She stays true to the Danish undertone by providing a rich story line, descriptive setting, and by enlisting a slow burn, detailed-oriented narrative. Those looking for a shock factor or that intense trepidation that many American novelist utilize will be disappointed. This is a great book for the genre and something a bit different. 4 stars.

Thank you to #NetGalley for this ARC of #TheTenant, which I read and reviewed voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Danish writer Katrine Engberg’s debut novel, “The Tenant,” comes highly touted as a mesmerizing thriller guaranteed to keep readers glued to their chair. That’s a bit grandiose, in my opinion, because I found it slow in the beginning, a little more readable in the middle stages, but slowing down again at the end. There was too much going on with coincidences that were too implausible. It was an okay book, but I have read better from other Scandinavian authors.

A young woman is found brutally murdered in her own apartment. The killer went as far as making intricate carvings on her face, some while she was still alive. Her landlord, an alcoholic artist and aspiring writer, has a novel in the works that, as it turns out, describes the killing to a T before it even happens. The question is, of course, how can that be? Is the middle aged woman landlord a murderer, or did someone get her manuscript and follow it in committing the murder? If so, why? Two Copenhagen police detectives get the case.

The two detectives have to dig deeply into both women’s pasts to decipher the details. Who is directing these strange events and who gets exonerated? The characterizations are well done and but their settings, in my opinion, are not placed appropriately in the timeframes that are described. Some readers have praised the author’s tale as a human-interest masterpiece with a caring cast of characters. I find that to be somewhat deceptive in that most of the characters are not caring individuals but are mainly self serving with little interest in others. As it turns out, both detectives are flawed in their own right and their own sleuthing has shortcomings.

I read the book but my attention flagged throughout. Frankly I was more interested to getting finished than I was in the story. I encourage you to read it for yourself. My viewpoint might not be appropriate because I never considered it to have a strong back-story from the start.

A gritty, intense, fast-paced, riveting, artful melding of stunning psychological thrills and nail-biting suspense. Truly a MUST for your TBR list!

#NetGalley #TheTenant

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book from NetGalley & Gallery, Pocket Books in order to read and provide a voluntary and honest review, should I choose to do so.

Highly enjoyable crime thriller. The characters and plot are interesting and the plot held my attention throughout the whole story.

Absolutely loved this book. Loved the main characters, Investigators Jeppe Kørner and Anette Werner. I do hope this book is the first in a very long series with these two in it.

The plot was great. A few twists and turns that us crime-thriller-mystery readers like. The minor characters all reminded one not to judge a book by its cover. The ending with the reasoning of the killings was quite good.

It starts on August 8 which was fun for me as thats the day I started reading it. If I didn't have life getting in the way, I could have easily read this in one day.

Please give me more from Katrine Engberg. She's one to watch.

Thank you Gallery/Scout Press and NetGalley for this arc.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Tenant!

Overall I found this book to be just ok. While there were some minor twists nothing really jumped out at me and really shocked me, which is what I look for in a good thriller/mystery. This story is about Julie Stender who ends up the victim of a gruesome murder, which bares a striking resemblance to her landlord, Esther’s unfinished murder mystery novel. Detectives Jeppe and Anette along with a few other colleagues are assigned the case and for the most part keep hitting dead ends. While I did read the book rather quickly, I kept finding myself wanting more excitement or a bigger twist and it just didn’t come. I also found it a little difficult to read some of the dialogue specific to Denmark.

Danish mysteries are not often published for american readers. I am happy to report that being a major fan of thrillers I was delighted to read this one. There are some typos that need to be addressed but the characters and plot lines were both well drawn. Jeppe, the main protagonist, was a sympathetic police officer whose life was devastated by divorce. He struggled to solve the multiple murders and come to terms with his own loss. Overall, I recommend this book to fellow detective fiction lovers. Copenhagen makes for an interesting backdrop to the novel.

I'm not sure why I'm drawn to Scandinavian crime fiction, but this was a great one! Jeppe and Anette are detectives who are called to the scene of a murdered young woman, Julie who has odd markings on her face and has been brutally killed. And it appears the woman who owns the house she's been living in is writing a book about a crime very similar to this. What's the connection? All I can say is it's multi-layered and has many suspects--all of whom play a role in this novel to some extent. I almost needed to take notes until I just decided to immerse myself in the drama and let it play out. It was incredibly satisfying and I hope there's a sequel as the detectives were well-drawn and so very human!

The Tenant by author Katherine Engberg is a fast paced and character filled thriller that does not disappoint! Absolutely recommend, full review to come closer to release date.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am purposely sparing any details of this tantalizing book to avoid spoilers. It’s a book that begs to be read. An absolutely fabulous mystery, told in the spare yet delicious style of the best Scandinavian writers, The Tenant weaves a gruesome tale of seemingly senseless murders with a despicable, debased, and virtually inhuman, backstory..

Every character in this book, even those dead by the time we meet them, leaps off the page and lands firmly in the reader’s face. They are simply brilliant, those who are good and those who are evil . Even the characters who play the smallest of roles in the hunt for a depraved killer who carves up the victims’ faces, apparently just for the fun of it, sing in the harmonious chorus that makes up this story.

And, thankfully, The Tenant is not solely death. In the surface, a brutal and mystifying crime is solved. But at its core, the story is about life - what it means to be truly alive; to hit rock bottom and then climb back up into the light; to experience the wealth of feelings that define our essential humanity. To create this core of caring humanity and humility entwined in this dark and dangerous tale is the mark of an exceptional writer. I look forward to reading more by this gifted author.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley.

Copenhagen detectives Jeppe Korner and Anette Werner have been assigned the bizarre murder of a woman who has had a series of lines cut into her face. They become very interested in Julie’s landlady, Esther, famous for loud parties and her ambition to become a writer. In fact, Julie has made in appearance in Esther’s unfinished novel…as a murder victim. Is the crime that simple to solve? Was Julie’s death a literally experiment or is there something else at work? This work of Nordic Noir will be popular with fans of the genre