The Tenant was a great mystery that twists and turns throughout. I thought the story itself was creative and something different other murder mysteries. I did find some sections to be text dense so that made reading slower. Overall I enjoyed it and give it 3.5 stars.

This is the second Scandinavian police procedural which hasn't engrossed me. That's sad, because I adore the subgenre of Foreign Police Procedural and the sub-subgenre of Scandi-Noir. As with a British thriller I reviewed some months ago, this Mystery just doesn't know when to stop. I wish 1/4 to 1/3 had been trimmed. Now the novel has good bones; and the large cast of characters is really well-developed. The plotting is truly convoluted; and introducing several characters who could possibly be the evil mastermind kept me in suspense. Other than that, I perked up twice, at about 24% and I think 95%, in both cases at a shocking revelation. Otherwise I just plodded through. The protagonist is feckless and definitely not much of a hero, and his "Woe is me" melancholy soon grew old, as did his utterly foolish behavior in a certain respect (which I will not spoil).


The best I can offer for this one is 3.5.

suspencefull. First for this author. I enjoyed this read and will be reading more from this author , fast moving book with unforgettable characters .this book was well written although I did struggle through bit and pieces of it. This book takes place in Copenhagen and was very interesting to learn of this place.

The Tenant takes you on a twisted ride - you think you know what is around the corner, and then Katrine Engberg surprises you yet again! Loved this thriller, and excited that it is coming to the States. I’m hoping that we will be seeing more of Engberg’s books being translated.

Our story begins with an elderly man literally stumbling upon the body of one of his young neighbors. The lead detective arrives on scene to find a crime that is already being processed by technicians. Our detective, Jeppe, had recently become estranged from his wife, and had a small break down after that. This case is his first big chance since returning to work, and so much hinges on his success in solving the mystery of murdered girl. However, many red herring clues keep throwing off the investigation team, and Jeppe isn’t always sure which way to turn. Bodies keep appearing, each killed with drastically different methods, and the police are no closer to the killer. What is motivating this killer? Will Jeppe catch him, or succumb to the pressure?

The Tenant was a nail biter of a novel that I couldn’t put down! I really liked both Jeppe and the other main character, Esther, and wanted them both to be safe and successful. The red herrings that the killer kept leaving kept me on edge as I worked to try to put the pieces of the mystery together myself while reading. The point of view switched from Esther to Jeppe and back; this worked well to propel the story forward, as a clue would be revealed to Jeppe, but Esther wouldn’t know yet and was still in danger.

I was swept up in the mystery of The Tenant and look forward to more by Engberg! Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Scout Press for the early copy of this book!!

The Tenant by Katrine Enberg, release Jan. 14, reviewed Jan. 2, 202

The Tenant, the first of popular Danish author Katrine Engberg’s Scandinavian noir thrillers to be translated into English, leaves me eager for her others. The story opens as elderly curmudgeon Gregers Hermansen wakes up at dawn and carefully navigates the stairs to take out the trash. He thinks of his landlady’s loud, drunken parties with her artsy friends and of the two irritating college girls who also share the building. Noticing the girls’ door unexpectedly ajar before anyone is likely to be awake, he decides to close it but stumbles and finds himself lying uncomfortably on a shoe and unable to get up. Then Gregers realizes the shoe is attached to a leg and the leg to a corpse.

Police inspector Jeppe Kørner and partner Anette Werner arrive on the scene of a grotesque murder. A young female victim has been repeatedly stabbed, a pattern of curved lines artfully carved into her face. Room to room, the apartment is spattered with blood.

Divided into chapter groups, each of which covers one day of a week-long investigation, The Tenant takes readers on a complex, suspenseful, and educational trip around Copenhagen’s streets, sites, colorful neighborhoods, and arts world as Kørner, Werner, and a team of forensic scientists and fingerprint experts tackle the bizarre murder and a second related one, different but equally dramatic and strange.

What makes the murders all the more mysterious is their uncanny resemblance to the landlady’s retirement project—the beginnings of her first murder mystery manuscript shared online with two fellow writers.

Don’t expect to solve this murder case easily. Do expect to become interested in the investigative team of Jeppe Kørner and Anette Werner as they struggle to accomplish the seemingly impossible and even to grow to love a couple of other characters along the way. Like me, you will probably find yourself awaiting the English translations of Engberg’s other Kørner and Werner mystery thrillers.

Thanks to Scout Press/Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for providing an Advance Reader Copy.

"The Tenant" by Katrine Engberg is the best crime novel I have read in years! There are so many twists and turns, and I didn't see any of them coming. This book was originally written in Danish, but the translation is flawless. The story begins when a young woman, Julie Stender, is discovered brutally murdered in her apartment with a design carved into her face. As the investigation progresses, new suspects (as well as new victims) are revealed, keeping the reader guessing from one page to the next. The Danish investigators, Anette Werner and Jeppe Korner, are vividly developed as characters and I am really excited to read more books about them and their work. I

Feel free to boo me, but please don't throw rotten tomatoes.

I was so bored with this book.

I did like the premise. Aspects of the plot intrigued me, and I kept reading because I wanted to know how this tangle of drama unfolded.

But the characters. Oh, my. Jeppe, the narrating detective, alternates between juvenile and morose. He's dull and not particularly good at or interested in his job. Anette, his partner, loves to eat, which she does too frequently and enthusiastically. She also has an unfortunate tendency to speak in exclamations. Her investigative skills are mostly irrelevant to the story. The immaturity level of all the characters is astounding. I didn't like any of them, and I didn't care who lived or died.

Then I got to the end. The killer, motive, and the wrap-up left me unmoved. I've already forgotten the killer's name. By tomorrow, I won't remember that I read the book.

There’s so much hype about this book on bookstagram. However it didn’t meet expectations. I wasn’t drawn into this mystery. The characters fell flat and never progressed.

The Tenant is a Scandinavian mystery about a murder that mirrors the events of an unpublished manuscript.

The narrative is split between multiple characters. The main points of view are told from the perspectives of the mystery writer and the main police detective.

I love the premise of The Tenant, so much so that I bumped up my review one star because there are some original and interesting elements of the mystery that I appreciated. However, the execution was lacking.

I struggled with the writing--I don’t know if it was the translation or if because I recently read a similar mystery with too many shared components, that I found this book boring. I found the pacing uneven, the characters flat, and the narrative lacking. I love this genre and had high expectations going in, but unfortunately, this book was a bit of a struggle for me. The Tenant isn't bad, it just never hooked me.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a Nordic mystery from Denmark. Katrine Engberg's debut introduces us to Jeppe Korner and Anette Werner, two police detectives from Copenhagen. A young woman is brutally murdered in her apartment. Korner and Werner discover a link to Julie Stender's murder which is Esther de Laurenti, her landlord, who is a budding novelist. Julie's murder is described in the unfinished novel Esther is writing. Is Esther the killer or another victim?
Katrina Engberg's writing is very good and translates well. I found the character of Jeppe Korner very interesting and flawed. I would buy book 2 just to find out more about his life. I did love the premise of Esther's book detailing the murder. There were plenty of twists that kept me guessing and the ending was surprising. I would highly recommend this book to those who love Nordic mystery. I would like to thank Gallery Scott Press and NetGalley for a free copy for an honest review.

The Tenant by Katrine Engberg is a highly recommended debut police procedural set in Copenhagen.

Copenhagen police detectives Jeppe Korner and Anette Werner are assigned to the case of a young woman found brutally murdered in her apartment. The victim was stabbed, beaten over the head, and then had a design carved on her face. As Anette and Jeppe investigate the murder of 21-year-old student Julie Stender, they interview her landlady, Esther de Laurenti, a hard drinking retired academic who wants to be a writer. The investigators are pursuing some of the people associated with Esther, but also Esther herself, especially when it is revealed that a description of Julie's murder turns up in the manuscript of Esther's unfinished crime novel.

Jeppe and Esther are well-developed characters, with other characters either playing a supportive role or portrayed as somewhat of an enigma. Engberg establishes the struggles the detectives have working with each other and the personality clashes they frequently experience. Jeppe is the more contemplative, cerebral of the two, while Anette is outspoken, blunt and matter-of-fact. They are definitively opposites, but they do work well together and complement each other's strengths and weaknesses. Other detectives in the force are also involved in the case.

The writing is good and the plot moves along swiftly. Since this is a translation of Engberg's debut novel, any qualms with the writing could be due to the translation, so I'm not basing a rating on the writing. There are several false leads in the investigation. Additionally, parts of the plot require suspending disbelief, while other elements seem commonplace and familiar elements that are found in many procedurals. The narrative alternates between characters, with Jeppe and Esther being the main focus. This is an interesting procedural where nothing is as it seems.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Gallery/Scout Press.

http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2019/12/the-tenant.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3111656637
https://www.librarything.com/work/23534798/book/177031656
https://twitter.com/SheTreadsSoftly/status/1212112626769178624?s=20
Amazon and Barnes&Noble after publication

The Tenant is a suspenseful story with lots of twists that will keep you guessing. The characters slowly developes their lifes and reason why they intertwined.

This somewhat dark police procedural is set in Denmark and reminds me a bit of Jo Nesbo. Katrine Engberg is a new author to me, but I understand she’s an international bestseller.

This book opens with a grisly murder scene and I spent the rest of the book trying to unravel the puzzle. I thought I had it all figured out, but no, I was way off base! There are two Copenhagen detectives Korner and Werner that work on the case and they act like an old married couple!

The murder happens on the first-floor apartment of a building in downtown Copenhagen. The elderly man who lives on the second floor discovers the crime when he’s taking out the trash and the door is ajar. The owner of the building lives on the top floor and just happens to be writing a murder mystery that somehow seems to be coming true. Is she the killer, acting out her book? The detectives are struggling to solve the case before the murderer strikes again.

This was a quick read that I thought was well done. The pacing was spot on and the suspense builds toward a starting conclusion. I would definitely read this author again.

The premise of the Tenant had me hooked!!

But, unfortunately I struggled so much with this book. I struggled with the writing.. and am not sure if it was translation issues but I found the book to be extremely boring. I found the pacing slow, characters flat, and the mystery lacking. I had high expectations for this one and had high hopes but it just was lacking so much for me.

I think there are wayyyy to many mystery/police procedural thrillers out there that are so similar but change character names.

Overall, wouldn't recommend unfortunately.

2 stars.

Thank you so much to Gallery and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Publication: 1/14/20
Published to GR: 12/29/19

This book was definitely a page turner, who done it. I have read many books of this genre and this one rates about a six out of 10, worth a few days of reading but not a best seller

Another solid entry into the Scandanavian noir genre. The two main detectives, Jeppe Korner and Annette Werner, make an interesting team. They aren’t particularly fond of each other but get the job done. More emphasis is placed on Korner, who is not quite himself after going through a difficult divorce. The action is not exactly gripping but still a decent murder mystery with interesting characters. The Copenhagen setting is well described. Would read the next installment in this series.

The Tenant is a,very twisted tale and the twists and misleads kept me guessing. It grabbed me from the beginning the end was worth the wait.

In the Tenant, two experienced detectives are engaged to solve a murder of true suspense. And a mystery that becomes more intricate as the book progresses. One night a girl is found murdered in her apartment, with a delicate design carved into the side of her face. Add to this mystery of another resident who wrote a book that followed this plot line that was recently posted online. Is it a copycat killer, or is someone “taking a page” from this authors book.

This was my first book by Katrine Engberg, who I later discovered was an International bestselling author. The book was translated into English, however the translator did a good job, as it was impossible to tell. The plot was interesting, and it kept me guessing to the end. Readers of suspense novels should enjoy this one! I can’t wait to read her other books!

*** 3.5 rounded up to 4 Stars ***
Expected Publication : 14 Jan 2020

I'm such a sucker for a Nordic Noir novel and after taking a reading break, this was the perfect ARC to get me back in it. The translation to English was well done, easy to read. Great plot, well written. It was fast paced and interesting, From what I've seen this is the first book in a Nordic police detective series and I will definitely be interested in reading more. The only reason I didn't rate this higher was I didn't really connect with any of the characters. The character development was slow but I believe as the series goes on this will improve as the story is more about the murders being committed than the police investigating . Overall, highly recommend if you're looking for a solid crime novel.

Special Thanks to Gallery Scout Press and NetGalley for allowing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Tenant examines the murder of Julie Stender and her connection to her landlady, Esther. The most interesting part of the synopsis? Julie's murder has already been outlined in the murder mystery Esther has been writing.

The good? This book is a well-paced mystery/thriller with an interesting premise. The plot is complex and keeps the reader guessing (mostly) until the end. It's definitely a page-turner; I read over the course of about 15 hours.

The not so good? The characters are so unlikable! I found the detectives to be immature and downright rude at times. The plot might be a bit TOO complex, because I felt like some ends were a bit too loose, and others just left hanging. There were also a few connections that seemed a bit too convenient.

And the wtf? There were a few lines that stood out to me, for being absurd (especially for a book being released in 2020, and especially for a book written by a woman). There were little snarky side comments about the appearance of multiple characters (mostly women). There were also a few times when OxyContin is mentioned and it seems way too casual given the issues so many are having with opioids (but this might be more of an American thing, and not as big of a crisis in Denmark?)

Thank you Gallery/Scout Press for providing me with a NetGalley ARC.