Crime thriller with an international flavor.

Set in Copenhagen, this book features two main characters: journalist Heloise Kaldan and a detective, Erik Scháfer. Their liaison starts after Heloise begins receiving cryptic and unsettling letters from a woman, Anna Kiel, who is on the run after having killed a prominent young lawyer three years prior. The letters hint at some sort of connection between Heloise and Anna, but Heloise claims she has never met her and has no clue about why Anna is writing her. Heloise begins to take a closer look at the murder investigation and Scháfer finds himself involved in the cold case as more mysterious deaths occur.

At the heart of this story are the two main themes of secrets and lies. As Kaldan and Scháfer dig deep into the background of Anna Kiel, many disturbing facts are revealed. I found the premise compelling and I enjoyed the author's writing style. I don't actually agree with the comparison between this book and the other two mentioned in the blurb, except for the heart of the subject matter which I can't say more about due to spoilers. The case was complex, dark, and there were a few twists along the way; the conclusion was satisfying. I liked it and definitely plan to read the second book in the series next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend.

2.5⭐

TW: violence, rape, child abuse, suicide


This one started as an interesting crime mystery that hooked me almost immediately, but things just fell flat in the middle. I think this is mostly because I couldn't get to like the main character Heloise and hence couldn't get myself to care about her side of the story. This was described as "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo meets Sharp Objects"--one similarity I saw is the fact that the main character is also a journalist, and sadly that's it.

Some of the MC's observations can be so out of place, for example "even the most dedicated of atheists had to contemplate hammering some nails into a couple of boards and building an ark--or at least a raft of some sorts." (Just to say it was raining very hard!!) This kind of writing distracts me from the narrative.

Based on a lot of the MC's conversations especially the one with the boy at the site of the titular corpse flower, it feels like she has no sense of wonder, or no special way of seeing the world. She was described as cold and cynical, so maybe that's why she's written this way. But this made the experience of reading her POV really tiring.

The MC's commentaries on disability, women, women's bodies, and bodies and skin conditions in general were bordering on hate and discrimination. One example is the time the MC felt like a "softy" when she was speaking with a man on a wheelchair. She contemplated whether she was being made softer because of it, while also noting that the guy "did not look disabled"(!?) I wonder what she assumes disabled people should look like. It is so easy for her to judge people's looks while she herself and her best friend is always described as "very beautiful" and "drop dead gorgeous" respectively.

The big reveal was anticlimactic. For a supposedly sharp journalist, Heloise was so slow to understand what the person in front of her was telling (spoon-feeding) her. She only has sense of urgency when it comes to getting her scoop ahead of other press people.

There is a scene where she interviews a victim of child abuse and this part finally convinced me that the MC is just heartless and self centered, with no character development whatsoever (at least in this book). She just wants to get her story and is only concerned with victims for her own sake, with no real empathy aside from her own perception of what's right and wrong. I don't think I'll be continuing with the series.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A dark and gripping thriller that held my attention throughout. I really enjoyed this read and would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys crime fiction.

I am a thriller lover, I read it constantly, and this one surprised me and kept me on the edge of the chair the whole time. Highly recommended. What a great story.

Didn't capture my attention and engagement. Interested in trying it again though and hopefully it will take.

A dark witty danish thriller, that had me engaged throughout and floored at the end! I also had an ALC so it made for immersive reading. Highly recommended!

I enjoyed this nordic thriller, it felt very similar in tone to the many books in this genre that became popular after the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I think that if you've read enough of this type of book, they do feel a little bit redundant, but overall I did enjoy this one. There were lots of twists and turns in the story that kept me interested. Overall, I would recommend this book, but only to people who enjoy this particular genre.

Three Stars. I really enjoy police procedurals and thrillers, but while Corpse Flower was a good story, it probably won't be among my favorite reads this year. I felt that it was a bit flat and too slow moving in places, with a lot of scenes and dialogue that did not seem to contribute anything to the plot. I'm afraid some nuance may have been lost during the translation to English. The plot does pick up a bit toward the end. The story is quite dark, but I’m afraid content warnings might give away some important parts of the story. You might want to look into it before reading if you think you might have an issue.

I am so grateful to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review The Corpse Flower.

I had a great time reading this mystery book! it had everything I adore in mysteries- strong protagonist, multiple POVs and short chapters! the pace of the book was amazing and the writing was so well done! I can’t wait to read more by this author!

Since the moment I read a description of this book I knew I was going to love it. I was drawn to the story right from the first page and never lost interest. It is a fast paced thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end. If you like Nordic Noir you may want to add it to your TBR.

Thank you Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books and the author for a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I liked it, but I didn't love it. The plot is promising but I had some trouble with the writing style, which I don't know if it's related to the translation or to the author itself. Anyway, it's true that it has similarities with The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, but I don't know as I said I had some trouble with the writing style, but the plot was good and the characters were likeable overall.

I am definitely a fan of Nordic Noir/Procedural Thrillers which is why this one appealed to me so much. I like the dark content and its not something I shy away from. When it comes to these types of crime thrillers, I think it's so fascinating to see how differently crimes are investigated in different countries compared to how we handle them in the United States, from investigation to prosecution. This along with the shady family drama and revenge storyline were my favorite parts.

However, I struggled a little bit with the translation at times. They were a few parts were I felt I lost important aspects of the story. If the translation had been improved upon, I think I would have liked it a bit more.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for a copy of this one!

The Corpse Flower starts three years ago, a lawyer is stabbed, but the woman who did it got away. A journalist starts to receive letter from the fugitive. All the characters are connected in some way or other. I would have liked this a bit more if it did not feel so rushed. I think this was trying too hard to be like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Such a great read. Full of suspense, an atmospheric setting, and fully realized characters. I loved the pacing!

I could have easily finished in one sitting if life had allowed. This is my favorite kind of thriller - to the point, amazing suspense, loved the characters.
Heloise has been suspended from her job as a journalist- she receives a letter from a killer, Anna Kiel.
Years earlier Anna murdered a lawyer - the son of a wealthy man. No one knows why- or how Anna has managed to remain unfound.
The letter claims Anna and Heloise are connected. Heloise must solve this mystery, with the help of the lead detective.
A must read.

Heloise Kaldan, a Danish journalist for the Demokratisk Dagblad, is in jeopardy. She’s risking to lose her job after the publication of an article accusing a fashion mogul, Jan Skriver, of moving his textile factories in Bangalore and of using child labor. The editor-in-chief wants to see her and maybe he is willing to fire her because she was cheated by her source, but something mysterious seems to save her. She received two mysterious letters from Anna Kiel, a woman wanted by the Interpol because she killed Christopher Mossing, the son of the all-mighty Johannes Mossing. These cryptic letters have been sent from France and Anne claims that she is innocent and that there is something that connects them both. This marks the beginning of a journey full of risks and dangers, but Heloise wants to discover all the truth, even if it means to uncover hidden stories from the past that made her suffer too much.

Completely gripping with a lot of twists and turns, this is a great book, and compelled me to keep reading right from the beginning. Loved it.

I really enjoy Nordic reads and found that The Corpse Flower is definitely worth the read, I felt that it was pretty average as compared to others. It seems the translation was also very good as I didn't find it hard to read or dull in that regard. I am interested in reading the next installment and hope that it improves!

I really enjoyed this Nordic Noir. I didn't know what to expect going in as this was my first book by this author.

It is quite dark but the writing was fantastic! I recommend this to all dark thriller fans.

This was the story of a woman on the run from police after murdering a man, and the journalist who finds herself receiving letters from the fugitive. Keeping it honest - this was just okay. It’s not a story I remember particularly well and it’s not one that will go on my list of thrillers to recommend. I’d skip this one.