Nordic Noir Police Procedural

A severed body is found in a suitcase in a park in Copenhagen. Annette Werner from the Violent Crimes Unit is given the lead on the investigation. In this novel, she’s working alone because her partner Jeppe Karner is on leave living on the Danish Island of Bornholm where he is working at the local sawmill as a lumberjack. His friend Ester di Laurenti is also on the island researching the life of a female anthropologist for a biography she’s writing.

Annette discovers a connection between the island and the crime. She’s working with the local police, but with her partner, Jeppe, there she feels comfortable asking him to look around for a missing person who may be the body. Ester is also engaged when reading the anthropologist’s letters it appears that the past secrets in the letters may relate to the present crime.

This is the fifth book in the series, but is easy to read as a standalone. The author makes her characters come alive through details of their personal lives which helps the reader understand the interactions between them. I thought the characterization was one of the main pluses in the book.

The book is a somewhat gruesome police procedural due to the nature of the crime. If you find that objectionable this may not be your book. However, the plot, although moving at a moderate pace, is well done with plenty of clues and twists to keep you reading. The ending is somewhat of a surprise, but is well foreshadowed by the action.

I received this book from Gallery Books for this review.

In The Sanctuary which is sadly Engberg’s last Korner/Werner novel, the stakes are high for both of them, the tension to solve the murder…palpable and the side plots absolutely amazing!

As Jeppe Korner has decided to take a leave of absence from the Copenhagen police force while he continues to deal with his personal issues and demons which he still cannot let go of, he decides to go to an island called Bornholm and work as a laborer.

At the same time, Esther de Laurenti, who is his long-time friend and writer has been asked to work on a biography of an anthropologist on the same island. Eshter is still reeling from a dramatic change in her life and feels the distraction of working on someone else’s life, which seems to be in letter form would be a wonderful diversion.

That leaves Korner’s partner, Anette Werner on her own at police headquarters, unable to join her family on a little vacation. She can’t believe just how much their absence affects her.

So, when a corpse is discovered in a suitcase at a playground Werner must tackle the case primarily alone. But this is a very unsettling corpse. You see, the body has been sawed in half so there is half a body in the case. Where on earth could the other part of the body be? What a gruesome way to kill someone. There must be a lot of insanity in this act. This of course makes identification very difficult. As Werner tries to locate missing persons who could possibly be the remains, the clues begin to point to the very place Korner is working.

Werner convinces Korner to assist her as a favor. Plus the fact she doesn’t want to travel to the island. Of course, once Korner begins to look for clues, he cannot stop, and Werner must join him anyway. They begin to narrow down who the dead man could possibly be, but in the process, they open up a pandora’s box of motive which goes back years.

Korner gets too deeply involved in the case, overstepping his bounds, unaware that his snooping could possibly lead him to be the next sawed victim. With so many twists and turns, a shocking ending to the case and a wonderful farewell to these beloved characters, Engberg certainly saved the best story for last!

Thank you #NetGalley #Gallery/ScoutPress #TheSanctuary #KatrineEngberg for the advance copy.

The Sanctuary by Katrine Engberg is the 5th installment in the Korner and Werner series.

I have read every book in this series, and I think they get better and better.

I love Nordic Noir and we have a severed corpse in this story.

This is a great crime thriller that I absolutely LOVED!

This is a great series that gets better and better!

Katrine Engberg is my favorite crime fiction writer. Her entire “Kørner and Werner” series, including this book, billed as the conclusion to the series, is absolutely on-the-edge-of-my-seat gripping. You know it’s brilliantly written when the big reveal at the end is a complete shock. Though I’ve never been to Denmark, the descriptive writing paints a vivid picture of the remote island setting. I felt like I was there. Though this book is part of a series, it can definitely be read as a stand alone book as well.

The plot is a little gruesome; an abandoned suitcase containing HALF of a decomposing body turns up in Copenhagen, starting a frantic search for a brutal killer. The identity of the victim is unknown, but all clues seem to lead back to an isolated island in the Baltic Sea. Multiple twists and turns, as well as realistic characters, kept me invested in the story right up until the end. The mystery is unraveled slowly, but there is enough action to keep any reader interested. I wasn’t sure who the killer was until the very end.

I eagerly await Ms. Engberg’s next work! Thank you NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for the privilege of reading an advanced digital copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

I really love the Korner and Werner series by Katrine Engberg. This probably wasn't my very favorite (partly because the crime-solving duo was separated through much of the book) but I did enjoy it overall.

Luckily, Annette and Jeppe's paths converge on the Danish island of Bornholm (in the Baltic sea) where both Jeppe and our old friend Esther are spending some time. Then Annette's case leads her to Bornholm as well. (A bit of a coincidence, but okay.)

I did like the fact that The Sanctuary was set in a new location and the island was very atmospheric. I also liked the Esther subplot. I'm fond of her as a character and liked that she had her own mini-mystery to solve.

Is this the end of this series? I really hope not, but will happily read whatever Engberg writes next!

9 / 10 ✪

https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2023/02/05/the-sanctuary-by-katrine-engberg-review/

The stunning conclusion to the Kørner and Werner partnership begins with a broken heart. Jeppe Kørner has taken an indefinite leave of absence from the police force to recover from his breakup with Sarah Sidani. Lost and aimless, he has retreated to the isle of Bornholm for the winter, where he’s taken up work as a lumberjack. The cold wind and crashing sea both suit his dark mood, while the whir of the chainsaw helps drown out his dark thoughts.

Back in Copenhagen, Anette Werner has taken the lead on a new homicide, when half a body is discovered buried in a suitcase in a downtown park. Or rather, a body that has been <i>sawed</i> in half. Most likely while the victim was still alive. Despite the twisted nature of the crime, all leads seem to point to a summer tourist retreat—the island of Bornholm. Before checking it out herself, Anette calls on Jeppe to ask around the island himself, unwittingly drawing him deeper into the investigation.

Esther de Laurenti has recently taken up residence on Bornholm as well, authoring the biography of a late anthropologist. She too is nursing a broken heart of her own, having just recently lost her dearest friend to cancer. In the course of her research, the old woman stumbles across a dark secret that paints the casual resort isle in a rather different light.

When all of these threads come together—as such things are wont to do—just one question will remain: will the partnership of Kørner and Werner end with more heartbreak, or accomplishment instead? With the subjects and the setup one can never tell, but I’d bet on some conglomeration of the two.

—

A rather surprising end to the partnership, if I’m honest, as the Kørner-Werner series has only spanned five books (while only four have been translated into English). While it’s good to see the “everything must end” philosophy still lives in literature (where we routinely see mystery series that refuse to ever end), I’m disappointed to see this one come so soon. I was just getting used to Kørner and Werner—their strengths and weaknesses, the way they work and how well they operate together—as they’ve recently spent a good portion of their time apart. Really the only book they’ve been a team throughout was the first one, a trend that won’t change now.

As a series ender this was a good one, though by no means a finale. I can see a possible future spinoff where Faulk or Sidani get their own series, though I rather doubt it’ll happen. For a while, at least. Upon finishing the Sanctuary I had a good long think on the tale, on the threads, on the plot as a whole—and I realized I was quite satisfied with how everything turned out. Now, it doesn’t end exactly how I’d’ve thought, nor as I’d’ve done it, but it is a satisfactory ending in that it nicely ties up all the loose-ends upon completion, so the reader isn’t left worrying over any little detail.

I really enjoyed the setting; a summer tourist attraction turned winter hideaway, complete with a dark grey ocean and overcast skies. The sense of Nordic Noir is strong in this one. In fact, that darkness pervades so much of the text that it lends a sense of foreboding to the whole thing that really works well with the depravity of the case. I mean, Bornholm is small, but not THAT small. 40,000 people isn’t exactly a lot (compared to most cities), but it’s hardly a place where everyone knows everyone else. Instead it’s a good size for the case: not too big, not too small, enough that someone might hide out and saw people in two without literally everyone in the community being in on it.

TL;DR

All in all, while I’m not exactly thrilled to have this series meet its end so soon, I am quite satisfied with the way it ended. A great mystery filled with a certain darkness, a sense of foreboding, and that ties up all the threads that come of the series before it? Yes, please! I’m actually a little surprised that it ended so neatly, with no lingering regrets or questions. So—should you read this? If you’re a continuing fan of the series—yes, of course. If this is your first Kørner and Werner book—well, you don’t necessarily need to go back and read the others to understand the mystery itself, but you may miss out on some of the subtleties and the sense of fulfillment come the end. Still a good book, though. Overwhelmingly recommended!

I’ve become quite attached to this series set in Denmark. Crime is the same world over. Jepp is a lumberjack on an island where hinky things have occurred. It links back to a major case Anette is working on, a body that was saws in half.
I love how the author links Jepp, Esther, and Annette’s stories.
Jepp is the epitome of you can’t keep a good man down.

Y’all I am so sad that the Korner and Werner series is coming to an end! The Sanctuary is the final book in this series and sends the two detectives out with a doozy of a case. With Jeppe on leave from the police department, he decides to travel to the island of Bornholm and do work completely different than being a detective. Annette is back in Copenhagen and in charge of her first case. She finds that the case has connections to Bornholm and enlists Jeppe’s help. This story has the classic Katrine Engberg storytelling elements including the humorous bits that break up dark cases. I also loved the way the characters’ stories were wrapped up in the end! While sad that this series is complete, I’m so excited about what Engberg writes next!

Thank you @scoutpressbooks and @netgalley for allowing me to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for gifting me a digital ARC of the Korner and Werner series finale by Katrine Engberg - 4.5 stars!

A body cut in half is found in a suitcase in Copenhagen. Anette Werner is the lead investigator and she is missing her partner, Jeppe Korner, who is on leave, nursing a broken heart, and is working as a logger for the winter on the island of Bornholm. Also on the island is Jeppe's friend, Esther, who is working on a biography of one of the island's former inhabitants. Anette's investigation starts pointing towards happenings on Bornholm and she asks Jeppe to do some investigating.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this series - while The Sanctuary can be read as a stand alone, it's much better going into it with all the characters' backgrounds and relationships in mind. This was a gruesome crime, as seems to be par for the course with Scandinavian crime novels, but is offset by the mystery and relationships, especially Jeppe's with his neighbor. A fine police procedural series and this was a wonderful sendoff to these characters!

This starts with a gruesome crime that has tendrils from the past and becomes a very well done layered procedural. Someone sawed a man in half and packed his corpse (well half his corpse) into a suitcase before leaving it in a park in Copenhagen. Anette Werner is lead detective and she's missing her partner Jeppe who has decamped to the island of Bornholm where he's working as a logger and clearing his head. Who is the man in the case and who would do such a thing? Esther, a historian, has also come to Bornholm to go through the letters and work of Magrethe and she's staying at her house with her daughter Ida. Ida is worried about her brother, who has been missing. Jeppe finds himself helping Anette in the search for answers, putting their team back together again at least a little. This is buoyed and lightened by the small things such as Jeppe's relationship with his neighbor, making it less grim than some Scandi-noir novels. While it undoubtedly would help to have read others in the series this is fine as a standalone. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Great read for fans of the genre.

The Sanctuary by Katrine Engberg is a very highly recommended procedural. This is Scandinavian noir at it's finest and the fifth novel in the Kørner and Werner series.

In Copenhagen, Anette Werner is leading the investigation into a severed corpse discovered in a suitcase. Jeppe Kørner is on leave from the force and living on the island of Bornholm and cutting limber for the local sawmill for a living. Esther de Laurenti is also on the island, working on her biography of a female anthropologist after a friend's death. As Anette follows the clues into the identity of the body, they lead to Bornholm, so she asks Jeppe to look into some leads.

This is an exceptional police procedural, both in the plot and the writing and an excellent final novel in the series featuring Jeppe Kørner and Anette Werner. I was engrossed in the gripping plot throughout and appreciated the careful disclosure of new information as clues are discovered and new information is revealed. Esther is tied into the overall investigation too. Part of the story includes Esther's research and the correspondence she is reading for her research. The letters she reads end up foreshadowing leads in the investigation.

All of the characters are portrayed as fully realized individuals. Those who have been reading the series will appreciated the additional character development in this finally installment. If this is your first introduction to the series, you can read it as there is enough information provided to follow along and not feel lost or that you don't know the characters. It will inspire you to red the whole series, or those books that are translated into English.

The pace is even but picks up at the heart-stopping ending. There are multiple suspects, and several different directions the plot could take as the investigation unfolds in this atmospheric novel and intriguing mystery. The narrative is focused on solving the case, which is appreciated, and the details and complications make the case interesting and keep you glued to the pages.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Gallery/Scout Press via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, Edelweiss, and Amazon.

This was a satisfying conclusion to the series. I love the setting and the police procedural aspects. Korner and Werner are great characters and I loved how this one came together. I am looking forward to seeing where this author goes next after this series!

Jeppe Kørner is on leave from the police force nursing a broken heart.  He’s relocated to the island of Bornholm and is working in the woods falling trees.  Meanwhile a suitcase is found in a Copenhagen park with human remains and Anette Werner is put in charge of the case.  The case has Anette perplexed, but as the investigation ensues all clues lead to Bornholm.  Jeppe is soon enmeshed in the case and finds out that the peaceful isle might not be as peaceful as previously thought.  When Esther, another friend comes to the island to write a biography of a female anthropologist, she, too, is caught up in the mystery of the island.  Who is in the suitcase?  Will Anette and Jeppe be able to solve the case or will they become the next victims of Bornholm?  Engberg has many threads going in this unique, cleverly crafted crime story and ties them all together splendidly. While I read that this was the end of the series, I can only hope that there will be more!!

I was unaware that this was the fifth book in a series, which cannot be read as a standalone, when I requested this book. Receiving this ARC has inspired me to read this series but I will not now be posting a full review of this book prior to reading the rest of the series. Thank you for your consideration.

4.5 stars. If this is truly the end of Korner and Werner, then it was a fantastic ending (but secretly hoping there will be more). I love this series. The characters, the pacing, the crimes they investigate - all are excellent!! This one had lots of twists and turns. And a lovely ending.

"Jeppe Kørner, on leave from the police force and nursing a broken heart, has taken refuge on the island of Bornholm for the winter. Also on the island is Esther de Laurenti, a writer working on a biography on a female anthropologist with a mysterious past and coming to terms with her own crushing sense of loneliness in the wake of a dear friend’s death. When Jeppe lends a helping hand at the island’s local sawmill, he begins to realize that the island may not be the peaceful refuge it appears to be.

Back in Copenhagen, Anette Werner is tasked with leading the investigation into a severed corpse discovered on a downtown playground. As she follows the strange trail of clues, they all seem to lead back to Bornholm. With an innocent offer to check out a lead, Jeppe unwittingly finds himself in the crosshairs of a sinister mystery rooted in the past, forcing him to team up with Anette and Esther to unravel the island’s secrets before it’s too late."

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery books for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

Imagine waking to realize you are lying bound and about to be split in half by a band saw that is running. The horror! That's how this terrific Nordic police procedural begins. In this 5th book in the series, Jeppe Kørner is on a leave of absence from the Violent Crimes Department to nurse his broken heart and is working as a lumberjack on the island of Bornholm. When half of a body is found in a vintage suitcase in a park in Copenhagen, Detective Anette Werner takes the lead on the case.

Who is the victim? When clues lead to the island, Werner can't help but involve her old partner in the investigation...on an informal basis, of course. This gripping police procedural has several strands in the plot which eventually do tie together nicely with several twists. Although Jeppe and Anette are the prominent characters, many others are equally well-formed. The publisher's blurb says this is the conclusion to the series but I sincerely hope that isn't true as I'd enjoy reading more with these characters.

I received an arc from the author and publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

I don't know what it is about Scandinavian crime fiction, but I'm obsessed! Jeppe Kørner and Anette Werner are back trying to solve another brutal murder. However, this time around, Kørner is on leave from the Copenhagen PD, and Werner is on her own. Of course, Kørner gets dragged back into the investigation as the place where he's been staying, Bornholm, has many ties to the murder investigation. Also on the island, is Esther de Laurenti, sans Greggers. It seems Greggers has passed and Esther has taken off to Bornholm to complete her biography on a female anthropologist. It's all tied together very neatly and I honestly couldn't even guess at who the murderer could be. Definitely a surprise and full of suspense along the way.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for this e-arc.*

Book Summary:

All series must come to an end. Jeppe Kørner is on leave, taking refuge on what is meant to be a small and quiet island. Naturally, the more time he spends with the locals, the more he realizes something very dark lurks beneath the surface.

Meanwhile, Anette Werner is leading an investigation that seems to be leading her in circles. More accurately, they keep taking her back to Bornholm. These two stories are about to collide, bringing our two heroes together again.

My Review:

I swear it was last year I sat down to read The Tenant. Now you're telling me that not only is The Sanctuary the fifth in the series, but it's the final? What? Where did the time go? I may have missed the last three novels in this series, but I couldn't resist checking out the end!

One of the things I love about Katrine Engberg's writing is how atmospheric her mysteries/thrillers are. It feels like you're really there, all while sending chills down your spine. You know, the sort of writing that will ultimately make you grateful it's not all really happening.

I forgot how much I loved the main characters and their chemistry. It makes for a fun read and helps to balance the darker tones of their investigations. And believe me – the plot gets plenty dark. It has to be when the case's core is a dead body in a suitcase. Still, I'm happy to have checked out the finale of this series! I will have to go back and read the rest at some point.

Highlights:
Scandinavian Thriller
Nordic Noir
Final in a series

I enjoyed this last installment of the Korner and Werner series from Katrine Engberg. This book included a gripping mystery and the journeys of all the characters we have come to love. I felt along with Esther as she tried to recenter herself on the island of Bornholm, where Jeppe was also trying to find himself again. And as always the author did a great job of twisting the stories of Esther (and Jeppe) into the crime that Anette was trying to solve. The themes of loneliness and isolation played a big part in the story, as well as family--both blood and those we chose to love and be close to. The mystery solved very well, and they journeys of our characters were brought to an extremely satisfying end (I may have gotten a bit teary!). I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed this series and these characters, and I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys a good crime to solve.

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Korner and Werner series is set in Copenhagen, Denmark, mostly. Werner is running the team on a murder mystery while Korner is on leave. Normally Jeppe Korner is the lead of the team, along with Anette Werner. They don't usually partner together as they often team with lesser experienced officers. Anette's husband and daughter are out of town, visiting his sister for a week, so she is also dealing with worrying about various little things for her daughter.

Jeppe has been on an island, Bornholm, doing some work with lumber. He has some old friends here and surprisingly, Esther has been invited here to work on the letters and papers of a deceased academic. She is staying in the house with the woman's daughter, Ida.

When some clues lead to the island, Anette calls Jeppe to ask some questions for her. There are a small number of men missing but two of them have ties to the island. One is Ida's brother, Nicolaj, who hasn't been seen since the end of August and it's winter now. I really felt like it was a lot for Anette to involve him when he has no police standing and he already has a job.

The different threads include Anette's investigation, which brings her to the island and to work with the local police, Jeppe's questions that spread beyond what Anette asked, and Esther's knowledge of the family as she studies the mother's history all start separate. We see each of the three main characters of this series with their own day's events and interests, until the information starts to connect.

The Sanctuary was very twisty and dangerous. I enjoy these characters and how they figure out things. I worried about each of our main characters, but Anette the least, as she had official standing, a weapon and colleagues. Jeppe and Esther were out there digging into information that could be risky for them to know without backup. The turns were shocking right up to the end.