THE BUTTERFLY HOUSE by Katrine Engberg
Gallery/Scout Press; 1/5/21
CBTB Rating: 4.5/5
The Verdict: Engaging and fresh Nordic Noir
Danish crime writer Katrine Engberg broke onto the scene in the US in 2020 with her debut crime novel THE TENANT, the first in a new series about two Copenhagen-based police officers, Jeppe Kørner and Anette Werner. This week, Kørner and Werner are back in THE BUTTERFLY HOUSE, the second installment in Engberg’s crime fiction series—and what a fantastic installment it is. There’s something particularly exciting as a reader about following an up-and-coming author’s career and seeing their growth and development, and THE BUTTERFLY HOUSE is proof positive that Katrine Engberg is on an upward trajectory. While I enjoyed her debut novel THE TENANT, I loved THE BUTTERFLY HOUSE, and would highly recommend this engaging, inventive Danish crime novel for fans of Nordic Noir and police procedurals. In THE BUTTERFLY HOUSE, the quirky personalities of Engberg’s protagonists are once again front and center, and this time, the pair find themselves operating independently of one another. With Anette Werner on maternity leave, Jeppe Kørner finds himself assigned a new partner with whom he must tackle a series of disturbing crimes that seem tied to a local Copenhagen hospital. But Anette isn’t one to be left behind, and she sets out to conduct her own off-the-record investigation into these very same murders. As she and Jeppe close in on the truth at the heart of a complex web of intrigue, they discover shocking abuse of power at an institution that is meant to help, not harm. THE BUTTERFLY HOUSE is an engaging, fresh take on Nordic Noir, a procedural brimming with personality, eccentric characters, and plenty of mystery and intrigue.
Plot Details:
Hospitals are supposed to be places of healing. But in the coronary care unit at one of Copenhagen’s leading medical centers, a nurse fills a syringe with an overdose of heart medication and stealthily enters the room of an older male patient.
Six days earlier, a paperboy on his route in central Copenhagen stumbles upon a macabre find: the naked body of a dead woman, lying in a fountain with arms marked with small incisions. Cause of death? Exsanguination—the draining of all the blood in her body.
Clearly, this is no ordinary murder. Lead Investigator Jeppe Kørner, recovering from a painful divorce and in the throes of a new relationship, takes on the investigation. His partner, Anette Werner, now on maternity leave after an unexpected pregnancy, is restless at home with a demanding newborn and an equally demanding husband. While Jeppe pounds the streets looking for answers, Anette decides to do a little freelance sleuthing. But operating on her own exposes her to dangers she can’t even begin to fathom.
As the investigation ventures into dark corners, it uncovers the ambition and greed that festers beneath the surface of caregiving institutions—all the more shocking for their depravity—and what Jeppe and Anette discover will turn their blood as cold as ice….
During a time when travel is impossible, I’ve come to rely on books even more than I previously did to satisfy my wanderlust. There is nowhere I miss more right now than Scandinavia, and Copenhagen, Denmark is high on my list of places I can’t wait to return to as soon as we can travel internationally again. If you’re in the same boat, consider Katrine Engberg’s THE BUTTERFLY HOUSE the perfect book with which to get your armchair sleuthing fix and your armchair traveling fix, all in one gripping package. In THE BUTTERFLY HOUSE, readers travel to beautiful Copenhagen, Denmark, exploring the city alongside two police officers on the hunt for a terrifying killer. A series of murders are rocking the idyllic city of Copenhagen, and it all begins with the discovery of a body in a fountain in the heart of the city. As police investigate the crime scene, they discover something even more disturbing than they initially anticipated: this body has been drained of all of its blood, a result of tiny little cuts made all over her body. Who would commit such a horrific crime? And, moreover, how did they manage to drop the body off in such a public location without anyone noticing? Jeppe Kørner, an investigator with the Copenhagen police department, is assigned to the case. With his partner Anette Werner on maternity leave, Jeppe finds himself paired with a new (and somewhat bumbling) partner in the police force. Together, the two set off on the trail of a killer, and quickly discover ties between the killer’s gruesome crimes and a local organization dedicated to caring for young adults with mental illness. As the case twists and turns, they find themselves confronting terrible abuses of power in an institution entrusted with the safety of vulnerable youth.
One of the great strengths of Katrine Engberg’s crime fiction series is its characters. Jeppe Kørner and Anette Werner are the kinds of protagonists that readers will want to see return in book after book, and Engberg makes great use of their compelling, funny, and engaging personalities in THE BUTTERFLY HOUSE. Both Jeppe and Anette are experiencing major life changes when readers meet them in THE BUTTERFLY HOUSE. Jeppe is navigating a divorce and a new relationship, while Anette is navigating new motherhood and the strains it is putting on her marriage. True to form for these well-crafted characters, their reactions to and experiences with these changes are as complex as the situations in which they find themselves. Engberg masterfully explores the rough edges of her characters, delving into their messy emotions in a way that feels authentic and never stereotypical. I particularly loved the way Engberg develops the character of Anette in this novel. In THE BUTTERFLY HOUSE, Anette finds herself (temporarily) removed from the career she loves when she becomes pregnant unexpectedly. Now on maternity leave, she feels a longing to have her independence and career back, going so far as to sit in her car late at night listening to the police scanner that she conveniently “forgot” to return when going on her maternity leave. Anette’s emotions towards her unexpected motherhood felt raw and authentic, as did the increased complexity of her relationship with her husband. While Jeppe spearheads the official police investigation into the novel’s series of crimes, Anette finds herself increasingly drawn to the case, and she begins her own unofficial investigation. Anette’s keen investigative eye and relentless pursuit of the truth serve her well, and she quickly uncovers essential elements to this mystery that bring her closer to the truth than even her colleagues in the police.
THE BUTTERFLY HOUSE is an engaging blend of police procedural and interpersonal intrigue and drama. Engberg’s crime series is very much aligned with the Nordic Noir tradition, but it’s a series with its own fresh personality, too. THE BUTTERFLY HOUSE has a compelling police investigation at its core, and readers who love a traditional detective story will find much to enjoy about this mystery. As more bodies appear around Copenhagen, the stakes are raised, leading both Jeppe and Anette on an ever more urgent quest to apprehend a killer. But Engberg’s writing has a lighter, page-turning quality to it that makes THE BUTTERFLY HOUSE feel fresh and modern, too. While readers often associate Nordic Noir with a more dense, slow-burning writing style, Engberg’s books, THE BUTTERFLY HOUSE in particular, move along at a fast clip. In the Kørner and Werner series, Engberg expertly blends police investigations with interpersonal drama and intrigue, all brought to life by a cast of vivid, quick-witted, and often quite eccentric characters. I’m a reader who might pick up a book for its plot, but typically falls in love with a book for its characters, and I was completely engaged with the quirky, unique individuals Engberg brings to life in THE BUTTERFLY HOUSE—both recurring characters from THE TENANT and newcomers alike. Readers looking for a crime novel that balances a clever mystery with interpersonal intrigue and suspense will want to check out THE BUTTERFLY HOUSE.
Danish crime writer Katrine Engberg has officially cemented herself as an author whose work I will be following for years to come. Engberg’s 2021 release THE BUTTERFLY HOUSE is a marked step up from her debut novel THE TENANT, and a strong contender for any reader looking to add a Nordic Noir novel to their TBR list this winter. While I do think readers will appreciate THE BUTTERFLY HOUSE most of all if they have already read THE TENANT, the mystery in THE BUTTERFLY HOUSE is self-contained and, in my opinion, can easily be understood without any background knowledge. I am already looking forward to the next installment in Engberg’s Kørner and Werner series.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. All opinions my own.
Book Details:
Publisher : Gallery/Scout Press (January 5, 2021)
Language: : English
Hardcover : 352 pages
ISBN-10 : 1982127600
ISBN-13 : 978-1982127602
Crime by the Book is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This in no way affects my opinion of the book(s) included in this post.
Home ownership feel like a distant dream? Zillow listings have you convinced you’ll be renting for the rest of your life? The woman at the heart of Carissa Orlando’s debut The September House feels your pain—and she’s prepared to put up with a lot if it means she and her husband can finally have a place to call their own. In this case, that might just mean living in a house that’s haunted. Playful and irreverent, spine-tingling and spooky, The September House puts a fresh spin on the classic haunted house story, delivering an immersive tale about the secrets lurking within one building’s walls, and within the lives of its inhabitants.