Book Review | The Tenant by Katrine Engberg

The Tenant is a Scandinavian mystery novel by Katrine Engberg.

When a young woman is discovered brutally murdered in her own apartment, with an intricate pattern of lines carved into her face, Copenhagen police detectives Jeppe Korner and Anette Werner are assigned to the case. In short order, they establish a link between the victim, Julie Stender, and her landlady, Esther de Laurenti, who’s a bit too fond of drink and the host of raucous dinner parties with her artist friends. Esther also turns out to be a budding novelist—and when Julie turns up as a murder victim in the still-unfinished mystery she’s writing, the link between fiction and real life grows both more urgent and more dangerous.

But Esther’s role in this twisted scenario is not quite as clear as it first seems. Is she the culprit—or just another victim, trapped in a twisted game of vengeance? Anette and Jeppe must dig more deeply into the two women’s pasts to discover the identity of the brutal puppet-master pulling the strings in this electrifying literary thriller.

Many thanks to Scout Press for sending me The Tenant. The Tenant was a bestseller in Denmark, and I always get excited by bestsellers that have been translated into English.

Based on the blurbs and the synopsis, I expected there to be more suspense. I think The Tenant will be a great fit for folks who love mysteries, crime, and police procedurals.

I enjoyed all of the characters in The Tenant and the unfolding mystery. There was an older lady who was writing in her retirement, and I loved her. I also loved that all of the characters were flawed in different ways. It was interesting to experience the book through alternating view points between these different characters.

I enjoyed the writing in The Tenant as well. The English translation was written by Tara Chace, and I thought it was great. I especially loved the opening scene which did a great job of hooking me for the rest of The Tenant. I did find it a little hard to believe the sexy scenes were written by a woman, though.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Tenant. The Tenant is Katrine Engberg's debut novel and the beginning of a new series (which is already three books out in Denmark). I hope we get English translations for the rest of the series because I would happily read more from her.

⭐⭐⭐⭐★

Review copy provided by the publisher