I’m a big fan of Scandinavian Noir on the screen and am trying to read more Scandi Noir fiction. I’ve been enjoying this series since it was translated and published in the U.S. What did I think of this installment? Check out my review of The Sanctuary by Katrine Engberg.
The Sanctuary by Karine Engberg
Published in the US on February 7, 2023 by Gallery/Scout Press. Thanks to the publisher for giving me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
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, 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 the loss of a dear friend’s.
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 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.
What Else Has Katrine Engberg Written?
The books of hers that have been translated into English include four out of the five books in the Werner and Kørner series. (For some reason Book Two doesn’t seem to have been translated. If you know why this is, let us know in comments. The first was book one, The Tenant (2016). That was followed by The Butterfly House, book three, in 2018. Then came The Harbor (2022).
The Sanctuary is supposedly the last in the series.
Engberg seems to have started a new series featuring Liv Jensen. According to Google Translate, the first book in that series is called The Burning Blade and is about a private detective hired to look into a cold case. I’d love to read it. I have to either learn Danish or wait for it to be translated.
Review of The Sanctuary by Katrine Engberg
I always enjoy a Kørner and Werner book. They are partners in the Violent Crimes department of the Copenhagen police department. Anette Werner is blunt and direct, while Jeppe Kørner is more sensitive. In fact, in this book, Jeppe has taken a leave of absence to live on a remote island and nurse his broken heart.
I didn’t love that this crime-solving duo was separated through much of the book, but it did give the story a different dynamic. While Jeppe works as a lumberjack, Anette is trying to identify a crime victim and solve a case.
But then, this duo’s paths converge on the island of Bornholm where both Jeppe and our old friend Esther are spending some time. Esther, an older woman who is a fun-loving, heavy-drinking artist, was a character introduced in book one, The Tenant, and she has continued to appear in future books. She’s mourning the loss of her dear friend Greger and is headed to Bornholm island to sorting through the papers of a feminist anthropologist who asked Esther to write her biography, but then died.
Then (very coincidentally) Anette’s case leads her to Bornholm as well.
I did like being in a new location and Bornholm island was very atmospheric. I also liked the Esther subplot (maybe even more than Anette’s case…)
Is The Sanctuary the end of this series? According to Goodreads, it is. And I guess a lot of the loose ends of the series were tied up in this book. I will now just wait for The Burning Blade to come out in English!