The Sanctuary by Katrine Engberg #bookreview #audiobook #series

Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the ALC of The Sanctuary in exchange for my honest review.

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Audio

Published: February 7, 2023

 

Summary:

From internationally bestselling author Katrine Engberg, the series that is a “gripping addition to the Scandinavian crime fiction pantheon” ( Oprah Daily ) comes to a stunning conclusion as Jeppe Kørner and Anette Werner rush to untangle a long-simmering mystery before a brutal killer strikes again.

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.

With her signature “unforgettable characters and brilliant plot twists” (Kathy Reichs, #1 New York Times bestselling author), Katrine Engberg weaves a satisfying and white-knuckled finale to her Korner and Werner series that is a modern classic of Scandinavian noir.

 

My thoughts:

This is the fifth book in Katrine Engberg’s Korner and Werner series. I’ve now read all the books that have been translated into English, but am still baffled as to why the 2nd book still has yet to be translated. And now, here we are at the final book of the series. Oh well…perhaps if they ever do translate book 2, I’ll read it, though I do feel it would be a bit late at this point.

I have to say, I was quite sad to see that this was to be the final book in the series. I have really enjoyed this NordicNoir series, getting to know both Korner and Werner. This time around, we find Korner on leave from the police force  and working as a lumberjack, and Werner finds herself with quite a doozy of a case – needing to find out who the half of body found in the suitcase is. And it turns out, there are quite a lot of missing men that need to be tracked down. While more of a slow-burn than some of the other books in this series, it still kept me guessing until the very end.

As I have loved throughout this series, this latest installment was quite dark and atmospheric. That opening scene was quite chilling and really set the scene for what was to come. I loved that Esther was involved once again, she is quite an interesting character and brings a good balance to all that is happening. Of course, while it seems that all the plot lines are unrelated in the beginning, they all wind up crossing paths at some point and I loved how the author is able to do this. It is so seamless and I am always unable to figure it out before she reveals the links.

I’m glad I picked this series up and will be quite eager to see what is next from Katrine Engberg.

 

Audio thoughts:

Once again, I went the audio route and I’m so glad I did…this book really translated well into audio and the narrator, Graeme Malcolm really did a great job bringing the book to life. He is so consistent with the voices and does a great job with the pacing and intonation. I am glad that he was able to narrate the entire series…he really did an amazing job!

 

Books in this series:

1. The Tenant
2. The Butterfly House
3. The Harbor
4. The Sanctuary