Title: The Corpse Flower by Anne Mette Hancock
Kaldan and Schäfer Mystery Series Book One
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 336 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo meets Sharp Objects in this internationally bestselling psychological thriller, for fans of Jo Nesbø and Henning Mankell, now for the first time in English.
Danish journalist Heloise Kaldan is in the middle of a nightmare. One of her sources has been caught lying, and she could lose her job over it. Then she receives the first in a series of cryptic and unsettling letters from a woman named Anna Kiel.
Wanted in connection with the fatal stabbing of a young lawyer three years earlier, Anna hasn’t been seen by anyone since she left the crime scene covered in blood. The police think she’s fled the country until homicide detective Erik Scháfer comes up with a lead after the reporter who originally wrote about the case is found murdered in his apartment. Has Anna Kiel struck again, or is there more than one killer at large? And why does every clue point directly to Heloise Kaldan?
Meanwhile, the letters keep coming, and they hint at a connection between Anna and Heloise. As Heloise starts digging deeper, she realizes that to tell Anna’s story she will have to revisit the darkest parts of her own past–confronting someone she swore she’d never see again.
The Corpse Flower is the first in the #1 bestselling Danish crime series, the Kaldan and Scháfer mysteries.
Review:
The Corpse Flower by Anne Mette Hancock is a riveting Scandinavian mystery.
Newspaper journalist Heloise Kaldan is in serious trouble at the newspaper where she works because of her recent article. Her exposé contained information from a source that proves to be false and she is now part of a scandalous news cycle. Heloise manages to save her job but she is on somewhat thin ice. Going through the mail that is waiting for her at the newspaper, she discovers a shocking letter from fugitive Anna Kiel. Anna is wanted for the murder of Christoffer Mossing, a lawyer that she brutally killed a few years earlier. Heloise has no idea why Anna would contact her and she does not know why Anna knows personal information about her. When more letters arrive, Heloise contacts Detective Sergeant Erik Schäfer, the officer assigned to the case. She also gets in touch with Ulrich Andersson, the reporter who covered the murder. Ulrich is out on medical leave and he warns her to stay away from the case. Another murder adds urgency to finding Anna and uncovering the reason why she murdered Mossing.
Heloise is a well-established journalist and she fully understands her mistake with trusting her source. She is quickly distracted by the letters from Anna and she begins a deep dive into the Christoffer’s murder. Heloise tries to understand why Anna is reaching out to her. She also wants to know why the accused killer knows so much about her. After another murder and then an attempted murder, Heloise finally knows what Anna wants from her. But what will Heloise decide to do?
Erik and his partner Sergeant Lisa Augustin are also very curious about why Anna is writing to Heloise. Erik believes Heloise knows more than she is telling him, but she remains insistent she does not know Anna. He and Lisa re-examine their old case files to see if there is anything they might have overlooked during the initial investigation. Erik still has reason to suspect Christoffer’s family might know more about his murder than they are saying. But will his renewed effort to discuss their son’s death with them continue to be met with the same resistance as three years earlier?
The Corpse Flower is a tightly-plotted mystery that is very suspenseful. Heloise, Erik and the secondary characters are well-drawn with realistic strengths and weakness. The storyline is fast-paced with plenty of twists and turns. The story takes places mostly in Copenhagen and the surrounding area and the various setting are vividly brought to life. With jaw-dropping plot twists, Anne Mette Hancock brings this tension-filled mystery to a immensely satisfying conclusion.
