Editorial Content for The Sanctuary
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
THE SANCTUARY opens with a murder so brutal and horrific that I daresay it is one of the worst I have ever come across. It drives the entire novel and is referred to constantly throughout the narrative, hanging over the proceedings like a gloomy specter.
A man wakes up from a drugged stupor and surmises shortly thereafter that he is strapped to a board with a buzz saw heading towards his body. Whatever the worst fate is that you can imagine for him will come to pass as he is viciously sawed in half. Assigned to the case is Detective Anette Werner of Copenhagen’s Violent Crimes Department.
"THE SANCTUARY is indeed nightmare-inducing, and it will be nearly impossible for readers to shake it from their psyches."
Jeppe Kørner, Anette’s colleague, is on an indefinite leave of absence as he is nursing a broken heart, among other personal issues. He has taken refuge on the island of Bornholm to hunker down for the long winter. While there, he has befriended Esther de Laurenti, a writer who is working on the biography of Margrethe Dybris, a female anthropologist with a mysterious past. The research Esther is conducting surprisingly will come full circle and tie in to the discovery of the severed corpse.
A suitcase is found in a nearby park and turned into the police. To their horror, Anette and her team find what looks to be half of a human male, but where the other half is remains a mystery for the moment. It is nearly impossible to get a positive identification on the body, though it is believed that the poor soul could be Bo Tjørnelund, a bookkeeper who has been missing from his job.
The investigation leads to Bornholm, and Anette reaches out to Jeppe for assistance. It appears that this is not the small sanctuary that Jeppe had first imagined as connections to a sawmill on the island may play a major part in the murder case. Additionally, there are reproductions of old lettered correspondence from Margrethe that start innocently enough and then get increasingly creepy and eye-opening.
Katrine Enberg first came to international prominence with THE BUTTERFLY HOUSE, and she continues to show that she is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to Nordic noir thrillers. THE SANCTUARY is indeed nightmare-inducing, and it will be nearly impossible for readers to shake it from their psyches.
Teaser
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 of 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.
Promo
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 of 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.
About the Book
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 “brazen and original” (The Toronto Star) Korner and Werner series.
Audiobook available, read by Graeme Malcolm
