I didn’t really know what to expect when I received The Corpse Flower, but I will say that it was a thoroughly enjoyable book. There are some incredibly dark themes throughout that people should be aware of. This is one of those books that is hard to put down because you just need to know what’s going on. It’s going to be 4 stars from me.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Corpse Flower by Anne Mette Hancock is a book I'd recommend for adult readers who enjoy a mystery/thriller and aren't bothered by some very dark and disturbing turns.

The novel is written in multiple points of view, following Heloise, a journalist struggling with a source caught lying; and Erik, the grizzled detective. There are also letters written to Heloise from Anna Kiel, an alleged killer. These letters are cryptic, to say the least.

The suspense ratchets up as Erik is investigating the original reporter on Anna's first murder, and Heloise is being encouraged by Anna to write about her. Is Anna back for revenge, or is there another responsible for these murders? Heloise finds herself being more and more intricately linked to these cases, and has to confront her past before any resolution can be found.

A fast-paced read, especially for readers who enjoy thrillers. I was a little hung up on terminology at times, but it didn't impede my overall understanding of the book.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

Publish date: 12/10/21
Rating 4.5 stars

This is a really great Danish thriller. It’s the story of 2 female main characters. One a journalist, Heloise, the other a murderer, Anna. Like other books of the Scandinavian crime genre, it’s character driven and atmospheric. I found it to be a page turner and read it in one sitting. This is a very dark tale and there weren’t any trigger warnings preceding the story, so precede with caution if you have issues with reading about murder descriptions, violence and child sexual abuse and rape. I don’t think I have ever wanted a murderer to be so successful, as much I wanted Anna to be in this particular book. This was the first time I’ve read stories by this Author, by it won’t be the last.

Thank you to the Author, Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing a complimentary digital ARC. I am providing an unbiased review of an eARC.

Heloise is a well known journalist with Copenhagen's big newspaper. Anna is a fugitive, wanted for the murder of a prominent lawyer. When Heloise begins to receive cryptic letters from Anna she is bewildered. As she and the police search for the connection and Anna's. motives a dark history is brought into the light. This debut thriller to be published in the fall is a well written entry in the Scandinavian noir genre. The characters were realistic and the plot was solid with a strong conclusion.

You say in for a penny, in for a pound to show that you are definitely going to continue with something, even if it means more effort or money. This is exactly what the women in this book decided to do.

The author really gives it her all to allow Anna, the villain, to go for it, to get payback no matter what. The author also allows Heloise to get the job done no matter what, get the story written and worry about consequences later. It was a perfect storm against known predators that need to be dealt with. There were parts that were a little sludgy but boy it picks up fast and just doesn’t stop until it’s finished. Really finished. I liked this style of writing and will look for future books by Anne Mette Hancock.


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, an imprint of The Quick Brown Fox & Company LLC., for this Advanced Reader Copy and the opportunity to read and review “Corpse Flower ” written by ANNE METTE HANCOCK

Heloise is a journalist who is on the hot seat for publishing an article with false information. Her info came from a trusted source so she is now frustrated with him. She is getting letters from a woman who is wanted for a murder. The letters are not to the point and Heloise is trying to figure them out. She wants to find Anna, the woman who committed the murder and get her story to avenge her earlier article.

I wasn't too sure in the first part of the book, how it was going to go. There were some loose ends and I wasn't sure where they were leading but it soon starts going and I had a hard time putting the book down. I am pretty good at figuring out the plot but this one kept me guessing. There is some uncomfortable parts to the story but they are not beleaguered and didn't detract from the goal.

Very good first effort and I'll look for more by this author. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

2.5/5 We follow Heloise Kaldan, a journalist, who begins receiving letters from a suspected killer on the run. This Danish thriller was thrilling-but handled some disturbing and graphic content. While the author did a good job covering such a difficult topic with brutal truth and sensitivity towards the victims emotions and motives, I probably wouldn’t have read this if I had known about the content ahead of time.

Personally the multiple POVs were okay here, but I found myself gravitating to Heloise’s POV the most. She felt the most fleshed out as a character for me, but also I didn’t really feel attached to her in any way. I feel the characters were the types that I would probably forget over time unfortunately.

If you enjoy a good thriller with a strong premise, you may enjoy this more than I did. The plot was certainly well-thought out, but be aware it handles difficult topics such as: assault. rape, crimes against children, sexual crimes against children, blackmail, and more. Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC.

I enjoyed this book! I felt this was a textbook thriller that told a captivating, ultimately heart-breaking story. The book moved well and kept you enthralled and guessing through each page. The twist was great and made for a satisfying ending. I highly recommend this book if you love a good thriller. (I will say some hard topics are addressed and the reader needs to be aware there may be some trigger warnings.)

***** I received an ARC from NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my honest review. *****

This book blew me away! I was unable to but it down. Perfect, dazzlingly, very well written. The details the author described throughout the book was so amazing. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

It's been a while since I've really enjoyed a "mystery/crime thriller" book. I usually find them very predictable but The Corpse Flower was a pleasant surprise!

Heloise is a journalist with a dark family secret.
Anna is a murderer you want to root for (I couldn't help but picture Villanelle, from Killing Eve!). Schäfer is the quintessential grizzled homicide detective but with a softer side than I'm used to. I liked and cared about these 3 main characters, although some of the side characters weren't as interesting (*cough, Martin, cough*)

When Anna starts sending cryptic letters to journalist Heloise, we're taken into a dark mystery. Why Heloise? Did Anna really commit the grizzly crime she's on the run for? And how do rich, high profile individuals get away with doing terrible things? A sadly relevant question.

This story, especially once we get to the meat of it, is VERY dark. Some might find it disturbing, as I certainly did (and I like dark!) and I'm wondering if more of a trigger warning might be helpful or if it's even possible without giving away any of the plot twists. I did enjoy it though, and would not be opposed to another story where Heloise and Schäfer team up 😁
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC #TheCorpseFlower

Hmm well, okay, I think I’m standing in front of my Switzerland border : a book I didn’t adore but also I didn’t dislike so I’m staying in the middle territory : this is okay but not so soul crushing, mind spinning read I was expecting!

I loved Swedish thrillers a lot. I think this book has true promising, complex, rich storyline with eccentric characterization but it might have been lost its true essence during translation because I found the writing style a little flat.

I wish I knew the original language so I can write this review from another perspective, more objectively. Even though this is three starred read for me, I know there’s more potential of this book that I didn’t discover because of language barrier.

Let’s take a look at the story line: the rainy, dark, claustrophobic atmosphere of early September in Copenhagen reminds you of “Se7en “, the rain doesn’t stop for weeks and a killer is out there to hunt down his/ her preys.

Heloise Kaldan, a successful, 36 years old journalist can lose her job because one of her sources was caught lying. And in the meantime she finds herself in more complicated situation. An alleged killer starts sending her cryptic letters.

We’re also introduced to the officer Erik Schafer who investigates a lawyer’s fatal stabbing which happened three years ago and the prime suspect Anna Kiel has been fled when she’s been covered in blood. The investigators couldn’t find any trace of her and they also couldn’t find any motive to connect her with the murder.

Now a reporter who wrote about the case is found death at her apartment. This may bring two different options out: Anna Kiel is back to finish what she’s started or there is another killer on the run. But interestingly every clue points at Heloise Kaldan.

The letters Heloise are getting can indicate a connection between Heloise and Anna which push Heloise to write a story about her. But this intention forced her to face the dark parts of her past and reconnecting with someone she never want to see again!

As you may see it’s still promising reading! And I’d like to read more works of the author but I think I crashed into language barrier so hard and it turned into a bumpy reading journey for me.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

This story follows Anna a journalist who is trying to uncover a cold murder case , however it turns into more then she could imagine.
Unfortunately I couldn’t get into this novel the entire way through , yes there were some interesting parts but the majority of it felt pretty boring , I wanted to skim pages to find something interesting in them to read.
I’m not one to DNF a book , but I really struggled with this one.
There were a couple of things that I didn’t expect to come up at all , but it felt like it too way to long to get there. The ending was pretty good I will say that .
I hate giving bad reviews but this book was just not for me at all I hope others have better luck.

Interesting and gripping thriller! The spooky setting was so much fun to read about, it immersed me into the novel!

Super realistic with very disturbing crimes committed by people you wouldn't have guessed capable of it. Anna is being hounded and sought as being a murderer but she leads on a journalist to find out just what's behind the scenes, and to cover the story, a horrendous one for the journalist.

I won't go into more details as they might be spoilers!

This is an edge of your seat thriller! It had me hooked from the beginning to end. This is my first read by author and can not wait to read more! Thank you to publisher and NetGalley for this amazing read.

Pub date 10/21

A Danish journalist digs deep to uncover a web of lies that stretches back to a grisly murder, but knowing the truth might put an end to her story.

Wow what a story this was! I was immediately hooked! The story was great and I didn't want it to end!
Such a thriller ride from start to end! The writing here is great and I usually don't read books like these but this held my attention throughout it all!

Journalist Heloise Kaldan starts to receive enigmatic letters from Anna Kiel, murderer on the run. Suddenly she finds herself in the middle of dark intrigue.

As a big fan of scandinavian crime novels and thrillers I was very excited to read The corpse flower and was not disappointed.
Twisty, dark, cinematic atmosphere. Strong and believable characters. Action, misteries and great flow. Everything that a great thriller needs.

Excellent!

The Corpse Flower is an amazing read. Honestly if I had realized the main topic of the book I probably wouldn’t have read it. But I’m so glad I did! Heloise and Anna are strong female characters that and I can only hope to be half the woman they are. The topics in this book are such horrible problems in our society and it might be an uncomfortable read - but it’s one I will not forget anytime soon. Thanks to the publishers for allowing me to read this amazing book.

Danish journalist Heloise Kaldak is in danger of losing her job after one of her sources is outed for lying. When she gets an anonymous letter from a killer, Heloise sees the chance to save her career. Anna Kiel has been on the run and wanted by police for three years after she was linked to the death an an attorney and detective Erik Schafer has gone back to interview the journalist who broke the original story. But he’s been murdered; so is Anna Kiel responsible for this second death, or is it someone else entirely? This is an intriguing and twisty Nordic Noir thriller

Wow! What a discovery! This was thrilling, yes a real thriller!! I was on the edge of my seat from the first to the last page. It's also well written and very dark. I totally recommend this book to every dark thriller fans!