Thank you NetGalley for an Audio ARC of The Corpse Flower.

A woman, Anna Keil, accused of murder long ago disappeared but recently cryptic letters claiming to be from the woman begin to arrive at the desk of Journalist, Heloise Kaldan. Heloise is embroiled in a mess at work when a confidential source, one she has been secretly sleeping with, has been exposed as a liar and put her job in jeopardy. Heloise enlists the help of former homicide detective Erik Scháfer, who investigated the case back then, that is until he mysteriously turns up dead. As she digs farther into the case some clues point towards her having a connection to Anna Kiel and dark secret buried in her own past.

I have enjoyed previous Scandinavian works wrought with dark humor and darker subject matters but I had a harder time getting into this novel. While their are some twists and hidden secrets overall I found the story to be a bit slow and lackluster. I had an audio version preformed by Laura Jennings, who does a very good job and is easy to listen to.

Heloise is a journalist looking for her next headline when she starts receiving letters from a wanted killer, Anna Kiel. Anna disappeared years ago after murdering a well-known and respected lawyer. Anna continues to hint to Heloise that they are connected through cryptic messages. Heloise is forced to revisit her family past that she thought she had left in the dust when Anna forces her hand.

I love a Nordic noir because I always find the settings so interesting. I enjoyed the writing style as it flowed easily and made the story a nice length. The author got to the point without it dragging, really. There were also some moments of humour scattered throughout, which allowed for a bit of distraction from the heaviness of the content. The dark twist was one I didn’t see coming and really contributed to Heloise’s character. I did find the rest of the characters to be a bit flat, and to be honest I am not really sure who the series is going to focus on for the next book. I couldn’t tell if it was Heloise or the detective.

I guess I'm into Scandinavian noir now, after just finishing the Chestnut man before this. This is a great, and short mystery. Eloise, a journalist starts receiving letters from the mysterious Anna Kiel, a woman wanted for murder that has gone in hiding. As Eloise begins investigating Anna, and as their connection to each other grows, she is forced to revisit her own past. This is the first book in what will be a series, and I'm very excited to read the next one. The narration was fantastic as well.

Thank you Dreamscape media for giving me an advanced review copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The language barrier with this audiobook was really tough for me to follow along. A good story about revenge. A very complex dark story!

Do I recommend...if you like thrillers, yes. This was a pretty short mystery/thriller recently translated into English. A disgraced journalist teams up with a detective to find the prime suspect in a murder. I didn’t find it to be super original or anything but still found it interesting and engaging. The narrator was good and I think fans of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo will like this one.

⚠️ trigger warning: past childhood trauma recalled in detail⚠️

Fuck yeah! Ahem, excuse me but I love the way this book ended.

I'm currently ignoring the pleading eyes of my dogs who are clearly starving so I can write this quick review. It took me a few starts to get into the story but once I did, I couldn't put it away.

I love a mystery that has me clueless more than halfway through. And the predictions I did come up with were way off. That doesn't happen very often, unfortunately. Along with some nice twists and turns, The Corpse Flower is also very dark. Which I didn't expect. I don't remember what the blurb said when I requested it on NetGalley, but I'm pretty sure it didn't give away anything of substance because I might not have given it a shot if I'd known what brought the killer and the journalist together.

To be honest, I see myself giving this one a reread at some point. I'm sure there are bits here and there that I missed. As well as keeping an eye open for the next in the series.

Big thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for hooking me up with the audiobook. Oh! The narrator was very good, too. Bonus!

The blurb says this book is a combination of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO and SHARP OBJECTS (fave).

Pretty ambitious... 😕

It says it's an international bestseller for fans of Jo Nesbo... 😕

It's won awards... 😕

I'm surprised by all. What do I know 💁🏽‍♀️

I've included a picture of a Corpse flower.

It's a very accurate physical representation of this book.

It's a phallic-shaped flower that smells like death.

Do you want a penis-shaped flower that smells like rotting flesh?

This book is part of a series. This is the first book in the series published in 2021 but book 2 was released in 2018 and book 3 released last year, in 2020.

💬

Had to look that up!!

First released in Denmark in 2017, it has already made the rounds there. Picking up a few awards and claiming a bestselling spot.

So it's a re-release!

It will not do as well here is my assumption.

If I were the authors literary therapist, I would recommend exploring her sexual discomforts somewhere other than the page.

It opens with a supposedly controversial conversation about massages and sex. I'm assuming this is to get you in the mindset of the characters, but all it does for me as a reader is make me feel uncomfortable.

Not uncomfortable for myself but more for whoever is uncomfortable with sex here.

If it's similar to Sharp Objects and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, it is in that regard.

However, the yucky sex in Sharp Objects is supposed to make you feel that way.

Spoiler

The character(s) in Sharp Objects used sex in the same fashion as she used razors.

And The Girl WTDT well...

I won't spoil that one. 😉

This one's pin is Antisocial Personality Disorder, aka, Psychopathy.

Catchy words.

To me this book was incredibly boring and flat. It's missing the zhuzh factor. In my mind it's just pretty basic.

Nothing shocking or surprising or worth remembering.

For me it's an easy ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Uninspiring.

Thanks to @librofm and Crooked Lane Books and @netgalley for copies of this alc.

I really wanted to like this book. The fact that I have seen it everywhere on Bookstagram enticed me to request it on NetGalley.
However, I just couldn’t get into it. I’m really disappointed with it.

I wonderful foray into a dark place. There are triggers. For me, very good ones. Horrible men meet their end. The journey there is dark. It isn’t unknown, though. What is weird here is the justice that is met. It’s why I liked it.

This was my first Nordic Noir and I loved it!! This is really a dark novel. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys crime fiction. There are some difficult topics that warrant trigger warnings but I don’t want to spoil it for others. I listened to this on audiobook and the narrator did a great job!

Thanks to NETGALLY and Dreamscape media for my advanced reader Audiobook!

Loved the audio version of The Corpse Flower! The reader had a delicious voice that really enhanced the mysterious feeling of the novel. I enjoyed the book very much and look forward to others by this author.

Thank you NetGalley for the treat of listening to this audio book. This is a Danish book but the translation was brilliant. There weren’t too many characters and the plot was easy to follow. Heloise Kaldan, a journalist, receives a cryptic letter from Anna Kiel. A woman who was caught on CCTV after killing a prominent attorney. Anna didn’t even try to hide her identity. Heloise is soon drawn into story that will change her life. If you liked the Stieg Larson series, you will like this.

There were so many twists that I did not see coming! I enjoyed this story for the most part. I loved the ending for sure. A story of revenge that isn’t sweet but definitely just.
I listened to the audiobook for the most part. I did enjoy the narrator. She really brought the story to life. I read a physical copy along with it. The audiobook was able to keep my attention better. It did have a mechanical type sound to it at parts which was distracting but I was able to push through and finish the book.
Here’s hoping the next book in the series is also translated to English!

I enjoyed this book but I did get a bit lost with verbiage at times. I felt that the end of the book kind of lost me and I ended up just feeling that it was an ok read.

Scandinavian noir/mystery is back on my radar! With the comparison to Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I had to read this one. It's not a spot-on comparison, but I ended up loving this one!

Journalist Eloise gets unintentionally wrapped up in an old murder case where the alleged killer, Anna Kiel, is on the run. How are their lives intertwined? Based around these two women, a larger mystery comes to light and puts both of their lives in danger.

I really liked this mystery. I loved the settings and how the plot revealed itself. Be warned that there are some very hard things described towards the end of the book that might be too much for some people (so if you're a sensitive reader, vet this one a bit more first.) I loved the international flavor and the writing. It was less political than Larsen books which was a nice surprise for me and a slightly easier, but no less satisfying, read. I will would definitely be willing to read more books in this planned series.

I listened to this one on audio and at first didn't love the narrator's raspy voice. I warmed to her as the book went on and was really pleased with some of her character voices and accents. I find that internationally written books have a much higher success rate for me on audio and this one was no exception.

I would definitely recommend this book and enjoyed it thoroughly!
Thank you to Netgalley for the advance audio version for review.

𝕿𝖍𝖗𝖎𝖑𝖑𝖊𝖗 𝕿𝖍𝖚𝖗𝖘𝖉𝖆𝖞: 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕮𝖔𝖗𝖕𝖘𝖊 𝕱𝖑𝖔𝖜𝖊𝖗

I am a SUCKER for Scandinavian noir mysteries. I love them all and 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐬𝐞 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 is no exception! If you are a crime novel junkie, pick this one up!

𝕱𝖚𝖓 𝖋𝖆𝖈𝖙: this book was actually first published April 1, 2017 and this version is the third edition published Oct. 12th 2021.

𝕼𝖚𝖎𝖈𝖐 𝖘𝖞𝖓𝖔𝖕𝖘𝖎𝖘:

A Danish journalist, Heloise, living in Copenhagen, begins receiving letters from Anna Kiel, a murderer on the loose that brutally killed a young lawyer 3 years prior. Anna hasn’t been seen since she left the crime scene covered in blood. As the letters keep coming, a connection between the two women develop and Heloise will have to revisit her own dark past in hopes of finding Anna.

Major Disclaimer: there is a DISGUSTING topic that I think needs to be mentioned but is also a spoiler in the plot ( I don’t want to post it here) so if you are worried about a trigger warning, reach out! Please DM me and I will let you know what it is!!

𝕱𝖔𝖗 𝖋𝖆𝖓𝖘 𝖔𝖋: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Sharp Objects, and anything by Jo Nesbo

4.5 stars

The Corpse Flower by Anna Mette Hancock
Narrator, Laura Jennings
I thought this was a good story, suspense, retribution, relationships and it’s the first book in a series. I have seen there are two more books not yet translated into English. I’m looking forward to them.
The mystery around the dad was pretty easy to guess but I still liked the conclusion. It was also a good length at eight hours. I have enjoyed this narrator’s previous work and I hope she will continue with the series.

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. Things are not what they seem and will have you guessing until the end. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I absolutely loved this audiobook! The plot was mysterious, disturbing, and fascinating. I was completely engrossed by the story and I found myself thinking about even when I wasn’t listening to it. I was extremely satisfied with the ending, which left me covered with goosebumps. I also connected deeply with the characters, especially the journalist, Heloise. The narrator did a fabulous job capturing her voice and I look forward to reading the next book in the series!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

The Corpse Flower was an interesting premise, and I did like the book, but it was pretty slow going and underwhelming overall. There were interesting parts, but it was rather predictable throughout if you read many thrillers/crime/mysteries. I thought this was a good book to listen to, but it was hard to focus on and the narrator was not my favorite. Overall, 3 stars. I wish the trigger warnings would have been included as well because omitting them to potential readers is very challenging.

TRIGGER WARNING: Child abuse.