I’ve said multiple times that two of my favorite things are a strong female protagonist and a great series that continues to build on itself.

Enter The Corpse Flower, which already has one of those elements in journalist Heloise Kalden and has all the potential to develop the other. I can see Heloise and her police contacts solving lots of bloody, twisty mysteries.

The Corpse Flower isn’t without triggers. There are some graphic scenes involving children that I think you should know about before you go in blind, but, for me, (no spoilers here) the end result was worth it.

This book started a little slow for me, but it is worth sticking it out. I usually can figure out the plot of a book pretty early on, but this book has so many twists that you don’t see coming it’s really a refreshing read. I also really appreciated the audiobook format.

The narration is done at a great pace and it is easy to listen to.

I’m giving it 3 stars. I wish there was a 3 1/2. It’s better than mediocre but it’s not a book that I will reread which is how I set my 3 star vs 4 star ratings.

I love Nordic Noir so I was really excited to listen to this book. The narrator did a good job, and I like the main character as a journalist digging into an old case, but I just never felt really invested it the outcome.

The Corpse Flower tells the story of Heloise, a journalist, who has a story fall in her lap after a setback at work. Ana has been on the run for years wanted for murder. When Ana sends a letter to Heloise, the story that unravels will change both of their lives forever.

I was not expecting the turn that this book took. It was so dark but so good. I could tell that their was a relationship coming but, for the life of me, I couldn't figure it out. I was suspicious of the wrong people and I think that is a testament to Hancock's writing. I loved the ending so much. I won't say my specific reason for loving it because it would spoil it but man was it good. This was a solid book from beginning to end and I didn't want to stop. Heloise is one of my favorite characters and I loved her tenacity. She was motivated but also understanding. She had a strong sense of justice and I loved that. Overall, this was phenomenal and I loved it!

Thanks #netgallery for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this book with the twists. Great narration. Keep me thinking. Revenge is a great topic.

I had a tough time following along with this audiobook and I think it was mostly because of the language barrier, not the book itself. This one is pretty dark so I would advise you to check out the trigger warnings before getting this book.

Revenge is so sweet! I really enjoyed this Danish debut thriller. Very captivating, and you just want to keep reading. Heloise is a great main character, while Erik is a great supporting sidekick cop. It gave me Law and Order/Bosch vibes. Thoroughly enjoyed this story.

-This could most definitely be triggering to some: pedophilia.-

*Thank you @letstalkaboutbooks @berittalksbooks @crookedlanebooks @netgalley and @dreamscape_media for the advanced copy and audiobook in exchange for an honest review.*

The Corpse Flower by Anne Mette Hancock

Trigger warning: Pedophilia

This book is the first book in the Danish crime series, the Kaldan and Scháfer mysteries. Heloise is a journalist and she happens to be the one person that murderer Anna Kiel, still on the run, seems to be trying to connect with. Anna seems to think that she and Heloise have something in common, as her cryptic letters explain. Heloise is trying to unravel the mystery of Anna and the letters, as people are dying around her.

What connects Anna and Heloise came as a total surprise and was dark...very, very, dark. I really enjoyed this story and it was quite well put together. The beginning of the book went at a steady pace, but the ending really took off and kept me listening until the very end. The narration was good and was very easy to listen to. This was a great debut novel and I'm definitely interested in listening to the others in the series!

Thank you #NetGalley, Anne Mette Hancock, and #DreamscapeAudio for allowing me to listen to this ARC!

This story got really heavy at the end and took a turn I didn't expect. The atmosphere was anxious and dark. There were a lot of threads between Meloise the journalist is given cryptic messages form Anna who is on the run for murder being pursued by detective Sergeant Erik Schafer that eventually connected as the story progressed. I think this is a translated piece but easy enough to follow. This was a slower paces book for me but interesting enough that I finished it in one sitting.

📚BOOK REVIEW📚 🏔🏔🏔🏔🏔/ 5
Pub Date Oct 12, 2021

Reading this book immediately made me curious about the corpse flower and I had to google it. I’ve never heard of it before, but it is real and rather fascinating!

“What Makes the Corpse Flower Special?
The allure of the corpse flower comes from its great size (it is the largest unbranched inflorescence in the plant kingdom), powerful stink, and fleeting presence. The plants frequently grow up to 8 feet tall in cultivation. Referred to as the corpse flower or stinky plant, its putrid smell is most potent during peak bloom at night into the early morning. The odor is often compared to the stench of rotting flesh. The inflorescence (a collection of flowers acting as one) also generates heat, which allows the stench to travel further. This combination of heat and smell efficiently lures corpse-attracted pollinators, such as carrion beetles and flies, from across long distances.”

Luckily it’s not a common flower. It does look beautiful, but no one wants that stench in their garden!

The title and gorgeous cover of this book caught my attention, and as usual, I took a leap of faith and requested it without reading the synopsis. I wasn’t disappointed, but I was completely surprised.

Heloise is a journalist who has just made a huge error by quoting a known source who was given erroneous information. Not something any journalist wants to do. This has put her job in jeopardy and questioned her future as a journalist, which is a huge problem because she has just received a letter from someone claiming to be a murderer that is still wanted.

Anna Kiel disappeared after she was filmed, covered in blood, leaving the scene of a grisly murder. Anna sends several cryptic messages to Heloise, hinting that they have something in common. Heloise’s investigation into Anna isn’t easy, because of her previous infraction, but she is determined.

Her investigation takes her to places I never imagined and this dark story is a page-turner!

**Warning: child pornography/sexual abuse**

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Audio. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

#AnneMetteHancock #NetGalley #DreamscapeAudio #bookstagrammer #thrillersofinstagram #octoberreads #coloradoreader #readingintherockies #justfinishedreading #inexchangeforreview #thrillerlover #bookrecommendation #audiobookreview #mustreadthriller

This was a great debut for the Kaldan og Schäfer Danish crime series and I’ve learned that I really enjoy Scandinavian noir!

It was a captivating story with some compelling characters that will certainly keep you turning the pages! I’m also such a sucker for a great revenge plot and I found this one quite well done! It had great propulsive action and I relished in the dark family secrets aspect.

If you like Nordic Noir or Procedural dramas, this ones for you!!

Stimulating, suspense filled from the start, you won’t want to put this one down! I hated to stop and would think about it until I could get back to reading it!!! A wonderfully written story that gets you thinking and feeling for each main character.

This one really worked for me because of the true crime feel. I enjoyed the writing style and it was full of mystery and suspense that kept me glued to the details. The main characters were interesting and even though the of story is centered around things of a disturbing nature it was done well. People and situations aren’t always what they seem and this was a perfect example.
I highly recommend this if you love mystery-thriller suspense.
I chose to listen to this book on audio and the narrator was excellent. This was 8 hours and 2 minutes.
Thanks Dreamscape Media via Netgalley.

I found The Corpse Flower by ……….. an interesting read. I have never read Swedish Noir before and I did struggle with some of the street and place names in the book, but not enough to slow me down. I just did my best with them and moved along in the book.

Corpse Flower is a thriller, and it has a very dark and sometimes disturbing atmosphere. There are a lot of triggers in this book, including suicide, gore, murder, violent assault, child pornography, and rape, so if you are susceptible to things of that nature, you will want to proceed with caution or skip altogether.

There are many characters in the story, and the book, moves quickly, however, overall I would say it was a slow burn. The author’s writing is clear and engaging so even with all the characters, you do not get confused.

The characters are all authentic, and the main character Heloise is very likable. She has trust issues and only seems to connect with her best friend, keeping herself closed off to others, but the reasoning behind these issues are revealed within the story and you will understand her more. The mystery that surrounds Anna was both enthralling and heartbreaking, and I really enjoyed this part of the story.

Some parts of the story seemed predictable, and at times I felt a bit bogged down by all the police procedures, but if you are a fan of detective stories that are detailed, you will probably find this book entertaining.

All in all the book has plenty for lovers of thrillers. There is a lot of mystery, detectives who are capable and competent. Great twists and turns, interesting secondary stories, and of course revenge.

The Corpse Flower
Anne Mette Hancock
Heloise Kaldan is a successful reporter for a Copenhagen newspaper. The thirty-six-year-old journalist is in trouble for reporting on a story without fully investigating her source who was lying. A suspected killer is sending her puzzling messages. Anna Kiel was seen leaving the scene of a murder; she was caught on camera, covered in blood. Attorney Christopher Mossing, the son of a formidable real estate mogul, was found stabbed to death. The crime took place three years ago, Anna hasn’t been seen since then. The officer in charge of the investigation was Erik Schafer.
There has been a new murder; the journalist that originally reported on the murder has been found dead. Has Anna killed again or is it someone else? Could Heloise be connected to Anna? Heloise must face her past no matter how dark it is.
This is the first book in a new series with main character Heloise Kaldan. The Corpse Flower began as a slow read but eventually picked up the pace. The point of view is told mainly from Heloise’s point of view but also from Erik and Anna’s. Toward the end of the book the reader discovers the connection between Anna and Heloise.
I found it difficult to connect to the characters in this tale. While it has great possibilities it fell short for me.

While this book has some disturbing topics (child pornography/pedophiles), this book was well written and sucked me in from the beginning. As you continue to learn about Heloise and Anna, you will not want to put this one down. The audio was also amazing, so if you like audiobooks, this one is very easy to follow. Plus it is a quick listen!

Thanks to @netgalley for the ALC of The Corpse Flower. The expected publication date of this debut novel is October 2021!

Although the start of this story was a bit of a slow burn, I was soon immersed in this dark mystery/thriller which quickly becomes a page-turner with many twists and turns in the plot along the way!

The story is set in Copenhagen and, to a lesser extent, France. The constant gloomy weather and rain throughout this story effectively set the stage by making the setting tension filled.

Four years ago, Anna Kiel was seen bloodied as she left the apartment of Christoffer Mossing. Since then, she has been a fugitive avoiding capture. In the present, Heloise Kaldan, while stressed at work because one of her sources was found to be lying, starts receiving cryptic letters signed by Anna. These letters, sent from various cities in France, suggest there may be a connection between the two characters.

Heloise uses her contacts and skills as a journalist to look into the murder and the letters from Anna. Through her investigation she contacts detective sergeant Erik Schafer, who worked on the murder, and Ulrich Andersson a journalist who may know more than first appears.

Although there are a relatively large cast of characters, Anne Mette does a wonderful job fleshing them out so that they were very believable.

This book is the first of a series and I look forward to revisiting Copenhagen to see what unfolds next! Anyone who is a fan of Scandinavian crime fiction will enjoy The Corpse Flower.

I'm always up for a new Nordic Noir writer to try, and The Corpse Flower, by Anne Mette Hancock did not disappoint! Hancock is a Danish writer and this was her debut novel in 2017. It won the Danish Crime Academy's debutante prize and was a bestseller in Europe. It also introduces two characters who will be the backbone of her new series.

Journalist Heloise Kaldan's career is in a bit of bother. One of her sources was caught out lying, and the blame is falling back on her. In the midst of this confusion, she begins to get puzzling letters from an alleged killer, Anna Kiel. Kiel is accused of stabbing to death a young and affluent lawyer three years previously, and has been on the run ever since. Then a reporter who first wrote about the crime is found murdered, although suicide is initially suspected. This introduces us to detective Erik Schafer, who is determined to find the missing Kiel.

It is a mystery why Anna Kiel has targeted Heloise to reach out to. Seemingly, they have no connection. But as Kaldan uses her journalistic skills to dive further into the case, she begins to suspect that there is a dark connection between the two of them. There are events from Heloise's past that have made her the closed off and solitary figure she is today. To solve this crime she will have to confront all her demons.

First I'll mention the only slight negative I have. It was a slow listen (I had the audio version) at the beginning. The author took her time, slowly establishing her characters and story line. But once events started moving, they click along at a satisfying pace and kept me very drawn into the story. Stick with it, if you find yourself feeling this way. You won't be sorry!

Once I got to know the characters I enjoyed them, and there is a satisfying moment of connection between the journalist and the police detective at the end of the book that hints we will see these two working together again. I thought the plot was inventive, and very dark and gloomy, as any good Nordic Noir should be. And I really appreciated the ending for multiple reasons. It was very satisfying.

Is there ever a good reason to kill someone? That is one of the questions explored in this novel.

I had the audio version of this book and found the reader did a great job and kept me listening.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Anne Mette Hancock, and Dreamscape Audio for allowing me to listen to this ARC! I give this a strong four stars.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to listen to the audiobook filled with a top notch revenge motive. After reading other reviews I'm tempted to read "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo."

Heloise is a reporter, a reporter that just found out her source has led her astray. Embarrassed by the negative publicity, she’s worried she could lose her job, but soon finds herself enveloped in an older case, a case where a prominent young attorney was murdered and his assailant, Anna Kiel, has never been caught. Why is Anna sending Heloise letters and where is she hiding? What could the two possibly have in common and how does Anna know so much about Heloise? Most importantly ... why did she kill Christoffer Mossing? As the story unfolds, the reader is drawn in at every turn. To tell Anna’s story, Heloise will have to face darkness in her own past, a darkness she would rather leave buried. Voiced perfectly by Laura Jennings, this book was a great listen!