The Butterfly House
the new twisty crime thriller from the international bestseller for 2021
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4.8 • 4 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
'The Butterfly House is an original and absorbing piece of work . . . Engberg's novels are bestsellers in Denmark and she is a name to look out for' SUNDAY TIMES
From the internationally bestselling author of The Tenant, which Kathy Reichs called a 'stunning debut', comes a gripping new thriller featuring investigators Jeppe Kørner and Anette Werner.
In the coronary care unit at one of Copenhagen's leading medical centres, a nurse fills a syringe with an overdose of heart medication and stealthily enters the room of an older male patient.
Six days earlier, a paperboy on his route in the centre of the city stumbles upon a macabre find: the body of a dead woman, lying in a fountain, her arms marked with small incisions. Cause of death? Exsanguination - the draining of all the blood in her body. Clearly, this is no ordinary murder.
Jeppe Kørner, recovering from a painful divorce and in the throes of a new relationship, takes on the investigation. His partner, Anette Werner, now on leave after an unexpected pregnancy, is restless at home. While Jeppe leads the official search, Anette can't stop herself from doing a little detective work as well. But operating on her own exposes her to dangers she can't even begin to realise.
As the investigation ventures into dark and dangerous corners, it uncovers an ambition and greed festering beneath the surface of caregiving institutions, all leading back to the mysterious Butterfly House . . .
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Engberg's well-crafted sequel to 2020's The Tenant, Copenhagen homicide detective Jeppe K rner investigates the murders of three people connected to a now-closed teen psychiatric facility, the Butterfly House. Each victim was drained of blood and left floating, two in Copenhagen fountains and the third in a lake. Since Jeppe's partner, Det. Anette Werner, is on maternity leave, the low-energy Detective Falck, one of many well-drawn supporting characters, assists him in tracking down surviving staff members and patients. One patient's suicide and a staff member's mysterious death years earlier provide motives, and the behavior of many of the potential suspects/victims suggests they could all be guilty of something. The stakes rise as Anette, restless at home, starts investigating on her own. Readers will be pleased to see Falck playing a heroic role at the climax. By addressing the issue of society's treatment of the mentally ill, Engberg brings the complexities of life into this superior Danish police procedural. Fans of Scandinavian noir will hope this series has a long run.
Customer Reviews
Butterly effect
3.5 stars
Author
Danish. Dancer and choreographer before she started writing. The Tenant (2016), her crime fiction debut, introduced Copenhagen Detectives Jeppe Korner and Anette Werner. There are now four in the series. Only the first two have been translated into English so far.
In brief
In contemporary Copenhagen, a nurse in CCU snuffs an annoying patient with an overdose of cardiac medication, then a naked, middle-aged woman is found face down in a fountain, having been exsanguinated through multiple small incisions that look like the work of a pro. Lead investigator is Jeppe Korner, who is living with his Mom after an unpleasant divorce and consoling himself by banging one of his female co-workers, laments the absence of his usual partner Anette Werner. She's on maternity leave, which she hates, and is not much more kindly disposed towards the kid. Turns out just because you never wanted children and are over 40, you still need contraception. Her partner is happy as a pig in dirty diapers, but she's the one with the breasts. (The Danes call diapers nappies, in fact. I never knew that). While Jeppe and his new partner, an older poorly motivated male (tell me about it), investigate, Anette looks into things herself unofficially. Stuff happens. Depravity is uncovered. End of story.
Writing
Third person narrative. Slick, professional prose. Noirish plot with a shades of Robin Cook. Good character development that does not depend on having read The Tenant.
Bottom line
Solid genre fiction. A tad derivative for this little black duck. (Bumbling old white duck might be more appropriate)