The Butterfly House - Katrine Engberg

 The Butterfly House - Katrine Engberg

She read

This is number 2 of 4 in the Korner and Werner series.   have previously read 1 and 4.  I enjoy Engberg’s writing and this series so much that I went back to read this one.

The book opens with a nurse injecting a cardiac patient with a lethal dose of medication and then goes back in time 6 days to when a body is found dumped in a fountain. The victim was murdered somewhere else, the weapon an antique instrument that causes exsanguination. After a second body with the same MO appears in another body of water, Korner discovers that what they had in common is both had worked at a youth psychiatric home that was closed down after a patient committed suicide.

There are still some employees from the facility in the city, including a suspicious psychiatrist.  Who will be the next victim?  Werner, who is on maternity leave,  cannot resist doing her own investigation.  Will it endanger her?

This is a Nordic noir novel, so it is characteristically a bit dark. With a clever plot, good character development, it is a well written, fast read; I couldn’t put it down. I particularly find the main characters entertaining and enjoy the atmospheric descriptions of Copenhagen, especially as its residents prepare themselves for a winter’s night. 

Quite a few characters are introduced initially but as the story progresses, they sort themselves out and it is not confusing telling them apart. Red herrings and an air of mystery will keep readers guessing.

Thanks to #NetGalley and @GalleryBooks for the DRC.

*****