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Katrine Engberg is a mystery author from Denmark who made her mark in publishing when she released ‘The Tenant,’ her debut novel. Besides writing, Engberg is a dancer and choreographer.
She believes dancing, choreography, and writing are more common than many people realize. The art forms use an actor’s body to tell stories. Engberg merely replaced the stage with a computer when she switched to publishing.
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Order of Kørner/Werner Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Tenant | 2020 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | The Butterfly House | 2021 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | The Harbor | 2022 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | The Sanctuary | 2023 | Description / Buy |
Her debut novel was not planned, at least not at first. She was walking down a street north of Copenhagen with her family when she saw ‘Family Laurenti’ written on a nameplate on a door. The words triggered her imagination, creating Esther de Laurenti.
The character was fully formed when she walked into Engberg’s mind. She knew who Esther was, what she looked, and where she worked. The plot and the setting for ‘The Tenant’ soon followed.
Engberg had several disparate puzzle pieces, which she mulled over until the story took shape.
Her background in theater hadn’t prepared her for a future in the mystery genre. She knew next to nothing about the police and their procedures. Fortunately, there was no shortage of experts for the author to consult.
She interviewed Copenhagen police officers and even drove with them to crime scenes. They were happy to tolerate her presence if she wore a bulletproof vest and kept quiet. Eventually, she acquired sufficient knowledge and experience to write convincing and relatable crime fiction.
She disagrees with people who think crime novels have nothing to offer besides violence and suspense. Engberg was raised on crime fiction. Her childhood home was filled with readers and storytellers.
They would congregate around a dinner table and regale each other with long and entertaining tales. While they gravitated toward different authors and genres, everyone in the author’s family loved crime fiction.
Even when she went into dancing, Engberg’s love for the written word never left her. As she matured, the author found the courage to write and share her stories with her closest friends.
She believes that crime fiction can produce great literature. The crime fiction novels she read as a child were surprisingly diverse, experimenting with everything from romance to political commentary.
She wants to add her voice to the growing Nordic Noir landscape by creating relatable characters and meaningful stories that tackle important social themes.
Engberg loves her job. Even though she struggles with looming deadlines, Engberg is her own boss. She writes what she wants. No one can force her to tell stories that don’t appeal to her sensibilities.
She begins each day by eating breakfast, walking the dog, dropping her child off at school, and then coming home to work. Whether or not she writes depends on where she is in her creative process.
Sometimes, she does online research or takes field trips. In other cases, she will spend hours plotting stories on a storyboard. Once she completes a first draft, Engberg will rewrite the manuscript as many times as it takes to perfect the story.
Katrine Engberg Awards
Engberg has received Martha, Mofibo, Great Audiobook, People’s Choice, and Plusbog Author of the Year Award nominations.
Best Katrine Engberg Books
Engberg’s talents are not restricted to writing and dancing. The actress has appeared in films like ‘Skytten’ and ‘The Keeper of Lost Causes.’ Engberg’s best books include:
The Tenant: Julie Stender died. The killer carved an intricate pattern of lines into her face. To Jeppe Korner and Anette Werner, Esther de Laurenti was just an eccentric novelist. The fact that she was Julie’s landlady did not make her suspicious.
But then, the Copenhagen police detectives made a shocking discovery. Esther had incorporated Julie Stender into her unfinished mystery novel where she had killed the woman off. Korner and Werner couldn’t ignore the coincidence.
The Butterfly House: A woman is dead. Someone left her naked remains in a fountain. They also drained her body of blood. Jeppe Korner is the lead investigator. But a painful divorce has left him ill-equipped to tackle the case.
His partner, Anette Werner, is still on maternity leave. Her newborn is more demanding than she expected. But Werner is restless. She decides to do some freelance sleuthing, unaware of the harrowing dangers she’ll attract along the way.
When Does The Next Katrine Engberg book come out?
Katrine Engberg doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is The Sanctuary and was released on February, 7th 2023. It is the newest book in the Kørner/Werner Series.