‘The Corpse Flower’ by Anne-Mette Hancock

Published by Swift Press,
3 March 2022.
ISBN: 978-180075071-5 (HB)

Journalist Heloise Kaldan has written an article where one of her sources has lied and she is in deep trouble. So, when she starts receiving cryptic letters from alleged killer Anna Kiel, Heloise doesn’t at first believe they are genuine. 

Anna is accused of brutally murdering wealthy lawyer Christopher Mossing and she has been on the run for 3 years. Detective Eric Schafer wants her caught and brought to justice. Heloise continues to receive cryptic letters and when one seems to show her apartment, she starts to worry about her safety, especially when the journalist originally assigned to covering the case is found dead. Heloise and Schafer try to solve the mystery of why Anna seems to want to be found. They start to investigate her story and Heloise has to face her own past to solve the puzzle.

This is the first in the #1 bestselling Danish crime series, the Kaldan and Schäfer mysteries. Written in Danish the book is translated into American English, which makes it bit of an odd read until you get used to the mix of Americanisms in a European environment.

While the subject at the heart of the story is dark this isn’t a Scandi Noir. The book is an easy and satisfying read. At the beginning Heloise is a character that seems to be living a half-life and by the end of the book we understand the betrayal that has caused it. It will be interesting to see how her character develops in future books. A good read.
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Reviewer: Christine Hammercott

Anne-Mette Hancock  was born in the small town of Gråsten in Denmark and has lived in both the US and France. She has a bachelor’s degree in History and studied journalism at the Roskilde University and Berlingske. In 2017 she made her debut as an author with The Corpse Flower, where we are introduced to journalist Heloise Kaldan and police officer Erik Schäfer. This poignant suspense novel awarded her with the Danish Crime Academy’s debutant prize in 2017.The second book in the series, The Collector, was published in 2018 to great acclaim. That very year Anne Mette Hancock was named Author of the year in Denmark. Her third novel Pitbull was published in January 2020. Today Anne Mette lives in Copenhagen with her two children.

Christine Hammacott lives near Southampton and runs her own design consultancy. She started her career working in publishing as a book designer and now creates covers for indie-authors. She writes page-turning fiction that deals with the psychological effects of crime. To read a review of her debut novel The Taste of Ash click on the title.

website: www.christinehammacott.com
twitter: /ChrisHammacott
Facebook: /christinehammacott.author