
Photo: Les Kaner
Katrine Engberg (b. 1975) had already attained the status of acclaimed dancer and choreographer when she began writing. Honing her voice and authorship while simultaneously continuing to contribute to the Arts, both as a director and a choreographer, Engberg soon emerged as a virtuoso of sensitive portrayals and ingeniously intertwined plot threads. The #1 international bestseller The Tenant (2016) was Engberg’s crime fiction debut and the first book in the bestselling Copenhagen series, hailed around the world for its refreshing style and lovable characters. The Writing on the Wall (2022) is Katrine Engberg’s latest novel and the first installment in the highly anticipated series starring investigator and private detective Liv Jensen.
“Katrine Engberg is an absolute star!”
–Camilla Läckberg
“A stunning debut. Katrine Engberg’s unforgettable characters and brilliant plot twists will captivate readers of suspense fiction.”
–#1 New York Times bestselling author Kathy Reichs
“There is a humor to Katrine Engberg’s prose. I think it’s wonderful how her crime novels make you laugh and pause. She’s a master at it.”
–Nele Neuhaus
The Martha Award | 2021 |
Shortlisted for the Mofibo Awards (Best Crime & Suspense) Denmark – Isola The Sanctuary | 2021 |
Shortlisted for the People’s Choice Award Denmark | 2020 |
Shortlisted for the Great Audiobook Award - Mofibo Awards Denmark – Vådeskud The Harbor | 2019 |
Shortlisted for Author of the Year Award Denmark | 2019 |
Shortlisted for the Martha Award Denmark | 2019 |
Shortlisted for the People’s Choice Award Denmark | 2019 |
Shortlisted for the People’s Choice Award Denmark | 2018 |
Shortlisted for Plusbog’s Author of the Year Award Denmark | 2017 |
Shortlisted for the BogForum Debutant Prize Denmark – Krokodillevogteren The Tenant | 2016 |
Shortlisted for Plusbog’s Author of the Year Award Denmark |
Katrine Engberg has been shortlisted for the 2023 Author of the Year Award by the Danish book chain Plusbog for her success with her two bestselling crime series, Copenhagen and Liv Jensen.
The winner will be announced at Bogforum in Copenhagen on November 3rd.
Katrine Engberg’s The Harbor is No. 5 on the official Icelandic bestseller list for the month of January, 2023.
Zentropa film has acquired the film rights for Katrine Engberg’s new crime series. Together with the author, producer Peter Aalbæk Jensen, is planning a series of three to five films.
“After 20 pages of Katrine Engberg’s new novel, The Writing on the Wall, I knew that this was the film project with which I must end my long and conflicted career. This book series will be my epitaph! I am deeply captivated by the characters and the exotic stories, weaved together in a clever way in a magnificent drama. Genuinely excited to turn the next page. Read the book, look forward to the movie!” says Peter.
For the first time, Katrine Engberg writes a story rooted in her own family history. The Writing on the Wall questions what a good person is, and what it is that we are running from. The need for escape is the overarching theme which both our main character Liv, and two supporting characters Nima and Hannah tackle. They are all running from something, or from their selves. And this does not exclude the murderer!
For Katrine, the film adaptation is a dream come true: “I was standing in my study looking out at a snowy Copenhagen when Peter Aalbæk called, and I knew immediately that we were ‘meant to be’. Seeing my own family history rewritten into a movie script and played by actors was a wild thought. I couldn’t imagine leaving it to anyone but him.”
The Writing on the Wall is the first installment in Katrine Engberg’s new crime series about private detective Liv Jensen.
The Danish audio and e-book service Mofibo has announced this year’s nominees in the Mofibo Awards. Competing for the title of Best Crime & Suspense is Katrine Engberg with The Writing on the Wall. In the Translated Fiction category, Lars Kepler, Liza Marklund, Stefan Ahnhem and Hjorth & Rosenfeldt are vying for the top spot. Kepler with The Spider, Marklund with The Mire, Ahnhem with The Final Nail, and Hjorth & Rosenfeldt with As You Sow.
To cast your vote, click “Read more” below. Voting closes on January 29.
The Petrona Award’s jury has just presented its longlist for the 2022 Petrona Award for ‘Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year.’ The list of twelve nominees include Katrine Engberg with The Butterfly House, Jørn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger with Smoke Screen, Anders Roslund with Knock Knock, and Antti Tuomainen with The Rabbit Factor.
The shortlist is to be announced on 16 November 2022.
Katrine Engberg’s novel The Writing on the Wall comes in at No. 1 this week on the official Danish bestseller list for fiction.
Investigator Liv Jensen is in a frenzy. Unpleasant circumstances force her to quit her job at the Aalborg police and return to her childhood home. Fortunately, she quickly finds a lease in the basement of a house in Vesterbro with the retired frame maker, Jan Leon, and his grown-up daughter Hannah. Two people who share a great sadness.
Liv dreams of a position at the homicide department in the capital, but has to settle with working as a private detective with the case she gets from her friend and mentor, Petter Bohm from the Copenhagen Police. The case is about a cultural journalist who was strangled three years ago, the perpetrator was never caught. Maybe Liv can solve that case, erase the memories from Aalborg and return to the police again?
The case forces Liv to revisit the past, travel to the west coast of Jutland and into one of the darkest chapters in Danish history. It all ties together. Everyone is running from something, and no one can feel safe.
The Writing on the Wall is the first installment in a new crime series starring investigator and private detective Liv Jensen, car mechanic Nima Azour and psychiatrist Hannah Leon.
Anne Holt’s The Eleventh Manuscript comes in at No. 1 on the official Norwegian bestseller list for paperback for the third consecutive week, followed by Hjorth & Rosenfeldt’s As You Sow at No. 2 and Katrine Engberg’s The Tenant at No. 3.
Katrine Engberg’s entire Copenhagen series dominates the official Norwegian bestseller list for paperbacks this week. The Tenant comes in at No. 2, Blood Moon at No. 3, The Butterfly House at No. 4, Isola at No. 6 and The Harbor at No. 12.
The Norwegian book industry publication BOK365 has released a list of the ten bestselling crime novels of 2021 and Jørn Lier Horst’s A Will to Serve comes in at No. 1, The Tenant by Danish author Katrine Engberg grabs the No. 3 spot and Anne Holt’s The Eleventh Manuscript claims No. 9.
Katrine Engberg is the winner of the danish literature prize the Martha Award 2021. The Martha Award is the largest book retailer award in Denmark, voted by the public and handed out annually by Bog & Idé. Previous winners include Jussi Adler-Olsen, J.K. Rowling and Stephen King.
Katrine Engberg’s international bestseller The Tenant continues to charm readers. The novel is now the second most sold translated title of the first half of 2021 in Norway.