Steffen Jacobsen Books In Order

Publication Order of Jensen & Sander Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of The Promise Books

Steffen Jacobsen is a mystery author from Denmark. While he has found a lot of success as an author, he still works as an orthopedic consultant surgeon in Norway and Greenland. “When the Dead Awaken” is the first novel of his to be translated into English in 2013. In 2014 and 2016 he translated “Trophy and Retribution” two of the best novels of the “Michael Sander and Lene Jensen” series of novels. Jacobsen currently lives in Denmark, from where he practices as a surgeon and writes his bestselling novels.

Steffen Jacobsen has become one of the leading voices in Danish fiction ever since he wrote his debut novel “When the Dead Awaken” in 2013. With so much success at home, he decided to translate some of the novels into English to reach a large audience across the English-speaking world. He has made a name for himself for writing novels that make the reader think about the people and events in the stories he tells. His flagship “Michael Sander and Lene Jensen” series explores the psychology of his lead character Lene Jensen who is one of the most interesting, well written, and most roundly formed protagonists in Scandinavian crime fiction. Jacobsen has a masterly touch with his characters from Irene Adler the mercurial psychologist to Charlotte Falster who is Lene’s boss. He is known for writing characters with a welcome balance of wit, intelligence, and strength, coupled with an Achilles heel that makes them human and thus more believable. With is natural storytelling ability coupled with assured characterization, Jacobsen never disappoints and writes novels that will keep his readers on the edge of their seats.

Steffen Jacobsen’s “Trophy” is the story of Elisabeth Caspersen. She had found an amateur movie in a safe that belonged to her father and hired Michael Sander, a private detective to investigate. The film is the story of a well-coordinated and cynical human hunt in the arctic in which her father had participated. Elisabeth fears that if the film were to come out or if there were other copies, her father’s reputation and that of his company could be destroyed forever. In the investigation, Michael Sander reluctantly enters into a problematic and hesitant collaboration with Lene Jensen the Police Commissioner. But things get very real when they have to dig up and put to use all their experience and knowledge to survive vicious human hunters after their lives. The intriguing stories of Lene Jensen the police detective and private investigator Sander eventually connect to make for a complex narrative that will fascinate its readers till the last page.

Jacobsen’s “Retribution” opens to a series of shocking events that shake the Danish society to its core. The largest amusement park in Denmark known as Tivoli Gardens has been attacked by terrorists who have killed more than 1200 people. Seven months after the attacks, the police have made no headway into the case and Lene Jensen the Police Lieutenant on the case since the very first day is left frustrated. But she thinks she may have her first lead when she gets a call from a Muslim woman who sounds desperate only for her to turn up dead a few days later. She thinks it could be a critical lead for the Tivoli bombing but unless she starts investigating, it is impossible to know for sure. Investigations shew that the woman had once been lured into participating in a black research project that was funded by the government. Digging deeper into the case, she finds that there is a lot of resistance from her superiors and thus seeks help from Michael Sander the private detective. It is soon apparent that there is a lot more to the case than what her superiors are letting on.

“A Mountain of Lies,” the third novel of the series by Steffen Jacobsen is a thrilling detective story set in West Greenland. Nobel Oil’s chief geologist Peter Holm has finished analyzing a sample from the field station and his findings have caused a lot of excitement for the Chinese Development Bank, Greenland Home Rule, and the Danish government who are funding the development. But then the geologist is found dead a few days after he came back to the capital and Lene Jensen the Deputy Police Inspector is put in charge of the case. She contacts Michael Sander and asks him to look for the dead man’s lost USB drive while she looks for the killer. With huge economic and political interests at play, the party responsible for the murder is not so easy to determine. It is a brutal thriller but with an exciting and entertaining storyline.

2 Responses to “Steffen Jacobsen”

1. Ana Goller: 3 years ago

   I would love to get A Mountain of Lies. Do you know when the kindle version will be published? I can only find the first two books of the series on Amazon and my eyesight is not good. I can only read on the kindle. Thank you so much!

   Reply
   • Graeme: 3 years ago

     Hi Ana,

     Unfortunately, there is no news yet as to when or if it will be translated.

     Reply