Member Reviews

Don your favourite nordic jumper, grab a hot cup of cocoa and settle yourself down to discover how Torben unravels the dilemma of his friends demise. Intricate, witty, clever, and with a handy glossary of the scattered Danish terms that help make this a joy to read, you'll soon find yourself lost amongst the pages.

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I received a digital ARC of Helle's Hound by Oskar Jensen from Netgalley.
Helle's Hound is book 2 in the series Helle and Death. I haven't read the first book but that didn't impede my enjoyment in reading Helle's Hound.
Was Dame Charlotte Lazetton - art historian and mentor of Torben Helle murdered or was it really an accident her falling downstairs and being partially eaten by her Irish Wolfhound in the days until her body was discovered?
Torben aided by his old friend Leyla a barrister and soon to be ex cop Ruth investigate Charlotte's death which the police have dismissed as accidental. Was Charlotte a victim of an academic rival or a Cold War intelligence enemy from her past?
This cosy (?) crime took me some time to get into as I had difficulty remembering who the characters were as I was not gripped by the rather slow moving plot and read Helle's Hound half heartedly to begin. Around half way I found the main characters to have more humor and likeablity and the plot more interesting with pace and I HAD to read it as I wanted to find out the who and why to resolve the mystery..... which I wasn't expecting.
A book we'll worth a second read to see if you can spot any clues you may have missed about Charlotte's death.

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This murder mystery harks back to the golden age of crime fiction.
Torben is a likable character who generally doesn't come across as very Danish excepting the occasional word and food reference although I enjoyed the nod to the Danish/Swedish rivalry.
Dame Charlotte's hilariously sharp tongued interviews and writings are a stand-out but I would have liked Leyla to be more than a will/they - won't/they potential love interest. Mortimer (the "hound" of the title) could also have been more involved with the unspooling of the plot - he's out of sight for most of the book.
The focus on the sprawling house and the academic world made for an interesting read. This witty, quirky Scandi "not-noir" didn't quite land for me but I'd happily try the first in the series.
My thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an advance review copy.

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Dr Torben Helle is back, this time he is investigating the supposed accidental death of his friend and mentor Dame Charlotte Lazerton, he simply cannot believe she just fell down the stairs in her house. Some of the group of friends from the first mystery are there too, notably Leyla, who gets involved in the investigation, although they are often at odds as to who could be responsible.
I really enjoyed reading this book, perhaps not quite as good as the first, but then the setting is the whole of London rather than a snowed in mansion house.
Well worth a read and full of twists and turns and a very unexpected ending.

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3.25* overall
This is a joint review for the Ebook and Audiobook of Helle's Hound:

4* audiobook
2.75* for the book overall

I was so excited to see that Torben Helle was coming back after the highly enjoyable 'Helle & Death' last year. Unfortunately 'Helle's Hound' didn't live up to the first book for me.

In this latest mystery for Torben, friend and mentor Dame Charlotte Lazerton is dead, found at the foot of her staircase partially eaten by her Irish wolfhound, Mortimer. Torben believes it's suspicious, the police, aside of one one Nordic Noir fan, don't, so it's up to Torben and Leyla to try and prove that it's murder.

This was overall a fun read but sadly was too long and winding and very slow to get going. It was also unevenly paced The final quarter of the book came at you like a train of information which, after the slow pace of much of the rest of the book, felt like an overload, especially as there were too many characters involved who weren't fully fleshed out for me. All of these points and what I felt was an overall unsatisfying conclusion means that sadly this one wasn't the win I hoped for.

For the audiobook, I felt that Gunnar Cauthery did a really good job with the narration. He really characterised our Torben and Leyla and their budding romance really helped break through the monotony of the bulk of the middle section of the book. He also brought out the humour of the narrative which I thoroughly enjoyed. He wasn't able to help break out the more minor characters as much as was needed to make them become proper characters but I feel that is because there were too many people involved with too few distinguishing features.

The audiobook was also really well edited and produced but was let down by the story not being as enjoyable for me.

This series has a lot of potential. The cosy scandi/nordic noir mystery set up is really appealing to me. I much preferred the tightly plotted, limited cast and isolated setting of Book 1 and hope we return to a similar style for Book 3 (if we're due another instalment).

Thank you to NetGalley and Serpent's Tail / Viper / Profile Books | Viper for a digital review copy of "Helle's Hound" and Profile Books Audio | Viper for a review copy of the Audiobook, both in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

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I haven’t read the first Torben Helle book, Helle & Death, so I jumped into this one cold and wasn’t sure what to expect— and I wasn’t disappointed!

When his former mentor Dame Charlotte Lazerton is found dead at the foot of her stairs, Torben suspects foul play and sets out to investigate.

Quick-witted, quirky and twisty, Helle’s Hound is perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Knives Out who enjoy a cosy mystery with a cast of suspects and a few surprises thrown in. Recommended!

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Dame Charlotte is found dead at the bottom of her stairs, partially eaten by her very hungry dog. Hm, yeah, takes a while to un-see that bit, don't it? The police believe she died of natural causes but Torben is convinced his old mentor was murdered. As it happens, the list of suspects stands out like a sore thumb at Charlotte's funeral. Competitors, maybe sometime friends, and enemies, range from an academic chair, to a politician to, quite possibly, a spy. It seems Dame Charlotte had her fingers in lots of pies during her lifetime.

Help, or more like a level of distraction, is coming from Torben's old friend Leyla. She is a rather reluctant assistant at first, but slowly finds herself entirely sucked into this investigation and even begins coming up with theories of her own. But between Leyla, renovating an old house and his job, it sometimes feels as if Torben is missing clues that might be right in front of his nose.

Not that I spotted them. I couldn't at all figure out which of the suspects was responsible for this death. It seemed each one could have had a motive, from being afraid of the competition, to needing to keep a secret hidden, to revenge. I had no idea, nor could I quite put my finger on these characters. Even more importantly though, the "how" was an even bigger mystery. Was Charlotte spooked by something that made her fall down the stairs? Was she drugged? Or was Torben wrong after all and did Charlotte simply trip?

I must admit that it took me quite a while to get into this second outing with Torben. Through absolutely no fault of his, I should add. He remains the most wonderful character, providing the wittiness, even if most of it seems to come from his clumsy interactions with Leyla. I also liked how she became involved and created this fabulous investigative partnership, brainstorming together, piecing information together. Although maybe their communication could use some work.

The investigation seemed to take quite a long time in getting going. I often felt there was a lot of information that maybe wasn't quite necessary. Although in hindsight, maybe I just missed a ton of clues. The latter chapters definitely made up for all of it though, and I flew through those. The reveal rather shocked me. In more ways than one. The manner in which things were done and the reason why. Vague, I know. It's for you to discover, isn't it.

As with its predecessor, that golden age crime fiction feeling, this glorious "ye olde world" vibe, remains throughout this story and really makes this series feel wonderfully different from other crime fiction out there. 'Helle's Hound' is a well-plotted whodunnit with the most delightful Danish sleuth. It's impossible not to like Torben and I can't wait to see what's next for him. Although hopefully whatever happens won't befall someone he knows again. He'll quickly run out of people he knows 😉.

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I enjoyed the first book in this series, despite its middling Goodreads reviews and was eager to pick up the next one. However, I only really found this book to be 'ok', with some odd writing choices and a mystery that both attempted to do too much and left too much up to the imagination. It follows the death of Torben's mentor, which he believes is murder, and the investigation he goes on with Layla in tow to try and figure out the truth.

Layla is sort of my key problem with the book - namely, that her POV was just not necessary. Not only does she end up having little to do with the overall conclusion, but her chapters seemed to be entirely dedicated to running hot and cold as to whether she wanted to date Torben. The chapters tend to alternate POV's between the two and hers just isn't needed based on the writing we currently get.

I also found the mystery rather under-developed. There are many, many characters involved in it and I got completely lost as to who was who after a while, they all seemed to blend into one. It took a long time to get to the conclusion and when we did, more seemed to happen off the page than it did on. We get a pretty decent twist around the 80% mark and I was expecting more, but it just never came.

Honestly, the feeling I came out of this book with was just confusion. Like none of it has implanted on my brain or I didn't absorb the plot properly. What I mainly remember is Torben going to a lot of different restaurants and - to the author's credit - some rather delicious descriptions of food. And an election for an art museum. Really, anything beyond that has entirely escaped my mind.

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I enjoyed the previous book in this series and it was nice to see what Torben got up to next.

This was another slow-burn, easy to read mystery that I recommend if you are in the mood for a witty cosy crime story with some scandi flair!

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I preferred the first in the series, but still enjoyed revisiting Torben Helle's character. Fun, quite cosy crime with a likeable lead protagonist.

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Fresh from his adventures in a country mansion in Northumbria, Art History academic Torben Helle is back, and this time his canvas is the city of London.
His mentor Dame Charlotte Lazerton is found dead at the foot of her stairs, and Helle suspects there’s more to her death than a mere accident. When five high-profile people turn up at Dame Charlotte’s funeral, Helle suspects they may know more about her death, and drags in old University friend, barrister Leyla to “help” investigate.
I really enjoyed this follow up to Helle and Death. Seeing Helle given more freedom to roam the city as opposed to being snowed in at a country mansion keeps the pace of the story going. However, with this longer leash, there’s more scope for him to get things wrong, and bumble around. He’s a man for details, often missing the bigger picture, and he’s a character I just adore.
The novel reads like a classic golden age mystery in a modern setting, with laugh out loud moments. Torben Helle is such a delightful character, I can’t wait to follow more of his adventures. Seeing London through Helle’s eyes almost makes me want to get on the train and visit.
Helle’s Hound is out on January 30 2025.
Many thanks to Viper Books and Netgalley for an advance copy of this novel.

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Having loved the first in the series I was hoping that Helle’s Hounds lived up to my expectations. It exceeded them. The character development was fantastic. The plot was full of twists and unexpected turns. I was left wanting more! Can’t wait for Book 3.

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***advance review copy received from NetGalley in return for an honest review***
I read the first book last year, also for NetGalley, and after a slow start it built to a genuinely interesting and unusual reveal, so I was quite excited to read the next instalment.
Unfortunately this one does not meet the standard of the previous. It feels overlong and complicated, where the previous book benefited from being confined to one spot this isn’t and I think the plot suffers for it.
Intertwined with particularly slow murder mystery is an equally slow romance - or, at least, a requited interest on both parts that the other seems not to notice.
The payoff and reveal is weak, and for me at least a little silly. It also became obvious to an extent when I stopped and thought about what was staring me in the face about the book - this revelation for me came about half way through the book but sadly not until the last handful of pages for our intrepid amateur Poirot, so it was a bit of a slog.

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Up on Goodreads now, live on the blog on 27 January:

Torben Helle is back and what a treat it is! First of all, you needn’t have read Helle & Death to enjoy Helle’s Hound, the story stands alone and the various relationships are clear without any background. On the other hand, it was an excellent debut and you should read it anyway!

So, Torben Helle is back and this time, he introduces us to his former mentor, Dame Charlotte Lazerton, whom I immediately took a liking to. Quick wit and a sharp tongue under a proper English lady veneer, I was all: oh Dame Charlotte, we are going to have A BALL! And then she died. Yes, I could have known that by reading the blurb, but what’s a blurb between old friends, and that’s most certainly what Torben Helle feels like, so no, I didn’t pay attention.

Even though she doesn’t make it past the first few chapters, this is very much Dame Charlotte’s story, as Helle is convinced she didn’t have an accident and die, she was in fact murdered. And off he goes, combing through the Dame’s desk, inspecting her memoirs and stacks of other papers, sifting through possible suspects and plausible motives, trying to enlist help from old friends and a few select police officers.

I won’t spoil what ensues, suffice it to say that Helle’s Hound is another engrossing, clever and highly inventive murder mystery that takes all the classic Golden Age whodunnit elements into the 21st century, adding the most disarmingly charming protagonist and a healthy dose of wit to boot. I loved it and I can’t wait to find out what Torben gets up to next.

Helle’s Hound is out in digital formats, audio and hardcover on 30 January 2025, with the paperback to follow in October.

Massive thanks to Viper Books and NetGalley for the DRC. All opinions are my own.

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I quite enjoyed the first in the Torben Helle series, "Helle and Death" but the sequel "Helle's Hound" by Oskar Jensen isn't as strong. It takes a while to realise that these books are set in the present day rather than the 1930s as they start off setting the scene of Golden Age mysteries. Some enjoyable moments but I think that Torben Helle needs to bed into these books to make me want to return for a third go.

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I loved returning to Torben Helle’s unique narrative voice, in parts brilliant and hopelessly naive. There is a great sense of humour in these novels and a locked room style that is reminiscent of the Golden Age of Crime. Curl up by a fire and get cracking.

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This is the second book featuring academic and amateur sleuth, Torben Helle. His mentor is found dead in very odd circumstances and he’s not convinced it’s natural causes. This book works well as a standalone. In fact it’s possibly better as a one off read as it’s difficult to imagine that one indigents so embroiled in more than one curious murder mystery . He’s likeable enough as a character; quirky, original and amusing. I’m a little mixed about this as I found most of the scenarios totally implausible. I’m happy to suspend belief from time to time, but you really need to put reality to one side for this to work. It’s cosy crime, well written and told from a number of viewpoints, sometimes rather confusing. I enjoyed the first book more and found this one difficult to buy into.

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Amateur crime is habit forming, as rarely does a decent novel about a non-professional sleuth not get followed by a sequel. The likelihood of a real person getting involved in more than one hideously complicated murder mystery is basically zero, so plausibility quickly declines, something that I find more jarring with modern novels than with those set in the 'golden age' of the early 20th century. Nevertheless, art historian Torben Helle has not long returned from solving the murder of a former friend in an isolated country house, when his elderly mentor dies unexpectedly and shortly after she dropped hints to him that someone wanted her dead. So he launches himself into an investigation that brings him up against a sinister M16 agent, a corrupt politician, a retiree obsessed with Rumpole of the Bailey, and an Irish wolfhound called Mortimer.

It's not a bad read, quite humorous and Torben is a likeable enough character. However the plot is ludicrous, and the 'will-they-won't-they' relationship between him and old friend Leyla is annoying rather than tantalising. I'm not sure whether to lambast or praise the eventual solution - I alternate between thinking it rather clever, and utterly silly. One thing can be fairly said though, I would never have guessed it. The way the plot jumps between character viewpoints constantly is another thing that I found frustrating about it to read. I've no problem with multiple viewpoints, but not every other paragraph and with nothing to warn you of the switch.

Ultimately whilst I didn't mind reading it, I do think Jensen should have stuck with just the one book about these characters. If you love 'cosy crime', then it should be added to your reading list. If however you want to read a range of genres and only the best from each, this one wouldn't make it.

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I didn't realise, until I was a couple of chapters in, that Helle's Hound is actually part of a series. As it is book #2 however, I didn't feel as though I'd missed anything crucial. I do really want to read book #1 though.
Back to Helle's Hound. 🐕 This is a wonderfully entertaining mystery, with some very likeable characters. The Helle of the title is Torben Helle, a Danish academic living in London. Torben is something of an amateur sleuth, and when his mentor, Dame Professor (Emerita) Charlotte Lazerton, is found dead, Torben suspects foul play. With the help of his friend, Leyla Moradi, Torben sets out to find out what really happened.
Helle's Hound is a well paced, suspenseful mystery. Dare I call it a cosy mystery? Yes, I dare. With its likeable characters and its sprinkles of humour, this is a captivating read. 🐕
Thanks to Viper, Serpent's Tail, Profile Books and Netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Torben is back! And again the Danish glossary on the first page sets the tone and lets you know it is going to be an original and funny read.
Helle's Hound is a captivating and humorous blend of classic mystery and academic intrigue. The novel follows Torben Helle, a Danish academic with a penchant for unraveling mysteries, who becomes embroiled in a case involving his former mentor, Charlotte Lazerton, an eminent art historian found dead under peculiar circumstances. Though the police chalk it up to natural causes, the scene is far too bizarre—Charlotte was found partially eaten by her own dog. Torben, unconvinced by the official verdict, embarks on an investigation that leads him into a tangled web of Cold War-era secrets, academic rivalries, and the murky world of intelligence.
Jensen's writing excels in blending suspense with biting wit. Torben, a neurotic, often clueless character, makes for a wonderfully unlikely detective, which injects a refreshing layer of comedy into the story. His interactions with his friend Leyla, who reluctantly joins his amateur sleuthing, are both tense and humorous. Their dynamic provides a rich contrast to the darker themes of the book, as Torben grapples with a world he is ill-prepared to navigate.
What makes this book stand out is its sharp commentary on the academic world, espionage, and the human tendency to ignore inconvenient truths. The Cold War backdrop adds an extra dimension to the plot, with old grudges and hidden alliances resurfacing in the search for the truth. Torben's persistence is both admirable and frustrating—he is out of his depth, but his refusal to back down makes him a compelling protagonist.
Ultimately, Helle's Hound is well-paced and engaging, offering a unique twist on the traditional detective story. Jensen’s ability to balance humor, suspense, and character development makes for a gripping read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Viper, Serpent's Tail and Profile Books for an advanced copy in exchange for my review.

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