Blazing eyes? Luminous muzzle? Not such a hound as mortal eyes have ever seen? No, that would be another hound altogether. The shaggy dog story keeping Torben Helle awake at night concerns Mortimer, an Irish wolfhound that had long been the closest companion of Dame Charlotte Lazerton, eminent art historian, controversial former spy and one-time mentor and landlord to a young Torben.

After Danish expat Torben’s academic career became sufficiently established for him to go it alone, he remained friends with Dame Charlotte – possibly her only real friend – often accompanying her on walks with Mortimer. So, despite recent concerns that Dame Charlotte might be losing her marbles, becoming convinced that her phone was bugged and sensing that enemies from the Cold War had returned, Torben is shocked to hear of her sudden death.

The police think it was an accident, albeit one complicated by the body having gone undiscovered for a few days, locked in a house with a hungry Mortimer. However, buoyed by his recent investigative exploits, Torben is convinced that something far more sinister is afoot. Given Dame Charlotte’s premonition of imminent death, her colourful past and the suspicious characters at her funeral, how likely is it that she simply fell down the stairs?

After the reading of Dame Charlotte’s will reveals that she has tasked Torben with completing her memoir and given him temporary custody of her house in Bloomsbury, access to her papers leaves him more convinced than ever that she fell victim to murder most foul. He’s certain that she has left clues only he can solve, clues that point to the killer being one of five prominent people.

Helle’s Hound is the second case tackled by enthusiastic amateur sleuth Torben Helle. After his success in solving the murder of an old friend in Helle & Death, he now feels best placed to investigate the death of Dame Charlotte. In reality, Torben once again proves more skilled at spotting that something suspicious has occurred than at exactly determining what that suspicious thing is, never mind the why and the how of it.

While author Oskar Jensen opted to make Torben’s first case a country house mystery, this time round he has widened the circle somewhat to set the mystery in a small area of London rather than a single residence, allowing for a brief excursion to deepest, darkest Dorset. This change of scene works well, leading to more varied locations and a greater number of suspects while still reflecting Jensen’s (and Torben’s) appreciation for Golden Age mysteries.

Whatever the setting, Torben remains adept at using the flimsiest of facts as the foundation for his deductive leaps and has no problem reasoning on the basis established biases (to wit, never trust a Swede). Still, Torben’s creative guesses are every bit as entertaining as his cunning plans. For instance, he manages to interview the five main suspects in the guise of researching for a book about Dame Charlotte and elicits some interesting information despite no one really believing him.

He’s also just as ably assisted by friends this time round as when looking into the death of Anthony Dodd. Most notably, barrister and on-again/off-again love interest Leyla Moradi plays Watson to Torben’s Holmes, initially rather reluctantly but later with a great deal of competitive verve. She even comes up with a truly ingenious (read: bonkers) explanation for Dame Charlotte’s death. Her taking on more of the narrative duties adds an additional perspective and extra depth to Helle’s Hound.

Old university buddies Ruth Thompson and Wilson Ho also put in appearances. While the former is able to provide Torben’s investigation with some official assistance during her last few weeks of employment at the Met, the latter is performing in the West End and producing a true crime podcast – because who isn’t? – centred on Torben’s exploits at Bastle House. The podcast in particular provides some excellent comic relief amid the murder and mayhem.

There’s also plenty of fun to be had from Torben’s many Danish exclamations (for helvede!) and the tendency for complex matters to be lost in translation between him and everyone else. Yet this actually works well in the case of Detective Gary Bassett, lead investigator on the Lazerton case (to the extent there was an investigation) and Nordic noir buff who is delighted to help Torben, provided he wears the right kind of woolly jumper.

Alongside such frivolities, the mystery at the heart of Helle’s Hound is every bit as complex and intriguing as is expected from a crime masterminded by Jenson. As the victim, Dame Charlotte’s inscrutable personality looms large throughout Torben’s enquiries, while the gaggle of illustrious suspects all have convincing motives for wanting her dead as well as convincing explanations for their seemingly nefarious behaviours.

Torben and Leyla are arguably responsible for many of the red herrings and blind alleys that they encounter, which makes unravelling the mystery all the more tricky. A cosy mystery with a delightful Danish twist and plenty of laughs along the way, Helle’s Hound is a first-rate whodunit.

When his mentor Charlotte tells Torben Helle that her phone has been tapped he thinks nothing of it until she is found dead. Now Torben has to convince the police it was murder, solve the murder and write a book on Charlotte. After convincing a Scandi-crime obsessed detective that he is serious, Torben (and his 'friend' Leyla) have a list of five suspects - is it the Man from the ministry, the old school 'frenemy', the renowned critic, the MP or the academic rival.
I really enjoyed Jenson's first book and this is again in the same vein. I spent most of my time following the clues to the crime characters and novels of the past - here there is an emphasis on Conan Doyle - but that just enhances what is a genre-defying novel. It's more than just a procedural, cleverer than cosy crime and with a Scandi twist.

First of all, go and read Helle and Death before you read this one. Some suspects from that one reappear here which does show their innocence in the first book, so don’t let this one spoil parts of that one. And also… I did enjoy the first one a bit more than this one.
The first is a hugely entertaining and clever version of the isolated country house mystery. Here, Jensen has released Helle into the big wide world and he and his friends are investigating a cold case. And there’s a lot of Torben and his friends, especially the will-they, won’t-they, why-exactly-won’t-they between Torben and Leyla.
This time, though, the friends aren’t suspects and so we spend little time actually meeting the suspects. When we do, they are really interesting characters, but I think your enjoyment of this one will depend on how much you enjoy Torben and Leyla’s company. We’re watching them investigate and to an extent they are investigating a case from a distance. All this stuff is a lot of fun, but I did find it hard at times to get particularly involved in the mystery.
When it all comes together, it’s a clever solution and a very satisfying ending, but it could have done with the claustrophobia of the first book to help propel things forward at times. Still, well worth a look, just read the first one first to get to know Torben.

🎧Audio Book Review🎧

Helle's Hound
Oskar Jensen

🌟🌟🌟🌟

This time last year, I read Helle & Death - Torben Helle's first outing and a locked room case that was packed with twists.
When I spotted this new release, I was so excited to dive in and see what was in store for Torben this time around.

This was a case much closer to home with one of Helle's mentors coming to a rather gruesome ending only a few days after they last met.
Again, a seemingly innocent natural death that Torben just couldn't believe wasn't murder.
With the help of his good friend Leyla, the pair start to take a look into who would like Charlotte dead.

This was another great case and I loved the complexities within the investigation.
There were a fair few suspects around, but nothing seemed concrete and as such, it was really difficult for us to spot what had happened.

I tried to come up with a couple of theories along the way, but never managed to grasp enough before the next twist would come and send me back to square one.
The ending being a total shock when it came - really quite a clever twist.

I really like Helle as a character. Lots of Nordic noir vibes to be had - but with familiar settings and culture that kept this relatable too.
I liked seeing some of the returning characters from the first book - albeit only briefly - but loved seeing the relationship between Helle and Leyla develop (slowly!).

I did really enjoy this read, but it just didn't quite grab me in as much as Helle & Death - probably because I loved the locked room setting, which was missing here.
That said, wouldn't it get very boring if every case was the same!?
Still a strong 4* read and I'll definitely be looking out for book 3 coming out in the future.
It will be great to see what Helle has done to the house since.....



💕Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕

So much of this book isn't about the mystery - it's scenes of the characters enjoying food and wine that they keep bewailing is beyond their means, but clearly isn't since they keep doing it. Maybe that's why I feel a bit baffled having finished the story about what it was all about. The mystery is complex, there are loads of characters, and yet much of the story is about will-they won't-they love interest; the renovation of Torben's house, and cheesecake. Often with this sort of cosy mystery it feels like the murder is almost not taken seriously, everyone's having such fun investigating and they're so pleased with themselves and the conversation is so much witty banter, that the characters seem to have forgotten that their friend's actually died - there's a lack of depth and emotion.

Overall it was okay but I probably won't continue if there are further books in the series.

I’ve heard a lot of people talking about this crime fiction author, so I thought I’d better take a look. I haven’t read the first in the series, Helle and Death and it hasn’t impacted on my enjoyment of this book at all.

Torben Helle is a good humoured Danish academic, specialising in the history of Art. His mentor was Dame Charlotte Lazerton, an intelligent, sharp- tongued woman who did not suffer fools gladly. Charlotte was well connected and really very formidable. I liked her a lot. Sadly, as the book opens, Charlotte is lying at the bottom of her stairs and well, I won’t go into detail, but let’s just say this is not entirely cosy crime!

The authorities rule it an accidental death but Torben is convinced her death was anything but an accident – though he isn’t clear just how the murder could have been committed. Almost as if she had foreseen her own murder, Charlotte has left Torben some clear clues as to her closest contacts and rivals. Together with the attractive barrister, Leyla Moradi, and Torben’s friend, DI Ruth Thompson, (who’s about to leave the force), they search for any of Charlotte’s contacts who might have both the opportunity and the motive to commit such a crime.

Torben is almost charmingly clueless. He spins round in circles and has no compunction about ruffling feathers when he wants answers, though his preferred method of interrogation tends to be over a very good meal in a top restaurant.

Leyla and Torben are in constant disagreement over who the perpetrator might be and none of it is helped by the fact that Dame Charlotte knew some figures in the intelligence community and the Home Office as well as in art and academia. So, asking questions is fraught with concerns about upsetting some pretty senior people who have the means to thwart Torben’s quest.

The plotting is cleverly done; a locked house mystery with credible suspects and lots of secrets to uncover. There’s a lot to enjoy in the way that Torben exposes some truths and the way in which he gets some things hopelessly wrong.

The overwhelming sense when reading this book is of a charming, somewhat hapless detective who nevertheless, through a combination of good research and inspired guesswork finally manages to reach the truth. To be fair, Oskar Jensen lays all the clues out in plain sight, but I confess, I hadn’t got the answer by the time Torben revealed it, which is always a bonus.

Verdict: There is wit and intelligence in these characters and this relatively slow paced series. Not quite cosy, not quite Golden Age, nevertheless it contains many elements of such crime fiction. I loved the Scandinavian jumpers, the Danish sweary words and phrases and the bantering between Torben and Layla. Helles Hound is contemporary Scandi lys crime, immensely enjoyable and really funny.

This is book two in the series featuring Danish academic Torben Helle who we first met when he solved the murder of a university friend during a reunion. This time he is not content with the Met Police's ruling of the death of his mentor, Dame Charlotte Lazerton, as suicide. He is convinced she was murdered prior to being subsequently nibbled by her pet dog, after a fall down the stairs. Initially they ignore his cries for foul play, until they land at the ears of a DI with a penchant for Nordic Noir drama of all things. But, an in is an in, and at least someone is listening. Which turns out to be helpful when the list of potential suspects grows and grows. Even Torben himself has something to gain from her death!
I connected well with Torben in his first outing and that that relationship continued throughout this book. He's a bit of a character, and a bit on the quirky side, which is right up my street but he also could take a while to gel with if you are not as inclined as me. The mystery itself is well plotted and executed and the rest of the cast play their parts well. There were all the usual secrets and lies to come to terms with and a host of suspects to whittle down. And indeed, with a "locked room mystery" such as this, the main focus being on the "how on earth". Which was very well explored and exposed, along with, eventually, the "who". And boy is it a tangled web.
One of the things that kept me going through all the confusion over the who and why was Torben's relationship with Leyla - some of their interactions and banter are priceless! But I'll leave you to find that out yourself.
Pacing was good and, on the whole, matched the narrative all the way through. Occasionally it did drag but I think that was more down to incompetence of Torben's attempt at detecting rather than anything else. He's only an amateur with scant resources after all. Part of his charm!
All in all, a worthy followup to what was also a solid series opener. Roll on book three. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Torben's mentor and friend, Dame Charlotte was found at the bottom of her stairs. But did she fall or was she pushed? The evidence may be tainted either way since her Irish Wolfhound, well he a little nibble on her whilst trapped in the house with the body!

At her funeral Torben observes a swathe of suspects; former colleagues and competitors, former students and some decidedly "Spyish" folk! What in the world was this Art academic involved with during her long and eccentric life?

Torben is once again relying on his oldest friends, including his crush, Leyla. She really doesn't want to be involved in another murder but she really can't pass up the chance to help Torben and picks up another refugee to save along the way.

There are some amazing twists through the book, and whilst I loved the vintage feel of the mystery, the story is very modern, although with roots in the Cold War. Charlotte was a woman ahead of her time, LGBTQ and partaking in thrupples before it was trendy.

Torben is once again his witty, awkward, slightly out of sync self. His brain sometimes leaps 3 steps ahead and he doesn't always get the right end of the stick. His crush on Leyla sometimes clouds his judgement but I really enjoyed the way he kindly folded his new friend, and new police officer, into his fold. I really felt for her, death messages are not the easiest thing in the world to do.

The baddies were definitely in for the long haul! It was a really inventive way to commit an untraceable murder. A superb whodunnit with a Danish flair!

Doctor Torben Helle, a Danish academic, is told by the police, that his friend and mentor, Dr Charlotte Lazenby (an eminent art historian) is found dead in her home and her Irish Wolfhound, Mortimer, was found with her. Fresh from his success at amateur sleuthing, Torben is determined to look into what happened to Charlotte and why it happened? Along with Leyla Moradi, a barrister, and a friend in the police, DI Ruth Thompson, they search for clues, motives, opportunity and means why she is dead? By all accounts, Charlotte was a feisty and determined character in life and experienced a lot of adventures. I found the story to be entertaining with a few red herrings and Scandi jumpers thrown into the mystery and the twists and turns led to a climax and this kept me turning the page to the end.

This is the second book featuring the Danish art academic Torben Helle. This time he's in London in his new home trying to find out who murdered his former tutor Charlotte - and why the police are convinced that there was no murder. Aided by his friend Leyla and with support from Ruth and Wilson, all of whom make reappearances from the first book, he picks up Charlotte's clues and investigates her past in an effort to narrow down his clutch of suspects. This is a clever and witty murder mystery with a strong cast of characters.

This is a second meeting with the jumper wearing Danish throb and amateur sleuth Torben Helle. His friend and mentor Charlotte Lazerton is dead and he is suspicious, as Charlotte confided in him before her death about someone tapping her phone calls. He has five suspects and a trusty sidekick, Leyla, but also no idea how to proceed. I think Torben is such a peculiar character that people either love him or find him incredibly annoying. I am in the first group, of course. The book takes place (mostly) in a very posh and intellectual part of London, and I enjoyed following the characters through the streets and landmarks, visiting restaurants and cafes, talking about art and alibis. Once again Oskar Jensen created a funny and engaging story with very likeable characters and some nice detecting action, but this book in particular tickled me because of all the amount of food eaten. It also made me hungry. In order to interrogate people Torben invites them to different restaurants and I am telling you, I want a schnitzel and a cheesecake now. I also want another book about Torben, for helvede!

‘Helle’s Hound’ by Oskar Jensen is an interesting whodunnit starring Swedish Londoner art historian Torben Helle and his friends, acquaintances and suspects… The same elements that made the first of the series (fiendishly clever country house mystery ‘Helle And Death’) so fun to read were present here - Torben’s wittiness, his burgeoning relationship with friend Leyla, and the exploration of British academic society. This time, the action sprawled across an exclusive enclave of London and the suspects shrouded in secrecy included politicians, financiers and professors as Torben’s mentor Charlotte Lazerton perished in unknown circumstances.

Smartly plotted, this book kept me hooked from start to finish, and gave me a fair few laughs along the way… I especially adored a scene where our main character smoothly charmed and thoroughly bamboozled an information source by dressing himself in stereotypical scandi noir attire (hello, cable knit jumper in the summer!) and faking Sherlock-like levels of deduction.

I don’t want to give away too much of the conclusion, but expect the unexpected! I’d highly recommend picking up this book if you’re a fan of Ben Stevenson, Louise Hegarty, Tom Hindle or Ellery Lloyd. This gets 4.5 stars from me!

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Serpent’s Tail / Viper Books via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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 😉.

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.