Helles Hound

(Hardback, Main)

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A dead art historian. Cold War skulduggery.A reluctant Danish sleuth. And an extremely hungry dog. Dame Charlotte Lazerton - eminent art historian and mentor of Danish academic Torben Helle - is dead. And to make things worse, she was found partially eaten by her Irish wolfhound, Mortimer. While the police believe that she died of natural causes, Torben becomes convinced that Charlotte was murdered, although as usual no-one pays any attention to him. That is, until he gains the confidence of a policeman who has watched too many Nordic Noir television shows, and is ready to listen to any Scandinavian in a fetching woolly jumper. Aided by his old friend Leyla, Torben soon realises that there are plenty of people who might have wanted Dame Charlotte dead, from her competitors for a prestigious academic presidency, to old enemies from her time in intelligence during the Cold War. One thing is for sure: Torben Helle is woefully unqualified to catch a killer, and the killer knows it... This witty murder mystery puts a modern spin on the classic Golden Age whodunnit. A must-read for fans of Tom Hindle, Richard Osman and Janice Hallett.

Reviews

'PRAISE FOR THE AUTHOR

'Combines classic country house murder mystery with an ensemble comedy caper in a glorious debut' - Sunday Express

'Nicely done, with some entertaining asides about the nature of detective fiction: recommended reading for a long winter night' - Guardian

'A solid gold revival of the golden age whodunnit, with a delicious Danish twist' - Janice Hallett

'A love letter to the classic country house murder mystery' - J.M. Hall

'Wonderfully descriptive and loaded with atmosphere' - Ian Moore

Author Bio

Oskar Jensen is an author and academic. He researches songs at Newcastle University, and has written scholarly tomes on Napoleon, ballad-singing, and most recently the London streets, with 2022's Vagabonds. He is a BBC New Generation Thinker, appearing frequently on Radios 3 and 4, as well as showing up in the New Statesman, on Who Do You Think You Are, and as historical advisor for 2018's Vanity Fair and a forthcoming major motion picture. His debut adult novel, Helle and Death, was published in 2023.