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.
To tackle another mystery alongside a faithful hound, try The Dog Sitter Detective by Antony Johnstone and Barking Up the Right Tree by Leigh Russell.
Viper
Print/Kindle/iBook
£7.99
CFL Rating: 5 Stars
