Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

“A snowstorm. A country house. Old friends reunited. It’s going to be murder…”

At the time of writing this, it’s actually started snowing, so god help anyone on their way to a big old manor house for a reunion with university friends… I’ve got a bad feeling about it! Turn back! It’s been a while since I’ve read a mystery (which is strange because I love them) but this has been such a great read. As far as main characters go, Torben Helle is certainly one of the most memorable for me! So thrilled to be sharing my review on the Helle & Death blog tour!

About the book

Torben Helle – art historian, Danish expat and owner of several excellent Scandinavian jumpers – has been dragged to a remote snowbound Northumbrian mansion for a ten-year reunion with old university friends. Things start to go sideways when their host, a reclusive and irritating tech entrepreneur, makes some shocking revelations at the dinner table. And when these are followed by an apparent suicide, the group faces a test of their wits… and their trust.

Snowed in and cut off, surrounded by enigmatic housekeepers and off-duty police inspectors, not to mention a peculiar last will and testament, suspicion and sarcasm quickly turn to panic. As the temperature drops and the tension mounts, Torben decides to draw upon all the tricks of Golden Age detectives past in order to solve the how much money would it take to turn one of his old friends into a murderer? But he’d better be quick, or someone else might end up dead…

The beginning

This book was an absolute breath of fresh air from the very first page! The opening paragraph was cleverly put together, and this alone was enough to give me a taste of what was to come and to tease what this author was capable of. I always love the theme of “old-friends-gather-for-reunion-in-big-old-house + murder” and after loving The Fifth Guest so much last year, I was curious to see whether Helle & Death would come close. We follow MC, Torben Helle (two syllables, not one) on his journey to Bastle House, and in this short time, we really get a great feel for what this character is like as a person. His life fascinated me the more we learn, and the Danish glossary included at the start of book really helped to understand his personality and humour! I loved meeting other characters along the way, people who I instantly knew would play a huge part in this whole mystery. Such a great start – I couldn’t put it down!

“What kind of person screams, ‘he’s dead, he’s dead’ over and over like that, when someone in the next room has a hangover? Rude.”

The book felt like a bit of a slow burner so far, but it didn’t bother me too much. Because of this, we’re really able to take in the absolutely perfect descriptions of Bastle House (I literally felt as though I could walk through this house in my mind thanks to this and the floorplans in the book itself!) and I felt I really got to know many of the characters joining this big reunion. The author has put so much detail into this setting and built up such a rich background for Torben and these characters. I had a feeling that character development would be a highlight for me as things progressed! I became so engrossed in each conversation, trying to work out if there was anyone who could be capable of murder. I created a mental list of who was most and least likely to be dangerous, but in a book like this, it’s always the ones you least expect… I couldn’t wait to get further into this mystery, and hopefully have my mind blown!

The middle

A suspected suicide in Bastle House completely changes the atmosphere from the previous evening, but Torben senses there’s something much more sinister at play. Something just wasn’t right. Something just didn’t seem to fit. How he instantly throws himself into detective mode was impressive, and it was so easy to become completely fascinated with the hows and the whys of this unfortunate death. It’s clear the author knows just how to keep us gripped, how to encourage us to keep our eyes open to different possibilities, to suspect everyone. It became such a joy to analyse clues and scenarios with these characters, and I genuinely felt like a part of the group. An innocent member, mind you, which can’t be said for everyone! Torben and two other guests he knows well take it upon themselves to thoroughly examine the body and interrogate the rest of the group, the author keeping the reader so involved each step of the way.

“She was damned if she was going to bring up a man’s abusiveness as a reason to heap suspicion on the survivor, or on the survivor’s friend. There was such a thing as the sisterhood, after all.”

I really liked the way we focus on the POVs of different characters. Thinking from different viewpoints was great in terms of narrowing down who the murderer could be, and hearing about who these characters thought could be behind the murder. We also learn of a different side to the victim, something which made me question whether he was a good person at all. There are some secrets and most definitely some lies amongst the different conversations, but everything was weaved together in such an effortless and intriguing way. I found the slow pace a little too slow in parts, especially as Torben, Leyla and Ruth go through each suspect’s story and motive with a fine-tooth comb. It was quite dialogue heavy too, but despite all this, I appreciated the immense detail and and the way every possibility is analysed. It was written so well and I was so desperate to uncover the truth!

The end

Thankfully, the pacing improved on that downhill slope towards the finale, the realisation Torben has as well as what other characters uncover all came together as effortlessly as placing that last piece of a jigsaw puzzle. It was completely thrilling and you really do feel as though you’re in the middle of danger. The possibility that there could be another murder (and it could be one of them) starts complete panic. They needed a plan of action they needed to stay safe. Even though we still don’t know who the culprit is here, I was pretty sure it wouldn’t be long before we found out. Things take a dark, more urgent and completely unexpected turn when one guest leaves the house, which really set up those ending chapters perfectly. The tension was everything I wanted for this book’s ending, and I love that I had no clue how everything would be resolved! Absolutely brilliant storytelling!

“Her eyes blazed into Torben, as if she could find there, in the morning light, the broken thing inside him that she had not seen before.”

Torben thought he had it all worked out but didn’t share it with the reader straight away, and even though I was desperate for some answers, I loved the suspense of it all. I couldn’t possibly figure out who had committed the murder, who was toying with them all (which probably says a lot about my detective abilities) and the lead up to the ending felt unnerving. But when the group finally uncover the whole thing, I actually gasped! This ending is genuinely one of the best I’ve read in a mystery. Absolute genius! The whole web of clues, of evidence, of stories and even of history are weaved together with such precision, and the outcome was something of an art form. I was completely in love with it. I’ve already tried to explain the whole thing to multiple people and just hope I’ve done it justice. It’s certainly one of those books you want to start again straight away to try and pick up on the things you may have overlooked in that first readthrough! A hugely recommended read.

Overall thoughts

Helle & Death feels like a modern take on the mystery classics, and I’m pretty confident this author is up there with some of the genre’s greats. I instantly fell in love the setting, the description, the characters – well, everything really. Jensen doesn’t shy away from his influences in his writing, but also has a completely unique style that sets this book apart from other mysteries. Despite the slower pacing throughout the middle of the book which disrupted my reading flow a little, my brain was constantly whirring with possibilities. Even though the clues were all there, I never expected the ending we got! A masterful and fascinating debut. I can see this author being a household name in future!

Huge thanks to the author, Oskar Jensen, and the amazing team at Viper Books for my beautiful copy! You can grab your own copy of Helle & Death on Amazon or wherever you buy your books from tomorrow (18th!) Make sure you’re following the author on Twitter/X for more updates!

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