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bookswithlydscl 's review for:
Helle & Death
by Oskar Jensen
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and Serpent's Tail / Viper / Profile Books for a digital review copy of "Helle & Death" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.
Helle & Death is a fantastic modern homage to golden age detective fiction, especially the classic isolated country-house setting and all with a little touch of nordic noir. It's a locked room mystery that overcomes the issues the modern age brings (mobile phones, cameras etc) and is a good fun read the whole way through.
The story focuses on the reunion of a group of Oxford friends, all brought together to the North-East during the winter at the behest of one of the group - Anthony Dodd who has news to impart to them all. Unfortunately his untimely death and heavy snowstorm put paid to a weekend of fun and instead turns the focus inward as the group looks inwardly to try and figure out whodunnit and why.
I enjoyed this take on the locked room, country house mystery, especially after the first third when the action ramped up and the group started detecting. From minute one I did have my suspicions about the resolution and was correct but didn't guess the why, which did fall a little flat, but I enjoyed the twists and turns along the way as well as the meta referencing to classic mystery fiction of the 30s and 40s.
The assembled group were generally inoffensive but I felt that for the most part I didn't really get to know them too well and most of them ended up as personality cyphers rather than being fully fleshed out. Our main character though, Torben Helle, was a fun character to get to know a little more and I appreciated the nordic detective touches that he brought to the story.
Overall anyone who likes a classic mystery, an isolated setting and a locked room will enjoy this addition to the genre - think And Then There Were None with a dash of The Secret History. It doesn't re-invent the wheel but it's a fun time and the affection for golden age detective fiction shines through and works really well.
Helle & Death is released January 18th 2024.
Helle & Death is a fantastic modern homage to golden age detective fiction, especially the classic isolated country-house setting and all with a little touch of nordic noir. It's a locked room mystery that overcomes the issues the modern age brings (mobile phones, cameras etc) and is a good fun read the whole way through.
The story focuses on the reunion of a group of Oxford friends, all brought together to the North-East during the winter at the behest of one of the group - Anthony Dodd who has news to impart to them all. Unfortunately his untimely death and heavy snowstorm put paid to a weekend of fun and instead turns the focus inward as the group looks inwardly to try and figure out whodunnit and why.
I enjoyed this take on the locked room, country house mystery, especially after the first third when the action ramped up and the group started detecting. From minute one I did have my suspicions about the resolution and was correct but didn't guess the why, which did fall a little flat, but I enjoyed the twists and turns along the way as well as the meta referencing to classic mystery fiction of the 30s and 40s.
The assembled group were generally inoffensive but I felt that for the most part I didn't really get to know them too well and most of them ended up as personality cyphers rather than being fully fleshed out. Our main character though, Torben Helle, was a fun character to get to know a little more and I appreciated the nordic detective touches that he brought to the story.
Overall anyone who likes a classic mystery, an isolated setting and a locked room will enjoy this addition to the genre - think And Then There Were None with a dash of The Secret History. It doesn't re-invent the wheel but it's a fun time and the affection for golden age detective fiction shines through and works really well.
Helle & Death is released January 18th 2024.