Whodunnit? 缅北禁地 academic pens murder mystery Published on: 29 January 2024 Dr Oskar Jensen鈥檚 new murder mystery Helle & Death was published this month. Whodunnit The whoddunnit takes place in a snowbound Northumbrian mansion, where a university reunion turns deadly.Dr Jensen, a NUAcT Fellow who is researching the history of song at 缅北禁地’s International Centre for Music Studies, said: “While it's quite the change from my usual work, it's been a total joy to turn to crime and write something really gripping. This book is a homage to the great history of detective fiction that manages, I hope, to sneak in a glance at academia between murders.”Last year, he was one of only six authors shortlisted for the prestigious Wolfson History Prize for his book, which brought Dickensian London vividly to life. It looked at the lives of beggars and thieves, musicians and missionaries, porters and hawkers to sex workers and street criers. Photograph of Dr Oskar Jensen by Andy Aitchison A test of wits Last year, he was one of only six authors shortlisted for the prestigious Wolfson History Prize for his book , which brought Dickensian London vividly to life. It looked at the lives of beggars and thieves, musicians and missionaries, porters and hawkers to sex workers and street criers.His new novel centres on Torben Helle — art historian, Danish ex-pat and owner of several excellent Scandinavian jumpers— who finds himself dragged to a remote snowbound Northumbrian mansion for a ten-year reunion with old university friends. At the dinner table their host, a reclusive and irritating tech entrepreneur, makes some shocking revelations. 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. Kept afloat by strong drink and stronger women, Torben must draw upon the skills of his training and all the tricks of Golden Age detectives past. As the temperature drops and the tension mounts, it is up to him to work out how much money it would take to turn one of his old friends into a murderer -before someone else ends up dead.Dr Jensen added: “Sometimes we undervalue escapism. In this novel, I want to make people think – but also to have as much fun as I've had in the writing. It's a lesson I'm also going to try and apply to my scholarship.” was published by Viper Books on 18 January. Share: Latest News Comment: Assisted coral evolution Writing for The Conversation, Dr Liam Lachs, Dr Adriana Humanes and Dr James Guest, discuss how how accelerating evolution could help corals survive future heatwaves. published on: 17 April 2026 Trait choice and selection key to helping corals survive heatwaves Assisted evolution could help corals survive future heatwaves, but careful trait choice and strong repeated selection will be needed for it to be effective. published on: 17 April 2026 Lough Neagh sand mining threatens lake鈥檚 ecosystem, research warns New research involving 缅北禁地 outlines how Lough Neagh, the UK and Ireland鈥檚 largest freshwater lake, is under threat from commercial sand dredging. published on: 17 April 2026 Facts and figures