Martin Jensen Books In Order

Publication Order of The King's Hounds Books

Martin Jensen is a bestselling Danish author best known for the King’s Hounds series. The King’s Hounds, the first book in the series, was Jensen’s first book to be published in English. The title opened the doors for the author to elicit fame on a global scale.

+Biography

Martin Jensen was born in 1946 to a working-class family. Martin was a teacher. He had opportunities to act as headmaster at institutions in Sweden and Denmark. The author only tried his hand at writing and publishing in the 1990s.

Despite coming into the writing business late, Martin Jensen succeeded in becoming a powerful force on the landscape of Danish literature. His efforts saw him receive a multitude of accolades from organizations like the Danish Crime Academy.

He has been a recipient of the Danish Libraries’ Prize and the Royal Library’s Prize. Writing the King’s Hounds books in 2013 finally saw him break out of the confines of Denmark, selling his books to markets across the world.

The King’s Hounds books are medieval crime novels that take place during the reign of King Canute in the 11th Century.

The author is a botanist. Along with his wife, Jensen is quite enthusiastic about collecting mushrooms and pursuing bird watching.

+Literary Career

While Martin Jensen was already a renowned author in Denmark, it wasn’t until 2013 when his King’s Hounds Books were translated into English that he began to attract interest from foreign audiences.

And considering his Danish roots, people have always asked Jensen why he saw fit to write a story set in Anglo-Viking England. Jensen doesn’t believe the King’s Hounds series is such an unexpected offering from a Danish author. This is because King Canute, the monarch reigning over England during the King’s Hounds books, was also King of Denmark and Norway at the time.

So King Canute wasn’t foreign to Martin Jensen when he first set out to produce his medieval crime novels. Jensen remembers reading about Canute at an early age and being drawn to the great leader.

Canute stood out because he refused to set himself apart as a conqueror, instead approaching the likes of Norway and Denmark as elements of the British Empire which he promised to rule while also upholding those territories’ individual laws.

Martin Jensen imagined that crime, and in particular, murder would have to be commonplace in the 11th Century. With all the wars of conquest that had been fought and won, he realized that the tension in England during the reign of King Canute would be ripe for exploration from the aspect of a crime thriller.

Jensen imagined all the ways the Vikings and Saxon warriors and magnates would engage with one another, and how murder could spark political upheaval. Then he imagined the sort of man that would take up the title of detective and find the killers walking the streets of England.

The author settled on a lecherous man whose determination to indulge in women even as he sought the shortest route to attaining higher status would sometimes get derailed by his penchant for solving mysteries.

Once Jensen had his protagonist and once he had populated his series with a cast of characters to support his hero, he proceeded with the business of writing the King’s Hounds series, a series that has put him on the global literary map.

Jensen does a lot of research for his historical works. With the King’s Hounds series, he was fortunate enough to get a grant from the Ministry of Culture to go to England for research purposes.

That was after the first book in the series was published. Jensen has repeatedly commended the efforts of KLIM Publishing in supporting his efforts. Even when the author ventures out of Denmark for research purposes, a KLIM Publishing editor typically accompanies him on his trips.

When Jensen is in England he will visit libraries, bookshops, and historical sights significant to the time period about which he is writing. Whenever the author is unable to carry out firsthand research, he will read books and pamphlets back in Denmark.

Jensen gets his inspiration from normal life. While he is out fishing or shopping in the Welsh Market town or catching up with friends, someone will say something that sticks with him. Or he will stumble upon a situation that gets all the right gears in his head spinning.

And once Jensen begins to follow that train of thought, it isn’t long before he has a murder scene vividly laid out in his mind. With that out of the way, the author begins working towards fleshing out the rest of the story.

It takes roughly four months for Martin Jensen to write a novel. He gets his writing done between 9 and 12 in the morning.

+The King’s Hounds

It is 1018. King Cnut of Denmark now rules England. From Oxford, Cnut runs an Empire that has finally extinguished the fires of war. However, crime is still rife.

Halfdan is half Danish, half Saxon. That mixed blood saw him lose all the land he should have inherited when the new King’s men rolled into town. No longer a proud nobleman, Halfdan now uses his charm and thieving skills to survive as he wanders the country in search of a purpose.

When a monk called Winston invites him to travel to Oxford together, Halfdan has no reason to refuse. King Cnut’s new wife wants a painting of her husband done and Winston has agreed to undertake the task.

Winston believes a man as clever as Halfdan could come in handy on the road.

Winston and Halfdan arrive at court in the wake of a murder and the King decides to assign them the task of resolving the politically explosive situation.

+Oathbreaker

Halfdan and his master Winston have stopped at a monastery. When a monk is brutally murdered while praying in the church, Halfdan and Winston are asked to catch his killer.

The job is easier said than done. The monastery is chocked with bitter rivalries that must be carefully negotiated. Halfdan and Winston must walk a precarious path to the truth, their every step designed to keep the King’s favor in a country whose peace stands on shaky ground.

2 Responses to “Martin Jensen”

1. Alex Meyer: 2 years ago

   Are any more of jensen books translated into English
   Thank you

   Reply
   • Graeme: 2 years ago

     Unfortunately only the above 3 at this time

     Reply