Winston, a Saxon scribe and manuscript illuminator who left a monastery and Halfdan, a young man of mixed Danish and Saxon blood, meet in the woods during the reign of Danish King Cnut Sweynsson over all England. Lawless men and troops of Vikings tramp the land, and the two men decide they are safer to travel together, even if that puts Halfdan in reach of Winston's mule's teeth. While Winston has a trade Halfdan has none, except surviving, since his family's land was annexed.

THE KING'S HOUNDS is translated from the Danish but brilliantly captures the time in an easily flowing adventure story. We hear of thanes and athelings, housecarls and ealdormen, but all titles are explained sufficiently. The pair have to ford the Thames at Oxford, a town of thatched roofs and a church dedicated to St. Frideswide. Here Winston has a commission waiting and he engages Halfdan as his guard and servant. London and Oxford hate the conquering Danes, and the Danish King hates the towns right back. He has decided to summon a meeting to broker peace, in order to impose taxes called heregeld. Cnut's new wife, the Lady of Northampton, is the one who has summoned Winston, which puts the pair right inside the wary Danish camp.

A local man named Osfrid who has a more personal grudge against Cnut is found dead and bundled into a shed. In order not to breach the tenuous peace the king instructs Winston and Halfdan, as outsiders, to investigate the death and find the guilty party.

There's a lot to amuse us in this earthy tale. The West Saxons don't talk to the South Saxons, the East Anglians, Mercians or Northumbrians, while the Danes and Vikings say all the English tribes look alike to them. Charms worn include silver crosses and hammers, for each religion, and even older gods are invoked by some for safe river crossings. Halfdan is experienced with swords while Winston can read so they complement each other well. The Witenagemot, English parliament, and the Thing, the Danish version, are being convened and asked to agree that Cnut is accepted as ruler - early democracy in action. Martin Jensen has written twenty-one novels but this is the first to be translated to English. Tara Chace has also translated for writers including Jo Nesbo and has made a splendid job of THE KING'S HOUNDS.