A Murder is Announced – Agatha Christie

The personal ad was intriguing: an invitation to partake in a "murder" at the home of Letitia Blacklock. The uncharacteristic prank comes as a surprise to Letitia's friends -- and a bigger surprise to Letitia herself. Still, the proper hostess welcomes her unexpected guests for an evening of fun. But when the lights go down, a gunshot rings out. Now, Miss Jane Marple wants to play a game of whodunit.

Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Crime, Detective
Publisher:  HarperCollins
Year: 1950
Rating: 4/5 

A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie was next in my pile of Murder Mystery reads. This is the sort of book you pick up on a rainy day, the type of day where you want a quick yet engrossing read to while away the afternoon. This is a Miss Marple story, that follows the elderly spinster's attempt to solve a this baffling mystery.

As the blurb states, an ad is placed in the local paper announcing that a murder will take place at Miss Letitia Blacklock's property. Everyone who reads this ad can't help but be intrigued, showing up to partake in this apparent show. Little do the guests know, that a real murder has been plotted and they are in for more than they bargained for. Not to mention Letitia herself, who has no idea what is going on.

As the police detectives attempt to figure out what happened, Miss Marple is called in and with her super sleuthing skills she is able to uncover that more is going on that meets the eye. Whodunit? And why? You'll never guess!

This was a typical, enjoyable Agatha Christie novel. Formulaic, full of twists and a plot that will keep you guessing until the very end. This is exactly why I read Christie novels and why you should too.

This would be a good introduction to this style of murder mystery and it is definitely one for fans.

Have you read this novel? What did you think?

Towards Zero – Agatha Christie

What is the connection between a failed suicide attempt, a wrongful accusation of theft against a schoolgirl, and the romantic life of a famous tennis player? 

To the casual observer, apparently nothing. But when a houseparty gathers at Gull's Point, the seaside home of an elderly widow, earlier events come to a dramatic head. As superintendent Battle discovers, it is all part of a carefully laid plan – for murder....

Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Crime, Detective
Year: 1944
Publisher: Harper
Rating: 3/5

Towards Zero tells the story of a group of people, staying at Gull's Point. We have Lady Tressilian, the owner of the seaside house hosting this get together. Nevile, the tennis star and his young, attractive new wife, Kay. His ex wife, Audrey. Edward Latimer, Kay's best friend. Mary Aldin, Lady Tressilian's carer. Thomas Royde, Audrey's distant cousin, and Mr. Treves, an old friend of Lady Tressilian.

This provides the reader with a motley crew of mismatched people who all come under suspicion when one of them is murdered. So whodunit? Who cares. 

I read this novel a few weeks ago when I was home from work, sick with a virus. I couldn't really do much except watch TV and read. I chose to read Agatha Christie because she always provides an easy and fun read. Exactly what I needed with my head pounding and brain not wanting to function too well. 

I was a bit disappointed in this novel. All of the other Christie novels I have read, I loved. This one, not so much. Maybe my short attention span had something to do with it, but I just didn't find I cared about the characters in this book, nor did I find the mystery all that engrossing.

Even the big twist at the end wasn't all that interesting. I was just glad to have finished this novel so I could move on to something better. 

I won't hold this against Christie. We can't all get it right all the time, right? I think I'll go for a Poirot next time I feel like reading a murder mystery. 

Want to grab a copy of this book? Try The Book Depository!

Endless Night – Agatha Christie

Some are born to sweet delight, 

Some are born to endless night.

When penniless Michael Rogers discovers the beautiful house at Gypsy's Acre and then meets the heiress Ellie, it seems that all his dreams have come true at once. But he ignores an old woman's warning of an ancient curse, and evil begins to stir in paradise.

As Michael soon learns: Gypsy's Acre is the place where fatal 'accidents' happen....

Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Crime
Year: 1967
Publisher: Harper
Rating: 5/5

Michael has always dreamed of owning his own home. And not just any home. He wants a home designed by his friend Santonix, the renowned architect who doesn't adhere to convention and designs bespoke dwellings.

This all just seems like a dream though... Michael is a bit of a drifter and odd jobs man, never sticking to anything long enough to make a decent living. 

Then Michael meets Ellie. Ellie is unlike any woman he has ever met. She is kind and good. The perfect woman. And she has fallen in love with him.

To make this fairytale romance even more amazing, Ellie turns out to be filthy rich! She buys Michael his dream property – the place where they met – Gypsy Acre. She enlists Santonix to build Michael's dream home and soon Michael finds himself living his dream life!

Just when Michael thinks life can't get any better, things start to go sour. Someone in town has it in for the couple living on Gypsy Acre. Someone is trying to sabotage their life. But who? And why? Can they stop the attacks before it is too late?

My thoughts....

This may be one of the better Christie mysteries I have read to date! This novel kept me guessing the whole way through and had one hell of a twist at the end I did not see coming!

Like all mystery novels, I find myself trying to guess "whodunit" the whole time I am reading.. in this case, I had no hope. Christie devised a plot and a twist so unexpected that I nearly fell off my chair! 

I highly recommend this novel to Christie fans and anyone who loves a good mystery! You will not be disappointed. 

Want to grab a copy of this novel? Try Book Depository and Amazon!

And Then There Were None – Agatha Christie

'Ten...' Ten Strangers are lured to an isolated mansion off the Devon coast by a mysterious 'U.N.Owen'. 

'Nine...' At dinner a recorded message accuses each of them in turn of having a guilty secret, and by the end of the night one of the guests is dead.

'Eight...' Stranded by a violent storm, and haunted by an ancient nursery rhyme counting down one by one... as one by one... they begin to die. 

'Seven...' Which amongst them is the killer and will any of them survive?

Genre: Fiction, Crime, Detective, Mystery
Year: 1939
Publisher: Harper Collins
Rating: 5/5

Oh what a jolly good mystery! I don't know what it is about Agatha Christie that makes me want to use the term 'jolly good', but jolly good it was!

As the blurb states, we have ten people stranded in a secluded mansion on an island. They have all been accused of having a deep, dark secret and slowly but surely they are being picked off. One by one.

Not only that, but the manner in which they are dying relates to a poem about the dire fate of 10 little soldier boys. We sure have a creative killer on our hands!

Ten little Soldier boys went out to dine;
One choked his little self and then there were nine.

Nine little Soldier boys sat up very late;
One overslept himself and then there were eight.

Eight little Soldier boys traveling in Devon;
One said he'd stay there and then there were seven.

Seven little Soldier boys chopping up sticks;
One chopped himself in halves and then there were six.

Six little Soldier boys playing with a hive;
A bumblebee stung one and then there were five.

Five little Soldier boys going in for law;
One got in Chancery and then there were four.

Four little Soldier boys going out to sea;
A red herring swallowed one and then there were three.

Three little Soldier boys walking in the zoo;
A big bear hugged one and then there were two.

Two Little Soldier boys sitting in the sun;
One got frizzled up and then there was one.

One little Soldier boy left all alone;
He went out and hanged himself and then there were none.

But who is the killer? That is the question that plagued me to the very end. For once, I did not have a clue. Every time I had an "a-ha!" moment, and thought I had it figured out, Christie would prove me wrong.

The ending was a little far-fetched but as Christie states in the author's note, she had to write this book as a challenge to herself, because it would be hard to write a book where so many people die without it being ridiculous or without the murderer becoming obvious. I think she just managed to succeed.

And Then There Were None was a fun and quick read. The sort of light entertainment a good murder mystery provides. If you haven't read any Christie before than this book would be a great place to start.

I have a pile of nine other Agatha Christie books sitting on my shelf, thanks to my wonderful fiancé! I can't decide which one to read next. What is your favourite Christie novel?

Want to grab a copy of this book? Try Book Depository or Amazon!

Grave Secrets – Kathy Reichs

Guatemala, in the searing heat.

The bones of a child no more than two years old are uncovered when mass graves are excavated.

Twenty-three women and children are said to lie where forensic anthropologist Dr Temperance Brennan is searching for remains, in what is one of the most heartbreaking cases of her career.

Then four young girls go missing from Guatemala City...

And when a skeleton is found in a septic tank at the back of a run-down hotel, only someone with Tempe's expertise can deduce who the victim was and how they died.

But her path is blocked: it appears that some people would prefer that Guatemala's 'disappeared' stayed buried. And others seem to want the missing girls kept the same way...

Genre: Fiction, Crime, Mystery, Detective
Year: 2002
Publisher: Arrow Books
Rating: 3/5

This book is probably worth a higher rating. I just couldn't get into it. I have a lot going in my life at the moment and to top it off, I am sick. So concentration isn't a strong point for me, right now.

This book follows Tempe as she yet again unravels a mystery. Reichs has a distinct formula and this book follows it perfectly... Tempe gets called to a job, this leads to a mystery, Tempe is determined to solve said mystery, lots of people are out to get her, she finds herself in dangerous situations (for a smart woman, she acts impulsively and makes dumb choices sometimes), and then she solves said mystery. All the while fighting off the sexual tension between her and Detective Ryan. As I said, it is a formula and it is what I have come to expect from Reichs novels, and usually I love it!

There is one difference in this novel, however, and that is a new love interest! Yup, that's right. Tempe now has TWO men after her.... and she likes them both. I think this is going to make for some interesting material in the next book or two. 

I think I will attempt to re-read this book at a later date when I am well again, and when I haven't got so much other junk cluttering up my mind.

Have you read this novel? What did you think?

Fatal Voyage (Temperance Brennan Book 4) – Kathy Reichs

A plane crashes high in the mountains of North Carolina. 

But a severed foot is discovered a good distance from the main crash site...

Forensic anthropologist Dr Temperance Brennan is first on the scene. The task that confronts her is a sad and sickening one, and her investigation seems to be throwing up more questions than it's answering. 

But when Tempe makes a discovery that raises dangerous issues, her professional standing is threatened. Convinced that another corpse lies in the woods, Tempe pits herself against a conspiracy of silence, and uncovers a shocking tale of deceit and depravity...

\Genre: Fiction, Crime, Mystery, Detective
Year: 2001
Publisher: Arrow Books
Rating: 5/5

In Fatal Voyage, Tempe is working on processing a crash site. A plane took a dive in the mountains carrying the university soccer team, a notorious criminal being transported by her colleague, Jean Bertrand and various other people. 

The scene is chaotic, and it seems the plane blew up, meaning there is wreckage and body parts everywhere. Could anyone have survived? Why isn't Tempe's daughter answering her phone? Could she have been on the plane? Who would blow up a plane carrying a young sports team? Could it be linked to the criminal being transported? Was he even on the plane? Or has Jean Bertrand gone over to the other side, helping a criminal escape? And why is agent Ryan being so elusive and moody? Is it really just worry over his partner, or does it have something to do with 'Danielle'... a mysterious someone he was talking to on his phone? Where does Tempe fit into his life?

To top off all these questions, Tempe must also work out who owns the foot she found in the woods, far from the crash site. It doesn't seem to match anyone who could have been on the plane. Then, Tempe finds the courtyard house, hidden in the middle of the woods. No one who lived in the area even knew it was there. The place gives off a dark and disturbing vibe... and then there is that dark stain, seeping under the wall... but when Tempe tries to get answers to some of these questions, she is blocked by those above her. When she tries to push the matter, she finds herself under investigation for unprofessional behaviour and contaminating the crash scene.

With her job on the line, Tempe must fight to find out who is out to get her? What were they afraid she would uncover? 

This novel is my favourite in the series, so far. This is a novel full of mystery and suspense. Right from the beginning we are faced with questions, and as they are answered, we are faced with more. Just when I thought I had it figured out, another obstacle would be thrown in Tempe's way creating even more mystery.. this is my kind of story. 

I enjoyed this novel so much that I checked out Book Depository and found the next one in the series, Grave Secrets, on sale for $5.07! Bargain! Of course I couldn't go past that. The more I read of this series, the more I like it. By this novel, Reichs is settling into her writing style and her characters, making for a great read. Highly recommended to those who loved a good crime mystery!

Deadly Decisions (Temperance Brennan Book 3) – Kathy Reichs

Violence is escalating, and spilling on to the streets on Montreal.

A nine-year-old girl is shot dead, caught in the crossfire on her way to ballet class. A teenager killed in North Carolina is found hundreds on miles away.

Forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan has to pick up the pieces: She knows she shouldn't let emotion get in the way, but when nine-year-old Emily's body is wheeled into the morgue she cannot help but react.

An exhumation uncovers the bones of another innocent in a clandestine grave close to a biker gang headquarters. With her boss in hospital and sparring partner Detective Andrew Ryan mysteriously unavailable, Tempe alone begins a perilous investigation into the lawless underworld of organised crime...

Genre: Fiction, Crime, Mystery, Detective
Year: 2000
Publisher: Arrow Books
Rating: 4/5

Deadly Decisions is the third book in the Bones series by Kathy Reichs. Like the previous two books in this series, it follows Dr. Temperance Brennan as she uses her forensic skills, inquiring mind and keen eye for detail to unravel a mystery. All while dodging dangerous criminals who want her silenced.

In this case, the dangerous criminals are bikers. Members of rival gangs, The Hell's Angels, The Heathens and The Bandidos, who are on the verge of an all out turf war.

Sadly, innocent bystanders get caught in the crossfire. Including a little girl. Tempe can not stand by while children are dying so she offers her services to the team of police officers who are in charge of stopping the carnage. Little does Tempe realise what she is getting herself in for.

I really enjoy the Bones books. Sure they are have a formula.. every book seems to be  about Tempe getting into the same sort of trouble with a different criminal in the background.. but it's fun.

Tempe is a great heroine. She is intelligent, resourceful, headstrong and human. Tempe struggles with her relationships, she is a recovering alcoholic and she suffers from the same sorts of anxieties well all do in regards to work, her personal life choices and even her hairstyle! It's so refreshing to have a strong female lead in a novel who is still painfully human.

I also enjoy the anthropological side of these novels. I find the digs, examining the bones and piecing together the mystery using evidence very interesting. It is amazing what they can tell about a person just from their bones.

These books are always action packed with a great mystery. Just when you think you have it figured out, another twist occurs and you are guessing all over again! That is my type of novel.

I am looking forward to reading the next novel in this series and will definitely be making my way through them all.

Cat Among the Pigeons - Agatha Christie

Dear Mummy, 

We had a murder last night. Miss Springer, the gym mistress. It happened in the middle of the night and the police came and this morning they're asking everybody questions. Miss Chadwick told us not to talk to anybody about it, but I thought you'd like to know 

With love, Jennifer

Genre: Fiction, Crime, Detective, Mystery
Publisher: Fontana
Year: 1959
Rating: 4/5

Agatha Christie is one of those novelists that, it seems, everybody has read. I had an old auntie that was a big Christie fan, she had all of her novels in a hardcover set and I remember looking at them, lining her shelves, when I was a child. Being a fan of mystery novels, I decided to give an Agatha Christie novel a go and read Cat Among the Pigeons. I am glad I did. I enjoyed it a lot.

The setting for this novel is an exclusive English school for girls called Meadowbank. The school is run by Miss Bulstrode, a firm yet fair woman who started the schools many years ago in a joint partnership with the math mistress, Miss Chadwick. 

Miss Bulstrode is nearing retirement and is agonising over who to appoint in her place as head mistress, when she leaves. That, however, is the least of her problems. Not long into term one, the gym teacher, Miss Springer, is shot in the new sports pavilion. No one can understand why Miss Springer was in the pavilion in the middle of the night, let alone why anyone would have a reason to shoot her. 

The local police come to investigate but soon events spiral out of control and there is a second murder and a kidnapping. Parents start pulling their daughters out of Meadowbank, but one enterprising young girl, Julia, has her own ideas about what is behind these murders and upon an investigation of her own, comes up with some interesting evidence.

Unsure of what to do next, Julia visits a man who she had heard of through a friend of her mother, Hercule Poirot. Soon Agatha Christie's famous detective Poirot is heading the investigation at Meadowbank, uncovering the mystery. 

This novel was a fun read. The perfect novel for a Sunday afternoon. It was short, at only 188 pages  so it was a quick read.

I love a good murder mystery and this was no exception. This novel had enough twists and turns to keep me guessing and finished off with a nice, neat little ending. Christie sure knows how to wrap up her plot. 

I enjoyed this enough that I am looking forward to reading another Agatha Christie novel. 

Have you read any Agatha Christie before? What would you recommend I read next?

Death Du Jour - Kathy Reichs

I was introduced to the Bones series by Amanda. Knowing that I love a good crime fiction novel, Amanda suggested that I give Kathy Reichs a try. I was not disappointed. Although I really enjoyed Déjà Dead, I enjoyed this novel, Death Du Jour, even more. It was also the perfect book to read while I was suffering from a reading slump.

Genre: Fiction, Crime, Detective, Mystery
Publisher: Random House
Year: 1999
Rating: 4/5

March in Montreal: It is a bitterly cold night and in the grounds of an old church forensic anthropologist Dr Temperance Brennan digs carefully. She is there to exhume the remains of a nun proposed for sainthood. But the body has been moved to an unmarked grave in a far corner of the cemetery. What will Tempe discover when the frozen ground finally yields to her tools?Just hours later, Tempe is called to the scene of an horrific arson. A young family has perished, and there seems to be no witness, no motive, no explanation.From the charred remains of the arson, to a trail of sinister cult activity and a terrifying showdown during an ice storm, Tempe gathers her evidence and confronts the terror of a killer out of control.

This novel has a lot going on. We begin with Tempe unearthing the remains of a nun that has been recommended for sainthood. When she does her analysis she finds an unexpected surprise which leads her to research the nuns birth. 

At the same time, she is called into help out with an arson investigation. Seven people are found dead in very strange and brutal circumstances. 

Tempe also has to deal with her sister showing up unexpectedly. Harry is on some new spiritual path, taking a course on inner power and taking control of your life, but is the course really taking control of her? 

While all this is happening, a nun from the church where Tempe had been working calls her worried about her niece's disappearance. Can Tempe help find her?

Lastly, in an effort to help investigate the arson case and take a short holiday, Tempe travels with her daughter. Before she needs to help agent Ryan track down some family members of the dead, who could help with the investigation, Tempe takes her daughter to a monkey Island run by an old friend. But of course, the trip doesn't go as planned and Tempe finds herself once again digging up corpses and baffled by the mystery of how they got there.

Oh and how could I forget... the ever growing sexual tension between Ryan and Tempe. Will they or won't they? 

Phew! See what I mean, a LOT is going on in these 436 pages. At times I found it a little hard to follow. Almost as much as I found the neat way in which all of these cases were linked together, hard to swallow. 

'Another day. Another death. Death du Jour. My God, how many such days would there be?'

That sums up this work nicely... There is so much death that you do begin to wonder how MUCH MORE can Reichs possibly fit in this novel.

But, putting that aside.. this was a very enjoyable book. It was easy to read, interesting, fun, scary, creepy and it kept me guessing. All of these are elements that I enjoy in a crime fiction novel so it made for a great read. 

Highly recommended if you like intelligent crime fiction that is full of twists, turns and suspense.

Déjà Dead - Kathy Reichs

I am a big fan of Karin Slaughter's Grant County series and am having serious withdrawals while I am waiting for her to release the next book. There is nothing like a good crime fiction series! It's exciting, scary and thrilling! So I was looking for something similar to sink my teeth into. I have heard a lot about the Bones series, especially with the TV show becoming so popular (no, I've never watched it) so I decided to give the first book in this series (Deja Dead) a go!

Genre: Fiction, Crime, Detective
Publisher: Pocket Star Books
Year: 1997
Rating: 3/5

In the year since Temperance Brennan left behind a shaky marriage in North Carolina, work has often preempted her weekend plans to explore Quebec. When a female corpse is discovered meticulously dismembered and stashed in trash bags, Tempe detects an alarming pattern - and she plunges into a harrowing search for a killer. But her investigation is about to place those closest to her - her best friend and her own daughter - in mortal danger.. 

This book had all the elements needed to make a good crime thriller. It was chilling, the mystery kept me guessing and it was realistic enough to totally creep me out because it could happen.

Since Kathy Reichs actually was a forensic anthropologist, she not only knows all the terminology and procedures in an autopsy, but she describes these is such detail that it was kind of gross. Yes I am aware you just found a rotting corpse, yes it probably is good you can tell me exactly how and why a corpse breaks down but do you really need to do it in so much detail? yuk!

I feel a lot more educated than I did before I picked up this book, but I am still a bit disturbed. Even though the characters are fictional, I still can't help but feel that, that is someone's mum, or sister, or wife... autopsy is not something I enjoy thinking about. This could be because I have a weak stomach and a very visual mind. When I read a book, I can see everything in great detail, so in this case parts of this book were very unpleasant. 

One thing I loved about this book was how well fleshed out Tempe was. Reichs did a great job in bringing the anthropologist to life. She seemed like a very natural, normal person with hopes, fears, bad habits, stresses and needs. I enjoyed her as a character a lot. Besides one detail... 

It annoyed the hell out of me that Tempe kept taking off, by herself, to hunt this killer! I mean, come on! What sort of woman would go out at night, alone, to hunt a serial killer that dismembers women??!! THAT'S INSANE. I understand she is supposed to be strong willed, tough and really wants to bring this man to justice, but really, is personal safety not important too? Or the safety of those around you? It just irritated me.

That said, I enjoyed this book. It was a fun (yet disturbing) read. I liked it enough that I have bookmooched the second book in this series and I look forward to reading that soon. If you like crime fiction with a strong female lead, you will like this series.

The Girl who Played with Fire - Stieg Larsson

The Girl Who Played with Fire is the second novel in the Millennium trilogy by late author, Stieg Larsson.

This book follows on from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist again have a mystery to solve but this time the mystery hits a lot closer to home.

It all begins when Millennium magazine is approached by a young journalist who is trying to get his book published. The book is about the sex trafficking trade in Sweden and it names several prominent government officials as players. Of course, this is just the kind of story that Blomkvist lives for so he jumps on board, agreeing to publish this book in return for exclusive coverage of the issue. 

Meanwhile, Lisbeth Salander has disappeared. For no apparent reason she has cut Blomkvist out of her life. That isn't to say she isn't keeping tabs on him, she is, through his computer. Salander is a talented hacker and can get past any security system. This is how she finds out about the story that Blomkvist is working on. A story involving a man she had hoped was out of her life forever. A man who destroyed her mother, her family and was responsible for her being institutionalized, abused and declared incompetent.

In an effort to find out what exactly Blomkvist is trying to do, Salander pays a visit to the journalist responsible for this story. Not long after she arrives, gunshots are heard and the journalist and his wife are found dead. With the murder weapon found at the scene and Salander's fingerprints on it, the police come to the conclusion that she is the person they are after. But she is nowhere to be found. So begins the manhunt for Lisbeth Salander. Refusing to believe she is capable of murder, Blomkvist and friends race again time to find Salander before the police do... or worse... the bad guys! 

Wow! Another great book from Stieg Larsson! Like the first novel in this trilogy, The Girl who Played with Fire is action packed, full of drama and has a mystery that keeps you guessing.

Larsson wasn't afraid to tackle sensitive issues with much discussion on sex trafficking, prostitution, child abuse, the corruption within the government and big business, the complexity of human beings, the abuse of power and the question of  taking the law into your own hands. 

Like in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Larsson looks at a society where men continually exploit women for their own gain, but in this case, his heroine is a woman who will fight back. Salander stands against the violence and oppression of those who abuse their power, to fight for all those women who are powerless.

The character of Salander is explored closely in this novel, we get to see her personality and values mapped out in great detail and her past is revealed which helps us understand why she is how she is. 

I don't want to go into this much more, because I am always overly conscious of ruining a part of a book for anyone.. but let's just say, despite her faults (and she has many), Salander is a very different, yet very interesting heroine. I really like her and can not wait to read the third book in this trilogy!!

These books are highly addictive and I recommend them to anyone who loves a good mystery or crime fiction novel! 

Rating 5/5

Aberystwyth Mon Amour - Malcolm Pryce

Aberystwyth Mon Amour by Malcolm Pryce was recommended to me by my boyfriend, Richard. This is one of his favourite series of books (a nice change from the sci-fi he usually reads), the Aberystwyth books are noir detective novels set in an alternate universe version of the Welsh town and revolve around the life of private detective Louie Knight. In this book the town’s youth keep disappearing and the local organised crime group, the Druids, are up to something. Louie is approached by the exotic singer Myfanwy Montez to help solve the case when her cousin Evans the Boot, also goes missing.

Schoolboys are dissappearing all over Aberystwyth and nobody knows why. Louie Knight, the town’s private investigator, soon realises that it is going to take more than a double ripple from Sospan, the philosopher cum ice-cream seller, to help find out what is happening to these boys and whether or not Lovespoon, the Welsh teacher, Grand Wizard of the Druids and controller of the town, is more than just a sinister bully. And just who was Gwenno Guevara?

I must admit I found this book a little hard to take at first. I found a number of things confusing, such as why there were Druids running the town (but as Richard would say, why not?), why do the characters go to an ice cream parlour to drown their troubles (instead of a pub or a crack house for that matter!), why there was a museum full of corsetry and… something about tea cosies… I think the humour just escaped me. Other people who have read these books seem to think they are hilarious but I didn’t find myself laughing…. as I said, I think it was just me not getting it. However, the more I read the more I enjoyed this book, enough that I wanted to see how it was going to end. There are more novels in this series, Last Tango in Aberystwyth, The Unbearable Lightness of Being in Aberyswyth and Don’t Cry for Me Aberystwyth. This novel was definitely not something I would have normally read so it was a good experience to read something so different.

If you like hardboiled detective novels and books that are offbeat, then you may just like this one too.

Rating 2/5

First published August 6, 2009