All reviews are written by members of The H2G2 Bookworm's Club. We hope this review is helpful and that we'll see you airing your views at the Club soon.

Reviewed by Z

In a dark shady town, controlled by a sinister mob, Louie Knight, a private detective is asked by the star of the local nightclub to find her cousin, a local yob. Initially he refuses, not wanting to get mixed up in the questionable company that the missing boy kept. Intrigued
by the case he starts to investigate for himself. Soon he acquires an assistant, a wide eyed young girl desperate to become a private eye when she grows up. They discover that several school boys have recently disappeared, including the local genius.

Soon a sinister plot is uncovered, involving a villain, who holds down a respectable job as a teacher, needless to say the mob aren't far behind as well. He uncovers a plot lead by a local cult to destroy the town and lead the residents to a rumoured utopia, currently submerged
under the sea.

Though written in the style of the a Philip Chandler detective story, the tale is set in Aberystwyth. The sinister mob are the Druids, who do far more than run the local Eisteddfod. Even the cover art works is in the style of 1920s crime novel.

I came across this book whilst waiting for Da Silva in Birmingham City Centre,¹, wasting time browsing though a well known bookshop, without any intention of buying any of them. The idea of a sinister mob in a Welsh sea side town seemed slightly amusing to me, so I picked up a copy and settled down in a chair to see how much I could read before the staff enquired if I was going to buy anything.

I am aware that when a book reviewer says-

I laughed out loud so often I nearly died

What they actually mean is -

It was mildly amusing, I nearly smiled to myself twice,

However on this occasion I can assure you that I actually did laugh out loud, even though I was trying not to draw attention to myself. The idea of a combination of the dark threatening mood set in a small town in Wales just cracked me up. By the time that Da Silva was due to arrive, I couldn't wait until my next trip to the bookshop to get to the next chapter, I had to actually buy it.

When I got home I kept reading out some of the hilarious lines to my housemates, who responded by looking at me strangely. Not having heard of Aberystwyth or Philip Chandler the jokes were totally lost on them. If you try and imagine the action taking place in the real Aberystwyth the absurdity will keep you giggling for the first few chapters. The problem is that none of the other jokes are really that funny at all, so after a while it stops being hilarious.

Around half way through the book, it takes a rapid turn into random fantasy, and away from the realistic Wales. Shell shocked veterans from a war² in Patagonia start appearing. The local witches co-op are becoming more powerful. By this stage the strength of the plot has taken over, it's easily possible to suspend your disbelief. It remains one of the most original novels I've read for some time.

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