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DS Glyn Capaldi Mystery #1
Die Guten und die Bösen
Ein Mann kämpft für Gerechtigkeit
Ein Ort weit abseits der Zivilisation. Ganz nach oben, in den Norden von Wales, wird der eigenbrötlerische Detective Sergeant Glyn Capaldi strafversetzt. Inmitten der kargen, ungastlichen Landschaft - und skeptisch beäugt von der kleinen verschworenen Dorfgemeinschaft - versucht er den Fall einer verschwundenen jungen Frau zu untersuchen. Doch die Mauer des Schweigens ist nicht zu brechen, bis sich herausstellt, dass die Frau nicht die Erste in dieser Gegend war, die eines Tages spurlos verschwand.
Ein Ort weit abseits der Zivilisation. Ganz nach oben, in den Norden von Wales, wird der eigenbrötlerische Detective Sergeant Glyn Capaldi strafversetzt. Inmitten der kargen, ungastlichen Landschaft - und skeptisch beäugt von der kleinen verschworenen Dorfgemeinschaft - versucht er den Fall einer verschwundenen jungen Frau zu untersuchen. Doch die Mauer des Schweigens ist nicht zu brechen, bis sich herausstellt, dass die Frau nicht die Erste in dieser Gegend war, die eines Tages spurlos verschwand.
432 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2012
6 people are currently reading
727 people want to read
About the author
Ewart Hutton
4 books27 followersEwart Hutton was born and raised in and around Glasgow before slipping south to university in Manchester, and then on to diverse occupations in London. He has won numerous awards and prizes for his radio plays which have been produced for BBC Radio 4, RTE, and Radio Clyde. His stage play The Making of Forfar Athletic's Austrian Supporters Club won the joint Traverse Theatre and Scottish Television Enterprise's Comedy Play Competition, and his play Letters from Ezra was a joint winner of the Croydon Warehouse Theatre's International Playwriting Festival. He now lives on the Welsh Marches with his wife Annie. Good People is his first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
April 25, 2020
A hard-boiled police procedural set in rural Wales with a lot of twists and turns and a quite unexpected and a bit unsatisfactory end.
The story starts slow, but then gains momentum and builds up sufficient suspense to keep the reader hooked.
The whole gist starts with a possibly missing girl, a definitely missing boy and a disciplinary relocated policeman who tends to ignore his superiors once again. In the end things are very much different from what the reader expected.
3.5 stars, upgraded to 4.
-------------------------------------
Ein Dorfkrimi aus Wales, der die Dorfbewohner als eigenbrötlerisch, Fremden gegenüber nicht aufgeschlossen und dennoch als ungewöhnlich abartig beschreibt.
Unser Protagonist Glyn Capaldi wird aus Cardiff aufs Dorf strafversetzt, da er sich nicht gemäß den Regeln seines Berufes verhalten und dadurch Schaden angerichtet hat. Im Kaff Dinas mag ihn natürlich keiner, weil er ein Fremder ist, einen ausländischen Nachnamen hat und ausserdem Straftaten verfolgen will, die die Dörfler ansonsten ignorieren würden.
Die Geschichte beginnt mit einem gestohlenen Minibus, der allerdings wieder auftaucht, was die ganze Sache für die Dorfpolizei erledigen würde. Wenn nicht Capaldi ein paar Unstimmigkeiten bei den Aussagen nachgehen würde und bald überzeugt wäre, dass auch ein (vermutlich ausländisches) Mädchen verschwunden ist. Hier entwickelt sich nun Capaldi zum Wadlbeisser und lässt gegen alle Widerstände nicht mehr los.
Mit der Zeit deckt Capaldi immer grausigere Vorkommnisse auf, der Leser kann sich immer mehr vorstellen, wo das ganze hinführen muss und bleibt am Ende verblüfft zurück, da manche Dinge dann doch ganz anders waren als gedacht.
Im ersten Viertel tat ich mich ein wenig schwer mit dem Buch, weil zum einen nicht viel passiert ist und ich zum anderen Probleme hatte, die verschiedenen Charaktere auseinanderzuhalten. Ich muss zugeben, dass ich bis zum Ende des Buches nicht jedem Namen sofort eine Rolle zuordnen konnte.
Nach dem langsamen Beginn, nimmt die Geschichte jedoch Fahrt auf und rüttelt den Leser mit wirklich unerwarteten Wendungen gehörig durch. Am meisten hat mich die Auflösung am Schluss verblüfft. Damit hatte ich nun wirklich nicht gerechnet.
Nachdem mich das Buch zu Beginn wenig begeistert hat, hat es mich dann doch ziemlich gefangen genommen.
Daher 3,5 Sterne, aufgerundet auf 4.
The story starts slow, but then gains momentum and builds up sufficient suspense to keep the reader hooked.
The whole gist starts with a possibly missing girl, a definitely missing boy and a disciplinary relocated policeman who tends to ignore his superiors once again. In the end things are very much different from what the reader expected.
3.5 stars, upgraded to 4.
-------------------------------------
Ein Dorfkrimi aus Wales, der die Dorfbewohner als eigenbrötlerisch, Fremden gegenüber nicht aufgeschlossen und dennoch als ungewöhnlich abartig beschreibt.
Unser Protagonist Glyn Capaldi wird aus Cardiff aufs Dorf strafversetzt, da er sich nicht gemäß den Regeln seines Berufes verhalten und dadurch Schaden angerichtet hat. Im Kaff Dinas mag ihn natürlich keiner, weil er ein Fremder ist, einen ausländischen Nachnamen hat und ausserdem Straftaten verfolgen will, die die Dörfler ansonsten ignorieren würden.
Die Geschichte beginnt mit einem gestohlenen Minibus, der allerdings wieder auftaucht, was die ganze Sache für die Dorfpolizei erledigen würde. Wenn nicht Capaldi ein paar Unstimmigkeiten bei den Aussagen nachgehen würde und bald überzeugt wäre, dass auch ein (vermutlich ausländisches) Mädchen verschwunden ist. Hier entwickelt sich nun Capaldi zum Wadlbeisser und lässt gegen alle Widerstände nicht mehr los.
Mit der Zeit deckt Capaldi immer grausigere Vorkommnisse auf, der Leser kann sich immer mehr vorstellen, wo das ganze hinführen muss und bleibt am Ende verblüfft zurück, da manche Dinge dann doch ganz anders waren als gedacht.
Im ersten Viertel tat ich mich ein wenig schwer mit dem Buch, weil zum einen nicht viel passiert ist und ich zum anderen Probleme hatte, die verschiedenen Charaktere auseinanderzuhalten. Ich muss zugeben, dass ich bis zum Ende des Buches nicht jedem Namen sofort eine Rolle zuordnen konnte.
Nach dem langsamen Beginn, nimmt die Geschichte jedoch Fahrt auf und rüttelt den Leser mit wirklich unerwarteten Wendungen gehörig durch. Am meisten hat mich die Auflösung am Schluss verblüfft. Damit hatte ich nun wirklich nicht gerechnet.
Nachdem mich das Buch zu Beginn wenig begeistert hat, hat es mich dann doch ziemlich gefangen genommen.
Daher 3,5 Sterne, aufgerundet auf 4.
March 24, 2022
Ich bin ehrlich überrascht wie gut es mir gefallen hat. Muss zugeben, dass ich nicht damit gerechnet hatte.
Brauchte zwar ein wenig Zeit um mit dem Hauptcharakter warm zu werden, aber dann hat es sich gelohnt.
Die Story fand ich durchweg spannend, mit guten und überraschenden Wendungen. Auch der Schreibstil war sehr angenehm zu lesen.
Leider wurde die Reihe nicht weiter ins deutsche übersetzt, so dass ich wohl mit dem Original weitermachen werde.
Brauchte zwar ein wenig Zeit um mit dem Hauptcharakter warm zu werden, aber dann hat es sich gelohnt.
Die Story fand ich durchweg spannend, mit guten und überraschenden Wendungen. Auch der Schreibstil war sehr angenehm zu lesen.
Leider wurde die Reihe nicht weiter ins deutsche übersetzt, so dass ich wohl mit dem Original weitermachen werde.
September 5, 2018
Thought this started quite well and seemed to be developing in quite an interesting manner but then became a little far-fetched and much to protracted. Glyn Capaldi is a potentially good character for a series but needs tighter plotting in the next outing.
March 18, 2017
The beginning of this book is intriguing - six drunk rugby fans and a female hitch hiker they pick up hijack their minibus and disappear but only five of the seven reappear. Enter DS Glyn Capaldi with the bit between his teeth. What follows is a roller coaster ride through sexual deviance and suspected murder in the wilds of Wales. This is an excellent read for the broad minded as I shuddered at some of the descriptions and I consider myself pretty broad minded. It is cleverly plotted with plenty of twists and turns and despite an initial urge to slap the smirk off Capaldi's face he grew into an endearing, if occasionally inept, character. I've knocked a star off my review because I felt some of the characters' motivations were unclear and not 100% plausible but it is a cracking start to the series and I will definitely be reading more
October 23, 2018
'Finalist for the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger:
The half-Welsh/half-Italian cop Glyn Capaldi has fallen from grace and is exiled from Cardiff to the Welsh countryside. It's a place where nothing of any significance is meant to happen, a place where supposedly he can do little harm.
But trouble has a way of catching up with Capaldi. Six men and a young woman disappear after a night of rugby and drink. They don’t all reappear. The ones that do are good people and seem to have an alibi. Only Capaldi remains unconvinced. In the face of opposition from the locals, Capaldi delves deeper and starts to uncover a network of conflicts, betrayals, and depravity that resonates below the outwardly calm surface of rural respectability.'
Blurb from the 2013 Minotaur Books Edition
Glyn Capaldi, a half Welsh half Italian detective, has been exiled from Cardiff to a rural force following the disastrous outcome of a case in which he was involved.
Now he is concerned by a case where sive men in a minibus went missing but later arrived safe and sound, minus one of their party, a young soldier, who had apparently decided to leave the army and run off to Holland with a female hitchhiker they had picked up.
The local police seem content with the story but Capaldi is suspicious, and frustrated that his rural colleagues are unconcerned by the fact that no one has heard from the couple since.
Capaldi's investigation - partly unofficial - raises more suspicions. A relationship develops with the missing man's mother as Capaldi begins to uncover the sinister backgrounds of the other men.
There's good things and not so good things in Good People. The good things win out by a massive majority to be honest, so we we won't dwell long on the negatives.
There is, for one thing, a surfeit of characters, some of whom are not fully well-rounded and tend to blend into each other. The main characters are very well written however and one gets a sense of this part of Wales, with its small community mindset, ruled by the double-edged sword of secrets and shame. There is a gay character who is painted sensitively and realistically. There are also two prostitutes who, as a refeshing change, are not the stereotypical drug-addicted victims in run down flats. Both the women are - in quite different ways - independent strong women who know exactly what they are doing and why they are doing it and become fascinating memorable cameos.
The ending is slightly disappointing but interesting in that Hutton has chosen to be somewhat realistic in not providing a resolution that fully satisfies either the law or the reader.
Despite these minor and somewhat subjective points this is a Really Good Book. In my terms that is defined as one which makes me miss my stop on the tube, despite audio announcements, because I am so engrossed. This happened twice here which gives it bonus points.
The half-Welsh/half-Italian cop Glyn Capaldi has fallen from grace and is exiled from Cardiff to the Welsh countryside. It's a place where nothing of any significance is meant to happen, a place where supposedly he can do little harm.
But trouble has a way of catching up with Capaldi. Six men and a young woman disappear after a night of rugby and drink. They don’t all reappear. The ones that do are good people and seem to have an alibi. Only Capaldi remains unconvinced. In the face of opposition from the locals, Capaldi delves deeper and starts to uncover a network of conflicts, betrayals, and depravity that resonates below the outwardly calm surface of rural respectability.'
Blurb from the 2013 Minotaur Books Edition
Glyn Capaldi, a half Welsh half Italian detective, has been exiled from Cardiff to a rural force following the disastrous outcome of a case in which he was involved.
Now he is concerned by a case where sive men in a minibus went missing but later arrived safe and sound, minus one of their party, a young soldier, who had apparently decided to leave the army and run off to Holland with a female hitchhiker they had picked up.
The local police seem content with the story but Capaldi is suspicious, and frustrated that his rural colleagues are unconcerned by the fact that no one has heard from the couple since.
Capaldi's investigation - partly unofficial - raises more suspicions. A relationship develops with the missing man's mother as Capaldi begins to uncover the sinister backgrounds of the other men.
There's good things and not so good things in Good People. The good things win out by a massive majority to be honest, so we we won't dwell long on the negatives.
There is, for one thing, a surfeit of characters, some of whom are not fully well-rounded and tend to blend into each other. The main characters are very well written however and one gets a sense of this part of Wales, with its small community mindset, ruled by the double-edged sword of secrets and shame. There is a gay character who is painted sensitively and realistically. There are also two prostitutes who, as a refeshing change, are not the stereotypical drug-addicted victims in run down flats. Both the women are - in quite different ways - independent strong women who know exactly what they are doing and why they are doing it and become fascinating memorable cameos.
The ending is slightly disappointing but interesting in that Hutton has chosen to be somewhat realistic in not providing a resolution that fully satisfies either the law or the reader.
Despite these minor and somewhat subjective points this is a Really Good Book. In my terms that is defined as one which makes me miss my stop on the tube, despite audio announcements, because I am so engrossed. This happened twice here which gives it bonus points.
November 2, 2018
This is not great, but what really merits its low rating is the clichéd treatment of the gay character. Set in rural Wales, it makes sense that the character might be concerned about coming out. And also that he might be suicidal. But, despite this, I really don't need a straight novelist depicting a gay character as, "a gentle, tortured bastard, who believed what people told him", and who does end up committing suicide. Even worse, the novel bends over backwards to excuse the central detective's threats to out him against his will. There are ways to deal with the difficulties that gay people sometimes face in closed communities without giving in to damaging clichés.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 11, 2022
Couldn’t finish this. I found it because I was looking for more books narrated by Iestyn Arwel but I had to bale out before half way, which is disappointing because I’d hoped to find another series to get into and enjoy. The central idea is interesting and from the beginning I was looking forward to a good story but main character is unpleasant and I find that I just don’t care what happens. I don’t mind swearing and I could have just about tolerated the protagonist threatening to expose someone as “a fairy” i.e. gay if it fitted the plot but cumulatively I found all that together with the hostility between the characters put me off and I don’t want it on even as background.
May 6, 2019
I'm somewhat conflicted about reading further into this series. I'm still not sure whether I like the main character or not. However, the mystery itself was intriguing; it wandered down rabbit holes, but eventually it all came together in an unexpected way.
For fans of UK police procedurals, I think it's worth a look. I will be reading the next one and see where it goes from here.
For fans of UK police procedurals, I think it's worth a look. I will be reading the next one and see where it goes from here.
September 28, 2021
Everything I heard about this author & series indicated it was something I'd enjoy. But I didn't. Nothing I can pinpoint - the MC wasn't a total jerk. I sort of want to finish to be positive of whodunnit, but I'm pretty sure, and I wasn't enjoying it.
Lame review but I do it for me, not for anyone else. Honest.
Lame review but I do it for me, not for anyone else. Honest.
November 10, 2018
Yeah it's okay, but not as good as I had been hoping it would be. Ending got confusing with all the back and forth and I had pretty much lost interest by the time it all ended. Main character alright.
June 15, 2019
2.5吧，角色不好，不看下一本了
June 26, 2019
Good read!
April 28, 2020
Subject material not for everyone - took a bit to get me into the world of Wales - but then moved along nicely.
April 5, 2022
first book in the series but I had already read book number 2. good characters and good storyline.
May 19, 2023
It’s no Val McDermid but it’s not bad. The layering of the plot was cleverly done but I did find some of the characters a little one dimensional
February 8, 2024
Great example of a police procedural!
February 22, 2017
Finished reading … Good People / Ewart Hutton … 23 Feb. 2017
ISBN: 9780007449095
Ultimately, a disappointing read. This started well, got me hooked and turning pages. I wanted to know what happened to the missing hitchhiker and AWOL soldier. So I did read to the end in spite of the book going downhill after its gripping start.
Three points ….
Firstly, there really needs to be a warning that the book includes graphic descriptions of deviant sex, that some very unpleasant images could become imprinted on your brain. This is not me being prudish – the book itself contains the descriptor “deviant” and it is described, not implied.
Next, the cover blurb has a quote from Val McDermid saying “ ….more stings in the tail than a bag of scorpions.” In this book at least, this is code for the author writing scenario after scenario then dismissing them as false starts. In some places it reads like ready made episodes for a TV series.
Thirdly, any novel in any genre requires some suspension of belief in order for the pieces and players to fit, but usually this is within the bounds of some sort of stretched credibility. But here, after so many back-and-forth false leads, the book comes to a whirlwind wrap-up in half a dozen pages or less with a scenario I challenge anyone to predict it is so improbable.
A word about our hero … the cop with a flawed professional past, the inevitable divorce, bending if not actually making up the rules as he goes along, i.e. nothing new to the genre and with considerably less 'personality' than, say, Rebus, Mørck or Wallender.
I couldn't really recommend this to anyone and I certainly wouldn't suggest it for a book club choice which is how I came to read it.
Borrowed from my local library.
ISBN: 9780007449095
Ultimately, a disappointing read. This started well, got me hooked and turning pages. I wanted to know what happened to the missing hitchhiker and AWOL soldier. So I did read to the end in spite of the book going downhill after its gripping start.
Three points ….
Firstly, there really needs to be a warning that the book includes graphic descriptions of deviant sex, that some very unpleasant images could become imprinted on your brain. This is not me being prudish – the book itself contains the descriptor “deviant” and it is described, not implied.
Next, the cover blurb has a quote from Val McDermid saying “ ….more stings in the tail than a bag of scorpions.” In this book at least, this is code for the author writing scenario after scenario then dismissing them as false starts. In some places it reads like ready made episodes for a TV series.
Thirdly, any novel in any genre requires some suspension of belief in order for the pieces and players to fit, but usually this is within the bounds of some sort of stretched credibility. But here, after so many back-and-forth false leads, the book comes to a whirlwind wrap-up in half a dozen pages or less with a scenario I challenge anyone to predict it is so improbable.
A word about our hero … the cop with a flawed professional past, the inevitable divorce, bending if not actually making up the rules as he goes along, i.e. nothing new to the genre and with considerably less 'personality' than, say, Rebus, Mørck or Wallender.
I couldn't really recommend this to anyone and I certainly wouldn't suggest it for a book club choice which is how I came to read it.
Borrowed from my local library.
April 9, 2014
This guy needs a vacation.
This is the first in a series featuring DS Glyn Capaldi. Once a rising star in the big city, he has been banished to the small town of Dinas in rural Wales after screwing up a major case.
He wasn't exactly met by Welcome Wagon. Never mind the suspicious, close knit community. Even the other cops want nothing to do with him.
He tags along to the scene of a stolen van. It was taken by 6 men after they picked up a female hitchhiker & left in a remote area. Hours later, 5 of them come staggering out of the bush armed with an implausible story. Missing: one of the men & the hitchhiker.
Capaldi smells something rotten but is told to drop it by his colleagues. After all, they know these men & they're all "good people". He could care less about the locals, it's the woman he's worried about & proceeds to do some digging. No one is prepared for what he'll find.
This is a complex plot with many side stories. Just when you think Capaldi has it sussed, there is another layer of lies & deceit that changes the direction of the investigation. And don't think murder will be the worst of it. Contrary to what we're told, these are NOT good people & the revelations of their crimes may be disturbing to some readers.
For me, this is a case of liking the character more than the story. Capaldi is a flawed yet decent guy & smart cop who made one dumb decision. His thoughts & dialogue reveal a sardonic, slightly cynical sense of humour that helps him deal with his exile. There is also a deep regret for the mistakes he's made. Part of him accepts his posting as punishment, part of him will do anything to get the hell out of there.
I know the exiled cop as outcast is a popular trope of this genre. It usually follows that he's the only one who figures out what is going on & must do so with little support. But it's taken to extremes here. I get that a community may circle the wagons to protect their own against an outsider but when the true nature of the crimes comes to light, it's hard to believe anyone would cover for the sadistic perpetrators. Also, Capaldi has to continually fight his colleagues as well & after awhile it became tiring.
Many of the cast are not good people but they are good characters & along with tight dialogue, it's what makes this as compelling as it is. Just a few breaks in the constant sturm und drang would improve the pace & reading experience. I'd like to bump into Capaldi again but maybe I'll skip to book #3 to see if his situation is any better.
This is the first in a series featuring DS Glyn Capaldi. Once a rising star in the big city, he has been banished to the small town of Dinas in rural Wales after screwing up a major case.
He wasn't exactly met by Welcome Wagon. Never mind the suspicious, close knit community. Even the other cops want nothing to do with him.
He tags along to the scene of a stolen van. It was taken by 6 men after they picked up a female hitchhiker & left in a remote area. Hours later, 5 of them come staggering out of the bush armed with an implausible story. Missing: one of the men & the hitchhiker.
Capaldi smells something rotten but is told to drop it by his colleagues. After all, they know these men & they're all "good people". He could care less about the locals, it's the woman he's worried about & proceeds to do some digging. No one is prepared for what he'll find.
This is a complex plot with many side stories. Just when you think Capaldi has it sussed, there is another layer of lies & deceit that changes the direction of the investigation. And don't think murder will be the worst of it. Contrary to what we're told, these are NOT good people & the revelations of their crimes may be disturbing to some readers.
For me, this is a case of liking the character more than the story. Capaldi is a flawed yet decent guy & smart cop who made one dumb decision. His thoughts & dialogue reveal a sardonic, slightly cynical sense of humour that helps him deal with his exile. There is also a deep regret for the mistakes he's made. Part of him accepts his posting as punishment, part of him will do anything to get the hell out of there.
I know the exiled cop as outcast is a popular trope of this genre. It usually follows that he's the only one who figures out what is going on & must do so with little support. But it's taken to extremes here. I get that a community may circle the wagons to protect their own against an outsider but when the true nature of the crimes comes to light, it's hard to believe anyone would cover for the sadistic perpetrators. Also, Capaldi has to continually fight his colleagues as well & after awhile it became tiring.
Many of the cast are not good people but they are good characters & along with tight dialogue, it's what makes this as compelling as it is. Just a few breaks in the constant sturm und drang would improve the pace & reading experience. I'd like to bump into Capaldi again but maybe I'll skip to book #3 to see if his situation is any better.
May 29, 2014
This is a good one. A fairly common theme, but well done. I.e: Supposedly upstanding citizens of a small isolated community share and fiercely guard sordid secrets, using their “good people” status to deflect blame and scapegoat an outsider cop when those sordid secrets give way to a particularly nasty crime.
It takes place in the northern hinterland of Wales. A town called Dinas. The outsider cop is Detective Sergeant Glyn Capaldi, ex-communicated from the Cardiff force for deadly carelessness. His wife has left him for a former best friend. He is living in a trailer and taking care of minor crimes – sheep rustling, and the like. When six local pals - one of whom happens to be black - get drunk and take a blond hitchhiker into the woods for a party and only five of those pals return, leaving the blond hitcher and their black friend missing, Capaldi suspects something horrible. Rough group sex, then murder? Why the black friend is on the negative side of that equation is just as mysterious as who the blond girl is, and where she is, dead or otherwise.
The five friends are tight, their story is ironclad. When Capaldi discovers a chink, their story changes, perfectly from one pal to the next. Obviously coached by someone. The local constabulary don’t like or trust Capaldi; worse, they are loathe to disbelieve or work against their natural friends. Capaldi’s superiors don’t trust him much either. But they sense he is on to something and allow him leeway.
Very marginal sex does play a role. As does race. And long-warmed grievances. Revenge is an elaborate plot and Capaldi gets caught in the middle of it, both as a cop, and as a love-starved man…
This is a first book by Brit writer Ewart Hutton, apparently a veteran of radio and TV writing. He gives us great descriptives of the wild Welsh paysage in a gray season, which is never specified, but the sun is rare and it’s always damp and cold. Hutton lets us see and feel it. What’s stronger is the first-person narrative. The entire story unfolds from Capaldi’s POV - not easy when you are building mystery, especially when you want to convey how the opposition sees it. Hutton does this deftly, keeping us hanging at the right places while his cop Capaldi lets us know he has made the next link – but does not reveal it till it’s fixed. Plus Capaldi’s rough irony is right on. We get a clear and disturbing sense of how these tight-knit locals see him.
This is the first Welsh cop I’ve come across. 4 stars. I hope I see him again.
It takes place in the northern hinterland of Wales. A town called Dinas. The outsider cop is Detective Sergeant Glyn Capaldi, ex-communicated from the Cardiff force for deadly carelessness. His wife has left him for a former best friend. He is living in a trailer and taking care of minor crimes – sheep rustling, and the like. When six local pals - one of whom happens to be black - get drunk and take a blond hitchhiker into the woods for a party and only five of those pals return, leaving the blond hitcher and their black friend missing, Capaldi suspects something horrible. Rough group sex, then murder? Why the black friend is on the negative side of that equation is just as mysterious as who the blond girl is, and where she is, dead or otherwise.
The five friends are tight, their story is ironclad. When Capaldi discovers a chink, their story changes, perfectly from one pal to the next. Obviously coached by someone. The local constabulary don’t like or trust Capaldi; worse, they are loathe to disbelieve or work against their natural friends. Capaldi’s superiors don’t trust him much either. But they sense he is on to something and allow him leeway.
Very marginal sex does play a role. As does race. And long-warmed grievances. Revenge is an elaborate plot and Capaldi gets caught in the middle of it, both as a cop, and as a love-starved man…
This is a first book by Brit writer Ewart Hutton, apparently a veteran of radio and TV writing. He gives us great descriptives of the wild Welsh paysage in a gray season, which is never specified, but the sun is rare and it’s always damp and cold. Hutton lets us see and feel it. What’s stronger is the first-person narrative. The entire story unfolds from Capaldi’s POV - not easy when you are building mystery, especially when you want to convey how the opposition sees it. Hutton does this deftly, keeping us hanging at the right places while his cop Capaldi lets us know he has made the next link – but does not reveal it till it’s fixed. Plus Capaldi’s rough irony is right on. We get a clear and disturbing sense of how these tight-knit locals see him.
This is the first Welsh cop I’ve come across. 4 stars. I hope I see him again.
May 19, 2024
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In Good People, author Ewart Hutton introduces Welsh/Italian cop D.S. Glyn Capaldi, a maverick cop in every sense and the tension is wire taut throughout.
Glyn has been drummed out to the lowest post available, patrolling the countryside in Wales where he can do no harm, after a case went horribly wrong in Cardiff. He's not wanted or welcomed there, a nuisance with a past to be put up with. The mystery starts in the first few pages and doesn't let up. A gang of rugby mates have picked up a young blonde hitchhiker and taken her to their remote cabin. She has gone missing. The next story was they were hijacked and she was taken away. The next story was she left on her own - backpacking to Amsterdam. Capaldi is not on or wanted on this case, but manages to pick up clues he can run with. The girl may have been prostitute, the meeting arranged. She is not the first girl to go missing. Before long, residents of the sleepy town of Dinas will have their lives turned upside down and all their secrets revealed.
Capaldi is a unique detective, a thorn in everyone's side. No one on the force from the top to the bottom respects him or gives him any help, yet he is determined to peel back the layers by whatever means - including stalking, intimidating, lying, or coercing. The locals in Dinas he interviews have pious contempt for his intrusion into their pristine lives, that is, until he starts to uncover a dark web of deceit that includes years of kidnapping and serial abuse. I read a lot of these mysteries and this is truly nasty, maybe a bit too dark.
The tension in Ewart's writing is the star. From the first few pages, Capaldi is relentless, it's all about revealing the truth. There is minimal backstory on Capaldi himself - I don't even know what he looks like. A little romance creeps in, but this is all about the pursuit. I haven't read a mystery where the tension on the case was as focused until the very end. It just won't stop.
It is an impressive debut that was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger Award in 2012. Without hesitation I started reading the next in the series, Dead People, even before I finished this one.
In Good People, author Ewart Hutton introduces Welsh/Italian cop D.S. Glyn Capaldi, a maverick cop in every sense and the tension is wire taut throughout.
Glyn has been drummed out to the lowest post available, patrolling the countryside in Wales where he can do no harm, after a case went horribly wrong in Cardiff. He's not wanted or welcomed there, a nuisance with a past to be put up with. The mystery starts in the first few pages and doesn't let up. A gang of rugby mates have picked up a young blonde hitchhiker and taken her to their remote cabin. She has gone missing. The next story was they were hijacked and she was taken away. The next story was she left on her own - backpacking to Amsterdam. Capaldi is not on or wanted on this case, but manages to pick up clues he can run with. The girl may have been prostitute, the meeting arranged. She is not the first girl to go missing. Before long, residents of the sleepy town of Dinas will have their lives turned upside down and all their secrets revealed.
Capaldi is a unique detective, a thorn in everyone's side. No one on the force from the top to the bottom respects him or gives him any help, yet he is determined to peel back the layers by whatever means - including stalking, intimidating, lying, or coercing. The locals in Dinas he interviews have pious contempt for his intrusion into their pristine lives, that is, until he starts to uncover a dark web of deceit that includes years of kidnapping and serial abuse. I read a lot of these mysteries and this is truly nasty, maybe a bit too dark.
The tension in Ewart's writing is the star. From the first few pages, Capaldi is relentless, it's all about revealing the truth. There is minimal backstory on Capaldi himself - I don't even know what he looks like. A little romance creeps in, but this is all about the pursuit. I haven't read a mystery where the tension on the case was as focused until the very end. It just won't stop.
It is an impressive debut that was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger Award in 2012. Without hesitation I started reading the next in the series, Dead People, even before I finished this one.
January 22, 2012
As an avid crime/thriller reader I was looking forward to this, the first instalment of a new British detective series.
The first half started off well, drawing you in, making you wonder if detective sergeant Glyn Capaldi is imagining things that aren’t there. The book is written from his perspective and as a result you can get inside his thought processes and think you can see where the story is going. However this permanent one-sided view means that you don’t get a full picture of the man himself. I found it difficult to imagine what he looks like.
I am no prude, but I found the graphic details of the ‘crimes’ a bit excessive. The same picture could have been drawn by suggestion rather than being so in your face.
The last part of the book returned to the more narrative, story telling, enjoyable read of the first half. Hutton pulled everything together and tied up the loose ends surrounding the crime, but not Capaldi’s personal life, definitely leaving an opening for the next book.
Ewart Hutton is a well-known playwright and this comes across in this book. There are plenty of clever twists and turns that you don’t see coming.
Although I didn’t enjoy part of the crime descriptions in this book, I am keen to read Hutton’s next instalment. Maybe he is planning on slowly building up a picture of Capaldi and developing his personal life. If he can find a less controversial crime topic, because of his ability to spin a good, well-rounded tale, it will be a very enjoyable read.
I would love to recommend this book to my friends, but I would have to put a caveat on the descriptive scenes.
The first half started off well, drawing you in, making you wonder if detective sergeant Glyn Capaldi is imagining things that aren’t there. The book is written from his perspective and as a result you can get inside his thought processes and think you can see where the story is going. However this permanent one-sided view means that you don’t get a full picture of the man himself. I found it difficult to imagine what he looks like.
I am no prude, but I found the graphic details of the ‘crimes’ a bit excessive. The same picture could have been drawn by suggestion rather than being so in your face.
The last part of the book returned to the more narrative, story telling, enjoyable read of the first half. Hutton pulled everything together and tied up the loose ends surrounding the crime, but not Capaldi’s personal life, definitely leaving an opening for the next book.
Ewart Hutton is a well-known playwright and this comes across in this book. There are plenty of clever twists and turns that you don’t see coming.
Although I didn’t enjoy part of the crime descriptions in this book, I am keen to read Hutton’s next instalment. Maybe he is planning on slowly building up a picture of Capaldi and developing his personal life. If he can find a less controversial crime topic, because of his ability to spin a good, well-rounded tale, it will be a very enjoyable read.
I would love to recommend this book to my friends, but I would have to put a caveat on the descriptive scenes.
November 15, 2012
A first novel from debut author Ewart Hutton, a name I feel we will become more familiar with in the coming years along with his detective - D S Glyn Capaldi.
The setting is key to the story. The forgotten parts of Mid Wales where outsiders are treated with suspicion, the locals stick together and mobile phones don't work very well. Into this community a disgraced cop is re-assigned so when he alone wants to follow-up on a case he isn't widely supported.
Capaldi sees a series of disappearances as justification for his determination not to drop the investigation; plus last time he didn't push and backed off slightly it was a blight on his career and resulted in an avoidable death.
Crimes and conspiracy is seen everywhere by the detective; he gets grudging support but also feels any mistake will end his job altogether but he driven on not to make the same mistakes again if a young woman's life is at stake. Perhaps his efforts to avoid the mistakes of the past allows others to manipulate him and cloud his judgement but as the novel is written in the first person this awareness isn't clear and in his integrity we believe.
The plot is cleverly revealed as we learn at a pace with the detective' it twists and turns leaving the reader quite dizzy but thoroughly entertained.
"Didn't see that coming" is reader's lament and the thing an author strives for. It is achieved here in good style; without a box of red herring or cheap misdirection. This is simply due to wonderfully crafted writing around a well devised plot, skillful writing that runs through the whole book.
The setting is key to the story. The forgotten parts of Mid Wales where outsiders are treated with suspicion, the locals stick together and mobile phones don't work very well. Into this community a disgraced cop is re-assigned so when he alone wants to follow-up on a case he isn't widely supported.
Capaldi sees a series of disappearances as justification for his determination not to drop the investigation; plus last time he didn't push and backed off slightly it was a blight on his career and resulted in an avoidable death.
Crimes and conspiracy is seen everywhere by the detective; he gets grudging support but also feels any mistake will end his job altogether but he driven on not to make the same mistakes again if a young woman's life is at stake. Perhaps his efforts to avoid the mistakes of the past allows others to manipulate him and cloud his judgement but as the novel is written in the first person this awareness isn't clear and in his integrity we believe.
The plot is cleverly revealed as we learn at a pace with the detective' it twists and turns leaving the reader quite dizzy but thoroughly entertained.
"Didn't see that coming" is reader's lament and the thing an author strives for. It is achieved here in good style; without a box of red herring or cheap misdirection. This is simply due to wonderfully crafted writing around a well devised plot, skillful writing that runs through the whole book.
April 16, 2014
D.S. Glyn Capaldi, the protagonist of Ewart Hutton’s debut Good People, is a Welsh cop who got into a bit of trouble in Cardiff and had been reassigned to a dinky town in the middle of nowhere, a place where the higher-ups figure he can’t get into any more touble.
The reader doesn’t get to learn very much about Capaldi. He’s divorced. He’s smart. He’s got good instincts, but isn’t really a team player and he’s very much an outsider in Carmarthen. Detective Chief Superintendent Galbraith describes him as ” someone who used to be a good cop,” which is why Galbraith has rescued him so he isn’t “wearing a rinky-dink security uniform and patrolling the booze aisle in some shanty-town supermarket.” Capaldi is getting another chance, but he’s on a short leash.
Which is why no one wants to give him the time of day when Capaldi is suspicious about Carmarthen’s latest crime. Six men coming home from a soccer game in England, disappear into the woods with a young girl. Their abandoned mini-bus is found on the side of the road, but hours later when the party is found, not everyone is accounted for.
Police who are familiar with the men believe their story – convoluted as it is – but Capaldi isn’t as convinced.
Good People is a relatively straightforward mystery that is fast-paced and intriguing. Capaldi certainly grows on you and the story is not your standard whodunit. Instead, Good People is about the underbelly of a town that, on the surface at least, seems quaint and shiny and our capacity for deception.
The reader doesn’t get to learn very much about Capaldi. He’s divorced. He’s smart. He’s got good instincts, but isn’t really a team player and he’s very much an outsider in Carmarthen. Detective Chief Superintendent Galbraith describes him as ” someone who used to be a good cop,” which is why Galbraith has rescued him so he isn’t “wearing a rinky-dink security uniform and patrolling the booze aisle in some shanty-town supermarket.” Capaldi is getting another chance, but he’s on a short leash.
Which is why no one wants to give him the time of day when Capaldi is suspicious about Carmarthen’s latest crime. Six men coming home from a soccer game in England, disappear into the woods with a young girl. Their abandoned mini-bus is found on the side of the road, but hours later when the party is found, not everyone is accounted for.
Police who are familiar with the men believe their story – convoluted as it is – but Capaldi isn’t as convinced.
Good People is a relatively straightforward mystery that is fast-paced and intriguing. Capaldi certainly grows on you and the story is not your standard whodunit. Instead, Good People is about the underbelly of a town that, on the surface at least, seems quaint and shiny and our capacity for deception.
March 12, 2013
I received an ARC of Good People from a First Reads giveaway.
I was carried along with Capaldi as he doggedly sought answers for a situation that he new held more than anyone was saying. Stuck in the backwoods of Wales, he comes up against the stonewall of a tight-knit community that refuses to see the evil that exists among them. As Capaldi works to find the truth and expose it, he is blocked every step of the way, from all directions.
I enjoy a good mystery, and this could have been one. I began to like Capaldi as a character, though I didn't connect to any of the others. I enjoyed Hutton's writing, but the profanity was rampant and that always ruins a book for me. Along those lines, the crimes committed were just too much to take. I could have happily gone the rest of my life without getting the details on them. These drawbacks prevent me from recommending it.
I'm sorry to say that the ending didn't satisfy me. After so much involvement in the details throughout the book, I feel like the culmination of it all happened way too quickly and left me wondering what the heck happened.
I was carried along with Capaldi as he doggedly sought answers for a situation that he new held more than anyone was saying. Stuck in the backwoods of Wales, he comes up against the stonewall of a tight-knit community that refuses to see the evil that exists among them. As Capaldi works to find the truth and expose it, he is blocked every step of the way, from all directions.
I enjoy a good mystery, and this could have been one. I began to like Capaldi as a character, though I didn't connect to any of the others. I enjoyed Hutton's writing, but the profanity was rampant and that always ruins a book for me. Along those lines, the crimes committed were just too much to take. I could have happily gone the rest of my life without getting the details on them. These drawbacks prevent me from recommending it.
I'm sorry to say that the ending didn't satisfy me. After so much involvement in the details throughout the book, I feel like the culmination of it all happened way too quickly and left me wondering what the heck happened.
December 17, 2011
Good people. We all know them; pillars of the community, leaders, regular folk with the magic touch. In rural Wales (or Canada for that matter) they are as common as blades of grass. So when Detective Sergeant Glyn Capaldi begins to suspect something bad has happened to a woman hitchhiker, picked up by a minibus load of men, who is now nowhere to be found, he is told not to worry. The men are all good people; important people in the community. Capaldi, on secondment to a rural detachment to atone for his sins in Cardiff, has his suspicions and the harder he digs the more tight knit the community becomes. And the deeper he digs the more filth he uncovers. This is a debut novel by Ewart Hutton and his promise is great. Good People is by turns gruesome and absorbing, filled with twists and turns. It is a novel that keeps you guessing right to the end. Welsh Noir has a new hero and Capaldi is his name
April 28, 2013
ok - this should be right up my wheelhouse - a british cop story..but really, I just stopped reading it about half through and never picked it back up..
It is a common set up - a cop did something wrong is and sent to a backwater community instead of fired...he isn't known by the extremely close knit community but has to solve a crime...here is the problem though for me...this community is appears to be controlled by to wealthy brothers..and can get the local cops to turn the other way..and apparently everyone else in town to also turn the other way..Really? Not one local cop is willing do to their job and check out their story? Are they all on the take or just incompetent? Not one local cop is willing to listen/help the new cop? And, apparently, no one up the ladder is willing to think that the new guy might be right...I just didnt' buy it.
And although by the time I quit the book the mystery was moving along I just didn't care.
It is a common set up - a cop did something wrong is and sent to a backwater community instead of fired...he isn't known by the extremely close knit community but has to solve a crime...here is the problem though for me...this community is appears to be controlled by to wealthy brothers..and can get the local cops to turn the other way..and apparently everyone else in town to also turn the other way..Really? Not one local cop is willing do to their job and check out their story? Are they all on the take or just incompetent? Not one local cop is willing to listen/help the new cop? And, apparently, no one up the ladder is willing to think that the new guy might be right...I just didnt' buy it.
And although by the time I quit the book the mystery was moving along I just didn't care.
June 2, 2013
This was the first (of many, I hope) in a new mystery series set in Wales. The premise is a little formulaic...a disgraced cop is moved to a remote location where he can cause little embarrassment to the police force and do the least amount of damage, and then of course he (Glyn Capaldi is the story's hero) proceeds to solve a murder in spite of local resentment and the obstacles of professional jealousy and resentment. It might be an old formula, but it's a good one and works very well in this engrossing book, which includes the wonderful atmosphere of a Welsh locale---a place about which I know nothing, and yet with which I have always been fascinated. Capaldi is self-deprecating, modest, guilt-ridden, and just shy of being a bit of a door mat--but he's dogged, smart, and determined and proves he's earned his reputation as the crack detective he had been before his "disgrace" (which, of course, is really no such thing). Looking forward to the next in the series.
October 1, 2013
Good commentary on small town solidarity in the face of trouble.
Detective Glyn Capaldi has been exiled from Cardiff to the Welsh countryside, and finds himself in a small town where any stranger is suspect - particularly a cop. When a group of six people (five men and one woman) disappears one night - and only four reappear - the question of what happened to the missing two arises. The witness accounts do not add up and stories are suspect.
It turns out that other young women have gone missing in the past. Then one member of the original group commits suicide - or is it?
Throughout Capaldi's investigation he must deal with roadblocks by the local police force and local residents, as well as lack of support from his own superiors.
The original members of the group are supposed to be the "good guys" but Capaldi discovers more and more intimations that some of the "good guys" are not very nice people.
Detective Glyn Capaldi has been exiled from Cardiff to the Welsh countryside, and finds himself in a small town where any stranger is suspect - particularly a cop. When a group of six people (five men and one woman) disappears one night - and only four reappear - the question of what happened to the missing two arises. The witness accounts do not add up and stories are suspect.
It turns out that other young women have gone missing in the past. Then one member of the original group commits suicide - or is it?
Throughout Capaldi's investigation he must deal with roadblocks by the local police force and local residents, as well as lack of support from his own superiors.
The original members of the group are supposed to be the "good guys" but Capaldi discovers more and more intimations that some of the "good guys" are not very nice people.
March 3, 2014
I received an ARC of this book through the GoodReads First Reads program.
I did enjoy the story in this book; there were definitely unpredictable aspects. I will say, though, the reason I marked it a 3-star and not a 4-star book was that there were times in the story when Detective Capaldi seemed to jump to conclusions that didn't necessarily seem as clear-cut as he would have you believe. A clue may have indicated one thing, but didn't seem to necessarily indicate that one thing as being the ONLY thing -- and yet it always was. In those instances, I wish there was a bit better narrative of Capaldi's thoughts so that, if the clue really was leading to necessarily only one thing, the reader would understand why.
But generally speaking, the story is enjoyable. I didn't see the ending coming, or a handful of the stops along the way.
I did enjoy the story in this book; there were definitely unpredictable aspects. I will say, though, the reason I marked it a 3-star and not a 4-star book was that there were times in the story when Detective Capaldi seemed to jump to conclusions that didn't necessarily seem as clear-cut as he would have you believe. A clue may have indicated one thing, but didn't seem to necessarily indicate that one thing as being the ONLY thing -- and yet it always was. In those instances, I wish there was a bit better narrative of Capaldi's thoughts so that, if the clue really was leading to necessarily only one thing, the reader would understand why.
But generally speaking, the story is enjoyable. I didn't see the ending coming, or a handful of the stops along the way.
July 19, 2016
A female hitchhiker goes missing and Detective Glyn Capaldi can't leave the good people of Dinas alone. These good people had just got drunk and silly, nothing to see here. Despite being told to back off, Capaldi dives in. Capaldi has been seconded from Cardiff to rural Wales and is accused of bringing the wrong mentality with him. Good people are getting upset but Capaldi doesn't care. When he finds out that other women have gone missing this causes local mouths to clamp further closed. Capaldi wants the truth, but how will he get to it?
The path to that truth is convoluted and surprising. Capaldi's determination grows in the face of opposition. He discovers, somewhat predictably, that the good people of the title aren't so good and have done some pretty bad things. Will he be allowed to prove this?
Gripping and grim, a tense and absorbing read.
The path to that truth is convoluted and surprising. Capaldi's determination grows in the face of opposition. He discovers, somewhat predictably, that the good people of the title aren't so good and have done some pretty bad things. Will he be allowed to prove this?
Gripping and grim, a tense and absorbing read.
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