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Teifi Valley Coroner #4
Not One Of Us
Poor judgements have tragic consequences... The latest in the unputdownable Teifi Valley series
The Teifi Valley’s coroner, Harry Probert-Lloyd, is struggling: with the blindness that drove him home from London, with the county magistrates and with an estate teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.
He needs an escape, so when Dr Benton Reckitt is asked to give a second opinion on the apparently natural death of young Lizzie Rees, Harry willingly goes with him. But mistakes are made. Harry becomes embroiled in local rumours and in Esther Rees’s search for the truth behind her daughter’s sudden death.
What is Lizzie Rees’s father hiding? Was somebody else in the farmhouse on the night she died? And, most crucially for Harry, will he be able to uncover the mystery, and solve personal difficulties that threaten to tear him apart?
Perfect for readers of Laura Shephard-Robinson, Stuart Turton or Elly Griffiths, this is a superb historical mystery that will keep you hooked until the very end.
The Teifi Valley’s coroner, Harry Probert-Lloyd, is struggling: with the blindness that drove him home from London, with the county magistrates and with an estate teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.
He needs an escape, so when Dr Benton Reckitt is asked to give a second opinion on the apparently natural death of young Lizzie Rees, Harry willingly goes with him. But mistakes are made. Harry becomes embroiled in local rumours and in Esther Rees’s search for the truth behind her daughter’s sudden death.
What is Lizzie Rees’s father hiding? Was somebody else in the farmhouse on the night she died? And, most crucially for Harry, will he be able to uncover the mystery, and solve personal difficulties that threaten to tear him apart?
Perfect for readers of Laura Shephard-Robinson, Stuart Turton or Elly Griffiths, this is a superb historical mystery that will keep you hooked until the very end.
392 pages, Paperback
First published September 9, 2021
About the author
Alis Hawkins
26 books116 followersAlis Hawkins grew up on a dairy farm in Cardiganshire. Her inner introvert thought it would be a good idea to become a shepherd and, frankly, if she had, she might have been published sooner. As it was, three years reading English at Corpus Christi College, Oxford revealed an extrovert streak and a social conscience which saw her train as a Speech and Language Therapist. She has spent the subsequent three decades variously bringing up two sons, working with children and young people on the autism spectrum and writing fiction, non-fiction and plays. She writes the kind of books she likes to read: character-driven historical crime and mystery fiction with what might be called literary production values.
Series: The Teifi Valley Coroner historical crime series, featuring Harry Probert Lloyd and John Davies. Published by Freight Books 2017, due for reissue by The Dome Press October 2018
Trilogy: The first of the Black Death trilogy, The Black and The White, coming soon from Sapere Books (summer 2018).
Standalone: Testament – previously published by PanMacmillan, soon for reissue by Sapere Books (summer 2018).
You can find more on Alis and her writing on her website (see link below) on Facebook - Alis Hawkins Author - and on Twitter (see link below)
Series: The Teifi Valley Coroner historical crime series, featuring Harry Probert Lloyd and John Davies. Published by Freight Books 2017, due for reissue by The Dome Press October 2018
Trilogy: The first of the Black Death trilogy, The Black and The White, coming soon from Sapere Books (summer 2018).
Standalone: Testament – previously published by PanMacmillan, soon for reissue by Sapere Books (summer 2018).
You can find more on Alis and her writing on her website (see link below) on Facebook - Alis Hawkins Author - and on Twitter (see link below)
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 27, 2021
Received an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for a fair review
Another installment in the Teifi Valley Coroner series, “Not One Of Us”, by Alis Hawkins (Canelo), is a well researched historical mystery, set in nineteenth century Wales, with an amazing, comprehensive and full of rich details insight into the period.
The characters and their struggles are so relatable; the way the author wrote the friendship and dynamics between Harry Probert-Lloyd, the coroner and John Davies, his assistant, is wonderful. Lydia Howell’s active role in the unusual, tight relationship between the trio is great, too. The honesty and affection between these three people, despite their differences, divergences and opposite backgrounds is one of my favorite aspects of the novel
I also liked how Alis Hawkins depicted the challenges Harry faces because of his blindness and the strategies to cope with it. I loved having access to how the character experiences the almost total blindness and how he tries to see with the remaining vision. The fact his two friends are constantly aware of this and try to help him deal with it is admirable.
Sometimes it felt Harry’s movements – walking or riding – were too easy for an almost blind person.
The mystery is interesting and complex and not devoid of some sadness. The pace of the story is slow at times but everything happens for a reason.
Another installment in the Teifi Valley Coroner series, “Not One Of Us”, by Alis Hawkins (Canelo), is a well researched historical mystery, set in nineteenth century Wales, with an amazing, comprehensive and full of rich details insight into the period.
The characters and their struggles are so relatable; the way the author wrote the friendship and dynamics between Harry Probert-Lloyd, the coroner and John Davies, his assistant, is wonderful. Lydia Howell’s active role in the unusual, tight relationship between the trio is great, too. The honesty and affection between these three people, despite their differences, divergences and opposite backgrounds is one of my favorite aspects of the novel
I also liked how Alis Hawkins depicted the challenges Harry faces because of his blindness and the strategies to cope with it. I loved having access to how the character experiences the almost total blindness and how he tries to see with the remaining vision. The fact his two friends are constantly aware of this and try to help him deal with it is admirable.
Sometimes it felt Harry’s movements – walking or riding – were too easy for an almost blind person.
The mystery is interesting and complex and not devoid of some sadness. The pace of the story is slow at times but everything happens for a reason.
September 8, 2021
Not One of Us is the fourth instalment in the Teifi Valley Coroner series in which blind Coroner Harry Probert-Lloyd and his assistant, John Davies, ply their trade in a corner of the three counties that make up West Wales, in the 1850s. Harry Probert-Lloyd, is struggling. With the blindness that drove him home from London, with his combative relationship with the county magistrates and with an estate teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. He needs an escape, so when Dr Benton Reckitt is asked to give a second opinion on the apparently natural death of young Lizzie Rees, Harry willingly goes with him. But Harry’s assistant, John Davies, is in London at the Great Exhibition and, without him, mistakes are made. Harry becomes embroiled in Esther Rees’s search for the truth behind her daughter’s sudden death and rumours set the whole community ablaze. Poor judgements both as coroner and as squire soon have tragic consequences and, less than a week after Lizzie Rees’s death, Harry has two more deaths to deal with. Harry and John find themselves at loggerheads and a rift threatens to derail not only Harry’s investigation but their partnership at Glanteifi.
And questions raised by Harry’s investigation still need answers. What is Lizzie Rees’s father hiding? Was somebody else in the farmhouse on the night she died? And did Harry’s eagerness to leave Glanteifi in pursuit of a questionable investigation lead to a tragedy? As Harry struggles to answer these questions, he must also reconcile his view of Glanteifi’s future and John’s if they are to continue working together. This is another compelling and intriguing historical mystery in the Wales-based series, and Hawkins creates an authentic and rich atmosphere accurate to the time and place. The rural police forces of the mid-Victorian period were much more about peacekeeping and preventing crime; they didn’t investigate much. And that included deaths. The real nineteenth-century investigators were the coroners, but of course, Harry needs help now that he is facing the challenge of coming to terms with losing his eyesight. The Teifi Valley is replete with descriptions of the misty mountains and verdant valleys and the story reflects the attitudes of the time period; you can tell it has been extensively researched and includes representations of what people wore, ate, the gender politics of the era and what people did for fun.
A sense of community and shared history looms large in the book and while Hawkins goes to great pains to reiterate that she is not a historian, her novels are rich in social history – in the time, place, customs and events that shaped the people of West Wales in the early days of Queen Victoria’s reign. Torn between idealism and pragmatism, the reality of the present and memories of his own idealised past, Harry is both outsider looking in and insider looking out as he seeks to bring justice to a world struggling to come to terms with massive social and industrial upheaval in a nation he barely recognises yet remembers all too well. A captivating and absorbing slow-burn mystery from first page to last this is a story well told. I enjoyed getting to know characters who draw you into their world, of feeling a sense of connection with another time and place. The time in which we live moulds us and makes us. We might like to think we’re rebellious and non-conformist – Harry Probert-Lloyd certainly does – but you can only rebel against what’s around you, so his rebellion is shaped by the times in which he lives. Morals and worldviews may change but emotions do not. Highly recommended.
And questions raised by Harry’s investigation still need answers. What is Lizzie Rees’s father hiding? Was somebody else in the farmhouse on the night she died? And did Harry’s eagerness to leave Glanteifi in pursuit of a questionable investigation lead to a tragedy? As Harry struggles to answer these questions, he must also reconcile his view of Glanteifi’s future and John’s if they are to continue working together. This is another compelling and intriguing historical mystery in the Wales-based series, and Hawkins creates an authentic and rich atmosphere accurate to the time and place. The rural police forces of the mid-Victorian period were much more about peacekeeping and preventing crime; they didn’t investigate much. And that included deaths. The real nineteenth-century investigators were the coroners, but of course, Harry needs help now that he is facing the challenge of coming to terms with losing his eyesight. The Teifi Valley is replete with descriptions of the misty mountains and verdant valleys and the story reflects the attitudes of the time period; you can tell it has been extensively researched and includes representations of what people wore, ate, the gender politics of the era and what people did for fun.
A sense of community and shared history looms large in the book and while Hawkins goes to great pains to reiterate that she is not a historian, her novels are rich in social history – in the time, place, customs and events that shaped the people of West Wales in the early days of Queen Victoria’s reign. Torn between idealism and pragmatism, the reality of the present and memories of his own idealised past, Harry is both outsider looking in and insider looking out as he seeks to bring justice to a world struggling to come to terms with massive social and industrial upheaval in a nation he barely recognises yet remembers all too well. A captivating and absorbing slow-burn mystery from first page to last this is a story well told. I enjoyed getting to know characters who draw you into their world, of feeling a sense of connection with another time and place. The time in which we live moulds us and makes us. We might like to think we’re rebellious and non-conformist – Harry Probert-Lloyd certainly does – but you can only rebel against what’s around you, so his rebellion is shaped by the times in which he lives. Morals and worldviews may change but emotions do not. Highly recommended.
January 3, 2022
Excellent writing. Good description of rural life, attitudes and customs amongst rural communities in Wales mid-nineteenth century. Good book.
June 23, 2023
Another fantastic installment in this series. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I actually find the series to be increasing in quality and enjoyment with every new book. Yet again I found the main characters to be richly written and deeply developed. The historical research is brilliant and makes for such wonderful, informative reading. Loved, loved, loved this book.
April 3, 2024
A cleverly written story and plot. The characters are so well written they feel real. The reading by Iestyn Arwel is excellent, he makes each character distinctive and natural sounding, and is partly why I love this series so much. Harry did start to irritate me a bit with his continued lament at not taking more of an interest in the estate when his father was alive but then continuing not to take up the responsibility of being Squire. But by the end of the novel he had made a decision and will hopefully show more maturity in the next book. John has shown real character development over the series which has been a joy. I hope there is a book 5 soon!
November 8, 2021
This is described as follows:-
Poor judgements have tragic consequences...
The latest in the unputdownable Teifi Valley series
The Teifi Valley's coroner, Harry Probert-Lloyd, is struggling: with the blindness that drove him home from London, with the county magistrates and with an estate teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.
He needs an escape, so when Dr Benton Reckitt is asked to give a second opinion on the apparently natural death of young Lizzie Rees, Harry willingly goes with him. But mistakes are made. Harry becomes embroiled in local rumours and in Esther Rees's search for the truth behind her daughter's sudden death.
What is Lizzie Rees's father hiding? Was somebody else in the farmhouse on the night she died? And, most crucially for Harry, will he be able to uncover the mystery, and solve personal difficulties that threaten to tear him apart?
One of the things I enjoy about this series of books is the fact that the story is told from the viewpoint of the two main protagonists, Harry Probert-Lloyd and John Davies and we see how their relationship develops with each book. It also allows us to see how Harry is becoming increasingly dependent on John but John is also dependent on Harry due to his need to make a living and make his way in the local and wider society. Because of their different backgrounds they have different views on things and see things from different perspectives which is a major feature in this book. In particular John knows what the effects of industrialising spinning and weaving and selling off land and changing agricultural tenancies will have on the estate and local population. This leads to increased tension between the pair and there is also tension between John and Lydia as each somewhat uncertain of what their role is, in relation to Harry. The introduction of Lydia is a brilliant move by the author as she introduces a female view which acts as a foil and provides balance between the two men. By the end of the novel all three come to terms with their own internal conflicts and with each other.
The other aspect of the novels I particularly enjoy is the treatment of a social issues of the time and its impact on rural south west Wales. In this case it was so interesting seeing how John and his companions view the Great Exhibition and the differing views and potential impacts of industrialisation of the woollen industry along the Teifi Valley. How land could be sold off to enable these changes to take place and simple changes in tenancies and effects of agricultural practices are all topics featured but because of the light and interesting touch lead me to find out more.
exploring the social impact of the arrival of the Industrial Revolution on this part of Wales. The contrast between the wealthy landowners and the poor tenant farmers is well brought out through the two characters.
The custom of 'courting in bed', also known as 'bundling' is also explored and an interesting feature of the death and adds authenticity to the plot. The death is a genuine mystery and even a post mortem carried out by the ghoulish Doctor Reckitt is unable to provide an answer so the eventual explanation is all the more satisfying.
Can thoroughly recommend as a good read.
Poor judgements have tragic consequences...
The latest in the unputdownable Teifi Valley series
The Teifi Valley's coroner, Harry Probert-Lloyd, is struggling: with the blindness that drove him home from London, with the county magistrates and with an estate teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.
He needs an escape, so when Dr Benton Reckitt is asked to give a second opinion on the apparently natural death of young Lizzie Rees, Harry willingly goes with him. But mistakes are made. Harry becomes embroiled in local rumours and in Esther Rees's search for the truth behind her daughter's sudden death.
What is Lizzie Rees's father hiding? Was somebody else in the farmhouse on the night she died? And, most crucially for Harry, will he be able to uncover the mystery, and solve personal difficulties that threaten to tear him apart?
One of the things I enjoy about this series of books is the fact that the story is told from the viewpoint of the two main protagonists, Harry Probert-Lloyd and John Davies and we see how their relationship develops with each book. It also allows us to see how Harry is becoming increasingly dependent on John but John is also dependent on Harry due to his need to make a living and make his way in the local and wider society. Because of their different backgrounds they have different views on things and see things from different perspectives which is a major feature in this book. In particular John knows what the effects of industrialising spinning and weaving and selling off land and changing agricultural tenancies will have on the estate and local population. This leads to increased tension between the pair and there is also tension between John and Lydia as each somewhat uncertain of what their role is, in relation to Harry. The introduction of Lydia is a brilliant move by the author as she introduces a female view which acts as a foil and provides balance between the two men. By the end of the novel all three come to terms with their own internal conflicts and with each other.
The other aspect of the novels I particularly enjoy is the treatment of a social issues of the time and its impact on rural south west Wales. In this case it was so interesting seeing how John and his companions view the Great Exhibition and the differing views and potential impacts of industrialisation of the woollen industry along the Teifi Valley. How land could be sold off to enable these changes to take place and simple changes in tenancies and effects of agricultural practices are all topics featured but because of the light and interesting touch lead me to find out more.
exploring the social impact of the arrival of the Industrial Revolution on this part of Wales. The contrast between the wealthy landowners and the poor tenant farmers is well brought out through the two characters.
The custom of 'courting in bed', also known as 'bundling' is also explored and an interesting feature of the death and adds authenticity to the plot. The death is a genuine mystery and even a post mortem carried out by the ghoulish Doctor Reckitt is unable to provide an answer so the eventual explanation is all the more satisfying.
Can thoroughly recommend as a good read.
January 23, 2024
I am always on the lookout for crime novels - in Welsh or English - set in Wales.
I was surprised to come across this wonderful series, set in the Teifi valley of the nineteenth century. Surprised because I had not come across Alis Hawkins before - these books deserve to be far better known. I love history and I love crime novels but 'historical' crime novels don't always work for me, wherever they may be set. There are exceptions to this, most certainly including this series which is very much better, to my mind, than some very famous historical crime novels.
I actually started with this fourth (and last) in the Teifi Valley series. By a kind of reverse-cliffhanger-effect, I had to go back to the start of the series to read them all. But 'Not one of us' works as a standalone too.
I listened to the Audible recordings of the book and Iestyn Arwel is now my favourite reader ever.
One of my reasons for listening to books -rather than reading them - is that I have a milder version of the sight disability that afflicts Harry Probert Lloyd: in my case, loss of central vision in just one eye.
The story is told, alternately, by the coroner, Harry, and his assistant John Davies. They different things that they 'see', the different ways they encounter the world, and the way they need each other's skills and insight is one of the most interesting things about the books.
In both I have read to date, there is a large cast of characters: all so memorable and all with such depth that I never had any problem remembering who was who.
And then there is the historical detail and the way Alis Hawkins brings it alive. The custom of 'courting in bed', or 'bundling' - and other courting traditions of the area - is explored against the better known historical background of the developing wool industry in the Teifi valley. If 'developing wool industry' and excitement doesn't seem to you to go together, well the author manages it - the clash of the old and the new. (In the first book of the series we encounter the extraordinary and little-known Rebecca Riots.)
There is great attention to detail in the vivid descriptions of places and buildings and day-to-day objects. The plot is never lost in all of this, and it is a plot that takes many turns before we reach the end of the story. The ending is sad, unexpected and satisfying and never feels contrived.
Aren't I lucky still to have two in the series to go?
I was surprised to come across this wonderful series, set in the Teifi valley of the nineteenth century. Surprised because I had not come across Alis Hawkins before - these books deserve to be far better known. I love history and I love crime novels but 'historical' crime novels don't always work for me, wherever they may be set. There are exceptions to this, most certainly including this series which is very much better, to my mind, than some very famous historical crime novels.
I actually started with this fourth (and last) in the Teifi Valley series. By a kind of reverse-cliffhanger-effect, I had to go back to the start of the series to read them all. But 'Not one of us' works as a standalone too.
I listened to the Audible recordings of the book and Iestyn Arwel is now my favourite reader ever.
One of my reasons for listening to books -rather than reading them - is that I have a milder version of the sight disability that afflicts Harry Probert Lloyd: in my case, loss of central vision in just one eye.
The story is told, alternately, by the coroner, Harry, and his assistant John Davies. They different things that they 'see', the different ways they encounter the world, and the way they need each other's skills and insight is one of the most interesting things about the books.
In both I have read to date, there is a large cast of characters: all so memorable and all with such depth that I never had any problem remembering who was who.
And then there is the historical detail and the way Alis Hawkins brings it alive. The custom of 'courting in bed', or 'bundling' - and other courting traditions of the area - is explored against the better known historical background of the developing wool industry in the Teifi valley. If 'developing wool industry' and excitement doesn't seem to you to go together, well the author manages it - the clash of the old and the new. (In the first book of the series we encounter the extraordinary and little-known Rebecca Riots.)
There is great attention to detail in the vivid descriptions of places and buildings and day-to-day objects. The plot is never lost in all of this, and it is a plot that takes many turns before we reach the end of the story. The ending is sad, unexpected and satisfying and never feels contrived.
Aren't I lucky still to have two in the series to go?
September 9, 2021
Not One of Us is the fourth book in Alis Hawkins’ Teifi Valley Coroner series, and it’s an excellent addition to the series. The story is absorbing and truly feels rooted in mid-nineteenth century west Wales, meaning that I’ve painlessly learned quite a bit of Welsh history along the way.
Over the four books I’ve really enjoyed the character development of Harry Probert-Lloyd the coroner, his assistant John Davies, and now Lydia Howell who brings her strength and intelligence to help the pair in their work running the Glanteifi estate and investigating local suspicious deaths. Although I think the story in this book would stand alone, much of my pleasure in the series is to do with the relationships between the characters, so I think it’s important to read the books in order to get the best out of them.
A thoroughly recommended series, long may they continue!
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback.
Over the four books I’ve really enjoyed the character development of Harry Probert-Lloyd the coroner, his assistant John Davies, and now Lydia Howell who brings her strength and intelligence to help the pair in their work running the Glanteifi estate and investigating local suspicious deaths. Although I think the story in this book would stand alone, much of my pleasure in the series is to do with the relationships between the characters, so I think it’s important to read the books in order to get the best out of them.
A thoroughly recommended series, long may they continue!
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback.
January 22, 2022
The Industrial Revolution comes to the Teifi Valley in the latest installment of this wonderful series. All the elements that make this series so satisfying are here: the careful historical research, plentiful details based on real cultural practices, lots of twists and turns in discovering the mystery, so many secrets in what seem like peaceful farming villages. The relationship between Harry and John gets deeper and more complicated as Harry continually bungles his responsibilities and John grows more confident in his judgment. Harry is at last becoming more adapted to his central vision blindness, using his powers of observation more skillfully, but socially he's still the boy he was in the first book, making the same kinds of mistakes as squire. I'm hoping in future books he starts to mature more as John has. Now that the crime-fighting team is fully assembled, I'm looking forward to more in this series.
October 8, 2021
With his trusty assistant in London, Harry, in his role as coroner, gets dragged into the mysterious death of young Lizzie Rees and mistakes are made. Harry also finds himself up against it as squire of his estate. Can he solve the mystery and save his estate? Whilst also saving his relationships with his friends which is becoming fractured?
Book four in the Teifi Valley Coroner series and the high standard continues. John Davies’ character development really accelerates in this book and challenges Harry, who really now does rely on him for so many things. The ending promises to create another interesting dynamic for the future. A good history summary as ever at the back of the book, which really does add something special to these books. Love this series.
Book four in the Teifi Valley Coroner series and the high standard continues. John Davies’ character development really accelerates in this book and challenges Harry, who really now does rely on him for so many things. The ending promises to create another interesting dynamic for the future. A good history summary as ever at the back of the book, which really does add something special to these books. Love this series.
October 6, 2021
I have really enjoyed the earlier books in the Teifi Valley Coroner series. Historical fiction is my favourite genre and being set in the homelands of my ancestors provides an added interest. My 4x grandfather is even referred to in passing in this one. Good historical detail as ever and it was interesting to be reminded of the old practice of courting in bed. Book 4 failed to capture me though, perhaps the premise is wearing a bit thin. This time I just found the tension between Harry and John simply annoying.
January 9, 2022
I’ve read all of these and they just get better. Welsh history, meticulously researched, enclosed in a great story. Really enjoying the development of the characters too.
Harry is a flawed character and all the more endearing for it. He wants to do his best but at the same time he resists his duty to his tenants with disastrous results in this story.
The way history and fiction is combined is masterful and I look forward to the next book in the series.
Harry is a flawed character and all the more endearing for it. He wants to do his best but at the same time he resists his duty to his tenants with disastrous results in this story.
The way history and fiction is combined is masterful and I look forward to the next book in the series.
December 29, 2021
I’ve really enjoyed this series!
Harry and John are very engaging characters, with just enough flaws to be realistic, but not unsympathetic.
The mysteries they resolve are satisfying and complex, and all reflect interesting aspects of Welsh social history.
Highly recommended
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Harry and John are very engaging characters, with just enough flaws to be realistic, but not unsympathetic.
The mysteries they resolve are satisfying and complex, and all reflect interesting aspects of Welsh social history.
Highly recommended
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
April 29, 2022
Another excellent installment in the Teifi Valley Coroner series.
A slow burning start leads to multiple diverting fires, and our heroes caught in the middle.
Looking forward to the next.
A slow burning start leads to multiple diverting fires, and our heroes caught in the middle.
Looking forward to the next.
November 22, 2023
Love this series. Hope there will be a book 5. I’m really enjoying all the characters as well as the history in this part of Wales.
November 15, 2025
I didn’t realise until part of the way through that this was one in a series ; some of the references to Harry’s past made me realise that there must have been previous parts to the story.
I very much enjoyed the setting - both in the landscape, with which I am familiar , and in time, the edge of industrialisation and the effects on the interwoven rural communities.
The plot was less enjoyable, or at least the clunky way it was written. Everything was very drawn out and I never quite believed in any of the characters. Either a better editor is needed or maybe the author would be better employed in presenting her research in a non-fiction format
I very much enjoyed the setting - both in the landscape, with which I am familiar , and in time, the edge of industrialisation and the effects on the interwoven rural communities.
The plot was less enjoyable, or at least the clunky way it was written. Everything was very drawn out and I never quite believed in any of the characters. Either a better editor is needed or maybe the author would be better employed in presenting her research in a non-fiction format
August 4, 2024
In the fourth novel in the Teifi Valley Coroner series, Alis Hawkins continues the adventures of a blind Coroner/landowner/lawyer and his associates solving mysteries in the mid-nineteenth century. Well researched with attention to social prejudices and structures of the place and time, the story drew me in even as I was frustrated at times by the awkwardness, dare I say obtuseness, of characters as they related to one another. I have enjoyed reading the series and sincerely hope that this volume was not the final installment.
September 20, 2022
Once again, Alis Hawkins is an exceptional writer. This book is very ‘rural’ and very ‘Welsh’ and some of the plotlines can seem tedious at times. John Davies does tend to go on a bit about trivial matters also. But this series is as much a social commentary as anything, the actual investigation taking a back seat at times. Overall, another fine addition to the series.
September 11, 2024
I've loved this series. There needs to be more.
The historical research and visualisation of life in the south Walian valley is fascinating. Combine it with a great characters and a murder mystery what's not to love.
The historical research and visualisation of life in the south Walian valley is fascinating. Combine it with a great characters and a murder mystery what's not to love.
February 16, 2025
Excellent historical murder mystery, my introduction to welsh with this last book in a very well written series by the author. The two different perspectives from Harry and John is very well done and I hope to be able to read the earlier books in the series to learn more about each character.
October 31, 2026
I loved the first 3 books in this series but was disappointed with to this one. It somehow seemed to drag on and the plot felt bit choppy and forced. Maybe it was just me but I wonder if the author was tired of the series? That's how it felt.
May 7, 2022
Good historical read found it slow at times.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews