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Title: Evans Above by J. Rhys Bowen, Graham Roberts ISBN: 1-86042-419-8 Publisher: Soundings Ltd Pub. Date: April, 1998 Format: Audio Cassette

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Average Customer Rating: 3.86 (14 reviews)

Rating: 3
Summary: slow reading
Comment: I've heard rave reviews of the Constable Evans series but I hope the other titles in the series are better mysteries than this one.

The story line is intriguing enough that I finished reading it, but I found lots of repetitions in the plot as well as in the writing. The same women try over and over and over again with the same ploy to get the Constable's attention. The same complaint about his landlady who tries to feed him good food. The same annoyance at a minister's wife who insists on finding out who's trespassed her garden.

The story is set in Wales, and there are bits and pieces of the Welsh diction inter-dispersed in the dialogues. But the entire time I was reading, I found myself wanting to be convinced that the author indeed knew enough about life in a Welsh village to set a story in it. In the end, I am not convinced at all.

Rating: 3
Summary: Read it for the pleasure of the Welsh culture
Comment: The first installment in the Constable Evans series of Welsh mysteries introduces us to the quiet village of Llanfair, at the foot of mount Snowdon in Northern Wales. With its slate blue cottages and warm townsfolk, it is the last place on earth for murder. Or is it? Faster than you can say "bore da" (the Welsh "hello"), Constable Evan Evans - "You can't get more Welsh than that, can you?" (Page 213) - is whisked away from his weekly sermon at church when the terrible deaths of two apparent climbers take place at the famous mountain, quite furtively. An investigation immediately opens but Constable Evans doesn't get much help. He has to deal with some eccentric superiors who would not accept his hunches about the two deaths being connected, even though they happened in two different spots at Mount Snowdon.

Poor Evans doesn't have it easier on his personal turf either. Two local women are on his track: one exuberant barmaid and a demure school teacher who are at each other's throats over him, a landlady who overfeeds him Welsh delicacies, and the local minister's wife, who expects him to be at her beck-and-call for everything from tomato theft to flowerbed trampling.

This is a complex mystery that starts off with two murders, but it develops into an engaging puzzle of disappearances, child crimes, robbery, etc.; where Constable Evans always tries to find "a connection". As the book progresses, this becomes his mantra, as the confusion increases and the so called connection seems most elusive, but it's always lurking in the background, until it eventually turns up.

I didn't find the denouement all that fair to the reader. As a matter of fact, it is impossible to discover whodunit on the book's evidence alone because a vital piece of information is missing until, all of a sudden, we're confronted with the murderer. Withholding information in a mystery is a serious crime (get it?). The evidence, the clues, must all be well hidden and sometimes even presented deceptively; but they must always be there, and the reader must be able to sense them. This is not so in "Evans Above". Luckily, however, this country cozy is entertaining enough, when at the same time reflects the fierce nationalism that makes this part of the UK stand as a land on its own. The local customs and the spirit of the people come through, giving the book its true value. As it says in the prologue, one doesn't think of Wales as a foreign country, but in fact it is. It is one of those places I'd like to visit some day, and, thanks to books like this one, I know I'll keep it in my heart.

Rating: 5
Summary: Entertaining and Enjoyable Series Debut
Comment: Constable Evan Evans is enjoying his quiet job in the small Welsh village of Llanfair. The only things that occupy his time are avoiding attempts to set him up with eligible women like Betsy the barmaid and answering the occasional call from Mrs. Powell-Jones about trespassers in her garden.

But one day, two bodies are found on nearby Mount Snowden. Both look like hiking accidents, but Evan is convinced that something strange is going on. Poking around, he finds a connection between the two men. But why were they lured to their death? Is there really a mad man on the loose on his beloved mountains?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The setting and characters were charming, and the subtle humor kept me smiling throughout. Part way through, I was convinced I knew what was going on, but wound up being completely surprised by the ending. The plot never looses its pace either. There was always some new bit of information to keep me glued to the book.

I'm glad I gave this series a try and am already planning a return visit. If you enjoy cozies, pick up the first in this fun series.