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The Day Aberystwyth Stood Still

The Day Aberystwyth Stood Still
by Malcolm Pryce
Bloomsbury (e-book)

Malcolm Pryce's supremely enjoyable and funny series of Louie Knight detective stories translate the structure, tone and plots of Raymond Chandler-esque crime noir to the most unlikely location on the planet: Aberystwyth, a coastal town in Wales. Thanks to the Patagonian war (don't ask), this version of the town is rife with criminals of varying sorts.

Knight finds himself embroiled in the Aberystwyth mayoral election - no ordinary contest - it's ultimately decided by a boxing match. This is the last thing on Knight's mind when he is asked to find Iestyn Probert, who most townsfolk believed to be hanged. The plot is deftly handled as Knight pinballs between odd sub-plots: randy visitors from outer space bothering local farmer Hugh Puw; the ominous Raspiwtin. The dialogue tingles pleasantly. 'Arresting people is boring,' Knight reveals. 'Trouble is, it makes them produce a lot of mucus...'

'You can arrest me,' replies a man called Sauerkopp. 'I wash every day.' Highly recommended.

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