Evans Above

Rhys Bowen

Evan Evans, or Evans the Law, is the policeman in a small village in Wales at the bottom of mountain. He enjoys being the police in this small town, even if Mrs. Powell-Jones was sure Mrs. Davies was stealing her prize winning tomato plants. One evening he is called up to the mountain to investigate a hiker's death. The man had fallen to his death.

His superior, Sargeant Watkins, rules it an accident. Evan is not so sure because of the location of the fall. Then another man is found dead, also apparently of a hiking accident. Yet he was not dressed for hiking in rough mountain terrain. The local police are tied up in another case trying to catch a child molester and murderer. Both of these deaths are ruled as accidental.

Evan is not satisfied. As the town policeman rather than an investigator, he has no reason to follow up. He does anyway. He begins finding connections. Nothing quite fits, though. After a third body is found on the mountain, this an obvious murder, the local inspector is called in. The case now belongs to him and Evan has no reason to investigate. He is inwardly compelled to follow up.

This is a light, easy to read novel. The mystery is well done, with enough clues to steer the reader the right direction, and enough red herrings to make the reader wonder. This book is written as the beginning of a series as we meet Evan and the people in the village of Llanfair.

The Death of Riley by Rhys Bowen