Customer Reviews

Evan Help Us (Constable Evans Mystery)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When he becomes constable of the small Welsh village of Llanfair, Evan thought he had a quiet, tranquil job. However, recently there has been an alleged archeological find in the nearby hills that has brought outsiders to the area and kindled the feud between the villagers of Llanfair and the nearby hamlet of Beddgelert.

Evan soon finds himself embroiled in a deadly who-done-it when annual visitor Colonel Arbuthnot, the discover of the so-called Camelot artifact, is killed. Ted Morgan, a native son with development plans, is also murdered. Convinced that the two deaths are linked, Evan finds a tenuous connection that takes him to the perilous streets of London in order to ferret out the identity of a killer.

EVAN HELP US, the second novel in the elegant Evans English cozy, is a fabulous entry in a warm series. The eccentric support cast brings alive life in small town Wales and the mystery is fun to follow. However, this book really takes off when Evans finds himself as a total misfit in the big city, even though he continues his search. This novel and Rhys Bowen's first entry (EVANS ABOVE) are must reading for sub-genre fans because these are witty, charming stories.

Harriet Klausner

Life in Llanfair is about to get another jolt. Colonel Arbuthnot is hit over the head and killed right after discovering an ancient ruin on the nearby mountains. Meanwhile, tensions build in the town when Evans-the-Meat announces a plan to put the village on the map and returning resident Ted Morgan announces plans to turn the old slate mine into an amusement park. Then a second body turns up. Constable Evan Evans finds himself overwhelmed with events and trying to find the pieces to make sense of it all. But if that's not complication enough, there's a new female resident in town, and she also has her eye on the eligible lawman.

I just discovered this series last month, and I've already read two of them. The characters and setting are charming. The author's obvious love of them comes through on every page. The plot is great as well. While I had some things figured out, there were still enough twists to keep me surprised until the end.

Anyone looking for a relaxing cozy mystery would do well to book some time in Llanfair. I'm hooked and look forward to many happy visits with Evan and his neighbors.

That's surprising given I've been to Wales and it was very foggy and damp -- but the Wales described in this book is a wonderful place indeed -- beautiful and filled with kind, caring people (who unfortunately for any outsider speak Welsh!)

This is the second book in the series -- I'm reading them in order -- and I think I liked it better than the first. I thought at first I had everything all figured out, and was disappointed, but as it turned out, I wasn't even close. That's a great mystery. Add to that a wonderful world you enter when you read this book...

The plot involves a summer resident (a retired Colonel living on a pension who comes to this tiny village in Wales every year for a holiday) who is found dead right after he's discovered some ruins. The local constable, Evan Evans, immediately believes he was murdered, but the police higher up the chain of command try to insist it's an accident. Then there is another death -- made to look like a suicide. Is there one killer or two? Evans gets involved in trying to find the connection between these two deaths as the key to discovering what happened.

All in all, a great book to curl up with when you have the time to read uninterrupted -- it creates a wonderful mood.

This series is set in the peaceful Welsh village of Llanfair and features Evan Evans, the local constable. When two recently arrived Londoners are murdered, Evans must sift through the rivalries that the victims were involved in. This is a well-crafted series with likable characters and well-written plots. Each entry in the series is better than the one before. If you like British procedurals, add this to your to-buy list.

This book is cosy and even though I'm a city girl and far from Welsh, the whole thing reeks of Home. It's funny and light and the characters a delight. The mystery is good and the pacing as well, but no: this book is not a thriller or nail-biter or really dumbfounding, shocking or complex mystery. Doesn't make it any less a good book or nice read, however. Try it. I'm enjoying all four books of the Evan Evans series so far.

Evan Help Us is the second in a series featuring Evan Evans, a constable in the small Welch town of Llanfair. When two murders occur in rapid succession, Evan is called upon to help solve the mystery. Rhys Bowen describes the Welch countryside in charming detail, but the action is a trifle plodding and lacks the spice of the Molly Murphy and Royal Spyness novels by the same author. Things do heat up in the final chapters, with what starts out as a fairly predictable resolution twisting itself into something a little more interesting. I may not go out of my way to obtain another Constable Evans mystery, but the reading of this one wasn't a complete disappointment. Perhaps that is my main complaint about this novel: there wasn't really anything strikingly wonderful or awful to distinguish it, it was just OK.

I have enjoyed ALL of Rhys Bowen's murder mysteries. I write this review of the Constable Evans book because Rhys will no longer be writing this series. This is a big disappointment as I enjoyed the innate goodness of Constable Evans and his struggles with humanity in a small slice of earth that struggles with it's own history and growth. I have collected all the paperbacks of this series and I guess I'll just have to keep reading them over and over.

After finishing this thoroughly satisfying cozy, you'll feel as if you had an insider's visit to a charming little village of Llanfair in Wales. The characters actually breathe, the language is just plain FUN, these are people you've sure you have truly met. The writing is clever and inspired and the scenes are wonderfully painted. Constable Evan Evans is the policeman with both a heart and a brain, as well as a coodling landlady and enough love interest to keep tongues wagging. Dueling church billboards are a witty and delightful touch.

This reader is delighted that there is more of Evans and Llanfair waiting. If you have made it through the series and wonder what's next - then M.C. Beaton's Hamish MacBeth series of cozies might should be added to your reading list.

Warm humor; enjoyable. Comforting read

Constable Evan Evans had abandoned the police detective training tract to become the village constable of the small mountain village of Llanfair in North Wales. He had settled in quite comfortably, his landlady spoiled him with three square meals a day, the villagers accepted him as one of their own, as respected as but not to be confused with Evans-the-Meat (the butcher), Evans-the-Milk (the milk man) There was a congenial village pub, complete with a friendly young barmaid and a lovely young schoolteacher who enjoyed hiking the nearby mountains with him. And now that the unfortunate incidents of a few months ago were safely behind him Evan looked forward to years of peace in his quiet mountain retreat.

Another visitor to Llanfair, Col Arbuthnot also has come to enjoy the peace and mountain air but when he discovers an ancient shrine that peace is threatened. Another threat to Llanfair's peace is returning son, Ted Morgan, who wants to construct a theme park. Is it any wonder that Evan's peace is shattered by a sudden rash of dead bodies? Once again the Constable's sleuthing skills are called into service. Too bad his skills in the romance department are not as sharp.

This is a charming series of cozies that feature young Evan Evans who has chosen to retreat to the quiet town of Llanfair after a family tragedy. Fans of the HAMISH MACBETH series probably enjoy this one as well.