Evan Help Us

August 3, 1998
The pseudymous Bowen, a veteran English mystery author, continues the estimable cozy series starring Constable Evan Evans (Evans Above, 1997). Llanfair, North Wales, has suddenly become a hotbed of change: a single woman and her daughter move into the village; Colonel Arbuthnot, a yearly visitor from London, discovers a ruin in the nearby hills he claims is the relic of Camelot; and native Ted Morgan returns to his hometown with grandiose plans to turn an abandoned mine into a theme park. That the Colonel dies after he has sown visions of fame and plenty among Llanfair residents raises suspicions of homicide in Evans. When Morgan is found shot to death, Evans is convinced that the two incidents are related. With the help of Sergeant Watkins, he attempts to establish a connection between the prodigal former resident, the beautiful young woman and the elderly visitor. The only apparent link seems to rest in London, prompting the intrepid Welshmen to brave the metropolis and solve the case. In the course of tracking down the killer, Evans becomes the object of desire for the new woman, a turn of events that jeopardizes his relationship with a local teacher. Bowen's quiet humor and her appreciation for rural village life make this a jewel of a story.

August 1, 1998
In the ineffably quaint and impossibly charming village of Llanfair in North Wales, Evan Evans is into his second year as local constable: his landlady spoils him, the buxom barmaid flirts with him, and the golden-haired schoolteacher with the cornflower-blue eyes helps clear his mind but muddles his heart. Two murders in quick succession stun the town: an elderly retired colonel whom everyone liked and a returning local, who announces plans for a haunted slate-mine theme park (!) just before being dispatched. Evans-the-Law (to distinguish him from Evans-the-Meat, the butcher, and Evans-the-Milk, the dairyman) is sure there is a connection, and it may have to do with the colonel's discovery of some possibly ancient ruins or the strong feelings that run for and against the tourists that Morgan's plans would bring to Llanfair. Satisfying as a Guinness pint. ((Reviewed August 1998))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1998, American Library Association.)