I’ve written before about this wonderful series by Gillian Hamer. I was hooked by the first in the series, The Charter – well-drawn characters, a strong sense of place, good dialogue, a rattling good story, a murder mystery, a touch of the supernatural, a treasure hunt, a thriller and adventure story, and well researched history backing it all up. The second, Closure, was even better. Two separate story threads to begin with – a serial killer targeting students at Bangor University, and the work of North Wales CID to track him down, and the seemingly disconnected story of Jake, a child experiencing horrifying dreams triggered by a past life.
This third in the series had me equally hooked. 60AD and the attempts of the Romans to overcome the Druids of Mona, and a modern serial killer on the loose, all linked by a secret society protecting ancient secrets. Detectives Gareth Parry and Chris Coleman are joined by a new girl, DC Megan Jones, and the story twists and turns with twists, turns and many heart in mouth moments and really unexpected shocks. As this series builds, the characters of Gareth and Chris are developing nicely, and Megan is a great addition – keen to shine, sometimes clashing with the others in her eagerness to make her mark, but with an edge of softness in her developing new relationship and her caring for young Anna Brown. These books are all complete, stand-alone stories, but the background stories of the detectives do mean that they benefit from reading in sequence.
The settings are really well drawn – this is a part of the world I know well – and the Welsh voices have just the right touch of authenticity. While the setting is what originally drew me to this series, I’d highly recommend it to a whole range of readers – there’s police procedure and crime investigation, a strong historical back story, touches of magic and mysticism, all wrapped up in a flowing and readable style along with a thrilling adventure story. Very highly recommended – I loved this book, and can’t wait for the next one.
Already available forKindle, this book will be launched by Triskele Books on 1st June. All three books in the series are available at the time of writing at the fantastic price of £2.99 each for Kindle. I’d also like to recommend Triskele Books’ excellent blog – this is a publisher worth keeping an eye on.
This series has been on my radar since you posted your review of Closure. It sounds great, and always fun to read books in a familiar setting. I must pick up a copy of The Charter soon!
Wonderful review. I loved this novel too! For those interested in Gillian's series, Complicit is on offer in a giveaway this week: http://burgandyice.blogspot.fr/2013/05/triskele-books-giveaway-tour-day-1.html
Yes, each novel stands alone as an adventure in itself, but the whole series are a wonderful way to get to know the characters and region. I HAVE to visit Anglesey after reading these.
I love the Anglesey locations too. My family come from there, and reading one of this series never fails to cause a wave of nostalgia. I am growing very fond of Hamer's team of detectives as well.
Thanks guys. I was in beautiful Anglesey at the weekend – my brother's wedding at a beautiful venue called Plas Rhianfa in Glyn Garth near Beaumaris…