The Engine House

tags: mystery-crime, Welsh

⭐

From Goodreads

You can bury the bodies, but you can’t hide the truth.

When a landslip on Pembrokeshire’s stunning coastal path reveals the harrowing remains of two bodies, ex-DCI Evan Warlow’s quiet retirement is shattered. As the original investigator for the two missing persons eight years before, Evan is recalled to help with what is now a murder inquiry. But as the killer scrambles to cover up the truth, the body count rises.

Working with a new young team, Warlow peels away the layers to reveal the dark and rotten heart that beats beneath the chocolate box tranquility of an area renowned for its quiet beauty. But does he still have what it takes to root out the monstrous truth before all hell lets loose? The Engine House is the gripping debut crime thriller set in the heart of wild Wales from author Rhys Dylan.

Perfect for fans of LJ Ross, JD Kirk. JM Dalgliesh and Simon McCleave. Celtic noir with a spatter of dark humour.

I was excited to start a new series from a British author because all the mystery authors whose books I liked have sadly passed and the ones I still read are good but not great (Wilkie Martin) and some are mediocre.

I'm disappointed in this Welsh detective series. The writing is okay although I cannot understand why the author wrote third person in the past tense on Chapter I then switched to present tense on Chapter 2 all the way to the end. It's jarring and there's no good reason to do that. And I didn't detect any dark humor. Nada. 

The story started fine with possibly a little gothic mystery then the author ruined it by making the story about same old same old...drugs! I thought he couldn't make the story any worse but he did by adding illegal immigrants and totally destroyed the gothic feel of the engine house. What a dumb ending and a let down. I guess my search for a good British author is still on. 

Not recommended.