Malcolm Pryce

[DMB]

I got hold of one of his books in Amazon's UK spring sale. I had never heard of him before. The book was Aberystwyth mon Amour. For those who don't know the UK, Aberwystwyth is a town in Wales (yes, that bit sticking out to the west of England that is actually a separate country and has its own language, Welsh). I have just finished reading this book and can recommend the quality of his writing.

It's a very quirky story, to be read mainly for the humour, and I can do no better than to quote the Wikipedia entry for this author:

Pryce writes in the style of Raymond Chandler, but his novels are incongruously set on the rainswept streets of an alternate universe version of the Welsh seaside resort and university town of Aberystwyth. The hero of the novels is Louie Knight, the best private detective in Aberystwyth (also the only private detective in Aberystwyth), who battles crime organised by the local Druids, investigates the strange case of the town's disappearing youths, and gets involved in its burgeoning film industry, which produces What The Butler Saw movies.

Other titles by Pryce:

• Last Tango in Aberystwyth
• The Unbearable Lightness of Being in Aberystwyth
• Don't Cry for Me Aberystwyth
• From Aberystwyth with Love