Last Tango in Aberystwyth

Aberystwyth, or at least this one set in the alternate world of druid gangsters, of long-term assassins, and strange psychological experiments set in an abandoned insane asylum, its where Louie Knight is the only private detective, and with his trusty sidekick, Calamity Jane, takes on a case of the missing Dean Louie assumes its a typical scholarly type wanting to carouse with the low-class for awhile - but the mystery takes a completely different turn when it looks like the Dean was into something else completely.

As with the first book in this series, it has utter ridiculous story, and it shouldn't work. But it does - and its because for all its silliness, it is a totally serious book. It is bleak - it is sad - at times, horrific (the show more clown's johnnies, for example) And, it a good read. Malcolm Pryce is an excellent writer - He manages to take a stereotype and turns it into something that is a full character, without loosing the stereotype.

This the perfect read for a bleak, rainy afternoon - where you want something that is moody but not too serious. Highly recommended. show less

This is the second of Pryce's pastiche's of the noir detective novel that I've read, and it was just as entertaining as the first. If you've not come across him before, you'll need to know that he takes the style and plot devices of mid-20th century hard-boiled American detective fiction and transplants it to late 20th-century Wales; more specifically, to Aberystwyth and it's immediate environs.It's intended to be for humorous effect and it broadly succeeds. These books don't demand much of you but are easy reading that raises many smiles along the way.

Gangs control the seaside rock concessions, dingy dives are sometimes scandalously open after 9pm, and our detective has the traditional troubled relationship with the forces of law and show more order as well as those of ordered unlawfulness. The Druids run the speakeasies, the troubled drown their sorrows in toffee-apple dens, and young girls hope to find fame but end up in the 'What the Butler Saw' movies. There's a femme fatale, a murky crime from the past, a mysterious stranger or two and many people with secrets to encounter along the way. You don't need to know more - if you like the sound of all this, read it. You won't be disappointed. show less

The 2nd in the series of humorous noir mysteries set in the Welsh town of Aberystwyth. A dean from the Faculty of Undertaking at Lampeter University paid a visit to Aberystwyth and hasn't been seen since. One of his students has hired Louie Knight, Aber's only PI, to find out what's happened to him. It seems there has been a case of mistaken identity as the Dean was given a bag containing details of the next contract meant for a Druid hitman. Not only does Louie and his partner Calamity have to put up with dead-end after dead-end in their investigation but there are also rumours of a Bigfoot type monster roaming the hills that might have connections to Louie's past for them to worry about as well. Perhaps a visit to Dai the Custard Pie show more can shed some light on the matter.

If you like your noir to be straight up and hard edged then you might want to consider looking elsewhere for your fix. If, however, you don't mind a little fun being poked into a few unusual places then this series might be worth your while. Those that have already tasted life in Aberystwyth with Aberystwyth Mon Amour will know what to expect from this second outing and it will definitely help to read that one first to help with character interactions that progress in Last Tango. show less

The follow-up to "Aberystwyth Mon Amour".

Pretty girls from the farms beyond Talybont come to Aber to make their fortune modelling for the pictures on boxes of fudge, but end up acting in the 'what the butler saw' films and practising the oldest profession in the Druid speakeasies in the bed-and-breakfast ghetto, while the veterans of the Patagonian campaign are still haunted by their experiences in Wales' Vietnam.

The second Louis Knight private eye book. I remember loving the first book. While this one was very much in the same vein as Aberystwyth Mon Amour, I didn't feel so strongly about it.
Technically, it was everything I expected it to be, everything I enjoyed from the first book. It was easy to read and difficult to put down. BUT it was lacking in something. I don't think it has anything to do with the deficiency of Malcolm Pryce as a writer. He is an excellent writer and takes on the genre superbly.
I think it's because the last books I read ahead of this were so outstanding, that I couldn't help but measure this book against them.
Pryce lacked the easy wit of Jasper Fforde and the heart-stopping story weaving of C.J. Sansom.
It's my own show more fault really... I really must stop comparing such different writers. show less

Wonderful conceit of setting a noir crime book in Aberystwyth, with druids instead of the mafia, and ice creams instead of booze...

I really struggled to read this book; I found it too surreal in places to really keep up with what was going on. I had heard great reviews about it, so I was let down when I read it myself. I did persevere with it, which was a good thing, as it did improve as I continued and I must admit some sections were quite amusing. But overall it felt a bit like some great in-joke that I was not privy to and thus couldn't join in with. If you have trouble sleeping, this might well help!!