Book Review of ‘In Two Minds’ by Alis Hawkins
Genre: Crime Thriller/ Historical
Published: May 2019, The Dome Press
Swathi’s Rating: 4.5/5
Today I have a wonderful Crime Thriller recommendations for y’all and it’s SO good till the very last. It’s a series but you could read both the books as standalone Novels.
I am so excited to be sharing my review on this fantastic historical crime thriller for which I was privileged to reveal the stunning cover along with a brilliant piece with the author Alis Hawkins. Thanks to The Dome Press for my copy of the book. As always, I am very grateful for the great books you guys publish!!
Click to read Alis’s piece on The things you learn when writing historical crime fiction!
Plot:
Harry Probert-Lloyd, a young barrister forced home from London by encroaching blindness, has begun work as the acting coroner of Teifi Valley with solicitor’s clerk John Davies as his assistant.
When a faceless body is found on an isolated beach, Harry must lead the inquest. But his dogged pursuit of the truth begins to ruffle feathers. Especially when he decided to work alongside a local doctor with a dubious reputation and experimental theories considered radical and dangerous. Refusing to accept easy answers might not only jeopardise Harry’s chance to be elected coroner permanently but could, it seems implicate his own family in a crime.
AmazonSwathi’s Review:
‘In Two Minds’ is the second installment to the Teifi Valley Coroner series with Harry Lloyd returning home to Wales because of his eyesight declining everyday. It’s difficult with his father who is only interested in making Harry take over his estate one day and be responsible for it as it’s landowner. with his poor eyesight, he is almost completely dependent on his housekeeper Lydia. He is keen on continuing his career as a coroner and takes up the position along with John Davies as his assistant. John seems to understand the pressure on Harry and ambitious enough to put his judgemental skills to help Harry in his investigations.
Soon the duo are called to investigate the murder case of a man’s body whose body is washed on the beach. His face has been disfigured which only makes the identification difficult. Harry is just not happy to rule out the death as natural causes as he suspects more unknown secrets are yet to be revealed. He requests for an autopsy despite the pressure and opposition from the magistrates of the community and the locals to drop the case. As suspected, several new evidences come to light as the investigation takes a brand new turn.
This book starts right where the previous book ended but it can be read as a standalone. John Davies proves to be witty and trust worthy to Harry as they continue their unlikely friendship during the investigation. I believe it’s their ambition that keeps them going beyond the odds. One thing I enjoyed the most apart from the brilliant story telling process is the setting of the story. The historic setting of Wales is a pleasant place to be while Harry is busy solving the crimes. A highly recommended novel for those who adore crime thrillers with in-depth narration and well developed characters.
Author Bio:
Alis Hawkins grew up on a dairy farm in Cardiganshire. Her inner introvert thought it would be a good idea to become a shepherd and, frankly, if she had, she might have been published sooner. As it was, three years reading English at Corpus Christi College, Oxford revealed an extrovert streak and a social conscience which saw her train as a Speech and Language Therapist. She has spent the subsequent three decades variously bringing up two sons, working with children and young people on the autism spectrum and writing fiction, non-fiction and plays. She writes the kind of books she likes to read: character-driven historical crime and mystery fiction with what might be called literary production values.
Series: The Teifi Valley Coroner historical crime series, featuring Harry Probert Lloyd and John Davies. Published by Freight Books 2017, due for reissue by The Dome Press October 2018
Trilogy: The first of the Black Death trilogy, The Black and The White, coming soon from Sapere Books (summer 2018).
Standalone: Testament – previously published by PanMacmillan, soon for reissue by Sapere Books (summer 2018).
Find Alix on Twitter @Alis_Hawkins