I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
Evan Blessed
by
Rhys Bowen
cozy mystery in Paperback edition that was published by Berkley on July 5, 2006 and has 272 pages.
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Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Evans Above, Evan Help Us, Evanly Choirs, Bless the Bride, The Last Illusion, Evan and Elle, Naughty in Nice, Evan Can Wait, Evans to Betsy, Evan Only Knows, Her Royal Spyness, A Royal Pain, Royal Flush, Evan's Gate, Royal Blood, Evanly Bodies, Rhys Bowen, Hush Now, Don't You Cry, The Twelve Clues of Christmas, The Family Way, Heirs and Graces, Queen of Hearts, Malice at the Palace, Crowned and Dangerous, On Her Majesty's Frightfully Secret Service, The Tuscan Child, Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding, Love and Death Among the Cheetahs, The Last Mrs Summers
Ninth in the Constable Evans mystery series set in a small village in Wales.
My Take
Well, I’m prejudiced! I love cottages and Welsh dressers so naturally, I love this installment in the series! It’s also some pretty clever detective work on Evans’ part that enables them to solve both missing cases and a couple of cold cases.
I can understand being angry about losing the opportunity to pursue a career desired from childhood. I cannot understand killing someone over it. I might fantasize about it but I would never actually go through with it!
The Story
Evans and Bronwen are getting married in a few weeks, the cottage is done, and Bronwen is happily shopping for furniture and anticipating the wedding. At least, she is until Evan’s mother shows up. No girl is ever going to be good enough or know how to cook properly for her baby boy. It’s a true delight when both Evan and Bronwen realize that the path up to their new cottage is too steep for Mama Evans to get up to it.
It’s the afternoon that Evan is supposed to meet Bronwen at the bank to set up their joint account and sign for the loan that Paul Upfield waylays him, terrified because his girlfriend, Shannon Parkinson, has gone missing. They had fought up on the trail and Paul took off. By the time he cooled down and went back to look for her, she wasn’t there.
It’s the hunt for this missing girl that turns up the pristine underground bunker. The one with the handcuffs and chains and this ramps up the search. A search that intensifies even more when Bronwen goes missing.
The Characters
Detective Constable Evans and Bronwen Price are getting married in a few weeks and Bronwen is splitting her time between organizing their new cottage up on the slope of the mountain, shopping for the perfect antiques for it, and planning the wedding while Evans is caught up in the case of a missing girl.
Charlie Hopkins helps Evans move his and Bronwen’s things in. Betsy Edwards and Barry-the-Bucket make a brief appearance along with Mr. and Mrs. Powell-Jones and Mrs. Williams at the wedding. Detective Inspector Watkins is Evans’ best man. DCI Hughes sticks his unwanted nose in. Detective Constable Glynis Davies is their computer whiz.
Neville Shorecross is the bank manager whom Evan and Bronwen see a lot of as they prepare to set up house.
The Cover and Title
The cover is golden with a view from the top of Mt. Snowdown looking out over a valley. Crime scene tape marks off a small area near a tree with a shovel standing upright in the ground, a backpack and walking stick propped up on a rock in the foreground.
I do love Bowen’s titles and the play they make on “Evan”. In this case, it turns out that Constable Evans is truly Evan Blessed.
Hey, this seems like a good read. Nicely done.
Thanks! The whole series is good. It has a sweet, homey quality with a wee touch of the Agatha Christie with it’s village life.
Now you have completely sold me onto this.. agatha christie is one of my all time fav’s
You’ll have to let me know what you think!