Book Review: Evan Can Wait

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Evan Can Wait     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Rhys Bowen
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Police Procedural
Series: Constable Evans # 5
St. Martin's, Feb 2001, $22.95, 272 pp.

Everyone from the film crew to his partner Edward Ferrers to the townsfolk of Llanfair and even Evan Evans dislikes visiting documentary director Grantley Smith. Arrogance is an understatement when it comes to the overbearing and demanding Grantley. However, in spite of the conceited Grantley, there remains much excitement over the plans to film a documentary about the nearby sunken World War II Nazi bomber.

Evan's difficult assignment of keeping things smooth for the film crew turns ugly when someone kills Grantley, whose corpse is found in an abandoned mine. As Evan makes inquiries into the murder, he realizes how universally despised the victim was. He also learns that during World War II the crime scene mine was to serve as a place to hide stolen art. However, Evan struggles to find a link between the murder and the stolen art, making uncovering the identity of the culprit extremely difficult.

EVAN CAN WAIT is an entertaining Welsh cozy that provides readers with strong characterizations inside an intriguing plot. The two story lines cleverly tie together to make a powerful tale. In her fifth Evans novel, Rhys Bowen continues to furnish sub-genre fans with one of the better series on the market today.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner