Review: The Tudor and Stewart Abergwyn Mysteries by Ripley Hayes

Titles: No Accident at Abergwyn & No Friends at Abergwyn

Series: Tudor and Stewart Abergwyn Mysteries: Books One and Two

Author: Ripley Hayes

Publisher: Amazon/Kindle Unlimited

Length: 108 Pages/202 Pages

Category: Cozy Mystery

Rating: 4 Stars

At a Glance: If you’re looking for some cozy summer reading, with a little murder to spice things up, you might want to give these books a try.

Reviewed By: Lisa

Blurbs: No Accident at Abergwyn: I just wanted to be a caring son. So why was I relying on gin and cake to keep the boredom at bay?

Peter Tudor was an adrenaline-fuelled emergency nurse, until he decided his duty lay in caring for his disabled mother in the dull seaside village where he grew up.

Out for an early morning run, Peter stumbles over the body of a hated village resident. The police say it’s an accident. Enigmatic stranger Lorne Stewart insists it’s murder, after a ‘message’ from the dead man.

The police aren’t keen to investigate, and neither is Peter. Then an attack on his home makes it personal.

There’s more to Lorne than meets the eye, and his magic is reeling Peter in …

No Friends at Abergwyn: Abergwyn seemed a lot more exciting with Lorne. And that was before the camper van convoy arrived.

Peter Tudor was coming to terms with his quiet life as a district nurse when a bunch of strangers turn up to visit his maybe-boyfriend Lorne Stewart. They bring a mysterious package, secrets and jealousy from the past, and magic that even sceptical Peter can’t ignore.

Then one of the strangers is found dead and Lorne is arrested for the murder. Peter has to play detective once more, with the help of a pack of tarot cards, Charlie the Amazing Jumping Dog, and Enzo the horse.

He might be able to solve the crime, but can he decide on his own future?

Review: The sleepy little seaside town of Abergwyn, Wales, has become a hotspot for crime since Peter Tudor came back to care for his ailing mum. Peter is at a crossroads in his life, caught between the dawning realization that his mother doesn’t need him quite as much as he believed she did, and his desire to return to the city and the hectic pace of A&E nursing, but yet not wanting to up and leave her again.

Meeting Lorne Stewart only made Peter’s decisions about his future all the more complicated.

Peter stumbles upon a dead body on the beach during a morning jog, and Lorne happens to show up at the scene at virtually the same moment, beginning a relationship that is complicated by Peter not being altogether certain Lorne isn’t the killer. Lorne is what you might call a free spirit, a hippie to put a finer point on it, who grew up living a vagabond’s life with his mother, learning to read Tarot cards and inheriting her love for baking, understanding that each recipe can cast its own special spell. If, that is, you let yourself believe it. One might say Lorne has a bit of magic about himself, but don’t expect a complex system to be fleshed out. It’s more a case of “if you believe it, you can achieve it” sort of mysticism. And kindness and love are a magic unto themselves.

Lorne is new to Abergwyn, and that alone makes him a little suspicious. He lives in a caravan on an inherited plot of land, which, in itself, is of some significance, and he has his faithful friends Charlie, a dog, and Enzo, a horse, for company. He happens to be a cookbook editor who bakes—and tweaks, if necessary—the recipes to make sure they’re edible, and then delivers his successes to the villagers, which has endeared him to them despite his quirks. When some travelers from Lorne’s past show up unexpectedly in No Friends in Abergwyn, to deliver a package that belonged to his mum, and then squat on his property, even his delicious baked goods won’t eliminate him as a suspect in a grizzly murder.

Ripley Hayes has crafted a sweet and charming cozy mystery series—as cozy as murder allows for, that is—in quiet little Abergwyn. Peter, Lorne, and the host of characters who figure into the crimes and their investigations are brimming with personality and their own quirks, and I enjoyed getting to know the two men as they went about doing their amateur sleuthing to help find the killers as they grew ever closer.

These books are not emotionally cumbersome reads but rather, they deliver a homey setting and affable townspeople who welcome readers to navigate the twists and turns of the investigations. There is no belabored drama centered in Peter and Lorne’s relationship—they meet, they like each other (albeit, Peter thinks Lorne is perhaps a tad eccentric, not to mention a murder suspect), and they spend time together—which added to the overall idyllic vibe of the town.

If you’re looking for a little light summer reading, with some murder to spice things up, you might want to give these books a try.

You can buy The Tudor and Stewart Abergwyn Mysteries here:
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