Overview

Pontypridd, 1893. A train crashes, and in the chaos of the disaster a killer covers the trail of a violent murder, but one of the crash victims is identified by means of a pocket watch. Two years later, Thomas Chard's arrival in town to take up his post as inspector in the burgeoning police force coincides with the grisly discovery of a body in the River Taff. -- Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru

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9781785622885

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It seems surprising that, before this novel, there has been no historical crime fiction set during south Wales industrial heyday. With its burgeoning population, its poverty, crime and prostitution, and the array of larger-than-life characters for which the Valleys are famous, you would think it would offer up rich pickings for the genre. Enter Inspector Thomas Chard of the Pontypridd Constabulary and hero of Fortunas Deadly Shadow. Arriving in Pontypridd during the 1890s, Chard has come from the sedate border town of Shrewsbury to take up a post as the towns first detective. Stepping off the train to encounter a drunken brawl between two women, along with a group of women who try to entice him, he finds that the towns disreputable reputation is no exaggeration. Later, finding himself drawn into a fight on his first night, his initiation into local life is complete. There is little time for culture shock. Inspector Chard has an unsolved murder to solve; one committed some two years ago during the chaos of a terrible train crash. It now falls on him to try and unravel the complex and often misleading clues to this two-year old mystery; clues that will lead him through a maze of surprising twists and turns. Part-Ripper Street, part-Alexander Cordell, this debut novel by new author Leslie Scase fuses the smoke and sweat of the foundry with the towns shadowy, gas-lit streets. Meticulously researched, it also comes with a strong sense of place and historical detail (including the opening scene of the train crash, inspired by the 1893 Trefforest train disaster in which twelve died and sixty were injured). At times this historical detail is a little too clearly stated, and there are also moments when the writing lapses into clich. I had hoped that phrases like the attractive auburn-haired secretary had all but disappeared, but perhaps I have led a sheltered reading life. Inspector Chard himself, although at the centre of the novel, is something of an enigma. While the accounts of his boisterous new surroundings and their colourful characters are vivid, we get little sense of him as a person. Apart from his last job, he has no backstory. What did he do before coming to Pontypridd? Are there any past loves, friendships, ambitions, failures? What motivated him to give up what must have been a relatively comfortable job for one in the frontier town of Pontypridd? For a protagonist, Chard is a remarkably blank slate. Even his age is a mystery. It is only near the end, when Gwen, the landlady of the Ivor Arms, half-jokingly tells him that she must find him a wife, do we have any hint of his personal life. I don't know if there are any plans for more Inspector Chard novels. The detailed scene-setting, along with the hatching of Gwens plan to find him a wife, both point to a possible sequel. If so, I hope it will reveal a little more about Chard. The setting and atmosphere now well established, it would be pleasing to see the man at the centre of it emerge as a well-rounded character, complete with hopes and dreams, loves and losses and, as with all good fictional detectives, vulnerabilities. Liz Jones It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgment should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council. Gellir defnyddio'r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru. -- Welsh Books Council

Author Information

Leslie Scase is a new Welsh author, born and educated in South Wales, who worked in local industry before travelling widely across the UK during a long career in the Civil Service. Fortuna's Deadly Shadow, his first work of fiction, was inspired by his Italian and English ancestors, who settled in South Wales in the 19th century. A keen fly fisherman and real ale enthusiast, he now lives in Shropshire, close to the Welsh border.

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