Murder In Pembrokeshire is the eighth title in Gretta Mulrooney's Tyrone Swift Detective Series but it also reads well as a standalone mystery. Tyrone Swift is a former police detective turned private investigator with a complicated personal life which is touched on at the beginning and continues to emerge later in the story. After an intriguing prologue, the book starts a little slowly, but soon picks up pace as Swift finds himself investigating a murder with multiple suspects in a rural Welsh location. It would have been nice to see translations of the Welsh phrases but overall this is an enjoyable read with plenty of plot twists to keep us guessing.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Joffe Books for the electronic copy.

This is Book#8 in the Tyrone Swift series; although I haven't read any previous ones this reads well as a standalone.

Tyrone (Ty) is an ex-policeman working now as a private detective. Ten years ago he was working at Interpol headquarters in Lyon, France with his wealthy and gregarious colleague and friend, Afun Griffith. They'd never kept in touch after going their separate ways, but out of the blue Ty receives an email from Afun asking Ty to join him in Pembrokeshire for a couple of days - he had something on his mind and wanted Ty's thoughts on the matter. Communication between them would be difficult because where he was living - Tir Melys - a self-sufficient community of smallholders and crafts people, had no local phone signal, no wi-fi and just one landline.
A couple of days catching up with his old friend - why not?

On arrival Afun is nowhere to be seen - his home is unlocked, another community member tells him he had missed a work routine that morning, but the community members knew that Ty was expected. He meets the other smallholders in the communal hub for supper and all agree Afun is missing. The next day Ty discovers Afun's body laid out in a Neolithic burial mound with what appeared to be grave goods placed beside him. Ty is determined to stay and find out who killed his friend. DI Weber who is incapacitated by several injuries but still leading the enquiry, enlists Ty's help with the investigation.

All the community members are great characters - on the surface they seem to get on, but currents of dissatisfaction and animosity soon start to surface. Ty soon begins to realise that everyone has their own secrets to keep - can he get to the bottom of his friend's murder?

I loved the way the author brings out the individual characters and the personal interactions between DI Weber and himself.. This is a complex plot - hampered of course by the lack of technology at the community's base, but there is no substitute for actually visiting and talking to people, which is exactly Ty's plan and, in the course of which, secrets and mis-direction get in the way. Someone doesn't want Ty to continue - is he in danger himself?

Really rather enjoyed this book. It's absorbing and twisty, with characters you can warm to, others are extremely annoying and others well, just plain sad.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Detective Tyrine Swift #8

Tyrone Swift is invited to stay with Afan Griffith, an old friend living in a small community in rural Pembrokeshire. cut off from the rest of the world, with no mobile signal or Wi-Fi, somethings got Afan woried. But Afan isn't there to met Tyrone when he arrives. The next day, Tyrone discoves Afan's body on a lonley stretch of the nearby costal path - stabed to death.

Tyrone Swift had been a policeman ans he'd also worked forinterpol before becoming a private detective. This time we have a change of scenery in Penbrokeshire to visit an old friend. There's lots of suspests for us to work our way through and most of them seemed to have secrets. This is a quock and easy book to readand it kept me guessing all the way through. Alhough part of a series, this book could be read as a standalone.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #JoffeBooks and the author #GrettaMulrooney for my ARC of #MurderInPembrokeshire in exchange for an honest review.

Murder in Pembrokeshire is the eighth novel by Gretta Mulrooney to feature London based PI Tyrone ‘Ty’ Smith. It isn’t necessary to have read the preceeding seven books to enjoy this one.

In this book, Ty travels to Wales to reconnect with an old friend, now living in a small, self-sufficient community in rural Pembrokeshire. The cottage his empty upon Ty’s arrival, however, and the next day he finds his friend’s body on the coastal path, stabbed to death. Determined to find justice, Ty stays to investigate the murder and discovers that the small community is not as idyllic as it initially appears.

Certain elements of the book left me a little unconvinced. I would hope that the police response to any real life murder in Pembrokeshire would be a tad more substantial than that found in the novel! Some of the dialogue was also a little too on the nose for me.

That said, this is generally a well plotted book. Gretty Mulrooney’s biggest strength, for me, is her character writing. All of the characters in the novel felt very rounded and the friendships, tensions and conflict between them were palpable.

An enjoyable whodunit, recommended to those who enjoy character driven mysteries.

My thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for the ARC in return for my honest review.

Detective Tyrone Swift is a bit worried when he accepts an invitation to visit an old friend, Afan, and finds the friend missing when he arrives in Pembrokeshire. The small community is cut off from the rest of the world with no wi-fi or mobil signal. To make matters worse, Tyrone finds Afan’s body the next day stabbed to death with no apparent reason why. As he begins to try and discover what happened to his friend he finds that the small idyllic town is not what it initially appears to be. The locals have secrets – secrets they may be willing to kill for.

The author paints a lovely view of this small community with characters that are real and likeable. She includes enough back story on Tyrone that there was no need to have read previous books in the series which I liked. The pace was slow but steady and the mystery complex with a few twists. The writing and story were done so well that I never thought about the slow pace much at all. A very satisfying read that I would eagerly recommend to those who like light or cozy mysteries.

Gretta Mulrooney is a new writer to me and I enjoyed making the acquaintance of Tyrone Swift. The private investigator travels to West Wales to meet old friend Afan Griffith, who now lives in a closed community. However, there is no sign of Afan until Ty comes across his corpse. As with other books of this ilk, the number of suspects is wide and Swift must work out whose motive is strongest, with intermittent help from the local police. An enjoyable if undemanding read.

Even on holiday Swift gets dragged into complex murder cases!
I prefer when he's set in London and Branna is more of a feature but can see why the author tried a new location.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of Murder in Pembrokeshire, the eighth novel to feature London based PI Tyrone “Ty” Swift.

Ty travels to Wales to visit his old friend Afan Griffith, who now lives in a kind of commune, but when he gets there Afan has disappeared. The next day he finds Afan’s body on a coastal path, stabbed to death. Determined to get justice for his friend Ty stays on and uncovers a wealth of secrets and lies in the supposedly idyllic retreat.

I enjoyed Murder in Pembrokeshire, which is a slow burner consisting mainly of conversations and conjecture. It is told entirely from Ty’s point of view so the reader is able to get torn into the investigation alongside him. It is fascinating the way all the secrets come tumbling out - who knew that a small community of about ten people could have so many and fight so desperately to keep them? From a reader’s perspective it’s all smoke and mirrors, so I had absolutely no idea who did what or why and was astonished at the mundanity of the motives when the reveal came.

I found the novel to be quite compulsive with its mixture of timely reveals and quirky characters. Ok, I’m being polite by saying quirky, as the majority of the suspect pool aren’t people you would want to spend time with. Are they living off the grid with no WiFi and self sufficiency because they can’t hack it in society? Probably, Ty discovers that Afan wasn’t as happy as he’d hoped to be with all the petty intrigue causing him stress. Human nature doesn’t allow for Utopia.

Murder in Pembrokeshire is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Tyrone Swift book eight
The private investigator is taking some time off after been invited by his old friend Afan Griffiths to join him at his cottage Croeso Adref Tir Melys wales.
Jasmine merchant and Bruno Anderson were there when he arrives but there's no sign of Afan. after checking his phone once he gets a signal he has a email from him saying something urgent came up and he would be in touch, out walking trying to get a good signal again on his phone he stumbles on a figure with arms folded it was Afan with a paperback of hives and honey by his side, he was dead and police were informed and found a stab wound his life has been taken they were all in shock why has this happened so now Ty was in no way in a hurry to get back to London.
as we read on I found lots of characters are questioned over his murder and why,
A good story that will keep you guessing right up to the end.
A good read to find the killer.

Private investigator Tyrone Swift received a mail from Afan Griffith, a guy he worked with at Interpol ten years ago inviting him to come to spend a few days in Tir Melys, Pembrokeshire.

When he arrives Tir Melys, Ty learns from Afan’s fellow homestead dwellers that Afan was last seen that morning and no one knows his whereabouts.

Later that afternoon Ty receives another email from Afan telling him that something urgent has come up which he has to go and deal with it.

The next day Ty goes for a walk and discovers Afan’s body in a burial chamber near a coast path Afan often used. According to the police he’d been stabbed to death. Who killed him and why?

Then a local is found in a chapel stabbed to death and Ty tries to establish a connection between the victims. Even if it means assisting the police with their investigation. Great read.

Thank you to Gretta Mulrooney, NetGalley, and Joffe Books for the ARC of this book.

4 stars

A long, but enjoyably twisty, murder mystery with an investigation headed up by a PI with a personal interest in the case, set in a deceptively idyllic corner of Wales.

[What I liked:]

•The mystery is satisfyingly complex, with several components & threads to unravel. It’s definitely not a see-through or thin plot.

•All the characters are nicely fleshed out, & either intriguing or likable (or both). Swift, the MC, is a well developed character & the story touches on his personal life & career, which helps the story be multidimensional instead of just a mystery. I haven’t read the previous novels in the series, but this book did a good job of orienting me in the previous history & multi-book character & story arcs without info dumping. Very impressive, that!

•I love the setting & premise! With an seemingly idyllic setting & a cozy community, there is a foreboding darkness underlying the projected paradise. It’s a delicious ambience for a mystery!

•I enjoyed the writing style. There are some nice setting descriptions, some nice reflective passages, & the dialogue is smooth & unintrusive. Not too poetic, but not too clipped & dry.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•Towards the end, the plot got a little convoluted. As Swift finally unraveled the mysteries I got lost in what was being uncovered, & how exactly he came to some of his conclusions. The general gist & direction of the solutions made sense, but there were some significant guesses that luckily/coincidentally turned out to be true. It felt a bit cheap after all the build up & carefully constructed complexity. The character motivations made sense & it wasn’t a disappointing ending, it was just confusingly revealed.

CW: off page sexual abuse, some graphic violence, murder, abusive relationships

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

243 pages

4 stars

Ms. Mulroooney writes a very good story. This series is one of my favorites and I am always glad to see a new installment. Her writing is smooth and the plotting is very well done. The characters are interesting and likable. (For the most part. The bad guys in this episode were really stinkers.) I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

I really like Detective Tyrone “Ty” Swift. He seems like such a nice guy.

When Ty gets an unexpected message from his old friend Afan inviting him to visit, he is surprised and pleased. He hasn't seen Afan for some time now. He travels to a quaint old house in Wales, but Afan isn't home. The next day he discovers Afan’s body.

Ty is now determined to discover what happened to his friend and just who killed him. The cast of suspects is large. They all seem to be lying and evasive. As he makes slow progress, he believes he knows what is going on.

With the valuable help from the local police department, he manages to solve the killing. The identity of the killer was a surprise, as was their reason for the killing. It turns out that Afan was just too darn nice...

I want to thank NetGalley and Joffe Books for forwarding to me a copy of this very good book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I enjoy Ty Swift stories. He seems so real, his life is demanding, which is why he's a private detective. He's been a policeman and worked for interpol and trouble seems to follow him around, and this visit to an old friend in Pembrokeshire is no different.

I really enjoyed this book. I read it in two sittings, but still in one day.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read a free advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

Thank you Netgalley and Joffe Books for the eARC.
Tyrone Swift, private investigator, gets a message from his friend Afan Griffith, who he worked with in France at Interpol 20 years ago. He needs help with a problem, could Ty come to Pembrokeshire for a weekend?
When Ty gets there, Afan is missing, later found murdered. We meet the tenants of the small community who are living off the land in the beautiful community grounds. It seems like heaven on earth, but the reality is far from that. The tension amongst the group is palpable and Ty is very uneasy and suspicious.
This is the 8th in this excellent series and I loved it.
Ty is a very compelling character, utterly likeable. The community members... not so much! I felt like he was in the midst of a nest of vipers. The characters are very well drawn, some irritating, some plain awful. The countryside is beautifully described and I only wanted to keep reading, no interruptions. Gretta Mulroney is such an excellent author and I can't wait for no. 9 in the series.
Highly recommended!

#8 Murder in Pembrookeshire.
....Gretta. .Mulrooney
Tyrone wanting a break from the last court session, solicitors was off to Wales to visit his friend Afan. They were together in Interpol, remembering him as a man with fine tastes and enjoying the riches around him . It always was a mystery of why he left France, now seeing only the bare things around his place, and he wasn’t home. Tyrone became a suspect when he found his friend body. A good mystery to the end to figure out, along with Tyrone. This case perks him up and giving him something else to do and think about.
Given ARC by Net Galley and Joffe for my voluntary review and my honest opinion

Tyrone Swift, private investigator, is a delightful character with an interesting private life. I have read the entire series. This is book eight and Gretta Mulrooney at her best. She writes with such compassion, I really feel sympathy for Tyrone's sad life and I also enjoyed the descriptive idyllic scenes of rural Pembrokeshire.
Tyrone has gone for a break in Wales to visit his friend Afan, who has got something troubling him. Afan lives in a community setting - a cooperative which claims to be self sufficient, living off the land.
I found it engrossing and the reader is quickly immersed into the story when Tyrone arrives and finds that Afan has disappeared! Later Tyrone discovers his body and becomes a murder suspect! What was troubling Afan, and what has made him give up a luxury lifestyle in France to a life of austerity in Wales?
Tyrone is on the case and so many twists, turns and possibilities as Tyrone gets to know the community and their secrets. I thoroughly enjoyed it and didn't predict the outcome. One of those books whereupon completion I went straight back to the beginning and reread the prologue!