#BookReview In Two Minds by Alis Hawkins

About the Book

Harry Probert-Lloyd, a young barrister forced home from London by encroaching blindness, has begun work as the acting coroner of Teifi Valley with solicitor’s clerk John Davies as his assistant.

When a faceless body is found on an isolated beach, Harry must lead the inquest. But his dogged pursuit of the truth begins to ruffle feathers. Especially when he decides to work alongside a local doctor with a dubious reputation and experimental theories considered either radical or dangerous. Refusing to accept easy answers might not only jeopardise Harry’s chance to be elected coroner permanently but could, it seems, implicate his own family in a crime.

Format: Paperback (470 pages) Publisher: The Dome Press
Publication date: 2nd May 2019 Genre: Historical Fiction, Crime, Mystery

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My Review

In Two Minds is the second book in the author’s ‘Teifi Valley Coroner’ historical crime series set in 19th century Wales. I read the first book, None So Blind, back in 2018 and the third book, Those Who Know, in 2020 but, strangely, missed out this one. Having said that, I do have a history of reading books in a series out of order. A fourth book, Not One of Us, is on my wishlist. The books were originally published by The Dome Press but have since been republished by Canelo with new covers.

It was a delight to be reunited with Harry and John as they embark on another investigation together. Alongside this, both of them are preoccupied with their current situations. Harry fears his visual impairment may frustrate his ambition of becoming elected as Coroner for the district leaving him with the prospect of taking over the running of his family’s estate. Not only does he have little interest in this but it goes against his egalitarian instincts, instincts that even as a child saw him spend time with the household servants and learn Welsh, much to his father’s disapproval as English was regarded as the language of the gentry. ‘I could not abide the thought of being a useless dilettante who was dependent on the labout of others.’ Ironically, his visual impairment means he is now often dependent on others, for example to read even personal correspondence.

Meanwhile John is wondering if there’s any future in his current position as Harry’s temporary assistant or if, despite his humble beginnings, he should pursue his ambition of becoming a solicitor. John has come to enjoy being involved in investigations. ‘Excitement. That’s what was keeping me there, in the teeth of hostile looks and the prospect of unemployment. Excitement. I hadn’t realised how bored I was with being a clerk until Harry walked in… looking for an assistant.’

Sadly, Harry is unaware of John’s concerns whilst John is unaware of how much Harry has come to value his support and assistance. The dual narrator structure allows us to experience these doubts and worries, although I found myself thinking, for goodness sakes, just talk to each other!

Discovering the identity of the faceless body found on the beach, the circumstances of its being there, the cause of death and possible motives for what may be murder rather than accidental death throws up more and more challenges for Harry and John, especially when Harry is forced to return home when his father becomes ill leaving John in charge of the investigation. As things become more complex, I had some sympathy with John’s frustrated observation, ‘I wasn’t sure if things were getting clearer or more confused.’ But we’re in safe hands because everything is revealed in the end, albeit the result of some connections that only the very observant may have guessed.

In Two Minds is another cleverly constructed historical crime mystery with two engaging leading characters and convincing period detail. And, as with the previous book, there is a fascinating historical backdrop to the story, namely the large-scale emigration of Welsh people to America, something I wasn’t aware of before reading this book. It’s just one of the reasons I love historical fiction!

In three words: Intriguing, atmospheric, engaging

Try something similar: Down A Dark River by Karen Odden

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About the Author

Alis  grew up on a dairy farm in Ceredigion. Her inner introvert thought it would be a good idea to become a shepherd and, frankly, if she had she might have been published sooner. As it was, three years reading English at Oxford revealed an extrovert streak and a social conscience and she has spent the subsequent three decades variously working in a burger restaurant, bringing up two sons, working with homeless people, and – having trained as a speech and langauge therapist – helping teachers and families to understand their autistic children. And writing. Always. Nonfiction (autism related), plays (commissioned for production in heritage locations) and, of course, novels.

Initially fascinated by the medieval period, Alis began her crime and mystery career at Pan Macmillan with Testament, a novel set in a fictitious medieval university city. Part of Testament’s narrative takes place in the fourteenth century and part in the twenty-first which taught Alis that she is far more passionate about writing historical fiction than contemporary.

So she fast-forwarded four centuries from fourteenth South East England to nineteenth century West Wales to write a book based on Wales’s best kept historical secret: the Rebecca Riots. And then she fell in love – both with nineteenth century west Wales and her characters – and the result is the Teifi Valley Coroner crime series featuring visually impaired investigator, Harry Probert-Lloyd, and his chippy assistant, John Davies.

As a side-effect of setting her series in Ceredigion, instead of making research trips to sunny climes like more foresighted writers, she just drives across Wales to see her family. Now living with her partner on the Welsh/English border, Alis is a Welsh speaker, collects rucksacks and can’t resist an interesting fact. (Photo/bio: Author website)

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