Review: Murder in Pembrokeshire by Gretta Mulrooney

Murder in Pembrokeshire (Tyrone Swift, Book #8)

by Gretta Mulronney

Release Date: March 23rd 2021

2021 Joffe Books

Kindle Edition; 243 Pages

ISBN: 978-9789317398

ASIN: B08YKGGZ89

Genre: Fiction / Mystery

Source: Review copy from publisher

4 / 5 Stars

Summary

Detective 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, something’s got Afan worried.

But Afan isn’t there to greet Swift when he arrives. The next day, Swift discovers Afan’s body on a lonely stretch of the nearby coastal path — stabbed to death.

Secrets run deep beneath the surface of this idyllic spot.

And someone’s willing to kill to keep them.

Will Tyrone uncover who murdered his friend? Or will the murderer strike again?

 

My Thoughts 

Murder in Pembrokeshire is the eighth book in the Tyrone Swift murder mysteries and I enjoyed it quite a bit.  I particularly loved the setting, Tir Melys, near Holybridge in Pembrokeshire, a remote spot whereby the victim has retreated from the world to live a calmer and much more simple life, tending to his bee colony and selling honey and honey mead.  It's touted as an idyllic spot, but Ty soon learns there is nothing idyllic in the remote community.  

I really enjoyed the main character, Tyrone Swift.  He's a private investigator, but he used to work for the Metropolitan Police as well as Interpol so he obviously has a lot of experience working cases and doing investigative work.  Although I have not yet read the previous books in the serious, it sounds like he has a very interesting past, one that is very different from the one of his friend, Afan, who was more of an analyst while working at Interpol.  Swift proved himself to be a loyal friend, hunting for his missing friend despite the primitive conditions in which he lived as well as enduring some of the company of the community that surrounded him.  He was constantly baffled by this however, as he couldn't understand how suave Afan, a man who enjoyed his comforts and his luxuries, chose to live in such a place, a place without even wi-fi and television.  

I thought the mystery was quite interesting and at first, I thought it was going to be this big international thing, but I was pleasantly surprised.  Swift is quite a determined character though, very tenacious and thorough, going out of his way to get along with the local police and share information, someone who definitely doesn't scare easily.  The more I learned about him, the more I really became interested in reading the earlier books in this series.  

The writing itself is quite engaging and I was quickly engrossed in the story. I have always wanted to visit Wales, and this book just makes me want to go even more so.  The interactions between the characters was a lot of fun, and there were definitely some good twists and turns that kept me guessing along the way although my earliest hunch was pretty accurate.  

Verdict

Murder in Pembrokeshire is a good story with lots of twist and turns to keep you guessing.  Ty Swift is a great character and his search for truth was a lot of fun, meeting interesting characters, in a remote part of Western Wales.  I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery, and like myself, you can jump right into this one without having to read the previous entries.  I will, however, take a look at the earlier books as my interest has been piqued and I am curious to learn more about Ty Swift.  Happy reading everyone!