Evans to Betsy

February 18, 2002
In his sixth appealing outing (after 2001's Evan Cat Wait), likable Welsh village bobby Evan Evans takes on a case with New Age overtones. Betsy the barmaid has long been desperate for recognition, and she may have found her ticket to fame when a visiting American graduate student named Emmy encourages her to develop her abilities as a psychic. Emmy claims she's looking for pure-blood Celts because the Celts are renowned for such abilities, and Betsy soon follows her new mentor to the Sacred Grove, situated for fictional purposes on the site of the actual Portmeirion. Sacred Grove has become the home to a center for New Age spirituality, complete with resident guru, Randy Wunderlich, the famous American psychic. Backed by his wife, Lady Annabel, owner of the property, Wunderlich seems set to establish a New Age empire in Wales. But Evans is suspicious that Betsy is the object of some kind of scam, plus he's on the trail of a missing American coed, whose trail leads to the Sacred Grove and Wunderlich himself. When Betsy dreams that Wunderlich is dead in a cave, her dream proves all too real. While Evans works to prove Betsy's innocence, he must cope with changes in his personal life (he's finally moved into his own place) as well as with the serious, unaccountable illness of his beloved, Bronwen. Bowen deftly and humorously weaves the various plot threads into an entertaining whole. This is a series that consistently charms. (Mar. 18)FYI:Bowen's previous novel,
Murphy's Law, introduced a new series with an Irish heroine (Forecasts, Sept. 3).

March 1, 2002
The Welsh town of Llanfair's own Betsy the barmaid finds some kind of renown after testing by a spirituality center verifies her psychic powers. And it's her "vision" that reveals where the center's murdered director will be found. Constable Evan Evans (Evan Can Wait), who covers the case, warns her of danger. A welcome addition to a charming series.

Copyright 2001 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2002
Constable Evans of Llanfair has moved into his own cheerless cottage and out from under the tender ministrations (and lovely food) of his landlady, as his beloved Bronwyn the schoolteacher wants to see if he can survive on his own. Meanwhile, saucy Betsy at the pub, who has been carrying a torch for Evans, takes a new job with the psychic center, drawn to that druidic playground by an American graduate student who convinces Betsy she has psychic powers. The center is owned by a woman with a much younger spouse, the famous psychic Randy Wunderlich. Murder ensues, solved by Evans' doggedness and even a little clairvoyance from Betsy. The Welsh atmosphere is cozily drawn, while Bowen gently skewers Americans, New Agers, and most women. Evans is an extremely appealing character, though, and readers will wonder if a wedding is indeed in the offing when he proposes to Bronwyn.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)