The Unlikely Spy (Gareth and Gwen Mysteries #5)

Cover via Goodreads

The Unlikely Spy

by Sarah Woodbury

Edition: kindle, 2014

Synopsis: August 1146. Prince Hywel has called all the bards of Wales to him for a music festival to mark the third anniversary of his rule over Ceredigion. He has invited all the lords of Wales too, including his father, his uncle, and his neighbor to the south, King Cadell. But with the highborn also come the low: thieves, spies, and other hangers-on. And when a murderer strikes as the festival starts, Gareth and Gwen are charged with discovering his identity–before the death of a peasant shakes the throne of a king.

Prince Hywel has called for a musical festival, inviting all the bards in the land, his father, his uncle, and King Cadell to come to Ceredigion. Just as the festival is about to begin, a body is found in a millpond. Gwen, Gareth, and Hywel’s brother Rhun stand ready to chase the clues down to find a murderer. What they find along with the man’s identity is a tangled web of treachery.

The past really comes into play in this book. It was interesting to follow Rhun for (I think) the first time in the series. As the oldest son of King Owain, he has many responsibilities on his shoulders and he has his own strengths to lend to solving the mystery. Gwen is not as free to chase clues as she once was with a toddler to be looked after. Gareth’s actions as Hywel’s man means he could be a target, and he chafes at the guards who stay by his side at times.

The mystery was a good, with a tangled plot to be unraveled. There were many names tossed around that it became a bit confusing to keep everyone straight. My biggest complaint is that it felt as though the story was left incomplete, with a bit of a cliffhanger.

Still, it is well paced and, of course, I adore Gareth and Gwen. I look forward ot seeing how the next book plays out.