MURDER OF A SCOUNDREL: Gripping crime mystery fiction from the Welsh valleys

by Pippa McCathie, Nicola Clifford

A puzzling crime puts the cat amongst the pigeons in a small Welsh town

Two boys get a huge fright when they discover the body of a man whilst exploring a disused railway tunnel.

To DCI Matt Lambert it is not clear how the man, who was not killed at the remote location, got there. And there are strange markings on his chest – signs of torture.

When another body is found in wasteland some days later, Matt knows something big is going down in the quiet community nestled in the valleys of south Wales.

It couldn’t come at a worse time, as Matt would like nothing more than to be with his newborn baby daughter Bethan, and partner, ex-superintendent Fabia Havard.

In fact, Fabia is similarly distracted. Her close friend, local vicar Cath Temple, is getting pestered and harassed by a new member of her congregation.

Can Matt and Fabia put their crime-solving heads together and work out what is really going on in Pontygwyn?

MURDER OF A SCOUNDREL is the sixth novel in Pippa McCathie’s bestselling series of murder mysteries. It was partly written before her sad death in 2023, and has been expertly completed by Nicola Clifford, author of a nine-book series, THE WELSH CRIME MYSTERIES.

The full list of books in Pippa McCathie’s series, in order of publication, is as IN THE VALLEYSMURDER AT THE OLD ABBEYMURDER BY THE RIVER USKMURDER IN A WELSH TOWNMURDER OF A GENTLEMANMURDER OF A SCOUNDRELBooks 1-3 are also available in the box set THE WELSH MURDER MYSTERIES. All of these books are available on Kindle Unlimited and in paperback from Amazon.

248 pages, Paperback

Published November 21, 2024

About the author

South Wales has played a big part in Pippa's life, two of her three sons were born in Swansea and she visits close friends near Newport as often as she can. Brought up in Mauritius, she's spent a lot of her life travelling, to Guernsey, London, South Africa, South Wales, Iran and back to Guernsey. She began writing in school exercise books to entertain her friends, which resulted in dubious exam results but much laughter. She's had many poems and short stories published and, once her boys had been packed off to school, started on the novels. For the last 17 years she's taught a creative writing class, and in her spare time she's worked as a volunteer with a national charity, helped run Guernsey's local Eisteddfod, and looked after a gorgeous husband and a cowardly cat. All these activities have helped her avoid time wasting activities such as housework and gardening. Murder in the Valleys, published by The Book Folks, is the first in a series featuring Fabia Havard and Matt Lambert, who are currently Pippa's best friends.

Reviews

[Mr Kenneth L Mullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Excellent Story

Another excellent story by Pippa in the Havsrd and Lambert series. All the usual characters and a very good storyline that kept me gripped from start to finish. Looking forward to reading more.

[J Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a vigilante on the loose
I've enjoyed this series of Pippa McCathrie's Havard and Lambert books, and I'm thankful that Nicola Clifford has finished her last manuscript in such a sympathetic style.
Here, we have three men murdered in very similar circumstances and their bodies dumped in separate locations. The wounds other bodies are similar. Investigations yield no evidence that the men were known to each other, with the only tenuous 6 they were all carrying out crimes against women.
DCI Lambert and his team gradually uncover more details, ably aided by Fabia Havard until there is a surprising conclusion to the case.
This is very well written, with the input of the two authors blending seamlessly to produce a very readable book.

[The Book Folks · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real honour to be able to release this book posthumously, a great collaborative effort to finish the work Pippa McCathie started.
Another Fabia Havard and Matt Lambert mystery, this one certainly keeps you guessing. A fair few red herrings to trip you up, and a surprise when the killer is revealed.

[Evelyn W · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent

I have become addicted to UK mysteries. This one didn’t disappoint. Well written, good character development and almost surprise ending.

[Elizabeth B. Barber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last of a great series

I'm sorry this is the last of Pippa's novels (Thank you, Niccola). I read the series straight through and hope other readers will do the same.

[Kelly Rosario · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have enjoyed this series, as the mysteries were intriguing, and I liked the characters. I knew the author sadly passed away during the time she was writing this 6th edition and was glad to see another author picked it up to finish. The storyline and writing were smooth, and I wouldn't have guessed it was finished by another writer. If Nicola Clifford continues the series, I will definitely continue to read additional entries.

[Susan Feiner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another just good enough to read the whole thing police procedural. I didn’t see the ending coming … a plus. Too much time spent on the home life of the central characters. When the author goes for well paced dialog they are quite good. There’s not enough of it. For me.

[Linda Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually Three Scoundrels

Three bodies. All bad guys but nothing links them together How to solve this mysterious puzzle. It takes the whole team and a wife that has a great memory to do it.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have enjoyed every one of this series, but for me, this one was a slow starter. So slow that l nearly gave up. It did improve and the ending was a surprise but l have to say thàt this was a little disappointing.