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Jessica Mayhew #2
Black Valley
Therapist-turned-reluctant detective Jessica Mayhew is on the trail once again in this smart, fast-paced novel of suspense from Charlotte Williams—author of the debut The House on the Cliff—a tautly written psychological thriller that ventures deep into the recesses of the mind
Jessica Mayhew has enough problems without getting wrapped up in her patients’ drama. Her separation from her husband doesn’t seem as amicable as she once thought, and her daughters are drifting away as fast as they’re growing up. But her new client—chic, moody, obsessive painter Elinor Powell—has a way of drawing people in and soon Jessica’s getting involved with what seems to be a most artful murder.
Elinor presents a rare professional challenge. She blames herself for keeping a valuable portrait in her studio, where her mother was killed in an unsolved robbery. An attack of claustrophobia is interfering with her work, as is her deepening paranoia about her twin sister, Isobel, and her brother-in-law, Blake, a ruthless art dealer. But when Jessica meets the entire unhappy family at the debut show of Blake’s protégé—a reclusive ex-miner producing gloomy canvases in the Black Mountains of southeast Wales—she starts to wonder whether Elinor might be on to something. Might there be more to her mother’s death? Could Blake have been involved? And just what’s going on in those lonely hills?
Set against the otherworldly Welsh countryside, Black Valley is a novel rich in character, intrigue, and harrowing dangers.
Jessica Mayhew has enough problems without getting wrapped up in her patients’ drama. Her separation from her husband doesn’t seem as amicable as she once thought, and her daughters are drifting away as fast as they’re growing up. But her new client—chic, moody, obsessive painter Elinor Powell—has a way of drawing people in and soon Jessica’s getting involved with what seems to be a most artful murder.
Elinor presents a rare professional challenge. She blames herself for keeping a valuable portrait in her studio, where her mother was killed in an unsolved robbery. An attack of claustrophobia is interfering with her work, as is her deepening paranoia about her twin sister, Isobel, and her brother-in-law, Blake, a ruthless art dealer. But when Jessica meets the entire unhappy family at the debut show of Blake’s protégé—a reclusive ex-miner producing gloomy canvases in the Black Mountains of southeast Wales—she starts to wonder whether Elinor might be on to something. Might there be more to her mother’s death? Could Blake have been involved? And just what’s going on in those lonely hills?
Set against the otherworldly Welsh countryside, Black Valley is a novel rich in character, intrigue, and harrowing dangers.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 28, 2014
38 people are currently reading
494 people want to read
About the author
Charlotte Williams
2 booksLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Please see: Charlotte Williams
After studying philosophy in college, Charlotte Williams went on to work as an arts journalist, writing for newspapers and magazines, and making documentaries for the BBC. More recently, she also worked in radio drama, writing original plays and adaptations. Williams died in 2014 at the age of fifty-nine.
Please see: Charlotte Williams
After studying philosophy in college, Charlotte Williams went on to work as an arts journalist, writing for newspapers and magazines, and making documentaries for the BBC. More recently, she also worked in radio drama, writing original plays and adaptations. Williams died in 2014 at the age of fifty-nine.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
February 28, 2015
I wish to thank Goodreads First Reads for the good fortune of winning this extremely entertaining and excellent book. This is an exciting and interesting psychological thriller and murder mystery, full of terrific characters. The author did an excellent job with character development. I especially liked how the bad guys were handled. The author never let you know until the end who the bad guys were, but you always had that uneasy feeling without even knowing why. The story was very suspenseful, keeping you reading frantically to find out the outcome. Unfortunately, this wonderful author passed away recently depriving the reading world of future books.
April 1, 2022
Welsh author Charlotte Williams created a gripping, atmospheric crime novel of high emotion and psychological fear. Written in 2014 ‘Black Valley’ is the second book in the Dr Jessica Mayhew series, a literary symphony of tension, dark imaginings and worst possible scenarios. A phobia I have was triggered and at times I almost stopped reading. However, I was Reading For Wales #dewithon22 and felt I owed it to the author and the character, psychotherapist Jessica Mayhew, to see it through to the bitter end.
Jess consults with a new patient Elinor Powell, an artist who seems fragile but in fact is quite annoyed at her twin sister Isobel, angry at her famous mother’s sudden and suspicious death, and quite demanding of Jess’s time. Soon after, Jess’s best friend Mari gives her an invitation to attend a private art viewing at the Cardiff art museum. Unwittingly Jess meets Elinor and her circle of friends from the Welsh arts scene. Focus is on reclusive ex-miner Welsh Valley’s artist Hefin Morris, touted by art dealer Blake Thomas and handsome art critic Professor Jacob Dresler as ‘the most exciting painter working in Britain today.‘
Jess (a newly separated single parent struggling with her estranged husband and two daughters who live with her) queries the promotional art hype but nevertheless hits it off with Jacob Dresler and they go way for the weekend where tragedy strikes. Against her better judgement, one thing quickly leads to another and Jess becomes a therapist-turned-detective. She calls DS Lauren Bonetti for guidance as she is slowly drawn into Elinor’s twin-dynamic world of manipulation.
Circumstances spiral out of control while tension escalates and Jess is put in a very dangerous situation. I was still not sure who was good and who was bad and what would be revealed as the story advanced to the final chapters. There is a section where the action is a bit contrived and I wondered if Jess would do such a silly thing considering her work ethics, but events quickly moved forward. The ending appears inconclusive—but wait, there’s more. And it is certainly chilling how closure is drawn contrary to reader expectation.
Sadly author Charlotte Williams died of cancer prior to this book being published. It is a tribute to her writing talent. I am going to read the first Jessica Mayhew book 'The House on the Cliff' with a tinge of regret that there will be no more.
Further info on my blog https://thoughtsbecomewords.com/2022/...
Jess consults with a new patient Elinor Powell, an artist who seems fragile but in fact is quite annoyed at her twin sister Isobel, angry at her famous mother’s sudden and suspicious death, and quite demanding of Jess’s time. Soon after, Jess’s best friend Mari gives her an invitation to attend a private art viewing at the Cardiff art museum. Unwittingly Jess meets Elinor and her circle of friends from the Welsh arts scene. Focus is on reclusive ex-miner Welsh Valley’s artist Hefin Morris, touted by art dealer Blake Thomas and handsome art critic Professor Jacob Dresler as ‘the most exciting painter working in Britain today.‘
Jess (a newly separated single parent struggling with her estranged husband and two daughters who live with her) queries the promotional art hype but nevertheless hits it off with Jacob Dresler and they go way for the weekend where tragedy strikes. Against her better judgement, one thing quickly leads to another and Jess becomes a therapist-turned-detective. She calls DS Lauren Bonetti for guidance as she is slowly drawn into Elinor’s twin-dynamic world of manipulation.
Circumstances spiral out of control while tension escalates and Jess is put in a very dangerous situation. I was still not sure who was good and who was bad and what would be revealed as the story advanced to the final chapters. There is a section where the action is a bit contrived and I wondered if Jess would do such a silly thing considering her work ethics, but events quickly moved forward. The ending appears inconclusive—but wait, there’s more. And it is certainly chilling how closure is drawn contrary to reader expectation.
Sadly author Charlotte Williams died of cancer prior to this book being published. It is a tribute to her writing talent. I am going to read the first Jessica Mayhew book 'The House on the Cliff' with a tinge of regret that there will be no more.
Further info on my blog https://thoughtsbecomewords.com/2022/...
March 15, 2024
Wasn’t really my kind of murder mystery to be honest. The story itself was fairly predictable, and not many twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. If you are looking for a light summer read that you don’t have to think or ponder too much over, this would fit the bill for you. If are looking for something a bit more thought provoking though, this may not be a novel to grab off the shelf.
March 29, 2016
Set in Cardiff, Wales, Dr. Jessica Mayhew is a psychotherapist. A new patient, Elinor Powell, comes to her with a case of claustrophobia. Her mother has just been murdered and a valuable painting stolen from her studio. Jessica is drawn into Elinor’s life in several ways. Her friend Mari takes her to an artist’s reception at an art gallery owned by Elinor’s twin sister and husband. The gallery is featuring the works of a reclusive artist whom no one has met. At the reception Jessica meets a man she becomes involved with romantically.
A man is murdered, although it seems first as suicide. He was also involved in the gallery. Jessica learns that the art world is a small one in Cardiff and everyone knows everyone. The two murders are linked, and the artist turns out not to be whom all thought he was.
Excellent background on the art and therapist’s world. Well done! This is the author’s second book, however she died in 2014. Bourbon Street Books.
A man is murdered, although it seems first as suicide. He was also involved in the gallery. Jessica learns that the art world is a small one in Cardiff and everyone knows everyone. The two murders are linked, and the artist turns out not to be whom all thought he was.
Excellent background on the art and therapist’s world. Well done! This is the author’s second book, however she died in 2014. Bourbon Street Books.
March 17, 2015
i enjoyed the book it was well written and kept my interest through out the entire book. the plot line was good and kept you guessing trough out the book. i love how she gave you a true visual of the scenes of where the book was taking place. sadly there will be no more books from this writer. this was a goodreads giveaway
February 24, 2015
a good psychological thriller that is fast pace as Jessica a psychotherapist come to suspect that her client elinor may be a killer thanks to goodreads firstreads for the free book
April 9, 2019
Slow start, gripping in the middle but seems rushed at the end. A little too easy of a conclusion which put a downer on this book for me. A good read non the less.
February 21, 2020
The main character seemed a bit clueless. The ending was rather abrupt.
May 11, 2019
Didn’t realise this was a series but it was ok to read as a stand alone.
I liked the book. Jessica comes across as a nice person. She is a psychotherapist who becomes engaged with one of her patient’s lives. Elinor is a new patient who has become claustrophobic since her mother’s murder. Jess finds Elinor quite interesting and perhaps becomes more involved in Elinor’s problems than is warranted.
In her private life, Jess and her husband have recently separated leaving Jess at home with their two girls. The everyday, mundane, routines of a busy working mother are a good foil to the dilemma Jess finds herself in.
The description of the Welsh towns and country are delightful. All in all a pleasant read.
I liked the book. Jessica comes across as a nice person. She is a psychotherapist who becomes engaged with one of her patient’s lives. Elinor is a new patient who has become claustrophobic since her mother’s murder. Jess finds Elinor quite interesting and perhaps becomes more involved in Elinor’s problems than is warranted.
In her private life, Jess and her husband have recently separated leaving Jess at home with their two girls. The everyday, mundane, routines of a busy working mother are a good foil to the dilemma Jess finds herself in.
The description of the Welsh towns and country are delightful. All in all a pleasant read.
February 3, 2020
This was a very exciting book with so many twists and turns that I felt I was on a rollercoaster! I was so sorry to read that the author, Charlotte Williams, passed away in 2014 and we won't be seeing any more Jessica Mayhew Ph.D. psychotherapist-detective mysteries. I will try to see if Ms. Williams had written any other books. The characters were complex and there was so much backstabbing going on that it was making my head spin!
June 12, 2020
This is such a gripping novel! I couldn't put this one down. The character build, the plot, the entire narrative took me right into Cardiff.
It was a bit obvious to figure out who Heffin Morris is and that Elinor killed her mom and staged the entire murder along with her being responsible for the subsequent murders.
I do recommend this psychological drama to fans of this drama!
It was a bit obvious to figure out who Heffin Morris is and that Elinor killed her mom and staged the entire murder along with her being responsible for the subsequent murders.
I do recommend this psychological drama to fans of this drama!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 22, 2017
a bit of a predictable ending - was aware of where the book was leading about half way through. touched on some interesting ideas about twins and their connection but otherwise tried to make a murder mystery that fell a little flat with not enough mystery.
June 8, 2025
to be honest i didn’t realize this was the second book in a series LOL just randomly picked it up at the mysterious bookstore in tribeca, still worked as a standalone. while somewhat predictable i enjoyed the writing and the protagonist and world, kept me reading!!!
July 29, 2017
OK - not stellar.
August 1, 2017
I just discovered this author. I love the main character and would love to read more of her adventures. My next read will be the House on the cliff.
June 17, 2018
Very good read I’m just sorry I didn’t know there was a book before this one😊I would have liked to have read it first. I will definitely read it now!! Thoroughly enjoyed this book
November 20, 2018
Not very convincing, though made me want to return to the museum in Cardiff & see all those amazing works of art again.
April 29, 2015
'Zwarte vallei' is beter dan deel 1, 'Het huis op de klif', maar haalt evenmin de 4 sterren. Daaraan is vooral de zwakke protagonist Jessica Mayhew debet. Een geloofwaardiger personage zou zowel de plot als de spanning opkrikken, daar waar je nu als lezer onverschillig blijft onder de diverse gebeurtenissen.
Wat is er mis met Jessica? Dat is gauw verteld: ze is psychotherapeute, maar heeft geen mensenkennis.
Jessica is de naïviteit zelve, laat zich door patiënten voor het lapje houden en heeft binnen de kortste keren een nieuwe verkering, nu ze weet dat haar ex-echtgenoot ook weer iemand heeft. Jessica's privégeneuzel gaat helemaal nergens over, al wordt het een stuk minder uitvoerig beschreven dan in deel 1. Zij staat niet zo lang en vaak voor de spiegel, er komen veel minder herhalingen van teksten voor, waardoor deel 2 prettiger leest. Ook een pluspunt ten opzichte van deel 1 is, dat de schoonheid van Wales uitstekend uit de verf komt. Black Valley ligt in het Brecon Beacons National Park, een bergachtig gebied, rijk aan natuurschoon en bezienswaardigheden, een toeristische trekpleister. Maar goed, dat is bijzaak, want dit is een thriller.
Dat zou het althans moeten zijn, maar hij is niet heel spannend en daarbij tamelijk doorzichtig. Vanaf het begin voel je aan je water welke kant het opgaat, waarschijnlijk is Jessica de enige die voor verrassingen komt te staan. Het verhaal is redelijk gestructureerd, maar te gemakkelijk. De theorieën over tweelingen zijn interessant, uiteindelijk kun je je echter afvragen waarom ze zijn toegevoegd, want ze verlenen 'Zwarte vallei' weinig meerwaarde, de plot krijgt er geen opleving van.
Best een plezierig boek, gewoon leuk om te lezen. Wie een topthriller verwacht of een verwend c.q. fervent thrillerlezer is, komt onvoldoende aan zijn/haar trekken.
Uiteraard betreur ik dat de auteur in 2014 overleden is, ik zou graag haar verdere ontwikkeling hebben meegemaakt, maar Jessica Mayhew zal ik niet missen. Je zult maar zo'n therapeute hebben ...
Opmerking, gekopieerd uit mijn recensie van 'Het huis op de klif', want ook hier van toepassing: "Is dit wel de echte waarheid? Voor lezers met een rijke fantasie is het een kleine moeite een theorie te ontwikkelen die haaks op het slot van 'Zwarte vallei' staat en het tot een onaf verhaal maakt ... Dat zou pas spannend zijn!"
[spanning 3, plot 3, leesplezier 4, schrijfstijl 3, originaliteit 3, psychologie 3]
Wat is er mis met Jessica? Dat is gauw verteld: ze is psychotherapeute, maar heeft geen mensenkennis.
Jessica is de naïviteit zelve, laat zich door patiënten voor het lapje houden en heeft binnen de kortste keren een nieuwe verkering, nu ze weet dat haar ex-echtgenoot ook weer iemand heeft. Jessica's privégeneuzel gaat helemaal nergens over, al wordt het een stuk minder uitvoerig beschreven dan in deel 1. Zij staat niet zo lang en vaak voor de spiegel, er komen veel minder herhalingen van teksten voor, waardoor deel 2 prettiger leest. Ook een pluspunt ten opzichte van deel 1 is, dat de schoonheid van Wales uitstekend uit de verf komt. Black Valley ligt in het Brecon Beacons National Park, een bergachtig gebied, rijk aan natuurschoon en bezienswaardigheden, een toeristische trekpleister. Maar goed, dat is bijzaak, want dit is een thriller.
Dat zou het althans moeten zijn, maar hij is niet heel spannend en daarbij tamelijk doorzichtig. Vanaf het begin voel je aan je water welke kant het opgaat, waarschijnlijk is Jessica de enige die voor verrassingen komt te staan. Het verhaal is redelijk gestructureerd, maar te gemakkelijk. De theorieën over tweelingen zijn interessant, uiteindelijk kun je je echter afvragen waarom ze zijn toegevoegd, want ze verlenen 'Zwarte vallei' weinig meerwaarde, de plot krijgt er geen opleving van.
Best een plezierig boek, gewoon leuk om te lezen. Wie een topthriller verwacht of een verwend c.q. fervent thrillerlezer is, komt onvoldoende aan zijn/haar trekken.
Uiteraard betreur ik dat de auteur in 2014 overleden is, ik zou graag haar verdere ontwikkeling hebben meegemaakt, maar Jessica Mayhew zal ik niet missen. Je zult maar zo'n therapeute hebben ...
Opmerking, gekopieerd uit mijn recensie van 'Het huis op de klif', want ook hier van toepassing: "Is dit wel de echte waarheid? Voor lezers met een rijke fantasie is het een kleine moeite een theorie te ontwikkelen die haaks op het slot van 'Zwarte vallei' staat en het tot een onaf verhaal maakt ... Dat zou pas spannend zijn!"
[spanning 3, plot 3, leesplezier 4, schrijfstijl 3, originaliteit 3, psychologie 3]
April 2, 2015
I'm so glad I got this book as a First-Read- Win. I would have hated to missed out on it. It's the 2nd of a two part series. I'll be reading the 1st installment pretty quick. It's sad because Ms. Williams passed away in 2014, hopefully someone will pick the series up it's great and would be well worth it.
This book literally grabbed me from the prologue, I knew I was hooked. It's about a young aspiring artist( Elinor Powell) , her family owns a very prominent art gallery in the area. She was given a very valuable painting when she was younger that she left in her unlocked cottage one night when she went out and didn't lock the painting in the safe. Someone walked in and stole the painting and during the crime someone very important to the family was murdered. This case baffled the police as well, so there was an ongoing investigation that was going on. One DS was especially interested in the case and even though she was told to move on she still had a nagging feeling about the case.
Elinor is having such a hard time adjusting to everything that her GP suggested she see a therapist to help her work these issue out. She was referred to Jessica Mayhew who is has a full plate in her professional and personal life that the last thing she needed was to get involved with troubled patient but she sees a challenge and decides to take her on. She has mixed feelings about the crime that had taken place plus the patient herself. Jessica sees herself getting pulled in with this manipulating family and it really takes over her life.
It's set in the Welsh countryside, with a lot of beautiful historical landmarks. This book kept leading me into different directions, from the start of the book and it so many different directions even from the very start. It's one of the best psychological thrillers I've read in awhile.
This book literally grabbed me from the prologue, I knew I was hooked. It's about a young aspiring artist( Elinor Powell) , her family owns a very prominent art gallery in the area. She was given a very valuable painting when she was younger that she left in her unlocked cottage one night when she went out and didn't lock the painting in the safe. Someone walked in and stole the painting and during the crime someone very important to the family was murdered. This case baffled the police as well, so there was an ongoing investigation that was going on. One DS was especially interested in the case and even though she was told to move on she still had a nagging feeling about the case.
Elinor is having such a hard time adjusting to everything that her GP suggested she see a therapist to help her work these issue out. She was referred to Jessica Mayhew who is has a full plate in her professional and personal life that the last thing she needed was to get involved with troubled patient but she sees a challenge and decides to take her on. She has mixed feelings about the crime that had taken place plus the patient herself. Jessica sees herself getting pulled in with this manipulating family and it really takes over her life.
It's set in the Welsh countryside, with a lot of beautiful historical landmarks. This book kept leading me into different directions, from the start of the book and it so many different directions even from the very start. It's one of the best psychological thrillers I've read in awhile.
April 18, 2015
This murder mystery focuses on a therapist, Jess, and a particular patient of hers whose mother has recently been murdered, and the issues Jess is having in her personal life. Jess and her husband have recently separated and she's learning how to navigate single motherhood of her two daughters and how to get back into the dating scene. When Jess gets a new client, Elinor, who is an artist who is suffering from claustrophobia since her mother was killed recently. Elinor has a twin sister Isobel, and Isobel's husband Blake is a suspect in the murder. Through Elinor, Jess finds herself getting more involved in the world of art, finds a new boyfriend, and gets much more involved in Elinor and Isobel's drama than she would like. I thought the mystery was well-built and suspenseful, but that the ending was hurried and didn't live up to the rest of the story. I was glad to have received this via Goodreads First Reads.
July 30, 2018
I gotta say this book was tough to get through... I am really not one into the world of high posh paintings and it had too much sex in it and not enough mystery, but the worst part of all was that the therapist, broke the most essential rule there is in therapy... all in all I give this book a two, because it did have a therapist in it, even though she didn't have much of the common sense that a therapist would have.
August 2, 2016
I enjoyed reading this, especially for the psychological underpinnings and the pointed criticism of the art marketplace these days. Here and there the narrative plodded along, but I cared enough to find out whodunnit to finish the novel. The setting in and around Cardiff Wales was atmospheric and charming.
August 25, 2016
I had been eagerly awaiting this second novel from Charlotte Williams, and whilst I enjoyed it, I do feel the plot was rather neatly and quickly resolved. You are left with a very unsatisfactory ending, as the main character, Jessica questions her career as a psychotherapist. Overall good, until the last several pages.
August 18, 2015
The second Jessica Mayhew thriller maintains the intriguing character development, complex plotting and startling denouement. Sadly, the last in the series: the author died in 2014 at the age of 59.
August 13, 2016
Solved the mystery about 10% into the book and there proceeded to be pretty much no surprises for the remaining 90%. Bummer, because the scenery and characters were not bad and had potential, but the plot was so obvious!
October 19, 2015
Well written introduction and heart, but perhaps the laziest ending I've read in years. not worth the time, in retrospect.
September 17, 2015
it takes soooooo long to get to the point!
April 6, 2016
A good range of characters, insights and place (Cardiff and the Welsh countryside). An interesting choice of lead - psychotherapist with family. A good version of the murder mystery genre.
June 19, 2016
A very slow start but once it got going was very enjoyable indeed. I think this book would actually make a very good film.
October 7, 2016
This was pretty suspenseful, but no therapist in their right mind would ever act this way, I would hope. Talk about totally out of bounds.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews