What do you think?
Rate this book
Cyfres Amdani: Gangsters yn y Glaw
Llyfr o gyfres Amdani, i ddysgwyr Lefel Mynediad. Mae Elsa Bowen yn gweithio fel ditectif preifat; fel arfer mae'n ymchwilio i dwyll yswiriant. Ond mae hynny'n newid ar y bore Mercher yma. Mae sylw Elsa B ar siop lyfrau Cymraeg yn nhre Caernarfon lle mae pethau annisgwyl yn digwydd. A book for Welsh learners, Entry Level. Elsa Bowen works as a private detective; usually she deals with insurance fraud. But that all changes on this Wednesday morning. Elsa B's attention is drawn to the bookshop in Caernarfon where strange things are happening. The story focuses on Lilith Lewis, a local gangster who causes trouble.
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
47 pages, Paperback
Published May 14, 2018
6 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 26, 2025
i found this Welsh learners short story in the library, and it's title made me chuckle 😉😁
while police/detective stories aren't really my thing, this was not a typical detective story, and was pretty light hearted and funny 😃
i was happy to understand alot of what I read/of the story 😃😁 so it seemed a really good level wrt my pretty basic/'beginner' Welsh.
i didn't understand everything - in some places i got the gist but regularly missed a word - but I tried not to let my brain dwell on missed words too much and just listen on, otherwise I'd miss the whole next sentence 😉
that it was fun really helped 🙂
and that it was very North Wales in setting and language/vocabulary was interesting - much of my exposure to and acquisition of Welsh language to date has been more from/of South Wales.
the book felt well structured - short chapters, introduced by chapter number, and each was also titled with the day and time, clearly placing the story timeline wise, and giving plenty practice with numbers, days and times 🙂
and what book reader doesn't enjoy a story set around a bookshop 😉
📖🏴
it would have been really helpful if there was an accompanying PDF for the audiobook, with the vocab etc that I believe is given in the print version. I'd imagine having the print book is really useful in this respect, and also with being able to take more time with some sentences etc. but, as well as the audio advantages for those of us who struggle with print, i appreciated the audiobook for its exposure to spoken Welsh, and hearing some of the Welsh better than i probably would have in my head, and more accurately pronounced than i might have managed in places 🙂 and listening usually works better than reading for me, wrt any language learning/acquisition
📖🏴
all in all, i found this a great Welsh learners story 😃
🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
accessed as a library audiobook, read by Atebol.
while police/detective stories aren't really my thing, this was not a typical detective story, and was pretty light hearted and funny 😃
i was happy to understand alot of what I read/of the story 😃😁 so it seemed a really good level wrt my pretty basic/'beginner' Welsh.
i didn't understand everything - in some places i got the gist but regularly missed a word - but I tried not to let my brain dwell on missed words too much and just listen on, otherwise I'd miss the whole next sentence 😉
that it was fun really helped 🙂
and that it was very North Wales in setting and language/vocabulary was interesting - much of my exposure to and acquisition of Welsh language to date has been more from/of South Wales.
the book felt well structured - short chapters, introduced by chapter number, and each was also titled with the day and time, clearly placing the story timeline wise, and giving plenty practice with numbers, days and times 🙂
and what book reader doesn't enjoy a story set around a bookshop 😉
📖🏴
it would have been really helpful if there was an accompanying PDF for the audiobook, with the vocab etc that I believe is given in the print version. I'd imagine having the print book is really useful in this respect, and also with being able to take more time with some sentences etc. but, as well as the audio advantages for those of us who struggle with print, i appreciated the audiobook for its exposure to spoken Welsh, and hearing some of the Welsh better than i probably would have in my head, and more accurately pronounced than i might have managed in places 🙂 and listening usually works better than reading for me, wrt any language learning/acquisition
📖🏴
all in all, i found this a great Welsh learners story 😃
🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
accessed as a library audiobook, read by Atebol.
December 24, 2021
Mwynheuais y llyfr hwn!
I’m sure it’s quite hard and skilful work to write a book for entry level Welsh learners, and this one in the Philip Marlowe style was fun to read.
Da iawn, Pegi Talfryn!
I’m sure it’s quite hard and skilful work to write a book for entry level Welsh learners, and this one in the Philip Marlowe style was fun to read.
Da iawn, Pegi Talfryn!
March 16, 2022
Omg this book was a HOOT.
Cannot believe that in the first 5 pages they'd established that the private detective (in Caernarfon) was going to help the owner of the local Welsh bookshop (whom she went to school with in Caernarfon) Because all sorts of Unsavoury People Who Definitely Do Not Like Books and Possibly Cannot Read such as Elfyn himself (whom they also possibly went to school with in Caernarfon???) keep going into the local indie Welsh bookshop and Elfyn is friends with THE LOCAL GANGSTER BOSS LILITH (in Caernarfon).
Cue several stake-outs, disguises and spying combined with random asides about what people were buying in the bookshop, Dewi Bevan who is an Important Man because he Writes Poetry and how much the main woman likes a double whiskey (but doesn't like Caernarfon). I think this was the most fun I've had reading a book in a long long while. None of it made any logical sense but it was totally self-aware throughout. The plot was engaging not only in its ridiculousness. Simple crime, good pace. Will definitely be reading the others in this series.
I have no option but to give it 5 stars.
Cannot believe that in the first 5 pages they'd established that the private detective (in Caernarfon) was going to help the owner of the local Welsh bookshop (whom she went to school with in Caernarfon) Because all sorts of Unsavoury People Who Definitely Do Not Like Books and Possibly Cannot Read such as Elfyn himself (whom they also possibly went to school with in Caernarfon???) keep going into the local indie Welsh bookshop and Elfyn is friends with THE LOCAL GANGSTER BOSS LILITH (in Caernarfon).
Cue several stake-outs, disguises and spying combined with random asides about what people were buying in the bookshop, Dewi Bevan who is an Important Man because he Writes Poetry and how much the main woman likes a double whiskey (but doesn't like Caernarfon). I think this was the most fun I've had reading a book in a long long while. None of it made any logical sense but it was totally self-aware throughout. The plot was engaging not only in its ridiculousness. Simple crime, good pace. Will definitely be reading the others in this series.
I have no option but to give it 5 stars.
February 26, 2023
Dw i wedi darllen dau Elsa Bowen llyfr nawr. Mae 'Blacmêl' yn dda, ond 'Gangsters yn y Glaw' yn well.
Mae llyfrau hyn yn helpiau iawn i dysgwr Cymraeg!
Mae llyfrau hyn yn helpiau iawn i dysgwr Cymraeg!
September 22, 2019
A bit trickier than the last book I read for Welsh Beginners, But I went through with a Welsh dictionary and realised that I had started getting used to the mutations after a while. I have just started attending Welsh classes and so I'm sure that once I have completed my course, This will have become easier - Definitely one for me to come back to!
February 2, 2023
I'm a little above the level target for this book - it's recommended at Uned 20 of Mynediad (dy, eich) - but this was still a really fun read.
Language-wise, it is very Northern (because moody Elsa lives in Caernarfon, which she hates). I'm learning Gogledd so it barely registered with me until I noticed a lot of 'efo'. I've yet to come across Northern Welsh in a lot of books; most I've read thus far tend to prefer a Southern slant.
It's a detective mystery novel with enough self-awareness and humour to keep it light; but you genuinely want to find out what the ending is. Admittedly it's too light for the mystery item especially when your main boss is illustrated to look like Cruella De Vil (who owns everything in red). The humour also lends itself really well to the repetition often needed in a learners' book, although I now fear for the reputation of Caernarfon, which is actually quite nice! Hywel Griffith's illustrations are great too; dark angular lines which suit the nature of the story.
Great for learners not too familiar with Gogledd, great for learners who are familiar with Gogledd, great for learners who liked Gorau Glas too. I'll be keeping this one!
Language-wise, it is very Northern (because moody Elsa lives in Caernarfon, which she hates). I'm learning Gogledd so it barely registered with me until I noticed a lot of 'efo'. I've yet to come across Northern Welsh in a lot of books; most I've read thus far tend to prefer a Southern slant.
It's a detective mystery novel with enough self-awareness and humour to keep it light; but you genuinely want to find out what the ending is. Admittedly it's too light for the mystery item especially when your main boss is illustrated to look like Cruella De Vil (who owns everything in red). The humour also lends itself really well to the repetition often needed in a learners' book, although I now fear for the reputation of Caernarfon, which is actually quite nice! Hywel Griffith's illustrations are great too; dark angular lines which suit the nature of the story.
Great for learners not too familiar with Gogledd, great for learners who are familiar with Gogledd, great for learners who liked Gorau Glas too. I'll be keeping this one!
March 9, 2025
Another crime wave hits Caernarfon! This time, mysterious goings on in the town's bookshop, as lots of people who don't look like readers order mysterious brown paper packages of books. Time for Elsa Bowen (whom we first met in 'Blacmêl') to spring into action and defeat the villains - with the help of a cold black coffee, of course! A fun story that doesn't take itself too seriously, with lots of repetition to help learning. It's recommended for Mynediad Uned 20, but I've just started Uned 17 and managed ok, just looking up a few words. There's a nice sprinkling of Gogledd in it too, so ideal for Southern Welsh learners to start getting used to it without being overwhelmed.
Read
May 12, 2021I think this was just too gogledd for me, which will make it wonderful for lots of readers! I just had to work too hard to get any enjoyment out of it. Too bad, too, it's the one I was most looking forward to.
February 5, 2023
Fy llyfr cyntaf yn cymraeg!
Hwre!
Ditectif preifat yw Elsa. Mae Elsa yn byw yng Nghaernarfon ac mae rhywbeth o'i le yn digwydd yma.
Llyfr i ddechreuwyr Cymraeg yw Gangsters in the rain. Mwynheais y llyfr iawn.
Hwre!
Ditectif preifat yw Elsa. Mae Elsa yn byw yng Nghaernarfon ac mae rhywbeth o'i le yn digwydd yma.
Llyfr i ddechreuwyr Cymraeg yw Gangsters in the rain. Mwynheais y llyfr iawn.
Read
May 12, 2020Gwych!
February 1, 2021
Another enjoyable book in the series for learners. More Gog words in this one. Enjoyable story too.
December 12, 2021
Short read to help Welsh learners - I was delighted to find something in the crime genre.
It was fun and helped stretch my comprehension. I wish there were more crime books in this tiny genre!
It was fun and helped stretch my comprehension. I wish there were more crime books in this tiny genre!
January 31, 2022
Un excelente libro para poner en práctica lo aprendido en el nivel mynediad de galés. Da ganas de seguir estudiando. Muy buen trabajo de la autora.
September 23, 2022
Stori ddiddorol iawn!
December 22, 2023
Don't judge a book by its title or cover. If you're a beginner or Sylfaen Welsh learner this had an engaging story with accessible language.
March 22, 2024
Short book for Welsh learners. Detective story set in a bookshop
January 18, 2023
Llyfr gwych. Wnes i ddwli ar y lluniau gan Hywel Griffith- llawn awyrgylch a hyfryd ac r'o'n I'm mwynhau'r stori. Ddefnyddiol iawn darllen stori syml mewn iaith gogleddol er mwyn ymarfer y Cymraeg tafodiaithol.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews