“Family secrets stalk three generations of women in Cathy Ace’s suspense-packed page turner, THE WRONG BOY. The ending is a stunner.” Hallie Ephron, NY Times bestselling author of ‘You’ll Never Know Dear’ “A disturbing storyline of family secrets, deftly told, and with a remarkable sense of place. Almost mythic in nature, it’s narrated by a chorus of voices which stay with you all the way to the … way to the stunning ending and beyond.” Craig Robertson, international bestselling author
Perched on a Welsh clifftop, the ancient, picturesque hamlet of Rhosddraig has its peaceful façade ripped apart when human remains are discovered under a pile of stones. The village pub, The Dragon’s Head, run by three generations of women, becomes the focal point for those interested in the grisly find, and it’s where layers of deceit are peeled away to expose old secrets, and deep wounds. The police need to establish who died, how, and why, but DI Evan Glover knows he can’t be involved in the investigation, because he’s just two days away from retirement. However, as the case develops in unexpected ways, it becomes irrevocably woven into his life, and the lives of local families, leading to disturbing revelations – and deadly consequences . . .
“…a truly gripping and strong narrative, coupled with a story line that is both intriguing and thoroughly entertaining.” Yrsa Sigurdardóttir, award-winning, No. 1 bestselling Icelandic crime fiction author
“A clever plot with a web of intrigue and characters who stay with you.” Jane Corry, author of the Sunday Times bestsellers ‘My Husband’s Wife’, ‘Blood Sisters’ and ‘The Dead Ex’
“Cathy Ace’s skill at evoking place is a stand-out highlight of The Wrong Boy, a neatly wrought story which combines a mystery…with a study of tangled relationships within a close-knit community…” Martin Edwards, author of ‘Gallows Court’ & winner of the CWA Dagger in the Library
“A close-knit community in a quaint Welsh village in an area of outstanding beauty. Sounds cozy. But Cathy Ace’s stunning new standalone, THE WRONG BOY, is about as cozy as a cornered snake. Told in a rising chorus of authentic voices, the story is deft and disturbing, creepingly claustrophobic, and with a grip that tightens to a choke-hold before its shattering conclusion.” Catriona McPherson, multi-award-winning author of ‘Go To My Grave’
“Drenched in Welsh atmosphere, forbidding weather, and mysterious folklore, THE WRONG BOY is a gem of a thriller that bewitches right up to the twisted ending you won’t see coming. Masterful plotting and characters so real, you’ll swear you know them. Ace is a master portraitist.” James W Ziskin, multi-award-winning author of The Ellie Stone Mysteries
‘Like a slow pot that boils, the author builds…this tightly-woven and intriguing mystery…grippingly riveting as the story came to a dramatic climax.’ Dru Ann Love, Dru’s Book Musings, MWA Raven Award Recipient
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A twisted thriller that makes full use of its evocative Welsh setting. Ace’s wonderful characters and complex plot make this impossible to put down.
“The Wrong Boy” earns 5/5 Dragon Head’s Pints…Clever, Engaging!
I strayed a bit from my typical cozy with Cathy Ace’s “The Wrong Boy,” and was totally thrilled! The book is lengthy at 300 pages, which Cathy uses to go beyond the mystery to create characters with depth and delve into their past as well as their present. I was totally invested in her engaging tale….wow! Her writing style, vivid description, tales, lore, and banter made this quite the page-turner, and very tense at the end. She used both the first-person narrative with Sadie, almost eighteen, sharing her inner thoughts, dreams, and fears, then she used the third-person narrative for the other characters. All was arranged well making it easy to follow the characters, connections, and drama. The crime is somewhat peripheral; it is the reactions and impact of the gruesome discovery, investigation, and attempt to close that take center stage. Together it all begins to reveal a truth I didn’t see coming…oh, so clever! And the title is perfect as it refers to so much in the story. I highly recommend this book!
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Rhosddraig, a peaceful village in Wales, is home of The Dragon’s Head, a pub owned by a very demanding and opinionated woman, Myfanwy ‘Nan’ Jones, and managed by her daughter, Helen. Her granddaughter Sadie also works there. The pub becomes the center of attention when human remains are found nearby. The case brings DI Evan Glover to investigate but he finds there will be no way to solve the case before his retirement in just two days and has to turn the case over to his partner DS Liz Stanley and other officers. But he just can’t let it go and soon both he and his wife become entangled in the case as they seem to go down one rabbit hole after another trying to find out the real story.
First I have to say, I am always delighted by the places this author takes us too. I will never travel to Wales, but she creates such vivid imagery with her words that the places come alive and can be viewed so clearly in my mind. She put her readers right there in the moment and I love that about her writing.
This story builds slowly in a journal-like tale told from several points of few. The characters are introduced as we read their accounts of each day but we quickly see these are multilayered people, with pasts and secrets. All their lives interconnect as the story moves forward and layer after layer of their lives and inner beings are peeled away. It seems each day a different perspective took hold and completely changed my mind about where the story was headed.
Cathy Ace is a pro, she knows how to draw the reader in and keep their attention. While I didn’t feel a lot of thrilling suspense through the entire story, the psychological aspects were there the whole way. A terribly flawed individual’s words and actions had a very strong impact on several characters. The day by day observations were quite unreliable, showing so much dysfunction. Everyone saw things to the betterment of themselves and the truth was buried so deep I wondered if we would ever get there.
This terrifically written story leads up to an ending that was absolutely chilling and turned anything I had been thinking totally inside out. Part police procedural and part family drama, the book sets readers on a very unique journey. Tragic, eerie, and dark, the only light brought by two distinct characters. The Wrong Boy was different from anything I have read of late and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a psychological mind twister.