Monday, November 22, 2010

Bank of the Black Sheep


PI, Robin Llywelyn, is in a difficult spot. He has awoken in a hospice for the dying, handcuffed to his bed, suffering from amnesia. To make matters worse his cancer is in an advanced state – in fact, he only has two months left to live. With time rapidly slipping away Llywelyn attempts to tie up the loose ends of his life and regain some sense of self. In Bank of the Black Sheep Robert Lewis’s hugely enjoyable crime trilogy reaches a suitably comic conclusion. Once again the author has managed to extract humour from the bleakest of human situations. This novel is both a sardonic meditation on death and a crime caper involving a printing press that can churn out millions of pounds in fake bank notes. The action swings from a gothic deadhouse in Llandovery to the bingo halls of Merthyr Tydfil. If you are looking for a slice of noir to help get you through the existential horrors of Christmas, I can think of none blacker.