The Day Aberystwyth Stood Still is the latest addition to Malcolm Pryce’s highly acclaimed Louie Knight series. Set in a convincingly surreal version of the mid-Walean seaside town, each of these novels have combined classic noir with a wholly entertaining alternative universe. Previously the main protagonist has had to deal with Druids, a school games teacher, missing monkeys, Nazi hunters, and Soviet museum curators amongst an impressive host of other characters.

This latest outing for Aberystwyth’s only Private Investigator continues the familiar vein set by all the previous novels. Characterisation that is rarely short of impressive is combined with a grasp of language that has rightly been compared favourably with the king of noir himself, Raymond Chandler. Louie Knight is always ready with a pithy comeback and has a resilience to head injuries that would make Phillip Marlowe proud.

Indeed it is Louie Knight himself that has made the series so thoroughly entertaining; somehow managing to make the transplant of seedy crime and detective fiction work into a small, sleepy seaside town. This reviewer has the advantage of knowing Aberystwyth well, so the descriptions of the town found within The Day Aberystwyth Stood Still are subconsciously complimented from memory. That said, the detail that goes into locations (albeit with Pryce’s unique spin) are more than sufficient to ensure that any reader could not fail to have their own mental image of the town easily conjured up without effort.

The plot on this occasion has exactly what a reader of Pryce would expect – a mystery, a murder or two, and something entirely out of the ordinary. In this case the extra ingredient, that quirk that makes the difference, is a spate of alien sightings. These have left open the possibility that a long hanged bank robber has risen from the dead.

Whilst this may sound a little too bizarre for the plot of a noir, Pryce manages to combat this with Knight’s innate cynicism and a host of believable and entirely human opponents and allies. Favourites of the series like Sospan the philosopher/ice-cream salesman and the donkey-leading Eeyore both reprise their roles, and Knight’s partner Calamity once again provides effective counter-balance to the hard-boiled detective.

For some purists of the genre The Day Aberystwyth Stood Still may contain too much of a stretch from crime and investigation, but for most the dark sense of humour and captivating language will make this a most enjoyable read. Indeed even those who are not aware of the nuances of traditional noir will doubtless enjoy the work for exactly that it is – a superbly written, often humorous, occasionally hilarious piece of fiction.

Having spent four years living in Aberystwyth my only disappointment is that Pryce’s version seems infinitely more entertaining.

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