Getting involved with a pub brawl to defend a girl he doesn’t know is a decision Alfie will regret, especially when he gets beaten up later that night. Waking up in the hospital he finds that things could get worse, and the resulting tangle of ex-wife, the girl he rescued, his landlady, and the local publican, create a fine mess for him to resolve before he can find out who beat him up – and more importantly stop it happening again.

This is a short novella set in a small english town, starting a series. While it is written in first person, the lead character has a strong voice, and a slightly annoying tendency to end sentences with exclamation marks. For grammar purists, there is some odd punctuation around speech, but then most of the story is written in dialect and vernacular so it works.

While the characters have clear and distinct voices, and the plot is nicely tangled I have one huge problem with this book. This is not a complete story – it read more like the first chapters of a novel than a standalone story. The main mystery is not resolved and most of the plot threads are left hanging. If you are considering buying this, read the sample and if you like it, then I would suggest getting the omnibus edition which hopefully tidies up a few loose ends. If it was a complete story I’d up the rating, but there are just a few too many loose ends.

Fans of classic british slice-of-life and cozy mystery might enjoy this one. It’s a good read, but not really gritty enough for the urban or crime fans.