The Unbearable Lightness Of Being In Aberystwyth

There is nothing unusual about the barrel-organ man who walks into private detective Louie Knight's office. Apart from the fact that he has lost his memory. And his monkey is a former astronaut. And he is carrying a suitcase that he is too terrified to open. And he wants a murder investigated. The only thing unusual about the murder is that it took place a hundred years ago. And needs solving by the following week. Louie is too smart to take on such a case but also too broke to turn it down. Soon he is lost in a labyrinth of intrigue and terror, tormented at every turn by a gallery of mad nuns, gangsters and waifs, and haunted by the loss of his girlfriend, Myfanwy, who has disappeared after being fed drugged raspberry ripple ...

Schoolboys are disappearing all over Aberystwyth and nobody knows why. Louie Knight, the town's private investigator, soon realises that it is going to take more than a double ripple from Sospan, the philosopher cum ice-cream seller, to help find out what is happening to these boys and whether or not Lovespoon, the Welsh teacher, Grand Wizard of the Druids and controller of the town, is more than just a sinister bully. And just who was Gwenno Guevara?

It's Christmas in Aberystwyth and a man wearing a red-and-white robe is found brutally murdered in a Chinatown alley. A single word is scrawled in his blood on the pavement: 'Hoffmann'. But who is Hoffmann? This time, Aberystwyth's celebrated crime-fighter, Louie Knight, finds himself caught up in a brilliant pastiche of a cold-war spy thriller. From Patagonia to Aberystwyth, Louie trails a legendary stolen document said to contain an astonishing revelation about the ultimate fate of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, but he's not the only one who wants it. A bewildering array of silver-haired spies has descended on Aberystwyth, all lured out of retirement by one tantalising rumour: Hoffmann has come in from the Cold. Louie Knight, who still hasn't wrapped up his presents, just wishes he could have waited until after the holiday.

To the girls who came to make it big in the town's 'What the Butler Saw' movie industry, Aberystwyth was the town of broken dreams. To Dean Morgan who taught at the Faculty of Undertaking, it was just a place to get course materials. But both worlds collide when the Dean checks into the notorious bed and breakfast ghetto and mistakenly receives a suitcase intended for a ruthless druid assassin. Soon he is running for his life, lost in a dark labyrinth of druid speakeasies and toffee apple dens, where every spinning wheel tells the story of a broken heart, and where the Dean's own heart is hopelessly in thrall to a porn star known as Judy Juice.

It is a sweltering August in Aberystwyth. A man wearing a Soviet museum curator's uniform walks into Louie Knight's office and spins a wild and impossible tale of love, death, madness and betrayal. Sure, Louie had heard about Hughesovka, the legendary replica of Aberystwyth built in the Ukraine by some crazy nineteenth-century czar. But he hadn't believed that it really existed until he met Uncle Vanya. Now the old man's story catapults him into the neon-drenched wilderness of Aberystwyth Prom in search of a girl who mysteriously disappeared thirty years ago. Soon Louie finds his fate depending on two most unlikely talismans - a ticket to Hughesovka and a Russia cosmonaut's sock.

It's Christmas in Aberystwyth. The tourists have gone home. The latest movie starring Clip the Sheepdog is on at the cinema. And a man wearing a red and white robe is found brutally murdered in a Chinatown alley. A single word is scrawled in his blood on the pavement- Hoffmann. But who is Hoffmann? Thus begins the latest hilarious adventure in the Louie Knight series. This time, Aberystwyth's celebrated crime fighter finds himself all at sea in a brilliant pastiche of a cold war spy thriller. Caught in a web of intrigue spanning the world from Patagonia to Aberystwyth, Louie sets out on the trail of a legendary document stolen long ago from Adolf Eichmann. It is said to contain an astonishing revelation about the ultimate fate of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, but he's not the only one who wants it. A bewildering array of superannuated spooks and silver-haired spies have descended on Aberystwyth, all lured out of retirement by one tantalising rumour- Hoffmann has decided to come in from the Cold. Louie Knight, who still hasn't wrapped his presents, just wishes he could have waited until after the holiday.

The Rough Guide to Wales is the ultimate travel guide to this ancient and fascinating country with clear, colour maps and extensive coverage of Wales' best attractions and quietest corners. Discover Wales' highlights with superb photography and detailed information on everything from stately castles to wild mountain walks. Find practical advice on what to see and do in Wales, relying on up-to-date descriptions of the best hotels, B&Bs, restaurants and pubs for all budgets. The Rough Guide to Wales includes in-depth coverage of the intriguing history, music, poetry and language of this lyrical land, plus top tips on watching wildlife, the best beaches and the finest steam railways. Explore every corner of this Celtic country, taking part in coasteering and mountain biking, or attending events as diverse as bog snorkelling, Hay-on-Wye's wonderful book festival and the national eisteddfod. Make the most of your holiday with The Rough Guide to Wales.

The perfect quirky nostalgic crime read – a tale of steam trains, giant squid, missing screenplays, missing mothers and a quest for the truth, from the inimitable Malcolm Pryce It's the winter of 1948. The four great railway companies have just been nationalised and Jack Wenlock – the last of a fabled cadre of railway detectives – is thrown out onto the street. Penniless, with new bride Jenny to support, and hiding from a murderous organisation called Room 42, Jack's prospects look bleak. But then a letter arrives from a mysterious Cornish Countess revealing that Jack's mother – long believed to be dead – may have survived a shipwreck off the coast of Java. Seizing the opportunity to track down his only remaining family member, Jack and Jenny board a boat heading East. The trail takes them to a run-down Siamese hotel where a motley assortment of drifters has washed up. Here a spy, an assassin, a deserter, an old soldier and a fading Hollywood movie star all await the arrival of a missing part for a flying boat and a journey that will take them into the realm of myth. But if Jack is ever to see his mother again, he has to stop them...