‘The Engine House’ by Rhys Dylan

Synopsis

You can bury the bodies, but you can’t hide the truth.

When a landslip on Pembrokeshire’s stunning coastal path reveals the harrowing remains of two bodies, ex-DCI Evan Warlow’s quiet retirement is shattered.
As the original investigator for the two missing persons eight years before, Evan is recalled to help with what is now a murder inquiry. But as the killer scrambles to cover up the truth, the body count rises.
Working with a new young team, Warlow peels away the layers to reveal the dark and rotten heart that beats beneath the chocolate box tranquillity of an area renowned for its quiet beauty.
But does he still have what it takes to root out the monstrous truth before all hell lets loose?

My Review

If there’s one thing that I like doing it’s discovering new authors.  Rhys Dylan is a new author for me.  I’ll let you into a little secret Rhys Dylan is the pen name of an author who has previously written several books for adults and children under another name.  ‘The Engine House’ is the first book in a series featuring Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Evan Warlow.  The synopsis sounded intriguing and I was so looking forward to reading it.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Engine House’ but more about that in a bit.

I was drawn into this book from the very first word on the very first page.  I was intrigued by the storyline and by the main character, DCI Warlow.  I developed my own suspicions as to what was going to happen and I had to keep reading to see if I was on the right track or if I had wandered down the wrong path.  The book ended up being well travelled because it accompanied me everywhere.  I couldn’t bear to miss a single second of the story.  I found that the more of the book that I read, the more I wanted to read and the quicker the pages seemed to turn.   I became so wrapped up in the story that I would lose all track of time and just how quickly I was getting through the story.  All too quickly I reached the end of ‘The Engine House’ and I had to say a temporary farewell to DCI Warlow and the team.  I found ‘The Engine House’ to be a tense, gripping and dramatic read, which kept me guessing and which kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.

‘The Engine House’ is extremely well written.  The author has one of those writing styles that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with.  He certainly knows how to grab the reader’s attention and draw them into what proves to be a fantastic read.  For me, the story hit the ground running and maintained a fairly fast pace throughout.  Reading ‘The Engine House’ was a bit like being on a scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with several twists and turns along the way- some of which I guessed but most of which were a surprise.  ‘The Engine House’ is a fine start to what I am sure will be a superb series.  I look forward to learning more about Warlow and his team.

In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Engine House’ and I would recommend it to other readers.  I look forward to reading more from Rhys Dylan in the future.  The score on the Ginger Book Board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.