Possibly the best title I've ever encountered: sometimes the book lived up to it, sometimes it didn't. Felt a bit like a Sam Spade adventure set in an episode of Fawlty Towers. It conceals a plot that is actually very macabre behind a light-hearted approach - it's as if Terry Pratchett and Thomas Harris had collaborated whilst on holiday in Wales. Lots of excellent similes.

Quirky and comic-like.

Makes me want to go out and read the whole series at one go!

They keep getting better as the characters develop and their relationships too. The sign language bit with the monkey is especially good...great idea!

I loved the characters and setting of this book.
The plot was however a bit odd, meandering, hard to follow. (Maybe because I'd jumped into book 3 of the series without becoming familiar with who's who or the events leading up to this book?)
The prose is inventive, funny and colourful - but sometimes, maybe inventive, funny and colourful in a way that gets in the way of the story.
It was fun, and full of good ideas. But it wasn't an easy read.
Ah well. I'm still glad I've read it.

The Unbearable Lightness is a well crafted book and an enjoyable read. Pryce’s alternative universe – Aberystwyth in geography, but socially kicked left out of kilter and filtered back through a noir and a nationalist parody – is fully worked through and engaging. The book is well plotted and paced, and it is clear time has been spent making sure the atmosphere is suitably noir, the similes are inventive, and the text lyrical. The story itself is meanders along a complex path and the twists are not telegraphed, which made a nice change to some crime fiction I’ve read recently. Like Jasper Fforde, Pryce’s books are nicely intertextual. In particular, I liked the Rimbaud character in this book (although he was underplayed in the plot). Rimbaud is a veteran of the Patagonia campaign – a doomed 1960s war in which the Welsh try to protect their diaspora brethren in Argentina – hassled unjustly by a bigoted local cop, he escapes into the local forestry commission land using his military skills to torment his pursuers. Indeed, the books are nicely intellectual without being pretentious.

Totally hooked on Malcolm Pryce. Really enjoyed this one and still not bored of Louie Knight. Pryce combines the absolute ridiculous with a great deal of wit. Now to move onto the next ones in the series...bring it on from the wonderful Aberystwyth!

It's hard not to like this book but I can say it's not my favourite of the series so far.
That said, these books are intensely pleasing and I love the poetic style if writing that the author has. Worth readi g without a doubt .

Interesting concept to tie in classic gumshoe with unusual location and background, and almost carries it off through the characters. It seemed a little disjointed it times, like an in joke that the reader wont get, unless perhaps one has persevered and read all the titles in order to fully position the tale. Loved the Welshness! Cymru am byth.

Let the lamp affix its beam
The only emperor is the emperor of ice cream.
Wallace Stevens

The third installment in the series about hapless detective Louie Knight. When his dying girlfriend Myfanwy is kidnapped on a day out from the nursing home, Louie is distraught and he and his friend Inspector Llunos of the Aberystwyth police turn the town upside down in their efforts to find her.

Book 4 in the series, "Don't Cry for me Aberystwyth", has just come out in hardback. Can I resist temptation and wait until for the paperback before buying it? Unlikely.

I enjoyed this novel in the Louie Knight series because it was a relaxing read. I found it a page turner like the 6th book in the series, The Day that Aberystwyth stood still.

I enjoyed its quirky dark humour but am unsure whether or not I will read more books in the series in the immediate future. I love Aberystwyth and am unsure whether I appreciate its history being subverted and distorted.

It's sometime since I read the first in this series & I haven't read the second. To be honest I think that would have made a difference as this to me, seemed be a continuation of something I knew nothing about. Most of the time I hadn't a clue what was happening & who anyone was. I didn't understand what had gone on with Myfanwy, anyone who hasn't read the previous books would wonder at the odd reference to stove pipe hats & it was all made more muddling by the fact that every time I put it down the story seemed to be instantly forgettable! The only reason I persevered was that I wanted to know what had happened to Mr Bojangles - now that DID make me snort with amusement....

Overall this was an enjoyable story however I did find it bit of a slog at times. I enjoyed the comic aspects and the noir style of story generally however I found some of the plots a bit of a struggle to follow. This however could have been my fault as I did not relise that this was part of a series of books. I think I would try the first book in the series in hopes that the characters backgrounds are filled in , I felt that I did not get the full enjoyment as I was unaware of the characters past activites.