The Case of the Petrified Potter is the 13th book in Cathy Ace’s long-running cosy mystery series featuring the WISE Enquiries Agency. Combining traditional PI conundrums with humour, friendship and a distinctly Welsh sense of place, it’s a gripping mystery with an ensemble cast who have grown together over the course of the series.

The WISE Enquiries Agency is a firm of private investigators run by four women—Welsh Carol Hill, Irish Christine Wilson-Smythe, Scottish Mavis MacDonald and English Annie Parker—whose countries of origin form the acronym WISE. The tight group dynamic remains one of the series’ strongest features.

This time round, as the buildup to Mother’s Day in Anwen-by-Wye is marred by a series of escalating misunderstandings and calamities, the women of the WISE Enquiries Agency are relieved when a new client comes calling. It’s been months since the four of them were able to properly work together, but this latest case is going to require a real team effort.

Iris Lewis—retired headmistress, pillar of the community, the one with the budgies—needs the WISE women’s assistance to help former pupil turned reclusive but renowned potter Penelope Llewellyn solve a mystery that has haunted her for decades.

Back in August 1984, four local girls—Penelope, Suzanne Coughlan, Karen Turnbull and Linda Llewellyn, Penelope’s little sister—went to the mining village of Pontrhydyfen, Richard Burton’s birthplace, to attend a memorial service for the recently deceased star. Linda never returned home.

Linda’s body was discovered three days after the memorial service, beneath the aqueduct in Pontrhydyfen. She appeared to have fallen from the aqueduct, and the coroner returned an open verdict. The death devastated the Llewellyn parents, who themselves died shortly thereafter, and triggered Penelope’s lengthy battle with alcoholism.

Now diagnosed with terminal liver cancer, Penelope wants to find out what really happened to her sister while she still has a chance. A suspicious death over 40 years earlier seems like an almost impossible cold case to crack, but fortunately, the WISE women are more than up to the challenge.

Cathy Ace’s characterisation in The Case of the Petrified Potter is particularly effective. The four sleuths are not merely puzzle-solvers; they have lives outside the case. Family responsibilities, romantic relationships and professional ambitions shape their decisions. This lends a human touch to their investigations, which are both impressive and realistic.

Each investigator brings a different personality and skillset to the team, allowing Ace to approach the mystery from multiple perspectives. Their collaboration feels natural rather than contrived, and their interactions—sometimes supportive, sometimes teasing—create a believable sense of friendship.

The four do not always agree on interpretations of evidence, but they respect one another’s insights. This collaborative spirit reinforces the idea that solving a mystery often requires diverse viewpoints. The group’s ability to challenge and support each other is one of their greatest assets.

Another key aspect of The Case of the Petrified Potter is its sense of place. Ace has a talent for evoking the landscapes and communities of Wales and the surrounding regions. The descriptions never overwhelm the plot, but they provide enough detail to anchor the story in a tangible environment.

As for the mystery of Linda’s death, clues appear gradually through interviews, discoveries and occasional misdirections. Ace does not rely on dramatic action sequences; instead, the tension develops through conversation and deduction. This approach is reminiscent of traditional whodunnits, where logic and careful observation lead to the solution.

The humour that appears throughout the book – often in the form of witty exchanges among the investigators – helps balance the darker aspects of the case. This is one of the pulls of the cosy mystery genre, where the emphasis lies on intellectual puzzle-solving rather than graphic violence.

Ultimately, The Case of the Petrified Potter succeeds because of its balance between character, setting and mystery. Ace understands that readers of cosy crime fiction often seek more than just a puzzle; they want a world they can inhabit and characters they can enjoy spending time with. The WISE women provide exactly that.

For more of Cathy Ace’s cosy crime fiction, try The Corpse with the Amber Neck.

Four Tails Publishing
Print/Kindle
£2.98

CFL Rating: 5 Stars