"Know this going in; Purefinder is a smart book. Very smart. ... It's a book that gripped and frustrated me in equal measure. But such is the nature of books like this. If a horrific descent into hell via 24 hours spent in Victorian London sounds appealing, give this a read. It's certainly worth it for the morbid and sometimes terrifying images conjured up by whatever daemon Ben Gwalchmai is channelling. Just be aware you may have not read much like it before." ~ The Cult Den, http://www.thecultden.com/2014/07/the-cult-den-book-club-purefinder-by.html

"Breathtakingly intimate and obscure, the story takes many turns...Written with authentic and artistic use of language, the novel felt all too real...The colourful characters are varied and interesting, the setting believable and the mystery of what is behind this trip and where it will end kept me on tenterhooks until the end. The psychological terror, grief, fear and thread in their respective gothic colouring together make for excellent horror writing. The historic aspects are equally well accomplished and I should imagine the book doing well with fans of either genre." ~ The Historical Novel Society, historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/purefinder/

Gwalchmi has created a phantasmagorical journey through 1858 London. Purefoy is a "Purefinder", a collector of s*** (called Pure in slang) which is sold to the tanners. "Though they called it mud, everyone in London knew what they were treading on. There were children who remained barefoot throughout the day so that they could get it between their toes. Their only sand was manure" A child is killed and Purefoy is collared by the enigmatic pseudonymous Murphy as the culprit to be taken to justice. The two then embark on a foot journey across the city which serves to explore 1850's London through their eyes. It is not an easy book to read, Gwalchmi's prose often needs for you to work at it to glean the meaning and occasionally was a little too obscure for this reader. There is not much in the way of plot, being more a development of the two men's relationship and what has brought them both to this time and place. A smorgasboard of odd characters are encountered and interacted with, my favourites being the street gang known as the "Mighty Cabinet Group" because "if you cross them you'll end up in a cabinet". The book is full of cant and slang and language and most notably several dialogues in Welsh (translation is provided) and Gwalchmi is obviously enjoying himself digging in the rich soil of British language. "London has always been a polyglot. London is where we run to hear new, fantastical imaginings of language; where we wrap ourselves in foreign matter in the knowledge that a cocoon of experience will enable us to lose and warm ourselves until we've wings enough to take our newly communicative selves elsewhere. The City speaks only one language, London speaks with infinite variations." The journey, highlighting as it does the London poor, is a juxtaposition with today's austerity society, several times the characters speak of what it would be like in 150 years' time. Through it all runs the rivers and the streets which serve as characters on their own. The back reads "Purefinder is a Gothic-horror historical thriller with a metaphysical edge; a circadian, Dantean exploration of London, loss, and fraternity; mystery, blood, mud, and guts combined; Rabelaisian relief; human tragedy; and the important questions at the heart of any time" and that summation sentence is more in keeping with the text than any I could attempt. This isn't a forgettable book and some of the imagery will stay with me, probably as I had to be wide awake and paying attention whenever I picked up the book. ~ Spearman, https://www.amazon.co.uk/Purefinder-Ben-Gwalchmai/dp/1782790985/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3P4RC49M91VBR&keywords=purefinder&qid=1559921094&s=books&sprefix=Purefinder%2Caps%2C147&sr=1-1

*** Awarded: Top Ten pick of 2014 ~ Reece M Jones, The Cult Den

*** Awarded: Historical Novel Society's Editor's Pick shortlist 2014 ~ Editor, Historical Novel Society

'...definitely an enjoyable read....Gwalchmai utilises many of the tools you’d find in a traditional Gothic horror novel but presents them in a new way, which kept me reading until the end...' ~ Beth, Judging Covers, http://judgingcovers.co.uk/reviews/purefinder/

'...he evokes the atmosphere of London’s seedy underbelly with brilliant, and often shocking, prose...Ben Gwalchmai is an outstanding storyteller, who is brave enough to write historical fiction in an unusual and unsettling way. I would highly recommend this book to all who dare undertake the journey' ~ Angela Buckley, VictorianSuperSleuth.com

'...a remarkable piece of work' ~ Rebecca Carter, Janklow and Nesbitt

'Intriguing, vivid.' ~ John Hunt, Zero Books

'...you get the best of both worlds – a novel that engages with and criticises our political establishment, and a novel that is packed with original and vivid characters that populate Victorian London, and continue to populate our London of today. ...The characterisation is rich, that ‘living geography’ of the city pulls you in, and the political themes and analogies are cleverly drawn.' ~ Sian Norris, http://sianandcrookedrib.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/review-of-purefinder-by-ben-gwalchmai.html