Fans of Jean Mead's first novel in the Widow Makers series will love this, the second in the saga of the mining Standish family. Set in the mid-nineteenth century, it continues the tale of the family's fortune in the slate quarries of north Wales.The eldest son Tommy Standish is now the hard and ruthless manager of the Garddryn Quarry, while his father Joe and younger brother Frank are quarrymen. The family find themselves pitted against each other as Joe fights for fairer working conditions and pay for his fellow workers, while Tommy is determined to grind every last bit of sweat and toil out of them to further his own ambitions and wealth.A nasty character through and through, Tommy treats everyone equally badly - from his depressed and opium-addicted wife Henrietta to his young son Edward and his parents, who remind him of his embarrassingly humble upbringing. You find yourself caught up in the struggles of those he is oppressing, hoping that his scheming will be foiled and that someone will stand up to him, as Jean Mead sweeps you along with her vivid descriptions of nineteenth-century life and the harshness and beauty of Snowdonia. A compelling vivid account that leaves you finishing the last page with regret and hoping for more!HELENA EARNSHAW REVIEW FOR THE WELSH BOOKS COUNCIL. www.gwales.com