When Mostyn, an ageing Pembrokeshire farmer on the brink of bankruptcy, runs into young Jethro, his fortunes appear to take a positive turn. The pair secretly mobilise the locals of the village pub to help put on the greatest money-spinning event in the history of Little Emlyn: Lewistock. But things do not go to plan.

Moneylenders, drug dealers, the county council and the bank all set a collision course with Mostyn and Jethro. As the clock ticks down to the August Bank Holiday event and the young revellers begin to pour in from all corners of the county, the tension heats up. It’s not clear who exactly will get out alive.

Mostyn Thomas and the Big Rave pits a struggling Welsh farming community steeped in centuries of religion and tradition against the unstoppable youth movement of early 1990s rave culture with often poignant and riotous consequences.

Click here to listen to the Mostyn Thomas and the Big Rave Spotify playlist, compiled by the author Richard Williams.

An electrifying debut thriller from author Richard Williams.

Books by Richard Williams:

• Mostyn Thomas and the Big Rave
• The Sheriff of Geneva

Richard Williams was raised on a farm in north Pembrokeshire and lived for a number of years in Sydney, Australia, in his early twenties. Later, following a degree and master’s degree in Development Studies from Exeter University and LSE respectively, Richard worked as a technical writer at the newly-created Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria, in Geneva, Switzerland.

Previous to writing, Richard co-founded Switzerland’s Holy Cow! Gourmet Burger Company and Cardiff’s The Grazing Shed, providing him with endless material for this, his second book, The Sheriff of Geneva, which has already received endorsement from Daren King.

'A terrific debut, warm and emotive without being sentimental. This is a gripping tale of darkness and light with flashes of hilarious dialogue throughout.'Daren King, author'

Richard Williams perfectly captures the brooding landscapes and complex characters of Pembrokeshire. A treat from cover to cover.'Jamie Owen, journalist and broadcaster'

This gripping story connects, improbably but with a reporter's eye and ear, the worlds of farming and youth culture in rural West Wales. It's a Welsh cross between Star Wars and the Archers but better than both.'Ian Hargreaves

'Richard Williams' debut is a taut crime thriller which cuts a meditative account of Welsh farming life with the madcap energy of crime capers like Transporting or JJ Connolly's Layer Cake. Rooted in a resonant sense of time and place - early 90s Pembrokeshire - and with a rich cast of kooky characters, it proves a pacey read... a trip worth taking.'Alex Diggins, New Welsh Review'

This pitch-black comedy is bolstered by genuine poignancy as Williams explores South Wales in a moment of change, aided by some moving relationships between key characters and excellent dialogue.'Ben East, The Observer

'Between the pull from the constant humorous questioning of ‘will they pull it off?’ and ‘does Mostyn actually understand what a rave is?’, the book is finished before you know it. With the help of some resident bad guys with names like Weird Head and The Growler, as well as some loyal friends and helpful strangers, Williams delves into the dark, twisted, and sometimes hilariously ridiculous world of drugs, desperation and rave culture. All of this, somehow, without ever being too morbid.'Megan Thomas, Buzz magazine