'John Williams could form of literary triumvirate with Bateman and Welsh...This is as world of dope, docks and prostitution, a culture tha is part-Cardiff, part-Caribbeean. FIVE PUBS is everything one would hope from as keen a critic of neo-noir as Williams' Observer
'The sheer liveliness of the stories, which fizz with pace and energy, makes for a really entertaining and intriguing account of life on the mean streets of Cardiff' The Times
'A brilliant book...It has all the classic traits of urban noir: slick plot, cold-blooded betrayals and withering one-liners' Independent
'A fun book about pushers and prostitutes... A mixture of tongue-in-cheek humour and the seedier side of docklands life' Glasgow Herald
'Excellent - a fast and funny soap of everyday villains, jostling for a score, some love and even spiritual enlightenment in Cardiff's Butetown' Bizarre
'Literature as urban graffiti: bright, vibrant, and fiercely individual' Sunday Times