The sixteen reviews which Llywarch has posted on Amazon seem to be, when he awarded only one star, of work by authors whom he disdains and, through jealousy, wishes to discredit.

Frequently vile (see the first he posted) more accurately these may be described not so much as reviews but as diatribes: unless,that is, he is reviewing books by those he continues to flatter and befriend — and perhaps for reflected glory.  It is noteworthy that these reviews can veer from gushing to hateful — and, in our opinion, be posted under other aliases — should he, in time, change his mind.

When Llywarch reviews books by his alter ego, Jim Perrin, he is unfailing in his admiration and in-depth literary analysis, and consistently extols the brilliance of his work …

We say ‘alter ago’ because our unwavering belief is that Jim Perrin’s is the face which ‘Llywarch’ sees reflected in the mirror: and, that Jim Perrin has been using this alias — amongst others — since April 2005, when he first posted on Amazon a snide review of Joe Simpson’s ‘Touching the Void.’  (The title which later he shamelessly plagiarised for a dishonest article in The Observer).

‘Jokerman: lemon and lime’ is another name we are convinced Jim Perrin has been using since 2002.  In this context his glowing reviews of ‘River Map’ and ‘Travels with a Flea’ (both awarded 5 stars) are well worth examining …

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When we set up jacssisters.org on 07/09/2010 we had not until then been reading the various review and comment threads on Amazon. However, following a review by a family member on 01/10/2010 of a book by Jim Perrin, (a book which was full of lies, implication and pure calumny — about others as well as our sister), ‘Llywarch’ (JP?) responded five days later.

With a distinct and sneering tone there was an instant and instinctive recognition on our part that none other than Jim Perrin could have composed it.  Including what later we came to realise were some of his trademarks — literary quotations, allusions and ‘recommended reading’ — the personal attack on our family left us in no doubt that only he could have posted it.

We first wrote of our suspicion on 05/11/2010, ref. ‘A Question of Identity’, and we have explained our reasons as to why — quoting from ‘Llywarch’s’ own texts — in at least twelve of our postings over the last three years, we are convinced that ‘he’ is Jim Perrin.

Recently, following a gratuitously distasteful review by ‘Llywarch’ on the 12/11/2013 of Harriet Tuckey’s award-winning ‘Everest — The First Ascent,’ there has been an interesting exchange concerning doubt as to the identity of ‘Llywarch’ and it is fascinating to see that others besides  ourselves are now equally suspicious of this reviewer. Disquiet is being expressed as to the near certainty of identity-fraud — not to put it too strongly — and similar comments are being posted on other threads.

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One of Jim Perrin’s books is  ‘A Snow Goose’ — four tales, of which one already had been published in ‘Sea Stories’ by the National Maritime Museum in 2007 although, according to ‘Inpress’, these ‘are four new stories from Jim Perrin’. So: not true, but a classic case of self-plagiarism… This was a Cinnamon Press production; we are certain Jan Fortune had no idea at all that one of their ‘new’ stories was in fact re-cycled second-hand goods.

It was listed on Amazon and, for a considerable time, received no review. Finally one was posted and although there was some delay before any comment appeared it was to be — not surprisingly — by ‘Llywarch’. He had taken exception to the reviewer’s remarks and there was an interesting twist at the end when he explained that he, an admirer of Jim Perrin, had been trying to persuade him to move to America (‘Llywarch’ claims to live there…) where they know how to look after their authors!

This is rich when considering the devastating reviews of other authors’ work which ‘Llywarch’ himself has posted over the years, in his determination to do down his literary peers — the irony…

Yet although the review was ‘pulled’ by its author, nevertheless the most revealing aspect of the exchange was that ‘Llywarch’ (whom we are certain is Jim Perrin) posted ‘his’ irritated comment in reply: apparently he still feels very confident in the use of what we, and others, consider to be an alias.

Jac’s sisters.

PS. No longer! His confidence seems to have been severely shaken: he has now removed the name ‘Llywarch’ and replaced it, throughout each of his sixteen reviews, with that of his latest incarnation ‘Tim Bartley’… Of course, should he decide to change it again, or remove the reviews entirely that would surely be as good as admitting his long-running deceit; as well as losing so many ‘5 stars’ which, we believe, he has been awarding himself since October, 2009, (although first reviewing, under an alias, on 24/04/2005. And we do have print-outs of them all).