An Offer You Shouldn't Refuse - Allan Guthrie

[Donna Moore]

Well, obviously, it's not ACTUALLY the lovely Sunshine himself. For starters, I don't think Mrs Sunshine would approve and besides...would you REALLY want to wake up each morning and find him there with you? You might find yourself preferring the horse's head (I'm tempted to add "rather than the horse's arse", but I shall restrain myself).

No, this is an altogether different offer. Waterstones bookshop in the UK has an unbelievable bargain on at the moment where they are offering selected books for 99p each. And, in a move of sheer genius, one of them is Al's first book TWO-WAY SPLIT.

So, come to the point Donna, what's the offer? Well, someone did something nice for me yesterday so, in the spirit of karma, I went out today and bought 30 copies of TWO-WAY SPLIT. I would love to send one to YOU if you want one. No cost for the book, or for postage (although if you live in Burkina Fasso I might send it snail mail if it costs too much to send it by pigeon). Just send me one of those wee Private Message thingies (and even if you don't want a book, send me a message anyway because I get all excited when I get one) with your address. I promise I will eat the e-mails with your address on the moment after I have sent the book.

Just in case you need convincing, the first line of TWO-WAY SPLIT reads: "Four months and twenty-two days after he stopped taking his medication, Robin Greaves dragged the chair out from under the desk and sat down opposite the private investigator."

You just KNOW that someone, somewhere, is going to be very sorry that Robin came off his meds.

Robin Greaves thinks his wife is having an affair. But he's going to have to put his personal problems to the back of his mind for now, because he's a man with a job to do. A post office job. Pearce is a a polite, thoughtful guy with a good sense of humour and a strong vision of justice. Oh, and he's just been released from jail after a stretch for murder. Kennedy and his boss are bored, disillusioned PIs. Only one of them has a broken nose.

Set in an Edinburgh far off the tourist track, Allan Guthrie's debut novel is a hard-boiled tale which pulls no punches and, indeed, throws a good few knockout blows into its lean, mean 183 pages. The characters are utterly believable (if sometimes extremely scary) and Pearce, in particular, is eminently likeable despite his hard-man exterior. The TWO-WAY SPLIT of the title works on a number of different levels throughout the book - one of which I didn't see coming at all. Dark, warped, and funny.

A simple, heart-warming, noir tale of a post office robbery gone wrong, an unfaithful wife, a couple of psychopaths, a pair of seedy PIs, and a man who really loves his mother. TWO-WAY SPLIT is a book which takes that noir finger of fate and gleefully pokes you in the eye with it.

Tata,

Donna

[Donna Moore]

Daniel - for the purposes of this exercise - yes - but JEEZ - GET I READ!

Rayand Mary - everyone should have 2 copies - I agre!

Carl - answered on your Chatterwall :o)

[Gumshoe Carl]

One copy for me please--if you have any left. If not, your description has certainly created curiosity in this old Gumshoe Cat!

Shall I send you my snail mail address or order my own copy?

You are a good friend.....right Guthrie?

[Mary Reagan]

I've got two copies as well. Great stuff.

[Daniel Hatadi]

Patricia - you will LOVE TWO-WAY SPLIT.

(is it okay if I haven't read it yet?)

[Donna Moore]

Patricia - then you will LOVE TWO-WAY SPLIT. Daniel will tell you! And Sunshine - pure dead mental? - how very Weegie of you :o)

[Daniel Hatadi]

That's so cool of you, Donna. But I don't want one. I already got one. :)

[Patricia Abbott]

I would love to have one, being a big fan of Kiss Her Goodbye.

[Allan Guthrie]

That's pure dead mental, so it is.