Published by The Book Guild Ltd,
25 August 2016.
ISBN:
978-1-910878-87-3
Life on the road for Bob the salesman is
seldom dull. He never knows for instance when his boss, Charity, is going to
show up. Not to check up on him, but for a ‘quickie’ in the back of his van.
What started as a one off ‘fling’ at a boring party ten years earlier has now
become a regular occurrence, always instigated by Charity. But there’s a problem
– two in fact. Problem 1 is that Bob is happily married to Sue – although
‘happy’ in their case is an understatement – and he’d rather not have to ‘go
through the motions’ so to speak with Charity. So why does he do it? Well,
that’s Problem 2: Charity is also Sue’s boss. Sue is mainly responsible for the
success of the company and has risen through the ranks to become a
shareholder. Bob adores his wife and
understands how much the company means to her – and unfortunately so does
Charity. And that’s the hold she has over him. What Charity wants, Charity
gets, when and wherever she wants it. Time and again he tries to escape her
clutches; time and again she promises that this will be the last time; he can
go back to his wife, his two daughters and he’ll never have to do this again –
except – just one last time?
The
book starts as a bit of a romp and I enjoyed the first few pages. Then the
darkness crept in and I settled in for a pleasurable experience. I wasn’t
disappointed. Slowly and inexorably the tale moves to its deadly and inevitable
conclusion. On the way, though, we experience the control, manipulation and
sheer vindictiveness that provide the most delicious motive for murder.
As I turned the pages – and yes, I read it at one sitting
- I could feel all the dread and hopelessness that Bob was experiencing and I
wanted to throttle the bitch myself – and no I’m not giving anything away here.
What else can I say? Great writing, great insights, great satisfaction. Read
it.
------
Reviewer: Di Shelley
Rob Watkins was
born in Worcestershire in 1961. He studied Fine Art after he finished school.
His passion for art has prevailed in recent years as he went into business as a
painter and decorator. He specialises in creating eye-catching murals. Prior to
this, he ran a large food processing plant and worked as the night supervisor
at a car dealership. Three years ago after his wife experienced a traumatic
life changing experience which affected her health Rob looked for a change of
career which meant he could work from home. His first novel How to Kill a Minority Shareholder was published in 2015
Di Shelley (nee George) was born in Buckinghamshire, and brought
up in a house surrounded by books. She was taught to read at an early age, (for
which she is eternally grateful to both her mum and dad). Prior to winning a
scholarship to Aylesbury Grammar School she attended Waddesdon Church of
England School where, at the age of 9, her first piece of fiction was published
in the school magazine. Later, she honed her craft both as a freelance
columnist for the Bristol Evening Post and as a freelance broadcaster and
producer with the BBC. She now resides in the West Country and can usually be
found at her computer with a glass of wine to hand!
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