Top of the House
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley July 14, 2015
Author Andrew Towers
Distributor:
ISBN: 9781472150950
Publisher: Constable & Robinson
Release Date:
Website: http://www.murdochbooks.com.au
We meet Maurice on a cold winter’s day in Deerpool, down on his luck and wondering just what life holds next for him. He’s in trouble every way he looks and somehow or other there simply does not seem to be an end to any of life’s little issues any time soon.
Local drug dealer and seriously scary guy Chunky has got it in for him and his girlfriend Divvy Karen, who doesn’t mind that he is a cross dresser and feels more comfortable in Chanel than denim, has also got some serious issues, also with the same Chunky.
The one bright, or seemingly bright light in their life is the Pentagon Bingo Hall, a place where the electricity is switched on, the game card is free and just occasionally they win a little bit back.
The Pentagon is building up to a huge night where the prize known as the Golden Monkey is to be played for: half million pounds worth of money which will see Maurice and Divvy Karen able to share a flat together, go to Tijuana, a dream they both hold dear, and be able to have the electricity switched on once again. Life would be so good if only…..
Maurice comes up with a daring plan to ensure the prize comes to him and with an unlikely band of misfits as his accomplices set out to rig the system.
But as with most things in Maurice’s life, things do not go to plan and it looks like they are going to be seriously doubled crossed at the very last moment. But as said, things in Maurice’s life do not always go according to plan.
As a debut novel from Andrew Towers the pace is entertaining, the characters truly loveable, other than the psychopath Chunky, who in some ways has a dreadful inevitability to him, with a plot laced with a wry humour than is so very easy to relate too.
Slightly reminiscent of the ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ gang, Maurice’s band of misfits gives carrying out a serious heist a fresh twist, adding a quirky aspect to a tried and true plot.
A great, light hearted read with wide audience appeal.