Smile of the Stowaway
by Tony Bassett
A married couple, a stranger from far away and a murder that rocks their lives. Desperate to reach England, a bedraggled immigrant clings precariously beneath a couple's motor home as they cross the Channel. Once holidaymakers Bob and Anne overcome their shock at his discovery and their initial reservations, they welcome the friendly stranger into their home in defiance of the law.
But their trust is stretched to the limit when the police accuse the smiling twenty-three-year-old of a gruesome murder. Could this man from six thousand miles away be guilty? Or is the real killer still out there?
Former national newspaper journalist Tony Bassett tells how Anne turns detective, battling against a mountain of circumstantial evidence and police bungling to discover the truth.
This gripping first novel concerning a death in a remote Kentish country cottage is packed with mystery, suspense and occasional touches of humor.
My Rating:
Gossip travels through a school faster than a toupee flying off in a hurricane.
She’s known to the guys in Kent CID as “Jangling Janice.” DI Woods can’t stand her. He always says: “We don’t want that bloody Carslake woman here, jangling her bloody necklace and bracelets and cavorting round the court.”
Friends would have described Jennifer Campbell as a keen conversationalist; others might have used less kind words such as ‘gossipmonger’ or ‘blabbermouth.’
He gave us a smile that reminded me of his first smile when he emerged from beneath our motor-home. It began with a sparkle in his eyes, a wrinkling of his nose and then it spread across his face, ending with a widening of the mouth.
My Review:
I enjoyed the creative ingenuity of Mr. Bassett’s plot and storylines, the slowly unwinding nature of his tale kept me guessing while my fingers were tightly crossed that the gentle and hard-working underdog would be found truly innocent and wrongly accused. This debut author cleverly played upon the common tendencies of xenophobic society, racial profiling, basic Caucasian arrogance, and suspicion of the unfamiliar. This was an unusual read for me, I couldn’t seem to fit it into a single genre as it had a bit of everything including mystery, crime, infidelity, murder, human trafficking, the mono-focus of police investigations, poor prison conditions, immigration issues, clandestine military operations, dry humor, and amateur sleuthing. My main takeaways were to never underestimate or provoke an unemployed librarian.
I hit the mother lode for new additions to my Brit Word List with milometer – odometer; potholing – exploring caves; victuallers – licensed to sell alcohol; push bike – bicycle; tittle-tattle – gossip; squaddie – low ranking soldier in British army; keep cavey – be lookout; nous – common sense; and a dog’s breakfast – an untidy mess.
About The Author
Tony Bassett, who was born in West Kent, grew up wanting to be a writer from the age of nine when he edited a school magazine. After attending Hull University where he won a `Time-Life' magazine student journalism award, he spent six years working as a journalist in Sidcup, Worcester and Cardiff before moving to Fleet Street. Tony spent 37 years working for the national press, mainly for the `Sunday People' where he worked both for the newsdesk and the investigations department. He helped cover the Jeremy Thorpe trial for the `Evening Standard', broke the news in the `Sun' of Bill Wyman's plans to marry Mandy Smith and found evidence for the `Sunday People' of Rod Stewart's secret love child. On one occasion, while working for `The People', he took an escaped gangster back to prison. His first book, `Smile Of The Stowaway', is one of four crime novels Tony has written over the past three years. He has five grown-up children and eleven grandchildren. He lives in South East London with his partner, Lin.
Tony Bassett, who was born in West Kent, grew up wanting to be a writer from the age of nine when he edited a school magazine. After attending Hull University where he won a `Time-Life' magazine student journalism award, he spent six years working as a journalist in Sidcup, Worcester and Cardiff before moving to Fleet Street. Tony spent 37 years working for the national press, mainly for the `Sunday People' where he worked both for the newsdesk and the investigations department. He helped cover the Jeremy Thorpe trial for the `Evening Standard', broke the news in the `Sun' of Bill Wyman's plans to marry Mandy Smith and found evidence for the `Sunday People' of Rod Stewart's secret love child. On one occasion, while working for `The People', he took an escaped gangster back to prison. His first book, `Smile Of The Stowaway', is one of four crime novels Tony has written over the past three years. He has five grown-up children and eleven grandchildren. He lives in South East London with his partner, Lin.
Social Media Links
Twitter: @tonybassett1
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