A retired ex Local Government Officer with a horse mad wife, a cat who acts as my alarm clock at the time he wants me to get up, and a daughter who must be wonderful because she thinks her dad is. I live in a small village in North Wales and became an author almost by accident when a friend liked a day's diary I sent her in answer to a 'How was your day"? query. Needless to say the day was a fiction from start to finish.
<p style="margin:0px 0px 14px;padding:0px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;"><strong>"A somber, disturbing mystery fused with a scathing look at the fashion industry. </strong><strong>Mangin writes in a confident, razor-edged style."</strong><strong> - Kirkus Reviews</strong></p><p style="margin:-4px 0px 14px;padding:0px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;"><strong>Condom dresses and space helmets have debuted on fashion runways.</strong></p><p style="margin:-4px 0px 14px;padding:0px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;">A dead body becomes the trend when a coat made of human skin saunters down fashion's biggest stage. The body is identified as Annabelle Leigh, the teenager who famously disappeared over a decade ago from her boyfriend's New York City mansion.</p><p style="margin:-4px 0px 14px;padding:0px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;">This new evidence casts suspicion back on the former boyfriend, Cecil LeClaire. Now a monk, he is forced to return to his dark and absurd childhood home to clear his name. He teams up with Ava Germaine, a renegade ex-model. And together, they investigate the depraved and lawless modeling industry behind Cecil's family fortune.</p><p style="margin:-4px 0px 14px;padding:0px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;">They find erotic canes, pet rats living in crystal castles, and dresses made of crushed butterfly wings. But Cecil finds more truth in the luxury goods than in the people themselves. Everyone he meets seems to be wearing a person-suit. Terrified of showing their true selves, the glitterati put on flamboyant public personas to make money and friends. Can Cecil find truth in a world built on lies?</p><p style="margin:-4px 0px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;"><strong>In high fashion modeling, selling bodies is organized crime.</strong></p>
I was asked how Lord David acquired his Title and also why in the first book in the series ( My Barsetshire Diary) he sometimes uses crutches and sometimes not. This seemed to be the best way to explain, by creating a prequel that answered the questions and also explained what he had been doing since he retired early.
<p>The book is highly original but it's delightful humour brings to mind a charming glimpse of a character worthy of a P.G.Wodehouse novel mixed with touches of a mature but still somewhat innocent candide.<br /> Ilil Arbel. Author<br /><br /><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:Verdana, 'sans-serif';color:#000000;font-size:10pt;">If you are looking for a charming and entertaining read in which you will giggle your way through, then this book is it! From almost the very first page I was bubbling with laughter, and the trend continued to the end.<br /><br /> When a young government official, whose only concerns in the beginning stem from a minor motor vehicle accident and his wife's penchant for swiping his wallet, is suddenly the bearer of the title, Lord of Bouldnor, and pressed into Her Majesty's service, our small-village gentleman suddenly becomes an English hero. With characters such as wife Lady J and daughter Ysabel, who keep Lord David humble, and Oscar the cat, who reminds Lord David on multiple occasions just who is the boss in his family, Lord David fills his new role with the humility of a saint. Sent on various missions, Lord David swiftly and matter-of-factly saves the crown from financial ruin, blackmail, and diplomatic assassinations with the ease of a pro, only to return home to his loving wife and daughter and his eternal nemesis, Oscar, as though nothing ever happened.<br /><br /> With characters such as Dr. Jekyll and a cafe owner who inadvertently poisons him as well as a small village that spreads gossip via jungle drums, Lord David's story is entirely way too entertaining not to enjoy. Though not a fast-paced spy adventure, you will laugh your way through and love this humble James Bond with his self-deprecating humor and eager to please disposition. I highly recommend David and Ilil's story for a great laugh.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><br /> Collette Scott. Author.</p>