“Declan Burke is his own genre. The Lammisters dazzles, beguiles and transcends. Virtuoso from start to finish.” – Eoin McNamee “This bourbon-smooth riot of jazz-age excess, high satire and Wodehouse flamboyance is a pitch-perfect bullseye of comic brilliance.” – Irish Independent Books of the Year 2019 “This rapid-fire novel deserves a place on any bookshelf that grants asylum to PG Wodehouse, Flann O’Brien or Kyril Bonfiglioli.” – Eoin Colfer, Guardian Best Books of the Year 2019 “The funniest book of the year.” – Sunday Independent “Declan Burke is one funny bastard. The Lammisters ... conducts a forensic analysis on the anatomy of a story.” – Liz Nugent “Burke’s exuberant prose takes centre stage … He plays with language like a jazz soloist stretching the boundaries of musical theory.” – Totally Dublin “A mega-meta smorgasbord of inventive language ... linguistic verve not just on every page but every line.Irish Times “Above all, The Lammisters gives the impression of a writer enjoying himself. And so, dear reader, should you.” – Sunday Times “A triumph of absurdity, which burlesques the literary canon from Shakespeare, Pope and Austen to Flann O’Brien … The Lammisters is very clever indeed.” – The Guardian

Sunday, April 20, 2008

The Best Things In Life Are Free … Books

The Florida wing of the Irish crime fiction brigade – aka Michael Haskins – gets in touch to suggest that we run a competition giving away three copies of his debut novel, CHASIN’ THE WIND, and we’re only too glad to give Josh Schrank another chance to off-load that pesky case of Glenfiddich. First, the blurb elves:
When government officials sworn to uphold justice attempt to subvert it instead, journalist Liam Michael Murphy and a group of local citizens take over the responsibility. When their efforts seem doomed to failure, revenge becomes the next option: an option with dire consequences. Murphy and his co-conspirators must outwit local cops, federal officials and murderous Cuban army deserters during their crusade. Seeking help from the Cuban government, Murphy considers the possibilities of treason as he meets with Cuban police in Havana. Treason, treachery and justice collide as Murphy’s campaign comes to an explosive end ...
To be in with a chance of winning a signed (woo!) hardback (wee-hoo!) copy of CHASIN’ THE WIND, just answer the following question, as suggested by Mr Haskins:
What Cuban revolutionary’s grandmother was from Ireland and what was her maiden name?
Answers in the comment box below, please, with an email contact address (please use (at) instead of @ in your address). All correct answers go into the Grand Vizier’s turban, the winners to be drawn at noon on Tuesday April 22nd. Et bon chance, mes amis

14 comments:

Gerard Brennan said...

Hope I don't let the side down with poor spelling, but I'm going with Che Guevara. I suppose that's why I've seen his face on so many walls and T-shirts around my way.

I believe his middle name is Sean.

gb

Gerard Brennan said...

Ahem, the email address.

gerardforpresident(at)yahoo.co.uk

gb

Anonymous said...

Hi Dec

The answer is Che Guevara and his gran's maiden name was Lynch.

Thanks
Fiona

fiona.mccartney(at)oceanfree.net

colman said...

shay given and bet lynch from corrie.....no che guevara and ana lynch

plus a packet of cheese and onion tayto's and pack of silvermints

Anonymous said...

Che Guevara. His grandmother's name was Ana Lynch.

Unknown said...

What Cuban revolutionary’s grandmother was from Ireland and what was her maiden name?

Che Guevara, and I think it's Lynch

rawsonkeith(at)gmail.com

Josh Schrank said...

"What Cuban Revolutionary's grandmother was from Ireland, and what was her maiden name."

el Che's grandmother was of Irish decent, however she wasn't from Ireland. Ana Lynch was born and raised in Argentine, as was her father. The last relative of Che's to actually have lived in Ireland would have been Patrick Lynch, who lived in Galoway I believe. He did some world traveling and settled down in Argentine in the mid-1700's.

Josh Schrank said...

oops.. almost forgot, josh_schrank( at )yahoo.com

David Baynham said...

Ernesto 'Che' Guevara's grandmother, surname Lynch from Galway. His father said the blood of Irish rebels flowed through his veins.

djbaynham(at)aol.com

Bernard Hunt said...

The worthless shit Che Guevara's grannie was a descendant of the Lynch family of Galway. What a pity that lynching had died out by his time.

Bernard Hunt
bernard(at)hunt.org

Don Anderson said...

Che Guevara; Lynch.

sailcatmx5(at)hotmail.com

Gerard Brennan said...

I should have read the question properly. Maiden name Lynch. Though I think Mr Schrank is the hands down winner of this round. That's a lot of knowing.

gb

Declan Burke said...

Gerard - 'a lot of knowing', indeed. And Josh has yet to play his Glenfiddich trump card. Colman? I like the cut of your 'cool, clean hero' jib. Bernard - I believe the operative phrase here is, 'One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter'. But we like what you're doing with the whole Lynch / lynching thing. Everyone else? You're in the turban for the draw. Cheers, Dec

Josh Schrank said...

"And Josh has yet to play his Glenfiddich trump card"

I thought it went without saying that Ana practiced her own version of socialistic reform. She insured everyone who was willing to change received a bottle of Glenfiddich. You mean that isn't common knowledge?

I do however, have to admit to an inaccuracy in my first statement. A friend chided me on my, as he put it, "dismal lack of recall." Apparently Ana was not born and raised in Argentine as I had stated (though her father, Che's great-grandfather, was). She was born and raise in California during the gold rush of the time, her father coming there like so many other seeking fortune. She met her husband in California and moved back to the family land in Argentine in early adulthood.

My apologies for the glaring falsehood I bestowed up everyone. Now, if you don't mind, I must go and thwap a snickering co-worker upside the head with something hard, perferably not filled with amber liquid.