“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

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Cindy-Anna Jones And The Raiders Of The Lost Tomb

Peter Clenott is kind enough to get in touch and advise us of his latest offering, HUNTING THE KING, which qualifies for an Irish crime fiction blog on the very dubious basis that its heroine is called Molly O’Dwyer. Quoth Peter:
“Because the theme of HUNTING and its predecessor is faith versus reason, I chose a Catholic hero. That’s part of the reason why she has Irish ancestry. Also, I live in the Boston area where there is a huge Irish community. I lived in South Africa for a while. I had an Irish roommate named Michael, who was an auto mechanic. Pale as a ghost. One day he went out to catch some sun and came back burnt to a crisp on his stomach, swearing he would never do that again. The next day he came back with his back side burnt just as bright a red.”
Mad dogs and Irishmen, eh? So what the blummery is this HUNTING THE KING malarkey all about then? Quoth the blurb elves:
Amid the chaos of the 2003 Iraqi invasion, American archaeologist and biblical expert Molly O’Dwyer hunts for the tomb of Jesus. Molly, derisively called Cindy-Anna Jones by rivals, embarks on her action-packed adventure with the U.S. military, Iraqi fighters, and a slew of other antagonists on her trail. Molly is sure to become a beloved, if provocative, heroine, combining the brain of an ambitious, questioning scientist with a deeply spiritual and loving heart.
Yes, yes – but is it any good? Quoth Mr & Mrs Booklist:
“A very readable thriller ... DA VINCI CODE-like draw of this compelling variation on the familiar theme of a lost artefact that could change the world. Fans of intellectual thrillers and historical fiction will find a worthy new voice in Clenott. With the ease of a seasoned novelist ... Clenott manages to create a story that is entertaining and wholly his own.” —Booklist
Erm, any chance we can get Karima Adebibe (right) to play another tomb raider? Colman, buddy, this one’s for you …

4 comments:

Josh Schrank said...

You know GV, if Ms Adebibe had a neckline that plunged any farther, we would all have a first hand look at her "deeply spiritual and loving heart." Not that I am objecting mind you. I think every god figure would die to have someone like that looking for his or her tomb. Where do I sign up?

Declan Burke said...

There's a queue, Josh. Although it might make more sense to have two queues ... Cheers, Dec

Anonymous said...

That pic has inspired me to do a little hunting of my own..... Peter Clenott's novel has just be added to my tottering nightstand's TBR stack!

And what fine big stacks they are.

Mick

Penguin said...

Now I definitely want the casting couch. Thanks, Declan, for putting this on your site.