“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

Saturday, July 4, 2009

The Best Things In Life Are Free … Books

We’re celebrating the UK publication of Adrian McKinty’s FIFTY GRAND today, folks, and while it feels kind of odd to be giving away signed copies of a book that will be worth a small fortune in years to come, I already have a signed first edition, so I can afford to be generous. What’s rare is wonderful, right? First, the blurb elves:
Cuban cop Mercado has a score to settle, on behalf of a deadbeat dad, a ‘traitor’ who skipped free from Castro’s control to set up a new life working illegally in Colorado. He settled in a ski resort popular with the Hollywood set, where the facade is maintained by the immigrant cleaners and labourers who work for below minimum wage while the local sheriff is bribed to turn a blind eye. Hernandez Sr’s dreams of fortune and freedom came to a swift end when he was killed in a hit-and-run accident. Sworn to avenge his death, Mercado has some obstacles to overcome - not least getting out of Cuba, where visas are as elusive as constant electricity. Segueing back and forth between heat-soaked Havana and the icy luxury of the mountainside resort, FIFTY GRAND is an audacious thriller from an acknowledged talent - and an incendiary debut for a new hero.
  Nice. To be in with a chance of winning a copy signed by the fair hand of the maestro himself, just answer the following question.
Is ‘Adrian McKinty’ almost an anagram for:
(a) Kinky Hadrian;
(b) Drincky Nadir;
(c) Dinky Radical;
(d) Where, Exactly, is the Dignity in All of This?
  Answers via the comment box please, leaving a contact email address (using (at) rather than @ to confuse the spam-munchkins) before noon on Tuesday, July 7th. Et bon chance, mes amis …

11 comments:

Donal said...

(a) well almost anyway! Trainman Dicky is an anagram though. dpocaoimh {at} yahoo dot co dot uk.

Unknown said...

I've already got the U.S. edition of FIFTY GRAND, but it ain't signed, so I'll say : (a)Kinky Hadrian

Corey Wilde said...

For anyone wondering whether you want to read this book and should enter the contest: you do and you should. One of the best - possibly the best - books I've read this year.

Anonymous said...

a. and d.

seana graham said...

I've got a copy too, so I will guess d.

Anonymous said...

hello... hapi blogging... have a nice day! just visiting here....

marco said...

I already have a copy with unreadable signature, so I won't take part.I don't know if Adrian is too kinky, but he certainly admitted a lot of drinky nadirs...

Anonymous said...

Think I'll go for A but Adrian also is an anagram for Martin Any Dick (sounds like a potential Dutch target for Arsenal if you ask me).
smawe at tcd.ie

Declan Burke said...

I likes the cut of your respective jibs, Smawe and Donal - new anagrams are always good. Especially when you're working with 'tricky sandiron'.

Cheers, Dec

Unknown said...

It´s a d) since I´ve never met the writer and haven´t read a single thing he has written ;o)

helgabk (at) gmail.com

David Baynham said...

No exact matches, so let's go for
d)

djbaynham(at)aol.com