PINTEREST
BLOGLOVIN
GOODREADS
My thanks to Rachel of Rachel’s Random Resources for the blog tour invitation which appealed as soon as I saw the words ‘Monet’ and ‘cruise ship’! I’m delighted to welcome Malcolm Parnell with a guest post talking about some favourite authors.
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Reading has always been a passion of mine. After learning to read as a small child the love of the written word has embedded itself deep in my psyche and I cannot remember a time when I haven’t found time to be enchanted by a book. My earliest recollections of reading actual novels began with Enid Blyton and the Famous Five and Secret Seven stories. I adored those books and I’m sure my love of mysteries developed as a result of reading them. A few tears later I discovered the Billy Bunter series by Frank Richards. I think these books have to rate as my all-time favourites and I devoured each and every one. The world these character inhabited was so different from my own and yet I felt instantly at ease and comfortable in it. I still have vivid memories of heading into the children’s section of my local library as a young boy and eagerly seeking new titles concerning the fat owl of the remove. I loved them so much that I have now collected a number of first editions which I treasure.
As I grew older my taste became more eclectic and I discovered Agatha Christie who is surely the best mystery writer of all time. Both Poirot and Marple are timeless and the work of genius. I suppose my favourite genre has to be mystery novels with whodunnits ranking high amongst the list. In my teens I discovered Dennis Wheatley whose black magic stories had me riveted until well into the small hours. Looking back I’m not sure whether these books have stood the test of time and would probably now seem old fashioned and politically incorrect, but at the time I found them very exciting. Dick Francis was a favourite of my early twenties and I quickly worked my way through all the exploits of jockey Sid Halley. Like Christie he was a prolific writer and turned out one best seller after another. Since then I have read many books of many genres with PG Wodehouse ranking amongst my favourite authors. Like the Bunter stories the world of Pelham Grenville Wodehouse is so far removed from my own but it is very easy to escape to and leave the rigours of modern life behind. I particularly liked the Blandings stories with Lord Emsworth and his pet pig.
CJ Sansom is another author who merits respect and his Matthew Shardlake series is one of the best historical sagas I have ever read and Dissolution is as good a piece of historical writing as I have ever come across.
One of my all-time favourite mystery novels is a book written by Peter Lovesey entitled, The False Inspector Dew. It is set upon an ocean cruise liner sailing from the UK to America and it is a fantastic read. It was from reading this novel that I got the inspiration for my third Harry Chase book Right On The Monet, which is also set upon a cruise liner.
| About the Book |
New York
Claude Monet painting is stolen
Mediterranean
Of all the things Harry Chase had imagined in his life, being a drummer on a cruise ship band was not one that would have occurred to him. And yet, there he was. Centre stage, behind a young female singer along with his mates, Dave, Tony and Steve.
Which meant that getting involved in a jewellery theft, an on-board massage parlour and the hunt for an Old Master was even further from his mind as he cracked the snare drum.
And yet, this was exactly how he found himself being questioned by Interpol …..
| About the Author |
Malcolm Parnell has a passion for painting and teaches art and drawing skills when he is not working on his next novel.
His other passion, apart from his good lady wife, Marion, is Leicester City Football Club. Becoming an author and Leicester win the Premier League have been two of his greatest ambitions realised.
(sorry but there doesn’t seem to be an Amazon link)
