Paul Fenton

This is an epic tale of a possible future for Australia. It's dark, action-packed and, because it's by P A Fenton, it's laced with a dark humour. Excellent stuff!

Draw the Brisbane Line

Amazon.com

My review - 

The title comes from a supposed WW2 defence line on the map of Australia which divided the continent up in the event of invasion by Japan. In this ‘not too far in the future’ story, the idea is resurrected. The banks have crashed, people are bankrupt and law and order breaks down. Queenslanders form a militia to fight to defend their own territory, which would be lost in the event of invasion – though they can’t agree on who the invader will be. The core of the Queenslanders is made up of sensible and concerned citizens but it inevitably accretes a crust of violent psychopaths out to loot and kill. In the middle of this, star couple Dave, a tennis ace, and Jenny, a Hollywood star, are separated – right in the middle of a row.

You never get two books the same from Paul Fenton. No formulaic, cookie-cutter clones with him. I love the fact that there are lots of characters, all with a real part to play. If you teased one out, there’d be something missing from the tale. He writes eloquent and intelligent prose into which he injects a dark humour. This story played out in my mind like an action movie and I rushed along in its wake. It’s sobering to think how easily the civilisation we cherish can break down. A thoroughly good story.

Paul Fenton (P A Fenton)

Paul's books are always very funny but with a dark streak.  This one is dark but with funny streaks.  I always very much enjoy his writing style and his own brand of humour.  This latest one is no let-down!

Natural Deselection

Amazon.com  Natural Deselection

My review -

Chloe Bright is a business analyst working in a London office. She's a New Yorker and came to London to escape from an incident in her past. There's some wonderful corporate-speak in use here as the company brings in a consultant and Chloe becomes involved with him. The story is dark, Urban Noir, you might say, but nevertheless is shot through with Paul Fenton's own wonderful sense of humour. Chloe receives nasty and increasingly threatening messages on her phone and also appears to have a strange woman, masquerading as herself, stalking her on the underground. Her involvement with the `consultant' brings out more information than she's happy with. Her best friend at work tries to help her but that causes them both problems.

This is a really good thriller and the need to know what happens, what everyone is really up to, keeps the pages flying by. It's more serious than the author's usual stories but it full of memorable phrases that made me laugh a great deal. I found the ending, though a little poignant, very satisfying. An excellent read!

Paul Fenton (P A Fenton)

Paul's latest publication is a novella.  It's both funny and thought provoking.

The Spanner

Amazon.com  The Spanner

My review -

Paul Fenton’s novella takes the sort of irritating character we may all have come across and blows him completely out of proportion (although I believe this was based on a real character!)  Stan Ramble has engineered his project at work so that only he can keep the job going.  He has removed from the computer code anything that will allow another person to get to grips with it.  He’s horrible and irritating both at work and at home.  Eventually, he is found out.  We see the ends to which he is driven in order not only to escape that discovery, but to try to reconnect with his son.

Paul Fenton has a genius for humour and this book with its inexorable inevitability reminds me a little of the film ‘Clockwise’ – it’s that rolling out of control that this author does so well.  A real treat for fans of the ludicrous (and people with an irritating and obstructive colleague!)

Paul Fenton (P A Fenton)

Paul writes very funny books.  I love his style and humour.

Punchline

Amazon.com   Punchline

My review -

This book is a fast moving adventure story with a high body count. The premise is that an author has all his previously rejected manuscripts stolen and published under other people's names. Naturally he is apoplectically angry. He tries to track his works and those who stole them and find out how they managed to get hold of the books. There are lots of interesting characters in this story and the ending is a real surprise. I love the author's sense of humour. Paul Fenton is a talented and funny writer.
The book is a real page turner and I enjoyed it immensely.

Cellar Door

Amazon.com  Cellar Door

My review -

Cellar Door is the second novel from Paul Fenton, author of Punchline and it confirms that he is no one-book-wonder. As the story unfurls we are drawn into the lives of a young couple who lose their jobs and face serious financial hardship. What they find in their cellar could change all that but finding it puts them in danger.

If you don't like strong language you will not even get as far as the beginning of Chapter 17 which had me laughing so loudly on a train journey that I startled a fellow passenger. The book is brilliantly written and brimming with Paul Fenton's wickedly funny dark sense of humour. He can go from hysterically funny to deeply poignant in a few words - an enviable skill. I look forward to yet more work of such quality from this talented writer.

Paul Fenton's blog