David Murphy (5) (1940–)

A small-town New Zealand wannabe writer heads to London to follow a girl only to find out she is a sucubus cunningly disguised as a Chronicle reporter and he vents his frustration into creating a sadistic femme fatale character whose books erupt into an overnight success.

I was open for anything with this book and it certainly doesn't disappoint, Murphy has a unique writing style that hooks you straight away with many quick and witty observations about growing up in Bullock on the west coast of the south island. He writes short 2-5 page paragraphs that keep the story moving at a great pace the whole book through and his imagination is pretty wild at times.

The real score in this book though is the characters, our author J. Fitz Kennedy and his string of bad luck and running away from hard situations is a real joy to read about. His journey is enthralling and while I think he is a great creation, it is the locals of Bullock themselves, with all their lovely idiosyncracies, that are the real star of the book.

Murray the barber is pure genius, literally. He knows everything from german 16th century opera to the intricacies of transplant surgery to the pyschological reasons behind impotence to the pre-raphaelites. When he retires from the business, young Murray takes over and is every bit as wise - it is the centre of all information for the male folk of Bullock.

Aunt Agnes is the resident lapsed nun and weed grower extroadinaire. She also gets signs from God and helps Fitz escape a marriage to the daughter of a Portugese family with mafia style big brothers.

This book is just really good fun and includes some of the best characters I've read of in a long time. Although Murphy now lives in New Zealand, he was born in London and has lived in other countries before finding our fair land irresistable. Technically though, this book is more Kiwi than most and you'll finish it wanting to find a small town of Bullock for your own.… (plus d'informations)

Synopsis: When Fitz Kennedy is finally given a decent reporting opportunity for his job at the Bullock Telegraph in a small town in New Zealand called Bullock, he gives it away to Frankie Wilton, a reporter from the UK, who also takes his heart. When she returns to the UK, Fitz decides to find her and pursue his love of her, only to discover she pretended to love him for the story. For revenge, he turns her into a fictional character called Laura Friday which becomes an instant success.
My Opinion: A fast-paced story that keeps you on edge due to the daring things Fitz does.… (plus d'informations)