Review ~ Handcuffs,Truncheon and a Polyester Thong by Gina Kirkham

Urbane Publictaions
May 2017

What's it all about...

Meet Mavis Upton. 

As mummy to 7-year old Ella, surrogate to far too many pets and with a failed marriage under her belt, Mavis knows she needs to make some life-changing decisions. It's time to strike out into the world, to stand on her own two feet … to pursue a lifelong ambition to become a Police Officer. I mean, what could go wrong? 

Supported by her quirky, malapropism-suffering mum, Mavis throws herself headlong into a world of uncertainty, self-discovery, fearless escapades, laughter and extra-large knickers. And using her newly discovered investigative skills, she reluctantly embarks on a search to find her errant dad who was last seen years before, making off with her mum's much needed coupon for a fabulous foam cup bra all the way from America.

Follow Mavis as she tackles everything life can throw at her, and revel in Gina Kirkham's humorous, poignant and moving story of an everyday girl who one day followed a dream.

What did I think about it...

Well first off, I want to say that from the very start of the novel I laughed out loud so many times that I was only glad that I was reading the book comfortably at home and not on public transport, otherwise I think I would have been turfed off the bus. 

Meeting Mavis Upton is an absolute joy, she is feisty and funny, and filled with a tangible love for her job as a beat bobby based across the water from Liverpool. Coming late to the police service, Mavis is already a single mum to her seven year old daughter when she has an the idea to join the force. But life as a police constable is never going to be without its challenges, and although Mavis is ably assisted with child care by her mother, who, incidentally, made me smile every time she appeared on the page, juggling shift work is never going to be easy for a single mum.

Mavis seems to sail through her police training, not with incident, I may add, but it is once she is assigned to her police section that she really comes into her own. Compassionate, quirky and not always very politically correct, Mavis is one of those police officers who you would always wish to turn up whenever there was trouble.

To say more would be to spoil the effect of meeting Mavis for yourself , so I won't give anything more away, other than to heap praise on this debut author who has given us such a wonderful character, and who has brought Mavis' story to life with such gusto that I was truly sad when the book ended. I loved everything about the story, the banter and the camaraderie of a police section feels entirely realistic, which can only stem for the author's own experiences as a serving police officer. 

They say that you should always write about what you know and if the author's alter ego was anything like Mavis Upton then I'm, sure she was an absolute joy to work alongside.

Best Read With...Toasted crumpets with lashings of Lurpak...

About the Author

You can also read my earlier interview with Gina by clicking here

Find Gina on her website 

Follow on Twitter @GinaGeeJay #HandcuffsTruncheonandaPolyesterThong
#whereismavisuptonsthong

My thanks to the Author and also to Matthew at Urbane Publications for sharing a review copy of Handcuffs,Truncheon and a Polyester Thong with me.

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