The Testing of Archie Rathbone

It's an interesting and rather sobering thought - The Testing of Archie Rathbone  (as I ultimately decided it should be called) has finally crossed that invisible barrier - the one that separates the published from the as yet unpublished. My book is now available on Amazon Kindle.

If you were to ask me if the achievement is all I expected then I have to confess I couldn't say, because I don't know what I expected.

It's sobering because after several years in the writing, an interminable period of editing, redrafting, and all the other details that are necessary before that barrier can be crossed, there's nothing more to be done - those years of work mean nothing now. It's all down to whether or not anyone wants to read it, and if they do, whether or not they like it.

Perhaps I should start by giving you an idea as to what the book is about...

The Plot

Having fallen asleep in his flat in Clapham (London), Archie Rathbone is understandably indignant when he wakes up to find himself on the beach of a tropical island. He has no idea as to how he's got there, nor how to get back home. His only company on the island is a talking seagull.

Meanwhile, back in London the price of Phoenix Tuna shares is going through the roof, and Emma, Archie's recently ex-girlfriend, suspects something fishy.

Neither of them realise that in trying to unravel the mystery, they are about to put the whole human race in danger.

Will Archie escape from his island prison and confront his captors? What is the connection between the secret organisation ALIRTS and the cafe proprietor Jakub Baranski? And what have Bolt, Upright & Clench (Tailors to the discerning since 1746) got to do with it all?

The Testing of Archie Rathbone is a tale of treachery, sorcery and the price of fish...