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It's
a romp!
Like
a proverbial 'breath of fresh air', Kate Fenton embarks her main
character in Picking Up, Jo Patterson, on an adventurous romp, mostly
across the wilds of the North York Moors.
It
is a true to life story, well that is true to life to anyone who
has discovered the office romance between their husband and his
bimbo assistant.
Fortunately
for Jo, her husband had recently bought her a holiday cottage in
the middle of nowhere on the North York Moors.
Jo
flees there, with the genuine belief that hubby will come to his
senses, turn up and plead with her to go back to him.
Kate
certainly has you pleading with Jo not to do anything so ridiculous,
its obvious that this romantic gift of the cottage, was in fact
a ruse to keep her out of the way, while he became firmly entangled
with Gaynor, the bimbo.
Back
to the Moors, we find Jo falling foul of more deviousness as money
in the bank starts disappearing at a vast rate of knots.
Here
this suburban housewife, soon realises she must do something to
alleviate this cash flow problem and not just because she is sick
of living on baked beans.
Jo
takes up the role of beater for the local manor house shoot.
Together
with the gift from her son, a rather intelligent spaniel called
Dora, Jo gallops, in all weathers, over the heather clad moors,
all in the name of gentlemanly sport, and of course to keep the
wolf from the door.
Soon
she is informed that the company she built up with her husband is
having problems and her husband lets it go for a song.
Through
friends she learns he turned down a colossal sum offered to him
just a few years ago.
The
story here goes into another genre, one of detective story, as Jo
hears about a private eye nephew of the Lord of the Manor. She travels
to London to enlist his help.
But
does Jo really want to discover the truth about her husband, Gaynor
and their supposedly ailing company?
Why
is there a feud between Paddy and his crippled cousin?
How
does her husbands floozy fit in all this too? Well you will
just have to read this delightful, fast moving story to find out.
Just
dont be put of by the title of the first chapter The
End - all will be revealed.
Commendation
I was
disappointed this book has been categorized as a comedy.
Yes
it has its moments that make one smile, even moments that make one
cry, but I wouldn't put it down as rib tickling hilarious.
It
is a pleasant read, with good description of this beautiful area
in North Yorkshire and of the characters Jo meets.
I was
a little disappointed at the end of the book, which was written
in a rather detailed and a little bit vulgar manner, but such is
life.
It
is Kate Fenton's fifth book and despite this it has certainly whetted
my appetite to read more from her.
Review
by: Hazel Stevens
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