Spurious Games by David Jenkins

[Geoff Chandler]

Sorry the name is Bude. Barnaby Bude.

Does the usual disclaimer, which is present in this book, not cover an accidental coincidence of a similar name.

[Kevin Thurlow]

"Does the usual disclaimer, which is present in this book, not cover an accidental coincidence of a similar name."

Probably - the person suing would then have to show it wasn't an accident. There may be a book where "Geoff Chandler" is the murderer, and you probably couldn't complain, unless it was (say) written by somebody who had had a serious argument with you. The name "Bude" in the current example is reasonable as it's a Cornish town and the author lives in Cornwall. When JK Rowling was on "Who Do You Think You Are", they showed her a register at a school she'd attended, and she suddenly slammed it shut and said that she had just remembered that there was a boy she really disliked, and she had named a villain after him. So possibly it is ok. I got a mental picture of someone called Voldemort watching the programme and telling his family beforehand, "I was at school with her."

Anyway, my KIndle copy has arrived and I am eager to start it.

[Neil Graham]

On the subject of using real names, a 1930s radio show starring the Marx Brothers (well two of them) ran into a legal minefield. The show was originally entitled Beagle, Shyster & Beagle with Groucho Marx playing crooked attorney-at-law Walter T. Beagle. However a New York attorney by the name of Morris Beagle threatened to sue the radio company and sponsors for $300,000 saying that his name and reputation had been slandered. His office was inundated with calls and as soon as he confirmed he was Mr.Beagle the callers asked to speak to his partner Mr.Shyster before putting down the receiver.

The series was immediately retitled Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel with Walter T.Beagle becoming Waldorf T.Flywheel. This change took place after four episodes had been broadcast under the original name so Groucho had to explain that Flywheel was his maiden name.

Anyone wondering why this is remotely of interest should listen to Radio 4 Extra where the series was revived by two British actors and a supporting cast after the original scripts were discovered in the Library of Congress. Unfortunately it isn't available on i-player at the moment but is well worth a listen when it reappears.

[Geoff Chandler]

Stewart Reuben has appeared in the book, he is being mentioned in a lecture he gave on 'The Seventh Seal.'

(Not the B/W film, but about a small island off Orkney that was home to six seals, one day a 7th turned up...)

In my novel I'm thinking of having Stewart as my wise cracking side-kick,
Leonard Barden and Bernard Cafferty as two detectives, (Lenny and Benny of the Yard.)

Of course Justin Horton is the villain, the arch mastermind.
(he lives in Spain...obviously is on the run,)

[Kevin Thurlow]

I have now read 25 % of the book, and was amused that he had a couple of professors with rather dodgy job titles, and if you read his biography, you see, "I have specialised as a qualitative evaluator of innovative Arts and Social Action programs (e.g. Teacher/Artist Partnerships and TALE, a pan-European initiative training youth leaders using non-formal methods)."

[Geoff Chandler]

Hi Kevin,

I'm hoping we read a lot more of Hector Plasma.

As soon as I saw it I thought.....Plasma....Blood.... Claude Bloodgood!

I'm page on 100 they are just about to look at the film 'Seventh Seal' for clues.
(pretty slow reading this, but as a redundancy gift to myself I just got the full sports package from
Virgin so currently hooked on live football and baseball hopefully this novelty will soon wear off.)

This is rather good...we are doing a live book review.

[Kevin Thurlow]

Now up to 70 %, and Jack Rudd gets a mention, and an "Eve Sedgwick"!

It also hit me that one character is "Rakesh Patella", and I played a Cornish gentleman called Robin Kneebone a few years ago.

One slight typo, a reference to the b8/a2 diagonal.

I now have two main suspects...

[Roger de Coverly]

I played a Cornish gentleman called Robin Kneebone a few years ago.

One of my contemporaries at University fifty years ago. Later he went into teaching and I believe became a headmaster, Truro School I think.

[Kevin Thurlow]

"One of my contemporaries at University fifty years ago."

It was a Seniors' event.

I've now finished the entertaining book and my suspects have not been arrested. Another typo though, "supercede".

Somewhat annoyingly, one of the murders was one that I had pondered using if I ever got around to writing a detective story.

[Geoff Chandler]

Hi Kevin,

I still have a few chapters to go, just up to Jack getting a mention. Enjoying it
Had to re-read a page or two to recap, I was finding more motives than murder suspects.

The wee slip I noticed was saying the Stean game had not been in print before. (I can recall it had been in a CHESS or BCM.)
Also the diagram on page 88 - though that may be a clue to appear later.

[Adam Raoof]

If anyone would like to review this novel for my newsletter, I would be really happy to publish it! [email protected]

[Kevin Thurlow]

"If anyone would like to review this novel for my newsletter, I would be really happy to publish it! adam"

I think I'll defer to Geoff - he writes great reviews.

[Geoff Chandler]

Finished, fell for the 'this is too obvious' when selecting the villain, enjoyed it.

Hi Adam,

Reviewing a mystery book (something I have never done unless you count the mystery to why some chess books have been ever written)
without dropping hints or spoilers may be dodgy. But you can use.

Spurious Games by David Jenkins.

This is a murder(s) mystery with chess players getting knocked off and chess games and diagrams taunting the
police as clues. At under £10.00 It's cheaper than your modern opening book and you will read this one.

Treading carefully not to give any clues about who done it and why. I'll relate it to a chess players style.

Not a smooth Capablanca or Tarrasch game. Imagine a Duchamp with a bit Steinitz and a dash Tal
and a sting in the tale (a pun) combination. Loads of strange characters, just like any chess club.

Certainly not a 'Mills and Boon' with chess as the setting which is an all too common trick.
I love me Sci-fi and have been conned dozens of times into love triangles set in the future
with sex in spaceships instead of cars, robots instead of waiters and not an alien in sight.

Here we get a one page, one night stand with a randy copper. I thought he we go....she's gonna get
pregnant, a jealous boyfriend will appear and the love mush bit will pad out the rest of the book.
Thankfully that did not happen. (unless there is a sequel.)

That gripe out of the way, I was a wee bit disappointed how it ended, maybe because it ended
and I was enjoying it....or maybe it's because I don't like endings!

Doubt if it make the screen or TV unless it is dumbed down (and more love interest added).
I found a bit of it pretty heavy thought provoking stuff with clues and misdirections everywhere.
I found I enjoyed having my thoughts provoked and had to go back through the book to match things up.
(you will know what I mean when you read it.) Enjoy.

----

I'm now off to drop it off at Keith Ruxton house.....I'll wear my spotted mask and shirt so he can see me coming.



(note I've placed myself infront of books like those on TV link-ups to show how clever I am.)