A Season in the Sun

As someone who is not a fan of cricket, I was slightly concerned about whether this was the book for me. I shouldn't have worried. This is a fantastic page-turner. It contains wonderfully vivid descriptions of the characters and surroundings. As you read, you become fully immersed in their world - their relationships and the clever story that weaves its way through the book. I looked forward to reading it each night and really missed it after I had turned the last page. It was absolutely brilliant - time for a sequel? (please!)

A pleasant surprise! Written very much in the style of an old-fashioned British country mystery, this actually takes place in current time and moves rapidly from the stuffy rooms of the City of London to the sunnier, more colorful--but no less complex--Seychelles islands. Features new, fun and interesting characters. Very heavy on the cricket--which may be a bit tough on most American readers--but you don't need to understand the game to root for the local club--and the good guys--to win. I wish I had a rich aunt who'd leave me a beautiful home on a tropical island! I'd definitely read more of this series, and see what happens next.

As a cricket fan, I thoroughly enjoyed the wit and banter contained in this novel by Robert Rees, which tracks the ultimate dream outcome to every City worker's most dreaded scenario. However, I believe anyone, whether interested in cricket or not, would take much from the high-quality writing, an entertaining plot, excellent characterisation, and vivid settings which Rees deploys in this book. The protagonist, Henry Fanshawe, is fired in a contrived, typically nasty, financial scandal at the London investment bank where he works, and for which he is made the scapegoat. The silver lining is his next role, running a cricket club in the Seychelles, filled with highly eccentric but lovable characters such as Curtley the dope-smoking quick bowler and Mathilde the shapely French-speaking number five batswoman with a nice line in innuendo. Fanshawe proves himself (almost) a match for his new teammates, as well as some of the Seychelles underworld, such as Khaaliya Chowdrey, match-fixing owner of rival team the Chowdrey Steamers. Pleasingly, in an age where the dark shadow of corruption has hung heavy over some quarters of international cricket, Henry also emerges as a stout defender of the spirit and traditions of the game itself. This novel comes thoroughly recommended as a feast of escapism for those suffering a daily commute to and from the City, and the perfect read for summer evenings—whether or not it's possible to hear the sound of bat on ball on a distant village green.

I am not a cricket fan and have never been to the Seychelles, so I was rather sceptical when this book was recommended to me as a good read. I did not expect to enjoy it, but I did, which is a lesson in stepping outside the normal boundaries of experience. The protagonist, Henry Fanshawe is a likable and well-drawn character, a cricket fanatic and someone who is rather good at his job. On that note, it must also be said that the other main characters are similarly handled. The author evidently draws on deep wells of experience to detail Henry's doings in the world of finance; and also for how things are in the Seychelles. The descriptions are so well done, and so informed that I could see them in my mind's eye, which is always a sound indicator for good writing. Without giving too much away, Henry encounters villainy and corruption, and as is the case with most people, is helpless, at least at first, in the face of them. How he deals with the challenges he faces is handled in a style rather reminiscent of PG Wodehouse; it is light, entertaining and I consider it to be a rather good book to take on holiday to sit under a beach umbrella with. Its strength lies very much in the fact that I wanted to go on reading and see how things turned out; and that has surely to be the gold standard for a well-written book. I recommend it as a good and enjoyable read.

Wodehouse meets Tom Sharpe, a triumph