Sunday 8 July 2012

Body Charge

Title: Body Charge

Author: Hunter Davies

Year of publication: 1972, Sphere edition 1974

Back cover blurb: 'Franko Baxter roamed the streets of London in the unlicensed mini-cab he drove for Mr Innocent of Fantastic Cabs.  When he wasn't picking up passengers, he was on the heath kicking a football with his friend Ginger or anyone else who was around.
   But Franko's trouble was that he got involved.  With Shuggy, down from Glasgow to try his luck with a big league team; with Zak, a graduate drop-out on the dole, and his sexy wife; with Joff, top bisexual TV producer; and with the police investigating a homosexual murder.'

Quick flick reveals: Hunter Davies is now best known as a top Beatles biographer, but he has written a number of novels over the years.  I thought this one was going to be about football hooligans, but closer inspection reveals it to be about murders, and football, and homosexuality, and taxis... or something.

Random paragraphs: 'He put his hand on my shoulder.  I pushed him away.  Come round any time, he said.  Come round tonight.  He was having a few people in.  He knew there were several young people there I'd love to meet.
   Drink, money, now sex.  All that was missing was Green Shield stamps.'


Purchase

1 comment:

  1. That cover is hideous, but the book is great fun. We're actually republishing it with a new intro by Hunter Davies.

    ReplyDelete