Bland Encounter

by Donald Wightman (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2013

  $3.25

  Take the slap-stick farce of a 1950's Ealing comedy and update it with a generous portion of risque humour - this is the laugh-out-loud comedy novel by Donald Wightman. The Bridgnorth writer used his own on-train experiences to create his story. `I set out to devise an original plot packed with humour and quirky characters. My own railway industry knowledge provided the ideal platform for this hilarious, read-between-the-lines comedy novel, Bland Encounter. With a heritage railway on my own doorstep, a trip along its meandering route would inevitably fire-up my imagination and help me to create new ways of thickening the plot.' Woven through with gentle humour as well as outbreaks of pure farce, Bland Encounter features an off-the-wall main character surrounded by a host of amusing supporting roles. Dave Bland is a man struggling to make a new life after the break up of his marriage. The middle-aged train manager turns to an internet dating site and soon gets embroiled in intrigue. Is the mysterious Galina a high-class hooker, a hit woman or simply a lady looking for love? When she arrives in the UK, he invites her into his home, but complications arise when Galina's niece appears on the scene. A sex-trade worker down on her luck, Irina needs a place to stay. With money tight, old habits die hard, so Dave formulates a plan for Irina and her colleagues to target Trainspotters who are due in town for a special steam weekend. Chaos ensues when members of a rival steam railway try to sabotage the event. The mayhem increases when a train wrecks a nearby Safari Park. Order is eventually restored, but the consequences prove crucial for the people involved.