We all have black thoughts. It's just some of us act on them.
A van driver with abduction and murder on his mind.
An eleven-year-old girl snatched on her way home from ballet.
A tortured reporter, happy to use her death and the terrifying reign of a child killer to help make his name...
Length: 62,000 words.
*** R-rated for violence and bad language ***
"Don't let the rather bland title put you off - this second novel by Dave Franklin is an impressive pacey read, spiced with ethical dilemmas as well as his earthy dialogue and humour." - Sunday Times
"Franklin's first novel, Looking for Sarah Jane Smith, introduced his unique brand of bitter humour as he journeyed out of Wales into Aussie territory. In this new book, Franklin chooses to return to familiar territory, setting the novel in Portsmouth, on England's south coast. His raw-edged honesty and earthy humour combine to make a compelling portrayal of one man's undoing against a backdrop of murder, brutality and desperate love. It is a gritty and vicious novel." - Post Newspapers
Born in Wales, Dave Franklin published his first story at sixteen in a national fishing magazine. He immigrated to Australia and made his living as a reporter, earning the distinction of being sacked twice by a Perth-based newspaper group. He then spent nearly three years teaching English in Korea, during which the mortality rate of the children under his care remained at an impressive zero. He now teaches ESL to adults in Brisbane, helping (among others) Thai Lady Boys get to grips with their past participles.
The major theme of Dave's small, character-driven stories is alienation, the symptoms of which include male immaturity, misogyny, dysfunction, xenophobia, religion, violence and a childish glee in winding up the politically correct. His books lack car chases and explosions; instead he prefers outlandish, twisted sex scenes that focus on exasperated loners full of doubt.
Readers who like his work tend to see its black comedy (and disdain for his own characters) whereas his harshest critics take everything at face value. Indeed, some observers would suggest the highlight of his writing career, which has produced ten novels, remains being published in a fishing magazine.
Contact him on babyicedog_dave@hotmail.com Here's a handy guide to his full-length work:
DARK COMEDY
1. Looking For Sarah Jane Smith
2. Manic Streets of Perth
3. English Toss on Planet Andong
4. Evil Arse Soup: Three Ultra-Dark Comedies (Anthology of the above)
5. The Muslim Zombies
HORROR
1. Straitjacket Blues: Stories of Unease
2. The Goodreads Killer
3. Begin The Madness: The Straitjacket Blues Trilogy (Anthology of the above)
4. Nice Man Jack: A Jack The Ripper Novella
PSYCHOLOGICAL / CRIME
1. Girls Like Funny Boys
2. To Dare A Future
3. Blundering Blokes (Anthology of the above that includes Sarah Jane Smith)
4. Riders on the Storm and Other Killer Songs
5. Saving a Child from God
6. A Promise of Pain (Anthology of the above novels plus two novellas and a short story)
EROTICA
1. Bawdy Blokes: Three Porno Funnies
2. Welcome to Wales, Girls: A Violent Odyssey of Pornographic Filth
