Oh my days! Where do I start with this wonderful book? Handcuffs, Truncheon and a Polyester Thong is one of the funniest books I've read in a long time.
Right from the opening chapter, in which we meet our protagonist, Mavis Upton, in a somewhat precarious situation, I knew that this was going to be an enjoyable read.
So, just who is Mavis Upton? Well, she's mum to Ella and daughter to Josie and one day whilst out with Ella she decides that she wants to join the police force. Making this decision later on in life was always going to make this a challenge for Mavis, but it's one that she rises to admirably.
I was in stitches as I followed Mavis through her rookie training, trying to stifle my laughter as I sat in my chair at the hairdressers waiting for my colour to take, I'm sure I got more than a few funny looks while I was sat there!
But this is more than just the humorous side of being a bobby on the beat, there's also an unexpected depth to the story. Real life isn't always a bed of roses and Mavis' life is no exception. There was one case in particular that really tugged at my heart-strings and I was literally in tears at one point towards the end of the book.
Handcuffs, Truncheon and a Polyester Thong is an outstanding debut novel and Gina Kirkham is an exceptional writer. Her ability to create characters that jump off the page and feel like friends is second to none. Mavis is someone who I immediately warmed to and getting to know the non-professional, mother/daughter side of Mavis, she quickly endeared herself to me and became someone who I wanted to know and have a coffee and dunk a biscuit with. The interaction between Mavis and her colleagues is wonderful and the pranks they played on each other were hilarious. I did feel particularly sorry for the hapless Petey after the morgue incident and I truly believe that he should never have been given handcuffs! But I'm not going to give anything away as I don't want to spoil your own discovery of what happened.
I honestly can't recommend this book highly enough, I LOVED every single page and I'm sure that you will too! I do hope that there will be another book because I'd love to find out what she's up to now.
With kind thanks to author Gina Kirkham for the review copy and for making me think twice about buying cheap polyester thongs from Primark! 😉
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