The Summervale Volunteers by Alan McQueen (From Watford Observer)

The Summervale Volunteers by Alan McQueen

4:09pm Friday 13th February 2009 in

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Sacked from his job, barrister Alan Hitchcock (known simply as H) persuades the residents of a care home to stage a daring heist in this highly humorous debut novel.

Apparently inspired by the Ealing comedy classic films, the book often reads like a film script, complete with highly amusing and naturalistic dialogue and some charmingly unique turns of phrase.

“Oh joy unconfined,” comments one of the characters, which pretty much sums up this book for me.

As the story goes, H, booted out of his job after 40 years devoted service has nothing much to look forward to. Divorced, destitute and destined to live out the rest of his days in a countryside care facility; he’s at his wit’s end.

Luckily for H, his very last client before retirement, an old lag named Maurice has hatched a daring plan to hijack a planeful of loot. Intent on going straight for the sake of his grandkids, Maurice hands over all details about the job to H – he can take it or leave it.

Reluctant at first, H soon warms to the idea as he discovers a life of bingo and tea dances in some forgotten backwater is not for him.

Now all he has to do is find a plane, some willing accomplices and a wad of cash to get the scheme off the ground. Armed with his catchphrase “wealth is freedom,” H sets about recruiting from his fellow inmates and soon has a collection of very unlikely geriatric usual suspects at his disposal.

Alan McQueen’s self-assured and witty tone keeps the reader hooked throughout and there are plenty of surprises along the way as the plot gathers momentum.

I was only sorry it had to come to an end but happily, Alan has just finished a second novel, The Self Preservation Society, and plans are also afoot for a sequel to H’s story.

The Summervale Volunteers by Alan McQueen is published by Authorhouse, priced £13