Malarkey

John Malarkey is the wrong person in the wrong place at the wrong time. Up to his neck in it and on the run, he’s still trying to figure out why. All he knows is that Brook High is no place for a conscience, the teachers don’t run this school, and he’s only got twenty-four hours to prove his innocence.

Malarkey is the smartest, sharpest character I have ever written about. He’s the kind of sixteen year-old boys want to be like, and girls want to be with. I wanted to create someone who was laid-back, perhaps a touch cynical, but very quick-witted and clever. He’s got real attitude. He’s got to out-run and out-think his enemies.

I’m a huge fan of smart-mouthed detectives with a problem. From the slick, seedy beauty of the Philip Marlowe stories, to the all out action of Die Hard with John McClane. John Malarkey is my take on these kinds of characters and stories. I’ve pinched bits from all of them, but hopefully come up with something new.

Malarkey isn’t the usual underdog protagonist you find in teen fiction, he’s certainly not the loser who makes good by the end. I think you know from the very beginning that he’ll finish up on top, the fun is in watching how he does it.

I’m a bit fed up of issue-heavy books, preachy books, so Malarkey is sheer entertainment from page one. This book hits the ground running - and doesn’t stop. I wanted to write something that felt like a chase from beginning to end. A thriller where the reader just has to hold on tight!

I had a lot of fun writing this book.  So much so that maybe, perhaps, there might be another John Malarkey novel soon.  Let me know what you think.  Would you like to see him up to his neck in it again?