Just Recompense by Douglas Spencer WallisMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book was a difficult read for me for several reasons. The formatting was terrible to follow properly, with line and word spacing inconsistent throughout. The author did forewarn about this but if he wishes to receive decent reviews then the book should be supplied in its final and published format. The whole book reads like a screenplay for a Carry On film or a Whitehall Farce UK stage production from the 1950s and 60s. There is very little descriptive narrative for the contextual setting and, with such a rapid succession of so many characters, this reader became too confused, annoyed and frustrated with almost every turn of the page. All of this, therefore, combined to spoil my enjoyment of what proved to be quite a funny book in many ways.
Basil Ackroyd is the unlikely English mayor of a French country town and is obviously a conman and a scoundrel out to line his own pockets as much as he can. We are not told how he came to be in that position. My favourite character was his long-suffering and strangely devoted secretary, Sylvie. There are various scams, scandals and misdemeanours that befall Basil and others within his small circle. The repeated slapstick events became a little clichéd by the end of the book but when I could follow the plot some of the twists and turns were clever and intriguing. However, in the end I was left feeling that this was a practice run for a TV series or a stage play. Unfortunately, it was not without the occasional typo or misspelling. I received a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair, unbiased and non-reciprocal review.
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