In the sleepy southern town of Chitley lives retired investigative journalist Charles Toombs. Known to most everyone as Didya he still brandishes his pen to write unchallenging pieces for the local rag, but his main concern these days is caring for his wife, Gwen. 

Unbeknown to the journalist, as a result of an old story of his resurfacing, the man at the centre of the piece has hired an assassin to tie up the loose ends, one of which is Didya. Oblivious to this he continues to go about his mundane life in blissful ignorance that there’s a killer on his tail and he’s closing in.

Believing that bribery and corruption may well have been behind the council decision to close The Centre, a haven for the vulnerable and downtrodden living in the area, Didya decides to investigate. With the help of his chum, grumpy octogenarian Percy, and Percy’s new-found friends, a gang of teenage skateboarders, he sets out to expose wrongdoings in the council planning department. But before he has enough evidence to involve the Police, matters spiral out of control and there follows a kidnapping and car chase culminating in a clifftop showdown with one unfortunate participant going over the edge. 

Other sub-plots in the book concern the lives of characters such as Gloria, a wealthy maths genius who Percy thinks might be working for MI5, Vincent, a larger-than-life character with a distinctly chequered past who runs The Centre, and Jason, a muscle bound musician of Maori extract, trying to make his way in the world of music while amassing sufficient funds to finance a visit to New Zealand to find his roots. 

PERCY’S POSSE is the first story in the Chitley Chronicles, the sequel being THE ROAD TO PORTHGAREN. The books aim to provide feel-good entertainment for people not seeking gritty, real-world drama.

To read the opening chapters of Percy’s Posse, or maybe even buy a copy, press HERE.