Just Published! .... ‘The Murder In Manilla’ is a contemporary tale revolving around the life of an apparently quiet seaside town, but there is an undercurrent beneath the surface which erupts when the first body is discovered.
The life of the town, with its businesses, cricket club, and community, is upended as the passions of the protagonists are revealed.
Even the most sedate of English seaside towns can hide secrets, and as the truth about a murder emerges, might the old guard and the establishment be found wanting?
It is not all fishing boats and toasted teacakes when the arrival of modern business brushes aside the old values. But there is still a human story to be told; so long as you can dodge the psychopaths.
Bob’s captivating storytelling shines through as we learn about the protagonists' tangled lives in this contemporary tale. It will have you coming back for more, assuming you can bear to put it down, of course.
About Bob Able:
There can be many reasons for writing a book, but what galvanised Bob Able to start writing was the diagnosis of an aggressive form of cancer.
“When that shock was delivered, I knew the clock was ticking, and my life seemed out of control. But it was just the motivator I needed to achieve a long-held ambition to get a book published.”
That was in 2019, and thankfully, the cancer is now under control. But the drive to write remained for Bob Able, and now he is celebrating the publication of his 17th book!
“You might say it was like shaking up a bottle of fizz and uncorking it, as the words really started to flow!”
Bob has certainly been prolific and has found some success, with his first book, the memoir, ‘Spain Tomorrow’, becoming the third bestselling travel book on Amazon in 2020. Subsequent books have resulted in donations to various good causes, including ‘The Big C’, Norfolk’s cancer charity, which offered Bob support in his journey, for which he is very grateful. But this new book is something of a departure from the collection of clever, humorous, and sometimes romantic fiction that followed. This is a ‘grown-up book’ with adult themes and a fast-moving plot, set in a seaside town which just might be Cromer, where Bob lives.
The sharp-eyed might have noticed the ‘manilla’ in the title, and wondered if that is a spelling mistake, but it is not, and all will be revealed in the breathless finale when the plot reaches its conclusion. But that might not be all. Bob is planning a sequel to allow readers to engage with the characters he creates in ‘The Murder In Manilla’ once more. And he already has another book on a completely different theme in production.
“I’m not putting the cork back into the bottle now!” says Bob.
Bob Able is a bestselling writer of popular memoirs, fiction and thrillers. He describes himself as a ‘part-time ex-pat’ splitting his time between his homes in coastal Spain and ‘darkest Norfolk’ in the UK.
His memoir ‘Spain Tomorrow’ was rated as Amazon's third most popular travel book in September 2020 with hundreds of positive reviews. With the sequel ‘More Spain Tomorrow’, followed by ‘Third Helpings of Spain Tomorrow’, these charming, lighthearted insights into his life continue to amuse readers.
All his books are available as ebooks and paperbacks and can be found by entering ‘Bob Able books’ in the search bar.
If you like Bob Able’s distinctive writing style and would like to read more of his work, here is a little more information…..
*’Poo, Power and Politics’ is published as an ebook and a paperback. It is a political satire and a wry look at what might happen if the politicians are allowed to run amok.
*’Sarah’s Kitchen’ is also published as an ebook and a paperback. It is a gentle romance, with some thoughtful themes. It is ideal to take on holiday.
*’Dicky And The Dame’ - set in 1963 and a historically accurate picture of the times, with a message for us today and an engaging and charming plot.
* 'The Smug' - This book involves catching a killer while helping Ukrainian refugees, and setting up a community pub! It contains historically accurate details as well as a fictional murder.
Bob Able writes with a lighthearted touch; he has also produced a new series of thrillers which will amuse as well as captivate readers. They are ideal light reads to take on holiday or cuddle up with on a chilly night.
The Bobby Bassington Stories include:
‘Bobbie And The Spanish Chap’,
‘Bobbie And The Crime-Fighting Auntie’,
‘Bobbie And The Wine Trouble’
And ‘Auntie Caroline’s Last Case’
All these books can be read on their own, although if you read them as a series, ‘Auntie Caroline’s Last Case’ draws all the strings together. That completes the tales of the lives of all the characters we meet along the way.
Early reviewers had suggested that these stories would make a good basis for a captivating TV series. Of course, Bob would be pleased to hear from television companies and promoters to explore that option!
His fictional novels also include:
‘Double Life Insurance’ … a fast-moving but lighthearted thriller, with a tangled web of deceit to unravel where Bobbie Bassington first makes an appearance, fresh out of university:
‘No Point Running’, … which is set in the world of horse racing and car theft in the 1970’s, before mobile phones and the internet. This book has many excellent reviews and draws the reader into alternative lifestyles against the background of the changes England went through at the time:
‘The Menace Of Blood’, … is a cosy romance with a twist, which is about inheritance, not gore, and the sequel
‘No Legacy of Blood’… comprises a fast-paced, unputdownable read, that has generated many fans for Bob Able’s writing.
They are all engaging thrillers, with a touch of romance and still with that gentle, signature Bob Able humour.
His semi-fictional memoir ‘Silke The Cat, My Story’, written with his friend and wine merchant, Graham Austin and Silke the Cat herself, is completely different. Silke is a real cat; she lives today in the Costa Blanca, and her travels, which she recounts in this amusing book, really happened (also available as an audiobook).
Here is what Bob says:-
“Hi, I'm Bob Able. I'm what you might call a 'part-time ex-pat' with a home in Norfolk in the UK, and one on the Costa Blanca in Spain. My first book, 'Spain Tomorrow', was a lighthearted memoir about how we came to buy our property in Spain and the joys, trials, and wonderful people we encountered as we discovered the area, repaired the property (over and over again, it seemed) and got to know the less touristy bits of the northern Costa Blanca. The sequel 'More Spain Tomorrow' updates readers on what happened next, and how I coped with cancer ... And now there is the third part of the chronicle, entitled 'Third Helpings of Spain Tomorrow’, which is just a short catch-up on what happened next. It was written, at the request of fans, to complete the picture of Bob’s life today.
If you are thinking of buying a property in Spain, whilst these books are not a 'how-to' guide, I'm sure they will give you an insight into what the process is like... and raise a smile along the way.
We were buying right in the middle of the Brexit Referendum chaos, with tumbling exchange rates, historically low interest rates, and political pandemonium; yet we did it, and we enjoyed the experience!
As mentioned above, I have also published several fast-paced novels, including the full-length thriller 'No Point Running', set in 1978, before the internet or mobile phones. Then there is 'The Menace Of Blood' and the sequel 'No Legacy Of Blood'. Or there are the Bobbie Bassington books, starting with 'Bobbie and the Spanish Chap ', followed by 'Bobbie and the Crime Fighting Auntie', then 'Bobbie and the Wine Trouble'; and culminating in 'Auntie Caroline's Last Case'.
They all have the same lighthearted style, but pace and page-turning tension.
Don't forget to check out 'Double Life Insurance' with its baffling mystery to unravel and a host of characters to meet, including, for the first time, Bobbie Bassington, freshly graduated from Girton College, Cambridge and ready to get up to all sorts of mischief!
Some of my novels are quite short romances to suit the rush of our busy lives, perhaps wanting a quick story to read as we travel on holiday. An early example of this is found in the two-book 'Menace Of Blood' series which is full of action and charm (and about inheritance, not gore), and 'No Legacy Of Blood' continues the story Peter and Jane started, but involves them in a complex plot with many twists and turns in the 'tale' as they try to discover who is out to do them harm.
But most importantly, all of my writing is lighthearted ... I've been told some of my stories make great 'beach reads', although others have said they would make good TV series, and there have even been comments that 'No Point Running' in particular would make a good film, showcasing the 1970's backdrop against which it is set ... film producers should not hesitate to apply!
All my books are available on Amazon as ebooks and paperbacks, and if you like them, please do leave a review”.
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