“Anyone disappointed that Hugh Laurie’s second novel never turned up will be glad they picked up The Accidental Scoundrel and gave it a damn good reading.” – Jem Roberts, author of the upcoming official Fry and Laurie biography, Soupy Twists!
Description
A group of elderly and bored aristocrats have taken to stealing rare and priceless items to pass the time. A young man named Richard gets swept up in their world when he gets engaged to the daughter of the dangerously unpredictable Lord Rochdale.
Although Richard in not particularly comfortable with theft, or much of the roguish behaviour that goes with it, he must prove to Rochdale that he has scoundrel potential in order to marry his daughter and, more importantly, stay alive.
With the help of a disgruntled horse and a genius street urchin Richard haphazardly stumbles his way through Rochdale’s traps and not only survives but gains respect (although he’s not entirely sure how).
Now all he has to do is steal a priceless bottle of whiskey.
Get it here – The Accidental Scoundrel
Reviews
Sue Harris – Brilliantly Bonkers (5 stars)
If you enjoy sharp, witty humour then you’re in for a treat. It left me laughing out loud with every turn of the page.
Richard falls in love with Natalie, Lord Rochdale’s daughter, but before giving his blessing to the love match, Rochdale and his dodgy aristocratic cronies first set Richard a sneaky test to assess his potential for crime.
Tipped off by Tommy, a street urchin who also happens to be a technological genius, Richard passes the test and, to impress Rochdale and gain his approval, becomes a reluctant member of the aristocratic criminal gang intent on stealing a rare bottle of whisky.
The whacky characters are larger than life, the humour razor sharp and side splitting, the pranks positively hilarious.
A fest of fun from start to finish.
…
Amazon Customer – Weirdly Brilliant (5 stars)
Reads a bit like a Tom Sharpe farce, heavily influenced by hallucinogenic drugs or a well-aged, perfectly matured single malt. Full of larger than life characters (particularly Tommy and Baldric) and an over the top plot with lots of humour. Got through it really quickly.
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Corben Duke – Rogues, Whisky and a horse called Baldric. Hilarious! (5 stars)
This book is really great fun. An ‘innocent’ drunk is roped into stealing a priceless bottle of whisky for four aging aristocratic thieves. If Richard (our hapless hero) is successful he gets to marry the daughter of Lord Rochdale who really is a rogue of the highest order.
Perhaps it’s because Richard is permanently drunk that he allows himself to be guided by a Dickensian urchin boy and a strange horse called Baldric. As you might imagine the comedy leaps off every page and will definitely keep you laughing. You might want to partake in the odd snifter of whisky as you read this book … just to enter into the ‘spirit’ of the story. I did.
The characters in the story are great. I even found myself warming to Lord Rochdale. But I think my favourite is Tommy (the urchin boy). He is a brilliantly multifaceted character who should really go on to star in his own book. I’d certainly buy it.
Will Richard steal the whisky and marry Rochdale’s daughter? Possibly … possibly not. You’ll have to buy the book.
Andrew Chapman / Author and Screenwriter 