After first picking up a tatty old paperback secondhand called "The Antipope", little was I to know I'd get sucked into buying another author's back catalogue (such is my way). Christmas brought me most of them, and I just recently tucked into East of Ealing.
The story is set in Brentford and uses the same characters as the previous two books (the Antipope and the Brentford Triangle). If you've read either of these, you'll already know about Pooley, O'Malley, Professor Slocombe and Archroy, but this time they're joined by Sherlock Holmes. Yes, the famous detective is brought back to existence when a new organisation threatens the human rights of the Brentford locals.
Lateinos and Romiith build on an abandoned bomsite, but people soon notice this company reaching out. A personal account scheme uses laser-readable implantations on the right hand of every living person instead of outdated money. This threatens the drinking habits of Jim Pooley and John O'Malley, and they aren't going to stand for it. So why Sherlock you ask? Well, they accidentally awaken him from an underground sleeping chamber (think giant tupperware tub) before his time has come. But he joins the heroes in their fight against progress.
Many questions are thrown up, such as why is there a mysterious boundary around the town that people can't escape from? What does Professor Slocambe know, and why does he know Holmes? And why is Chips the dog more intelligent than Old Pete?
In the usual humor, Rankin weaves a wonderful tale with characters feel that they could be drinking in your local as we speak. That's the wonder of his writing; you can imagine the characters as real because they're easy to relate to people we know. The colourful language used in the first chapter draws you straight in, and before you know it you're halfway through the book.
The Brentford Trilogy are some of my favourite books I've ever written, and looking at other people's reviews, you can see Rankin is a very popular author. If you've read this author before, this book is his usual dry humour. For new people, I would recommend the author very highly as anything of his is extremely easy to get into and finish in a couple of days. For me, the 283 pages lasted me less than a week. If you're looking for a good read while on holiday, pick up a Robert Rankin in any way you can!
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