Ugly Bus by Mike Thomas
Christmas time. Mistletoe and wine. The season of domestics, religion, adultery, drugs, hangovers, alcohol, parties, fights, unwanted gifts, football matches and good fucking will to all men. And that’s just one tour of duty on a TSG van. Ugly Bus is five cops. Martin. Flub. Dullas. Vince. And good old brain-dead Thrush. Specialist Territorial Support Group officers working a late shift on Boxing Day. Martin Finch is the new sergeant on the group: young, idealistic, following in his late father’s footsteps and desperate to make a difference. Unfortunately the old sweat coppers he’s now working alongside have other plans... What begins as a routine shift policing a football match rapidly descends into chaos, and Martin is faced with the question: just how far would you go to fit in? The answer will change the lives of everyone on the Ugly Bus – and the life of a young woman drawn into their orbit – forever. Always remember: what happens on the van, stays on the van.
A warts and all look at modern policing on the frontline, Thomas pulls no punches as modern British life is played out in all its absurd glory … Dark and hilarious, Ugly Bus is never short of compelling * Hull Daily Mail *
Ugly Bus is a blend of darkness and humour … Just when you think it has no more twists and turns to offer, the novel's final scene is startlingly revelatory about who and what a particular person is … there are characters here whose story could well be continued in a third novel … Bring it on, I say, provided it has the tension, momentum, observational keenness and dry wit of this one. * Sheenagh Pugh blog *
I think what struck me more than anything else was how believable everything was and Thomas' brilliance in setting scenes, creating characters who I felt I could genuinely see and relentless black humour, darkness and pure grit. It's sweary, it's dirty and it's real. * Plastic Rosaries *
Ugly Bus is a blend of darkness and humour … Just when you think it has no more twists and turns to offer, the novel's final scene is startlingly revelatory about who and what a particular person is … there are characters here whose story could well be continued in a third novel … Bring it on, I say, provided it has the tension, momentum, observational keenness and dry wit of this one. * Sheenagh Pugh blog *
I think what struck me more than anything else was how believable everything was and Thomas' brilliance in setting scenes, creating characters who I felt I could genuinely see and relentless black humour, darkness and pure grit. It's sweary, it's dirty and it's real. * Plastic Rosaries *
Mike Thomas is a forty-two-year-old writer from Wales. He draws inspiration for his novels from his two decades as a serving police officer. His debut, Pocket Notebook, was published in 2010. Married with two children, he lives in Portugal.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780434022595 |
| ISBN 10 | 0434022594 |
| Title | Ugly Bus |
| Author | Mike Thomas |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Cornerstone |
| Year published | 2014-03-06 |
| Number of pages | 336 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |