It’s release day for The Automobile Assassination

Today is the release day for The Automobile Assassination, the sequel to The Custard Corpses, and just like The Custard Corpses, my inspiration for writing book 2 in my Erdington Mysteries was a little strange.

Where to start? Well, I think with a few images of one of the main inspirations behind the book – just check the cover.

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And then a few more, which also feature on the cover.

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And also, with a little video, found over on YouTube, which is wonderful to watch, and so very ‘British’ and of it’s time.

I don’t think I ever knew about the AA sentry boxes before I was pointed in their direction having watched a TV show about the AA motorbikes and sidecars which were made in Small Heath, Birmingham. I was amazed to discover that I lived close to one of the few remaining sentry boxes, in the care of Historic England, which I then had to visit. These bastions of a by-gone age, and there are only 19 of them still in the ‘wild’ throughout the UK, mostly in the north of England, Scotland, and the south-west of England, speak of a time before mobile phones made them just about obsolete.

Having used the wonderful Bird’s Custard adverts as a basis for book 1, I decided that these AA sentry boxes, and their motorbikes and sidecars (known as RSOs, or Roadside Service Outfits) would have to feature strongly in the new book. To find out how I did that, you’ll have to read The Automobile Assassination because I don’t want to give anything away about the story.

I also invested in some period maps in an attempt to not make any monumental mistakes as after World War 2, the road network expanded and a new system of road classification was developed. I have to say, the font was very small on the maps and made it quite hard to read them. I would also say that eBay is a wonderful resource for such items.

To celebrate the release, I am giving away 2 signed paperback copies of The Automobile Assassination (INT). To enter, please visit Rafflecopter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d2e7f7ef4/?

(Competition entry rules – competition runs from 25th November to 1st December 2021. Open internationally. Simply follow my twitter account to be entered for a chance with a win. I will contact winners for postage details via twitter, and will also announce the winners on my twitter feed. Good luck.)

I really hope you enjoy The Automobile Assassination, and for the audiobook fan, I can assure you that the audio is complete and just going through some final checks before being released.