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The Friends of Eddy Relish

Failed Hollywood actor Eddy Relish falls into the hands of bible-quoting gangster, Bill Blake, and must become a drug mule. Eddy is menaced not only by Bill Blake but also by Abdul Madbul, an Albanian superspy turned Islamist terrorist. A chance encounter in Paris makes Eddy the only person who can identify this terrorist. Cynthia Tzin, whose Hollywood bar is a front for Chinese intelligence, rescues Eddy. She offers Eddy a Faustian pact: become a Chinese intelligence asset, and she will protect Eddy and help rebuild his Hollywood career. Eddy’s first assignment is simple—become a star again and bait a trap set to catch Madbul. The trap is set at a Las Vegas party hosted by a Chinese billionaire. Madbul and Bill both appear at the party to collect their dues from Eddy. Cynthia’s abilities are put to the test to ensure Eddy emerges alive and unscathed from this ordeal.

 

“An array of zestful characters rescues this adventure’s somewhat muddled plot.”
—  Kirkus Indie Reviews

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The Friends of Eddy Relish

 

Kirkus Reviews

THE FRIENDS OF EDDY RELISH
Paul Dalzell and Gerard Radley
AuthorHouse (284 pp.)
$20.99 paperback, $3.99 e-book
ISBN: 978-1-72830-793-0; April 15, 2019

BOOK REVIEW

A former Hollywood star gets caught up in drugs, terrorists, and international espionage in this globe-trotting novel.

It’s been years since Londoner Eddy Relish’s Hollywood career fizzled. Nowadays, he’s borrowing money from “Reverend” Bill Blake, a vicious man who repeatedly quotes the Bible and has an affinity for nail guns. When Eddy can’t repay a loan, Bill forces him to become a drug mule. But Chinese intelligence operative Cynthia Tzin comes to Eddy’s aid. She knows him from his days in the United States, where she’s nightclub-owning Madam Sin. Cynthia believes Eddy can be an asset in gathering intel for China. But Eddy’s earlier chance encounter with Islamic terrorist Abdul Madbul also puts him in the unique position of being the only person who can identify the evasive extremist. Cynthia will help Eddy reestablish himself in Hollywood, where he’ll essentially be bait to catch Madbul. Indeed, the terrorist knows Eddy can ID him and is therefore on the hunt. So, too, is Bill, as Eddy failed to transport the reverend’s heroin from Hong Kong. Even Eddy’s comeback is in danger: Producer Cy Sly, who played a part in crushing the actor’s career the first time, plans to do it again. Dalzell (Everything Hurts, 2014, etc.) and debut author Radley swiftly kick-start their novel, as Bill is threatening Eddy with his nail gun in little time. The plot eventually spins threads that feature numerous other characters from around the world. Bill, in particular, finds friends and foes among the Russians, the Japanese, and more. In fact, many of the supporting characters prove much more intriguing than the protagonist, including Cynthia, whose authority and prowess are never in question, and Eddy’s girlfriend, Sharon Constable, who runs for council in the couple’s London borough. Though the authors’ tight prose and abundant subplots keep the narrative moving at a steady clip, the story is occasionally perplexing. A surprise blood relation between two characters, for example, has no real bearing on the plot. And why Madbul still wants to eliminate Eddy after the terrorist’s sketch goes public remains unclear.

An array of zestful characters rescues this adventure’s somewhat muddled plot.


Official Review: The Friends of Eddy Relish

by Jaime Lync  >>> 06 Sep 2019, 12:41

4 out of 4 stars

 

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of “The Friends of Eddy Relish” by Paul Dalzell and Gerard Radley.]

The Friends of Eddy Relish by Paul Dalzell and Gerald Radley appealed to me because its title suggested that this novel would be character-driven. I was elated to find both intriguing characters and a thrilling plot. Eddy Relish, once a prominent child-actor in Hollywood, fled to his home, Knockney, England, after a criminal scandal. Now, Eddy finds himself at the mercy of a cruel loan shark, Reverend Bill, whom he borrowed from trusting that he would be able to make some income working at a local theatre group. After his gig does not ‘pan out’ our protagonist is launched into a trip around the world involving various crime syndicates, government officials, intelligence agents, business tycoons and Hollywood celebrities.

The body of the novel was 275 pages long and was segmented into 67 chapters. This means that on average the chapters were only about 4 pages long. I liked books with a lot of few short chapters because I always have a feeling of accomplishment after reading through a chapter. Also, I appreciated that the authors most likely had their work professionally edited since there were no noteworthy grammatical errors throughout the book. I have co-authored term papers with classmates that have resulted in a paper with more than one writing style. So, I was impressed that this novel did not have that issue. Rather, the flow of the story was beautifully coherent.

I enjoyed this novel. Dalzell and Radley blended the crime and political suspense genres masterfully. Eddy seems to be a magnet for criminals. As previously mentioned, he got involved with a shady loan shark and his engagement in criminal activities spanned back to his days as a child actor. This is just a snippet of the crime that is portrayed in this story. On the other hand, Eddy’s girlfriend, Sharon is running for a council seat in the Knockney council. Reading about the affairs of this council and the campaign process was both amusing and suspenseful. The storyline was quite eventful, and it even included several interesting plot twists.

Moreover, the characters were all very well developed. This feat is amazing considering the story featured an eclectic cast. For example,this was the first book by a non-Caribbean writer that I have read that depicts a Rastafarian man living in the diaspora.My favourite character was the loan shark, Reverend Bill. I appreciated that although he is the main antagonist, he was not a two-dimensional character. Bill is not actually a Reverend but his habit to quote the bible earned him the nickname. Even minor character such as a Japanese woman in the Yakuza got interesting background stories.

In conclusion, I rate this novel 4 out of 4 stars. There were no demerits for me to point out. I highly recommend this to readers who enjoy the crime, political suspense thriller genre.

******
The Friends of Eddy Relish

https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=118360


Reviews by the Reading Cafe

The Friends of Eddy Relish

Sandy S. 

4.25 stars-electic and diverse characters
June 3, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition

4.25 stars– THE FRIENDS OF EDDY RELISH co-authored by Paul Dalzell and Gerard Radley is a contemporary, adult, political suspense story focusing on former Hollywood star Eddy Relish, whose life is no longer his own. A washed up actor who found himself in the seedy underbelly of sex, drugs and alcohol addiction, Eddy will unwittingly become a pawn in the world of high stakes espionage, intelligence and international terrorism. Hoping to reinvigorate his career, Eddy unknowingly becomes the bait to take down an Islamist terrorist, a terrorist who has targeted Eddy for termination. A deal with the devil pushes Eddy into dangerous circumstances, danger of which he knew little about.

Told from several third person perspectives, THE FRIENDS OF EDDY RELISH is a slow building story line that follows several intersecting and diverging paths that culminates in Las Vegas where all of the significant people, and events that have played a part in Eddy’s journey will be pushed together in an explosive reveal. From a bible spewing loan shark, to Islamist terrorists and Chinese intelligence, Eddy’s life spirals out of control but a spiral Eddy is blissfully unaware. At times I questioned what appeared to be the unnecessary introduction of yet another character, circumstance or situation but eventually everything and everyone fell into place in orderly fashion. The premise is intriguing and fascinating; the characters characters are colorful, diverse and eclectic.

Sandy S


The Friends of Eddy Relish – Book Review

Genre: Contemporary Action Adventure
Pages: 284
Publisher: Author House
Release Date: 16 April 2019
Star Rating: 5

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Review

‘The Friends of Eddy Relish’ is the latest story from the pen of British-born author, Paul Dalzell, this time in association with a friend, whose pen name is Gerald Radley. The book is nicely presented and is written in the past tense, with the action being seen through the eyes of multiple characters. The chapters are all short with the action continually switching continents. The spelling is American English, which is just about acceptable for Eddy’s transatlantic scenes because he has spent time in Hollywood but seemed a bit incongruous for the English characters living in London. This, of course, will not bother an international audience but did irk this pedantic Brit.

We first meet the hapless Eddy when he’s in a spot of bother with Bill Blake, a psychopathic gangster who enjoys ‘well regimented anarchy’ and is never short of a bible quote to justify his actions. Footnoted references direct the reader to the passages concerned and I commend the authors for their diligence in this regard.

Eddy’s ignominious entrance certainly gives the reader an instant insight into his character. A faded Tinseltown star who has returned to the UK, only to find himself in one scrape after another. This time he has surpassed himself and has not only come to the notice of Bill, who wants him to become a drugs mule to finance a business venture, but also of Abdul Madbul, a terrorist who intends to set up a cell in the UK. He needs to avoid these ruthless men to stay alive. Cynthia Tzin from Chinese Intelligence then makes him an offer he has no choice but to accept. She has fingers in many pies and can pave the way for Eddy to reinvent himself in Hollywood, in an attempt to trap and neutralise Abdul. Meanwhile, Bill is still at large and desperate to take revenge on Eddy for his part in Bill’s unedifying demise.

We meet some very interesting and well-defined characters along the way, from the Morse-like Chore, driving his vintage car and listening to classical music to the staunch socialist, Fred Starling who runs the borough along strict party lines.

The authors take a cynical tongue-in-cheek look at British local government politics, as Sharon, Eddy’s long-suffering girlfriend, stands as an independent candidate in the local Knockney council election. Her opponent is a would-be anti-capitalist Rastafarian called Rasta-Blasta, who actually has an upper-middle class background and whose real name is Nigel. I’m not sure the amount of depth included in the debate to become a councillor was entirely relevant to the plot. I wonder if the Sharon versus Nigel contest is included as a bridge to link the satirical left-wing ideology thread to the main story. Is this the point where the two authors juxtapose their ideas?

At times the plot seems a bit convoluted so the reader has to stay alert. The story moves along at pace with the authors employing several literary techniques to enhance the descriptive passages. There’s a lot of dark humour and irony, used to counterbalance the perils in which Eddy finds himself. I very much liked the subtle ‘fourth wall’ nod to the authors’ collaboration, suggesting a story could be built through an exchange of emails.

There is a very clear climax to the story with the main characters all congregating at a party in Las Vegas. The event is ostensibly for a Chinese businessman and it will provide the ideal opportunity for Eddy’s enemies to get even with him. I think it fair to say that the resolution was totally unexpected and will take most readers by surprise!

I thoroughly enjoyed this multi-layered book and recommend it to any fans of action-filled yarns. There are a lot of characters which can be a daunting prospect but with Eddy as the main cog, his foils do well to build a colourful adventure around him. I award a very well-deserved five stars.

 

– Julie Haiselden

Source: https://jhbooksblog.wordpress.com/2020/05/18/the-friends-of-eddy-relish-book-review/

June 1, 2019

Format: Kindle Edition

PAX BRITANNICA by Paul Dalzell is a slightly dystopian, fictionalized story of alternate history that follows UK’s Imperial Secret Service (ISS) agent Mick Doyle as he is tasked with recovering five missing nuclear explosives believed to be hidden, in a German run gold mine, in British New Guinea. Along with fellow ISS agents Alexandra McCall, and May Pilgrim, Mick Doyle goes under cover in an attempt to locate the bombs, and take down the people in charge.

NOTE: Due to the graphic nature of the story line content, there may be some triggers for more sensitive readers.

The year is 2006, and the British Empire is the world’s dominant power. Having lost three wars to the United Kingdom, Germany, along with China, gain a foothold in the arm’s race as they prepare to ransom their stolen ‘wares’ to the highest bidder. From the outset, our hero has been targeted by the enemy, an enemy that is determined to take down ISS agent Mick Doyle, at all costs. Not only does Mick have to defend himself against potential assassins but the wilds of British New Guinea continues to make an example of our story line hero.

PAX BRITANNICA is an intricately detailed story of what if. An action packed, fast paced look at politics, espionage, vengeance and authority. The British Empire’s ISS agency is desperate to recover the missing nuclear weapons, weapons with enough power to wipe out most countries. The political content is vast, varied and comprehensive; the numerous characters are colorful, energetic and ambitious; there is a building romance and relationship between Mick Doyle and Alexandra McCall.As to the meaning of ‘Pax Britannica’, it translates to British Peace: a state of relative international peace between the Great Powers regarded as overseen by the UK, originally observed during the nineteenth century.

As to the meaning of ‘Pax Britannica’, it translates to British Peace: a state of relative international peace between the Great Powers regarded as overseen by the UK, originally observed during the nineteenth century.

 

My interview on Pax Britannica with Ric Bratton: 

http://www.bluefunkbroadcasting.com/root/twia/pdalzell.mp3

 


The Last Dream Before You Die

“…Dalzell’s prose is solid, and he shows a particularly good knack for the crime genre. Bone, in particular, is an intriguing protagonist with depth and character. A supernatural crime novel, with an engaging main character…”
— Kirkus Indie Reviews

 


Everything Hurts

“An enjoyable, low-key supernatural tale with invigorating, unpretentious vampires.”
— Kirkus Indie Reviews

 


The Friends of Eddy Relish

“An array of zestful characters rescues this adventure’s somewhat muddled plot.”
— Kirkus Indie Reviews