Meal of Fortune by Philip Brady (The Meal of Fortune Trilogy Book 1)

An Overview Media book tour review! 

About the Book:

The Meal of Fortune

 

Failing celebrity agent Dermot Jack thinks his luck might have turned when a mysterious Russian oligarch approaches him with an irresistible proposition - help launch the pop career of the man’s beautiful daughter. 

 

Meanwhile, Dermot’s former girlfriend Anna Preston is just as happy to be handed the chance to resurrect her own rather specialised career. 

 

Little do they know that their paths are about to cross again – thrown together in a desperate attempt to lure the Russian, in reality a vicious arms dealer, into a highly unusual trap. 

 

That’s going to be hard enough without having to deal with a lecherous celebrity chef, a diminutive mafia enforcer with his own agenda or one very impatient loan shark who 'just wants his money back'. And then there’s Anna's boss, who isn’t exactly playing it straight. 

 

If she and Dermot are going to come out of this alive, they’ll have to learn to trust each other again, and push themselves well out of their comfort zones. 

 

But one thing’s non negotiable. They’re absolutely not going to fall in love again. That's never going to happen, OK? 

 

My Review: 

I liked the title. It's just a good pun! As I had hoped, this book delivered a lot of humor, along with action and a little suspense all given to us with snarky and kick-behind when needed main characters. It's a fun and funny spy thriller, and I found Dermot Jack to be a riot, and the cooking show to be a good foil for spies in this case. It was a tad jumbled when it started, but well worth the read. 

There's not a shortage of characters. Anna, Dermot's ex-girlfriend is now his M15 handler. He's in dept and there's the Russians to deal with, among other things. Dermot is coping with his ex-wife Sally and daughter he loves, Molly, but he hasn't helped himself by getting into to debt too deep with the wrong people.

This story has twists, and turns, cliffhangers, and humor. I appreciate that it's more lighthearted and not drenched in bad language. Reminiscent of the movies Get Smart or Mr. and Mrs. Smith, I didn't want to miss a second of this clever tale. It could easily be a movie or a tv show. This is the first book I have read from this author, and I look forward to more. 

4 Stars 

About the Author: 

Phil lives in west London with his wife two children and some animals, which also like to call the house home.

 

He is somewhat obsessed and bemused with the public and media’s fixation with celebrities of every stripe. This forms the backdrop of his books, which also tend to feature spies, gangsters, hit men and TV chefs. 

 

His first novel, The Meal of Fortune, was published in 2017, with a second edition following in 2021.  The follow up. Tinker Tailor Soldier Chef will be published in 2022. 

 

Phil’s main rule in life is never to let tomato ketchup touch any food that is green.  This may not have any deep meaning, nor may it be the soundest of principles to live by – but it’s better than many he’s come across down the years.  Best not to go there though.