Good News, Bad News: Amazon.co.uk: David Wolstencroft: Books

Review

'A rollercoaster ride of a book which manages to be both a traditional spy story and a hip tale of friendship and trust... flair and originality. I loved it.' (Peter Guttridge, Observer )

'GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS revitalizes the espionage novel and dishes up a breakneck plot, dizzying twists and two of the most memorable characters in recent suspense fiction. This book is a pure delight!' (Jeffery Deaver, author of Garden of Beasts )

'Sharp and funny... brilliant... exciting... A dazzling performance, full of surprises, and the only doubt it leaves is what will this most promising author ever do for an encore.' (Chicago Tribune )

'This exhilarating spy-vs-spy thriller begins with a bang... with its excruciating tension and cynical humor GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS pays a fitting postmodern tribute to le Carre.' (Entertainment Weekly )

With echoes of Le Carre and Graham Greene - and a hipness all of its own - Good News, Bad News revitalizes the espionage novel and dishes up a breakneck plot, dizzying twists and two of the most memorable characters in recent suspense fiction. This book is a pure delight! (Jeffery Deaver, author of Garden of Beasts )

Wolstencroft is a nimble entertainer who knows his spycraft and deftly puts it to use in his diverting debut thriller. (New York Daily News )

Wolstencroft takes a spy novel convention - the wrongly accused agent on the run from his own agency - and gives it a clever twist in this quirky, literate book. (Publishers Weekly )

'You get the feeling, almost from the first page of GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS, that you are reading something special. There are all sorts of influences here, from John le Carre to Monty Python to even John Woo... even if you hate espionage novels, Wolstencroft's style and wit will keep you interested and aboard this wild ride, and scanning the television listings for those episodes of "MI-5" that you missed.' (Book Reporter )

'A spellbinding read' (Good Housekeeping )

'A superb first novel that will keep you turning the pages' (Herald Sun, Australia )

'An exhuberant and satisfying debut' (Guardian )

'This debut novel is smart and inventive' (Booklist )

'Wolstencroft deftly deals in the unexpected.' (Good Book Guide )

'Sardonic and exceedingly funny ... alarmingly credible.' (Literary Review )

'Good news: you won't put this down; bad news: you'll be screaming, "Tell me more!"... a rip-roaring journey on board the intelligence underground, leaving the reader scant opportunity to breathe... using a masterful and lucid style.'

(Northampton Chronicle & Echo ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

'Fast-paced, hard-edged and ultra-slick' -- Daily Mirror 20050524 'The most refreshing take on the genre for some time ... a very exciting novel full of plot twists, and funny too ... a very promising debut.' -- Portsmouth News 20050615 'Very funny and gripping' -- Sheila Hancock, Daily Mirror 20050615 'A rollercoaster ride of a book which manages to be both a traditional spy story and a hip tale of friendship and trust... flair and originality. I loved it.' -- Peter Guttridge, Observer 'GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS revitalizes the espionage novel and dishes up a breakneck plot, dizzying twists and two of the most memorable characters in recent suspense fiction. This book is a pure delight!' -- Jeffery Deaver, author of Garden of Beasts 'Sharp and funny... brilliant... exciting... A dazzling performance, full of surprises, and the only doubt it leaves is what will this most promising author ever do for an encore.' -- Chicago Tribune 'This exhilarating spy-vs-spy thriller begins with a bang... with its excruciating tension and cynical humor GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS pays a fitting postmodern tribute to le Carre.' -- Entertainment Weekly With echoes of Le Carre and Graham Greene - and a hipness all of its own - Good News, Bad News revitalizes the espionage novel and dishes up a breakneck plot, dizzying twists and two of the most memorable characters in recent suspense fiction. This book is a pure delight! -- Jeffery Deaver, author of Garden of Beasts Wolstencroft is a nimble entertainer who knows his spycraft and deftly puts it to use in his diverting debut thriller. -- New York Daily News Wolstencroft takes a spy novel convention - the wrongly accused agent on the run from his own agency - and gives it a clever twist in this quirky, literate book. -- Publishers Weekly 'You get the feeling, almost from the first page of GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS, that you are reading something special. There are all sorts of influences here, from John le Carre to Monty Python to even John Woo... even if you hate espionage novels, Wolstencroft's style and wit will keep you interested and aboard this wild ride, and scanning the television listings for those episodes of "MI-5" that you missed.' -- Book Reporter 'A spellbinding read' -- Good Housekeeping 'A superb first novel that will keep you turning the pages' -- Herald Sun, Australia 'An exhuberant and satisfying debut' -- Guardian 'This debut novel is smart and inventive' -- Booklist --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

A Rollercoaster Ride That Falls of the Track 2 Feb 2006

By Sam

Format:Paperback

Good news - this book is fast paced, exciting and gripping from the start.

Bad news - it’s too fast and becomes confused by its own twists and turns.

Two spies are pitted against one another only to realize they are not the enemies they think they are. Instead they must uncover the truth before it kills them

David Wolstencroft has the pedigree to write a good spy novel, he created the hit BBC drama Spooks. He takes this glossy look at the spy world and adapts it to what can only be described as airport fiction. Each chapter is around 5 pages long so the story moves at a vigorous pace. This in one way is a positive as you do not have the time to reflect on any inconsistencies.

However, this over fast nature is also its downfall. In particular the last part of the book hurtles along at much too fast a pace, twisting and turning like an Austrian Bobsleighed.

With a tighter reign on his imagination and more relaxed approach to storytelling this could have been excellent - instead it is just average.

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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful

Good twists...bad twists 5 Oct 2004

By Jim

Format:Hardcover

This book was penned by the writer of the BBC spy drama "Spooks" and sometimes it feels a little too much like a script. What redeems it is the cracking pace and the writer's wonderful sense of the absurd. This is a great positive when dealing with the plotline of human error and escalating consequences.
Additionally the author answers the espionage question, Who are the new enemies in the post cold war period?, without resorting to the terrorist or tired nuclear arsenal plotline. There is also not a mention of a code anywhere, something I find very gratifying in the current literary environment. There is instead, some very nice explanations of new and old tradecraft; interesting and entertaining.
A couple of small quibbles. I felt that the two central characters could have been fleshed out a little better. One of them felt like a caricature of Le Carre's Smiley. Additionally the final denouement felt a little too forced and revolved around a twist too far. At least for my liking.
The author's originality makes him a welcome addition to this genre.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful

Funny, tense, exciting, surprising . . . 4 May 2005

By "dentonanne"

'Good News, Bad News' by first-time novelist David Wolstencroft has been a revelation to me. I am not a regular 'spy' fiction reader, but this book has kept me spellbound throughout. Intelligently written, yet entirely accessible, this novel examines the relationship between two men who are thrown together by circumstances, and follows their thrilling defiance of the establishment. At turns comical, surprising, touching and exciting, the novel kept me totally gripped. I thoroughly recommend it to both regular 'spy' readers, as well as any other fans of great fiction.