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The Life Assistance Agency
(2016)(The first book in the Life Assistance Agency series)
A novel by Thomas Hocknell
Hocknell mixes esoterica with playful storytelling and arch wit. --EO Higgins - Author of Conversations with Spirits
I was so immersed in this utterly bonkers reading experience I greedily devoured it in one sitting. There's a cracking turn of events and it's walloped in some brilliant one liners too. Undoubtedly, considerable attention has been paid to merging the past and the present which are brought alive by the frantic finesse of mystic mayhem, and a constant stream of curiosity that I found impossible to ignore. Unquestionably quirky. Brilliantly barmy. Absolutely recommended. --Wendy Smart, Little Bookness Lane blog
As best I can discover, this is Hocknell's premiere novel. I certainly hope it's not his last, because he does an excellent job of weaving together stories in two different timelines. It was consistently engaging, with pleasant twists and revelations along the way. The characters were interesting - even when not lovable. I will most certainly keep an eye out for future work from Thomas Hocknell. He's an author I look forward to reading again. --Brian Profitt, Book Reviewer
Do you want to live forever? is THE question facing anyone pursuing immortality. But what happens when eternal life is disappointing, and everyone around you keeps dying?
Ben Ferguson-Cripps, a struggling writer with a surname that gets more attention than his creative endeavours, sets aside his literary ambitions to join the mysterious Life Assistance Agency. Their first case is to trace a missing person with links to the Elizabethan angel-caller Dr John Dee.
Pursued by a shadowy organisation - and the ghosts of Ben's past - the trail leads through Europe into the historic streets of Prague, where the long-buried secrets of Dr Dee's achievements are finally revealed, and Ben discovers there is far more to life than simply living…
Thomas Hocknell's brilliant debut is the perfect read for fans of Ben Aaranovitch and Christopher Fowler.
Genre: Thriller
I was so immersed in this utterly bonkers reading experience I greedily devoured it in one sitting. There's a cracking turn of events and it's walloped in some brilliant one liners too. Undoubtedly, considerable attention has been paid to merging the past and the present which are brought alive by the frantic finesse of mystic mayhem, and a constant stream of curiosity that I found impossible to ignore. Unquestionably quirky. Brilliantly barmy. Absolutely recommended. --Wendy Smart, Little Bookness Lane blog
As best I can discover, this is Hocknell's premiere novel. I certainly hope it's not his last, because he does an excellent job of weaving together stories in two different timelines. It was consistently engaging, with pleasant twists and revelations along the way. The characters were interesting - even when not lovable. I will most certainly keep an eye out for future work from Thomas Hocknell. He's an author I look forward to reading again. --Brian Profitt, Book Reviewer
Do you want to live forever? is THE question facing anyone pursuing immortality. But what happens when eternal life is disappointing, and everyone around you keeps dying?
Ben Ferguson-Cripps, a struggling writer with a surname that gets more attention than his creative endeavours, sets aside his literary ambitions to join the mysterious Life Assistance Agency. Their first case is to trace a missing person with links to the Elizabethan angel-caller Dr John Dee.
Pursued by a shadowy organisation - and the ghosts of Ben's past - the trail leads through Europe into the historic streets of Prague, where the long-buried secrets of Dr Dee's achievements are finally revealed, and Ben discovers there is far more to life than simply living…
Thomas Hocknell's brilliant debut is the perfect read for fans of Ben Aaranovitch and Christopher Fowler.
Genre: Thriller
Used availability for Thomas Hocknell's The Life Assistance Agency