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Just Recompense
Basil Ackroyd, a refugee from a financial scandal in an English municipal council, becomes the mayor of a small town in the French Midi saturated with expatriates. He has been running the town as his own domain for many years when outside influences threaten to rob him of his ill-gotten gains. His total lack of sensibility to those around him and insatiable greed blinds him to the real situation and his efforts to combat the menace results in multiple mishaps and a worsening of his position. The hero, Basil Ackroyd, is gloriously Machiavellian and amoral, endlessly scheming and machinating for his own selfish benefit and advantage. Unfortunately for Basil, his schemes have a habit of blowing up in his face and destroying him. But he is never discouraged and is endlessly re-inventive and strangely there are those who can't help liking him.
220 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 31, 2014
19 people want to read
About the author
Douglas Spencer Wallis
5 books7 followers“It is a shame and bad taste to be an alien, and it is no use pretending otherwise. There is no way out of it. A criminal may improve and become a decent member of society. A foreigner cannot improve. Once a foreigner, always a foreigner. There is no way out for him.”
George Mikes
I am sure this is as true for me as anyone living their life in another country. I adore to live in France but am reconciled to the fact that I will always be an alien. So be it, I often cannot understand my wife, it is not so much a question of the mist of language but that strange blurring that occurs when cultures do not blend. No matter how well you combine them they eventually separate and I become an Englishman floating around in a delectable French soup.
However I must say I am tolerated by my hosts with the deep understanding and kindness of a family who have taken in a stray dog with a weak bladder. I am seemingly unable to survive without their constant succor and tolerance of my occasional lapses. But we get along well enough, except when it comes to the game of rugby, although a relatively new form of combat it does bring out some primeval desire for battle, just for the sake of it, between the perfidious albion and the noble French.
George Mikes
I am sure this is as true for me as anyone living their life in another country. I adore to live in France but am reconciled to the fact that I will always be an alien. So be it, I often cannot understand my wife, it is not so much a question of the mist of language but that strange blurring that occurs when cultures do not blend. No matter how well you combine them they eventually separate and I become an Englishman floating around in a delectable French soup.
However I must say I am tolerated by my hosts with the deep understanding and kindness of a family who have taken in a stray dog with a weak bladder. I am seemingly unable to survive without their constant succor and tolerance of my occasional lapses. But we get along well enough, except when it comes to the game of rugby, although a relatively new form of combat it does bring out some primeval desire for battle, just for the sake of it, between the perfidious albion and the noble French.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 22, 2016
A rollicking romp set in southern France where the hero is an English mayor of the town.
A scamp and jouisseur, the mayor gets into endless trouble as his nefarious actions get him deeper and deeper into trouble throughout the book.
It read like a Carry On series, and I kept feeling that Sid James might suddenly appear saying ‘Gor blimey, luv', or Barbara Windsor pop up from behind the bar and drop her bra.
It’s a great book if you are into farces, but the fly in the ointment is that the book should really have been set somewhere on the south coast of England. None of the characters, not even the French ones, spoke or acted in a way that gave you the slightest inking that one was in France.
This was a pity, as the author has a great turn of phrase and good characterisation, and can write crisp and witty conversation (although entirely in an English Ealing Studios vernacular rather than a French one).
The plot rattles along with endless surprising developments, so the reader has no time to get bored, but the book went on too long, and after a while, the never-ending twists and turns in the story began to feel wearing. In my opinion, the book would have been better if it was 25% shorter.
A scamp and jouisseur, the mayor gets into endless trouble as his nefarious actions get him deeper and deeper into trouble throughout the book.
It read like a Carry On series, and I kept feeling that Sid James might suddenly appear saying ‘Gor blimey, luv', or Barbara Windsor pop up from behind the bar and drop her bra.
It’s a great book if you are into farces, but the fly in the ointment is that the book should really have been set somewhere on the south coast of England. None of the characters, not even the French ones, spoke or acted in a way that gave you the slightest inking that one was in France.
This was a pity, as the author has a great turn of phrase and good characterisation, and can write crisp and witty conversation (although entirely in an English Ealing Studios vernacular rather than a French one).
The plot rattles along with endless surprising developments, so the reader has no time to get bored, but the book went on too long, and after a while, the never-ending twists and turns in the story began to feel wearing. In my opinion, the book would have been better if it was 25% shorter.
February 15, 2016
Basil, the bumbling English expatriate mayor of a small French town, tries to clear up a mess that multiplies like the many headed hydra. A woman wants to defame Basil for aiding illegal immigrants. Basil must collect money from an old enemy to pay his uncle for a statue. His wife wants to retain her identity as a bimbo while secretly running a company that intends to sell a property to help Basil's debt. Foreigners pursue the dodging mayor with demands for the return of unknown possessions that belonged to an incinerated, drowned corpse.
This comedy of errors begins with what appears to be a dull conversation in a bar. The story soon picks up with a tension that carries through the book. The bar plays throughout the story as a strategically located gossip mill where amused patrons are never surprised at the mayor's antics.
The names are numerous, the viewpoints multiple. However the author does a fairly decent job at keeping us straight on who is who. Nevertheless confusion remains over the variation of titles that are at one time in British English and at another in French. Additionally dialogue is loaded with British slang, which can be deciphered by its use in context. Sometimes I am momentarily at a loss over who is talking because the author has a habit of placing the speaker's comment and the listener's reaction in the same paragraph.
However, throughout the confusing moves and counter moves of this complex tale, humor keeps the reader engaged. I especially had to laugh when the mayor attacked a voice-mail machine and the machine won.
This comedy of errors begins with what appears to be a dull conversation in a bar. The story soon picks up with a tension that carries through the book. The bar plays throughout the story as a strategically located gossip mill where amused patrons are never surprised at the mayor's antics.
The names are numerous, the viewpoints multiple. However the author does a fairly decent job at keeping us straight on who is who. Nevertheless confusion remains over the variation of titles that are at one time in British English and at another in French. Additionally dialogue is loaded with British slang, which can be deciphered by its use in context. Sometimes I am momentarily at a loss over who is talking because the author has a habit of placing the speaker's comment and the listener's reaction in the same paragraph.
However, throughout the confusing moves and counter moves of this complex tale, humor keeps the reader engaged. I especially had to laugh when the mayor attacked a voice-mail machine and the machine won.
January 26, 2016
A well written, incredibly fast paced farce based in a small French town. It reminded me in many ways of the farces written for the stage by Alan Ayckbourn and I confess when reading several times I pondered how this story could be translated to the stage.
"Oh what a tangled web of deceit we weave."
A surprise visit from Ginger, an old "friend" from England sets off a bizzarre chain of events involving Mayor Basil Ackroyd as the patrons of a local bar look on in amusement. The more Basil tries to untangle himself from Ginger while protecting his own interests the deeper a hole he digs for himself and events spin ever faster and faster out of control.
Packed full of humerous scenes, my favourites were Basil's skirmish with an answering machine and the bar occupants reaction to Sylvie dressed in police uniform.
There is a large cast of distinctive flamboyant characters all with their own personal agendas and secrets that add to the confusion. At times I did struggle to keep up with who was doing what to who and why and the relentless fast pace didn't help.
A fun fast paced romp through small town politics.
"Oh what a tangled web of deceit we weave."
A surprise visit from Ginger, an old "friend" from England sets off a bizzarre chain of events involving Mayor Basil Ackroyd as the patrons of a local bar look on in amusement. The more Basil tries to untangle himself from Ginger while protecting his own interests the deeper a hole he digs for himself and events spin ever faster and faster out of control.
Packed full of humerous scenes, my favourites were Basil's skirmish with an answering machine and the bar occupants reaction to Sylvie dressed in police uniform.
There is a large cast of distinctive flamboyant characters all with their own personal agendas and secrets that add to the confusion. At times I did struggle to keep up with who was doing what to who and why and the relentless fast pace didn't help.
A fun fast paced romp through small town politics.
February 26, 2020
I was given this as a review copy by the author and must apologise for the delay in completing. After a couple of office moves and email issues, I finally read it and am glad I did.
This is the second instalment of Basil Ackroyd's adventures as Mayor of Durac and he amused me a great deal. Although set in France, the story had a "Midsomer " vibe to it as Basil lurches from one crisis to another, often through no real fault of his own. There are a lot of likeable characters in this, Sylvie and Lindy being my favourites. I intend to read the rest of the series as soon as possible.
This is the second instalment of Basil Ackroyd's adventures as Mayor of Durac and he amused me a great deal. Although set in France, the story had a "Midsomer " vibe to it as Basil lurches from one crisis to another, often through no real fault of his own. There are a lot of likeable characters in this, Sylvie and Lindy being my favourites. I intend to read the rest of the series as soon as possible.
February 26, 2016
A screwball comedy about the English mayor of a small French town, "Just Recompense" is the second installment in a series that may appeal most to fans of British staples like "Carry On" and "Are You Being Served."
Basil Ackroyd, the main character, is a Brit living in the French countryside with his wife and children after being forced to leave the UK under vague scandalous circumstances. Somehow Basil is Mayor of a French town, despite his nationality and his past. Basil seems to always find trouble, which in this case starts when an old enemy, Ginger, calls to ask Basil for a favour. High jinks, slapstick comedy, and murder ensue as Basil gets entangled with Chinese crooks, Russian hitmen, and crooked French politicians with axes to grind.
The prose is lighthearted and the humour is wry, though the story has a distinctly episodic feel--most of the action takes place in a couple of locations in the small town, with the local populace (who all seem to be British) commenting on the comings and goings of the various characters. The abrupt end also makes this feel like a series rather than a novel. I hadn't read the first book, so that likely affected my understanding of the sequel. This book seemed designed for those coming right out of Book 1, as there were little to no introductions to the multitude of characters and their relationships with one another. This meant I had a hard time figuring out the who and why of many plot points.
Overall a lighthearted read for fans of episodic fiction and traditional British humour, but I would recommend starting at Book 1 if you wanted to give this series a go.
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Basil Ackroyd, the main character, is a Brit living in the French countryside with his wife and children after being forced to leave the UK under vague scandalous circumstances. Somehow Basil is Mayor of a French town, despite his nationality and his past. Basil seems to always find trouble, which in this case starts when an old enemy, Ginger, calls to ask Basil for a favour. High jinks, slapstick comedy, and murder ensue as Basil gets entangled with Chinese crooks, Russian hitmen, and crooked French politicians with axes to grind.
The prose is lighthearted and the humour is wry, though the story has a distinctly episodic feel--most of the action takes place in a couple of locations in the small town, with the local populace (who all seem to be British) commenting on the comings and goings of the various characters. The abrupt end also makes this feel like a series rather than a novel. I hadn't read the first book, so that likely affected my understanding of the sequel. This book seemed designed for those coming right out of Book 1, as there were little to no introductions to the multitude of characters and their relationships with one another. This meant I had a hard time figuring out the who and why of many plot points.
Overall a lighthearted read for fans of episodic fiction and traditional British humour, but I would recommend starting at Book 1 if you wanted to give this series a go.
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
February 18, 2016
THE TROUBLES OF BASIL ARKROYD; HUMOUR, TRAGEDY, WOMEN AND GREED
A medieval story about a British man who by quirks of birth and fate became citizens of France and the despirate struggles of immigrants living in Durac.
The end justifies the struggles, the means and their perseverance in the peculiarity of a town under the threacherous Maire of Durac, Basil Arkroyd.
The conversation are lively,jocular, ...some sort of good English humour served in a french coffee cup is such a maze but that which still make the book engaging and enjoyable. It will have more appeal to those familiar with the French environment in which the plot and story was written.
Clumpsy and fat, corrupt yet heavily indebted but likeable shephered of Durac,Basil was a family man blessed with a beautiful wife, Mary and some "brats" of Children (according to Basil). The Eleven chapters are filled with his boomeranging schemes, his lack of sensibility to those around him, and his insatiable greed including taking shameful advantage of Mr Ginger Frampton. What of his lust for moments with young Sylvie ,and his comedy of errors and self injuries, thanks to Doc Ramsey, his able physician. I wonder how he was always lucky to have a soft landing in all. His hatred for Ginger Frampton and his escapade with his "Sweet young thing", Sylvie are worth mentioning.
One deranged enemy he earned for himself was Monica frampton, racist, and she was bent on shaming Basil over his helping the immigrants until she was put behind bars.
Humourous, though a bit confusing, the strong characters in French familiarity are quite entertaining to read about.
A medieval story about a British man who by quirks of birth and fate became citizens of France and the despirate struggles of immigrants living in Durac.
The end justifies the struggles, the means and their perseverance in the peculiarity of a town under the threacherous Maire of Durac, Basil Arkroyd.
The conversation are lively,jocular, ...some sort of good English humour served in a french coffee cup is such a maze but that which still make the book engaging and enjoyable. It will have more appeal to those familiar with the French environment in which the plot and story was written.
Clumpsy and fat, corrupt yet heavily indebted but likeable shephered of Durac,Basil was a family man blessed with a beautiful wife, Mary and some "brats" of Children (according to Basil). The Eleven chapters are filled with his boomeranging schemes, his lack of sensibility to those around him, and his insatiable greed including taking shameful advantage of Mr Ginger Frampton. What of his lust for moments with young Sylvie ,and his comedy of errors and self injuries, thanks to Doc Ramsey, his able physician. I wonder how he was always lucky to have a soft landing in all. His hatred for Ginger Frampton and his escapade with his "Sweet young thing", Sylvie are worth mentioning.
One deranged enemy he earned for himself was Monica frampton, racist, and she was bent on shaming Basil over his helping the immigrants until she was put behind bars.
Humourous, though a bit confusing, the strong characters in French familiarity are quite entertaining to read about.
March 19, 2016
This book was a difficult read for me for several reasons. The formatting was terrible to follow properly, with line and word spacing inconsistent throughout. The author did forewarn about this but if he wishes to receive decent reviews then the book should be supplied in its final and published format. The whole book reads like a screenplay for a Carry On film or a Whitehall Farce UK stage production from the 1950s and 60s. There is very little descriptive narrative for the contextual setting and, with such a rapid succession of so many characters, this reader became too confused, annoyed and frustrated with almost every turn of the page. All of this, therefore, combined to spoil my enjoyment of what proved to be quite a funny book in many ways.
Basil Ackroyd is the unlikely English mayor of a French country town and is obviously a conman and a scoundrel out to line his own pockets as much as he can. We are not told how he came to be in that position. My favourite character was his long-suffering and strangely devoted secretary, Sylvie. There are various scams, scandals and misdemeanours that befall Basil and others within his small circle. The repeated slapstick events became a little clichéd by the end of the book but when I could follow the plot some of the twists and turns were clever and intriguing. However, in the end I was left feeling that this was a practice run for a TV series or a stage play. Unfortunately, it was not without the occasional typo or misspelling. I received a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair, unbiased and non-reciprocal review.
Basil Ackroyd is the unlikely English mayor of a French country town and is obviously a conman and a scoundrel out to line his own pockets as much as he can. We are not told how he came to be in that position. My favourite character was his long-suffering and strangely devoted secretary, Sylvie. There are various scams, scandals and misdemeanours that befall Basil and others within his small circle. The repeated slapstick events became a little clichéd by the end of the book but when I could follow the plot some of the twists and turns were clever and intriguing. However, in the end I was left feeling that this was a practice run for a TV series or a stage play. Unfortunately, it was not without the occasional typo or misspelling. I received a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair, unbiased and non-reciprocal review.
December 7, 2014
Just Recompense, the second installment of Basil Ackroyd’s France, rises to the lofty bar set by Futile Deceptions.
Amid the aftermath of his previous series of disasters, Basil is confronted by characters from his past. We learn a little more about him, as the master manipulator and swindler is played by those of his own ilk. Everyone is working an angle, some more than one, or hiding a secret. Even Basil’s wife and the uselessly timid policeman are knee deep in conspiracy.
Once again, the author weaves irreverent humor with comedy of errors and Basil’s unique penchant for self-destruction into a laugh-out-loud entertaining tale. Fear not, the author does not recycle his gags from the first book. Basil falls into new traps, of his own making, and finds new ways to thwart himself at every turn, while the townspeople scratch their heads with disbelief, jump to conclusions and scramble to conceal their own secrets.
Basil’s secretary, Sylvie, has her performance kicked up a few notches and is the surprise gem of this tale. She simultaneously serves as the story’s bubbly air-headed sex object, moral compass, Basil’s harshest critic and chief savior.
If you enjoy dark humor, read this book. If you do not enjoy dark humor, read this book and you will learn to like it. Read this book and its predecessor, and you will be hooked.
Amid the aftermath of his previous series of disasters, Basil is confronted by characters from his past. We learn a little more about him, as the master manipulator and swindler is played by those of his own ilk. Everyone is working an angle, some more than one, or hiding a secret. Even Basil’s wife and the uselessly timid policeman are knee deep in conspiracy.
Once again, the author weaves irreverent humor with comedy of errors and Basil’s unique penchant for self-destruction into a laugh-out-loud entertaining tale. Fear not, the author does not recycle his gags from the first book. Basil falls into new traps, of his own making, and finds new ways to thwart himself at every turn, while the townspeople scratch their heads with disbelief, jump to conclusions and scramble to conceal their own secrets.
Basil’s secretary, Sylvie, has her performance kicked up a few notches and is the surprise gem of this tale. She simultaneously serves as the story’s bubbly air-headed sex object, moral compass, Basil’s harshest critic and chief savior.
If you enjoy dark humor, read this book. If you do not enjoy dark humor, read this book and you will learn to like it. Read this book and its predecessor, and you will be hooked.
March 24, 2016
Basil Ackroyd, a dodgy Englishman, is the Mayor of Durac, a French town, and has to untangle the many tangles that he has got himself into, thanks to past and present associations. There is a large cast, all with secrets of their own, including Basil's wife Lindy and his notaire Abdul Bin Avay, his chef Stavros, and the local policeman Klaus Klinker. A fellow from his past, Ginger Frampton, gets himself blown up, and George/Jimmy Wang, a Chinese businessman, wants his million bucks that he thinks Basil stole and Boris, a Russian hit-man, attempts to murder Basil and gets murdered himself. Ginger's sister Letitia Frampton and his ex-wife Monica Frampton turn up and they've got their own agendas as well. And then there is Mademoiselle Lebic, a right-wing politician, who wants to expose Basil as an Anglo-Saxon fascist. With all the madcap events, Basil is hard-pressed to keep his wits.
It was an interesting read, with eccentric humor that sometimes felt forced and some witty dialogues - "I’ll get killed in the rush of you lot getting out of the line of fire." I did have a bit of trouble understanding who was who and what was going on for some part of the story - this is the second book in the series, and the author doesn't bother with too many explanations for readers who haven't read the first one.
I received a free copy of this book for an honest, non-reciprocal review.
It was an interesting read, with eccentric humor that sometimes felt forced and some witty dialogues - "I’ll get killed in the rush of you lot getting out of the line of fire." I did have a bit of trouble understanding who was who and what was going on for some part of the story - this is the second book in the series, and the author doesn't bother with too many explanations for readers who haven't read the first one.
I received a free copy of this book for an honest, non-reciprocal review.
February 8, 2016
I received a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.
“Just Recompense” is the story of a rather goofy anti-hero, Basil Ackroyd. Basil is the opposite of a typical hero, having an astonishing lack of ethics. His personal philosophy seems to be, “If I can get away with it, it’s okay.” That being the case, he gets himself into several misadventures and other problems that are quite comical.
Aside from multiple typos, including: “the bulky form of town’s mayor” , where ‘the’ is omitted, and “…but unfortunately finds English humour to difficult to understand,” where ‘to’ should be replaced with ‘too’, the writing was decent. There were, however, some situations where a conversation was going on, and I got confused for a minute or two about which person was talking. In such cases, a few short dialogue tags could have helped clear that up. The story was also riddled with strong language, extremely strong in some places, of which the reader may want to be aware.
“Just Recompense” is the story of a rather goofy anti-hero, Basil Ackroyd. Basil is the opposite of a typical hero, having an astonishing lack of ethics. His personal philosophy seems to be, “If I can get away with it, it’s okay.” That being the case, he gets himself into several misadventures and other problems that are quite comical.
Aside from multiple typos, including: “the bulky form of town’s mayor” , where ‘the’ is omitted, and “…but unfortunately finds English humour to difficult to understand,” where ‘to’ should be replaced with ‘too’, the writing was decent. There were, however, some situations where a conversation was going on, and I got confused for a minute or two about which person was talking. In such cases, a few short dialogue tags could have helped clear that up. The story was also riddled with strong language, extremely strong in some places, of which the reader may want to be aware.
February 10, 2016
This book was difficult for me to get into because of the minimal set-up. At the beginning, I had no idea who the characters were, or what the driving forces behind the plot were. While the author may enjoy trying to tell the story by having the reader plop in, say as a witness to a series of events, it’s like bringing in a stranger in a conversation within a group of old friends chatting about what they did the past week, drawing upon names and events that they have known for years. Also, it was hard for me to imagine an anglophone non-citizen being a mayor of a small French town, and no explanation was given as to how he managed to win their votes or even if he were constitutionally permitted to run in the election.
I appreciate the frenzy in the story and the rapid-fire dialogue, but the way the book was set up made it a chore for me to enjoy.
I appreciate the frenzy in the story and the rapid-fire dialogue, but the way the book was set up made it a chore for me to enjoy.
February 3, 2016
Wallis throws an unscrupulous rotund hero into a comic misadventure with a femme fatale, an uncle, a police inspector, and the usual friends in Durac. The second installment in the series on the dual-national mayor, Basil Ackroyd, is electrically alive and a riot! All danger, hostility and instability is resolved by the end in slapstick manner.
I received a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair, unbiased and non-reciprocal review.
I received a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair, unbiased and non-reciprocal review.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews