The Godson

Les Norton #4

by Robert G. Barrett

Les Norton thought they were going to be the easiest two weeks of his life. Playing minder for a young member of the Royal Family called Peregrine Normanhurst III sounded like a dead-set snack. So what if he was a millionaire Hooray Henry and his godfather was the Attorney General? Les would keep Peregrine out of trouble... So what if he was on the run for the IRA? They'd never find him in Australia...

The Godson moves at breakneck speed from the corridors of power in Canberra to the grimy tenements of Belfast, to climax in a nerve-shattering, blood-spattered shoot out on a survivalist fortress in the Tweed Valley. If you thought Australia's favourite son could get up to some outrageous capers in his previous adventures, until you've read The Godson, you ain't read nothin' yet!

Genres: Action, Fiction, Audiobook, Humor

246 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

G’day.
You’ve no doubt read a lot of things about me and my books over the years written by other people. Well, this is the truth. I grew up in Bondi in Sydney, Australia. I went to Bondi Beach Public School then on to Randwick Boys High. I left school at 14, did a few odd jobs then a trade as a butcher, mainly in the Eastern suburbs before finally working as a boner in various meatworks around the inner city with two trips to Ross River meatworks at Townsville, Queensland thrown in. I gave up boning after a hindquarter fell on me tearing the tendons in my right arm. I always liked writing letters and reading, so while I was on worker’s compensation I did three writing courses at the WEA, Worker’s Education Authority.

Robert died of cancer at his home in Terrigal, New South Wales.

Reviews

[Mark Porton]

No. This one isn't for me. It was a recommendation from a mate at work but it's a genre I never read (action), and I just couldn't get into it at all. It's based in Australia - so places like Coffs Harbour and Canberra are familiar to me. The humour is full-on blokey, that's okay but it's getting a bit tiring.

I don't want to read this when I have so many other great looking books to get through. I made it to around p100 - so I gave it a good go.

[David]

The adventures of Peregrine and Norton. More character focus, less violence, more sex, and the same amount of humour from the last book. Definitely worth a read.

[Jane Oates]

Fantastic

My favourite Les Norton book by far! Booze, food, sex, fights and laughs... What more do you need in a great read :)

[Colin David]

Brilliant pulp fiction! Les Norton should get a knighthood!

[Jillian]

Funniest Les Norton book yet!

[Veronica-Anne]

Excellant

[Matt Judd]

One of my favourites in the Les Norton series. Poor old Les having to deal with the antics of the little English upstart Peregrine is priceless. What a Hooray Henry that kid is! Great story.

[Gretchen Bernet-Ward]

Les Norton, a red-headed country lad, works in the big city, fights men, wows women, loves the beach, is either an Aussie icon or a yobbo but each adventure guarantees a twist. I have read several books in Barrett's 20-book series and enjoyed them much better than the current ABC TV 10-part series. Alexander Bertrand embodies Les but the scripts seem to rely more on crudity and violence than the hair-raising situations in which Les entangled himself. Good quick holiday reading.

[Mark Clarkson]

One of the better yarns

[D'face]

Les has lots of adventures escorting a member of the British royal family around during their stay in Australia. Lots of women, huge appetites and carnage.

[Mike]

Best Norton book.

Read all of the Les Norton books. This one is my favourite. Written in Barretts classic style that's, sadly, missing in these modern day writings...

[Richard]

not to my taste

[Adam Peters]

Illegal Casinos, hit men, guns, unprotected sex, drink driving and bar fights… ah Australia in the 80's. Before the world went woke… It doesn't age well and I enjoyed this when I first read it, like, 30 years ago, but now it just seems so meh!

[Chris Schreiber]

That’s a great novel. Very entertaining, as all the other books in this series. Glad that I finally found the time and mood to listen to them.

[John Davies]

Even though I'd already read other Les Norton books, I didn't realise that this was the same character, and just how good these books were till I read this one.

I read this because I liked the idea of an Englishman on the run coming out to Australia, and being totally out of his depth, and finding a local larrikin typical Aussie bloke to help him out. After this, I went back and finished reading all the other books in the series.

[Michael O'Donnell]

An easy read. Too much staging with repeat scenes. Some cried bullshit.

Canberra to a tea.

Toll booths at Cowan.

Beer and champagne. Violence. Vice. Sex. Royalty. Poms.

Local author who passed a few years ago.

Not his best.

[Craig]

One of the funniest and hard to put down books ever,this is Barrett at his best.

[Graeme]

By far the funniest Les Norton novel I have read so far!
Had me in stitches.

[Tangkas Situmeang]

Think about next future life

[Trent Wallace]

Great Aussie humour. Had me laughing many times.

[Corina]

good book. les looking after pezz lol