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Peacock's Alibi
Peacock Johnson’s got an idea that’s guaranteed to make him rich, and a friend who’s willing to invest in the idea.
But Peacock’s having some difficulty laying the groundwork for his less-than-legal enterprise. Local homicide detective Duncan McFadgen is convinced that Peacock is responsible for a recent murder, and is constantly on Peacock’s tail, badgering him with questions and trying to break his alibi for the night of the murder.
Peacock’s path to riches seems to be vanishing into the ether and then things begin to seriously unravel . . .
But Peacock’s having some difficulty laying the groundwork for his less-than-legal enterprise. Local homicide detective Duncan McFadgen is convinced that Peacock is responsible for a recent murder, and is constantly on Peacock’s tail, badgering him with questions and trying to break his alibi for the night of the murder.
Peacock’s path to riches seems to be vanishing into the ether and then things begin to seriously unravel . . .
- GenresScotland
224 pages, Paperback
Published June 1, 2018
3 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Stuart David
18 books51 followersStuart David is the co-founder of the bands Belle & Sebastian, and Looper. He has published two novels, "Nalda Said" and "The Peacock Manifesto".
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 20, 2019
Peacock's Alibi by Stuart David - Good
It's become common practice now for various authors to auction off, for charity, the chance to have your name as a character in their next book. It just so happens that Stuart David (of Belle and Sebastian fame) won the chance to appear in an Ian Rankin novel (A Question of Blood). Rather than using his own name, he picked Peacock Johnson and so a character was born!
A few years down the line and Peacock gets a novel of his own. With a knowing reference to his appearance in Rebus, the character is your stereotyped Weegie wide boy. Always full of fantastic schemes that are just that little, or big, bit dodgy. This regularly puts him on the wrong side of the law in the shape of DI Duncan McFadgen.
On this particular occasion, an acquaintance of his has been murdered and all the clues are pointing at Peacock. Just for once, he actually has a solid alibi that McFadgen spends most of the book trying to break. Peacock comes to the conclusion that the only way to prove his innocence is to find the culprit himself. Cue mayhem and mishap and a fair few laughs along the way - especially when his wife and mother-in-law are involved.
It's reasonably well written, but not particularly surprising. What lifts it is the humour. It's not in the same league as Christopher Brookmyre, but it's certainly trying to play the same game. Great weegie banter which made me laugh on many occasion. Worth it just for that.
It's become common practice now for various authors to auction off, for charity, the chance to have your name as a character in their next book. It just so happens that Stuart David (of Belle and Sebastian fame) won the chance to appear in an Ian Rankin novel (A Question of Blood). Rather than using his own name, he picked Peacock Johnson and so a character was born!
A few years down the line and Peacock gets a novel of his own. With a knowing reference to his appearance in Rebus, the character is your stereotyped Weegie wide boy. Always full of fantastic schemes that are just that little, or big, bit dodgy. This regularly puts him on the wrong side of the law in the shape of DI Duncan McFadgen.
On this particular occasion, an acquaintance of his has been murdered and all the clues are pointing at Peacock. Just for once, he actually has a solid alibi that McFadgen spends most of the book trying to break. Peacock comes to the conclusion that the only way to prove his innocence is to find the culprit himself. Cue mayhem and mishap and a fair few laughs along the way - especially when his wife and mother-in-law are involved.
It's reasonably well written, but not particularly surprising. What lifts it is the humour. It's not in the same league as Christopher Brookmyre, but it's certainly trying to play the same game. Great weegie banter which made me laugh on many occasion. Worth it just for that.
March 23, 2019
Funny! Heavily Wodehouse-inspired, I think; Peacock could be Bertie Wooster reincarnated as a Scottish small-time criminal, at least if you judge by his narrative voice. The plot is rather Wodehousian too: there's a marriage to save (not without ulterior motive), and a tangle of hare-brained schemes and bungled plans. The characters are archetypes but there's a nice hint of warmth beneath the surface of Peacock and Bev's relationship. The ending was a little jarring -- an abrupt raising of the stakes, resolved by something of a deus ex machina -- but overall this was great fun.
(Interesting side note: the running gag of references to Ian Rankin is based on the fact that he really did write Peacock into one of his books. Apparently Stuart David bought at an auction the right to feature in a Rankin novel, then gave his name as Peacock Johnson and even corresponded with Rankin in character.)
(Interesting side note: the running gag of references to Ian Rankin is based on the fact that he really did write Peacock into one of his books. Apparently Stuart David bought at an auction the right to feature in a Rankin novel, then gave his name as Peacock Johnson and even corresponded with Rankin in character.)
May 4, 2020
This is the best book I’ve read since lockdown started. It’s a funny novel of a petty criminal Peacock Johnson who is being hounded by a daft policeman that is trying to frame him for crimes he hasn’t committed. Better still it’s set in Glasgow. This was a random purchase in Fopp in Glasgow last year. I will definitely be reading more by Stuart David. I was bursting out laughing a lot whilst reading this book. I would highly recommend it.
December 1, 2019
Light, fun, fast read. A couple of scenes were written exceptionally well. I loved the location, humor, and language. I'd read more books with these characters.
May 17, 2021
‘Peacocks Alibi 🦚👔’ by Stuart David
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5/5
.
Peacock Johnson's got an idea that's guaranteed to make him rich, and a friend who's willing to invest in the idea.
But Peacock's having some difficulty laying the groundwork for his less-than-legal enterprise. Local homicide detective Duncan McFadgen is convinced that Peacock is responsible for a recent murder, and is constantly on Peacock's tail, badgering him with questions and trying to break his alibi for the night of the murder.
Peacock's path to riches seems to be vanishing into the ether and then things begin to seriously unravel . . .
.
Who doesn’t love a book set in their home town? When I seen this book was set in Glasgow 🏴 and written by Stuart David of Belle & Sebastian, I had to pick this up!
It’s a light-hearted and funny detective novel, full of Glaswegian humour which had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion. It was a quick read and well written, you didn’t know which way the story would turn. Very realistic if your from Glasgow you’ll know exactly the type of people like Peacock!
Pick it up and let me know what you think ☺️
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5/5
.
Peacock Johnson's got an idea that's guaranteed to make him rich, and a friend who's willing to invest in the idea.
But Peacock's having some difficulty laying the groundwork for his less-than-legal enterprise. Local homicide detective Duncan McFadgen is convinced that Peacock is responsible for a recent murder, and is constantly on Peacock's tail, badgering him with questions and trying to break his alibi for the night of the murder.
Peacock's path to riches seems to be vanishing into the ether and then things begin to seriously unravel . . .
.
Who doesn’t love a book set in their home town? When I seen this book was set in Glasgow 🏴 and written by Stuart David of Belle & Sebastian, I had to pick this up!
It’s a light-hearted and funny detective novel, full of Glaswegian humour which had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion. It was a quick read and well written, you didn’t know which way the story would turn. Very realistic if your from Glasgow you’ll know exactly the type of people like Peacock!
Pick it up and let me know what you think ☺️
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews