Two for the Price of One

by Tony Kenrick

Book by Kenrick, Tony

253 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Before becoming a full-time writer Tony Kenrick worked as an advertising copywriter in Sydney, Toronto, NYC, San Francisco, and London, 1953-72. On the dust jackets of many of his novels Kenrick claimed the following: "I hated being a lumberjack; those shirts itch something awful. And I was a failure as a boxer, too. I was what's known in the fight game as a crier; whenever I got hit, I'd burst into tears. They'd work on me feverishly between rounds, but they could never stanch the flow. "

Kenrick was never a logger nor a prize-fighter; this is a typical example of his humor, and very typical of the humor found in his books.

Between 1971 - 1996 he wrote seventeen novels.

Reviews

[Lissa Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book many years ago, long enough ago to recall with great fondness the three protagonists, but very little of the plot. So it was lovely to be reunited with them and to be surprised once more by the twists and turns of the plot. I was again kept on the edge of my seat and couldn't guess at how things would turn out. The comedy element was especially funny, but the three antagonists unhumorously nasty. Kendrick has a talent for planting menace within the fun. The scale of their mission - and therefore Kendrick's imagination - was immense and yet they all (author included!) pulled it off perfectly, definitely against the odds. Very credible, despite the far-fetched targets. The cover said it's "now" a movie (now a 30-yr-old movie) but I can find no film of the title, which is disappointing. The book is very visual and you can see it working so well on screen, even though I'm sure to be disappointed, having loved the book so much. Kendrick's comparisons within his work are now out-of-date and many of his nods to timely events or celebrities are unknown to modern readers, yet I'm still going to look out for more of his books. This one is definitely a recommended read to anyone who loves quirky characters, crime capers and humour.