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Code 17
BANG.
Jonty spins round, holding on to the church gate, trying to stay upright. He looks across at me, startled.
BANG.
BANG.
Jonty crumples to the ground. I jump out of the Bentley and run over to him as fast as I can manage in my wedding dress. Jonty is bleeding from the head, the chest and the tummy.
The last words he says to me before he dies are ‘Code 17.’
Code 17 was originally a musical idea. Ten years ago I made an album that paid homage to the theme music of 1960s British TV spy series like The Man from UNCLE, The Baron and Department S, and to films like Modesty Blaise and The Ipcress File. The music on the album was from an imaginary TV series called Code 17, featuring the glamorous art dealer/spy Lady Laura Summers. She was imagined as a cross between Sharron Macready of The Champions, Emma Peel of The Avengers and Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward of Thunderbirds, though none of these women was the lead character.
Ten years later I thought I could make a novel out of Code 17 and Lady Laura, set in the Swinging London of 1967. I kept to the format of a twelve-episode TV series and tried to imagine each chapter as a fast-moving thirty minute episode, split into short scenes.
I hope you can imagine it that way too.
You can hear the music at mixcloud.com/planckmusic/code-17
Jonty spins round, holding on to the church gate, trying to stay upright. He looks across at me, startled.
BANG.
BANG.
Jonty crumples to the ground. I jump out of the Bentley and run over to him as fast as I can manage in my wedding dress. Jonty is bleeding from the head, the chest and the tummy.
The last words he says to me before he dies are ‘Code 17.’
Code 17 was originally a musical idea. Ten years ago I made an album that paid homage to the theme music of 1960s British TV spy series like The Man from UNCLE, The Baron and Department S, and to films like Modesty Blaise and The Ipcress File. The music on the album was from an imaginary TV series called Code 17, featuring the glamorous art dealer/spy Lady Laura Summers. She was imagined as a cross between Sharron Macready of The Champions, Emma Peel of The Avengers and Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward of Thunderbirds, though none of these women was the lead character.
Ten years later I thought I could make a novel out of Code 17 and Lady Laura, set in the Swinging London of 1967. I kept to the format of a twelve-episode TV series and tried to imagine each chapter as a fast-moving thirty minute episode, split into short scenes.
I hope you can imagine it that way too.
You can hear the music at mixcloud.com/planckmusic/code-17
268 pages, Paperback
Published March 23, 2019
2 people are currently reading
4 people want to read
About the author
Francis Booth
58 books5 followersA writer, translator and composer, Francis Booth is no ordinary author. After living in Asia for several years and then moving to London, he has now settled in St.Leonards and writes from his house overlooking the sea.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 16, 2019
Thank you Random Things Tours and the author Francis Booth for a copy of Code 17 for review and including me on the blog tour!
Code 17 is a 1960s British spy television show in book form. The chapters are short and punchy, and stars an Emma Peel type character in the art world. Lots of intrigue, villains and characters in this book to keep you entertained and guessing until the very end.
Code 17 is a 1960s British spy television show in book form. The chapters are short and punchy, and stars an Emma Peel type character in the art world. Lots of intrigue, villains and characters in this book to keep you entertained and guessing until the very end.
September 11, 2019
'Code 17' consists of many short chapters from the first person perspective of Lady Laurencia Artemisia Claudia Summers...phew! AKA Laura, or Lady Laura Summers, AKA slightly dodgy art dealer. We get thrust straight into the plot after the groom gets shot on his way to his wedding to Laura - and although the wedding is one of convenience, Lady Summers is determined to seek retribution and immediately discovers, and is pitted against a network of undercover agents, and in particular the unsavoury Persephone. Lady Laura now has a challenging nemesis.
The writing is sharp, direct and consistently to the point but we still get enough to develop the characters and build plot. Its mini-episode style is suited to reading on the go, and it's easy to drop back into the story as the scenes are very pictorial. There're quite a few spoofy antics featuring both Laura, her sidekick/friends Muffie and Ronni. At times it's humorous as the women begin to investigate, from picking up some C&A catsuits for a break-in job to accidentally causing a few violent ends!
There's also the backdrop of the swinging sixties London, so the vibe is full of expression, art, glamour, music, celebrity and a dash of romance. It's a fun journey following the antics of the characters in this book, and I happily recommended it to fellow readers.
The writing is sharp, direct and consistently to the point but we still get enough to develop the characters and build plot. Its mini-episode style is suited to reading on the go, and it's easy to drop back into the story as the scenes are very pictorial. There're quite a few spoofy antics featuring both Laura, her sidekick/friends Muffie and Ronni. At times it's humorous as the women begin to investigate, from picking up some C&A catsuits for a break-in job to accidentally causing a few violent ends!
There's also the backdrop of the swinging sixties London, so the vibe is full of expression, art, glamour, music, celebrity and a dash of romance. It's a fun journey following the antics of the characters in this book, and I happily recommended it to fellow readers.
September 9, 2019
Lady Laurencia Artemisia Claudia Summer or Lady Laura as she prefers, is an upper class art dealer……she is also a dealer in art forged by her friend Muffie…
Lady Laura is also gay, she is to marry Jonny, to keep up appearances, but on the wedding day, he is shot and with his dying breath he says ‘Code 17’….
Code 17 turns out to be a clandestine group of wealthy, powerful men who right wrongs their own way….
Lady Laura believes a woman to have shot Jonty, confirmed by her father as he tells her of the secretive Code 17…she wants revenge for Jonty and decides to find out more herself.
What follows is a romp through 1967….with its pop art, money and fashion. It’s a fast paced adventure in the vein of the Avengers….bowler hats and swords,there’s even a catsuit…. Lady Laura reminded me distinctively of Joanna Lumley’s Purdy…..
Lots of twists, with references to art and literature too. Great characters and a fun read.
Thank you to Anne Cater and Random Things Tours for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour and for the promotional materials and a free copy of the book. This is my honest, unbiased review
Lady Laura is also gay, she is to marry Jonny, to keep up appearances, but on the wedding day, he is shot and with his dying breath he says ‘Code 17’….
Code 17 turns out to be a clandestine group of wealthy, powerful men who right wrongs their own way….
Lady Laura believes a woman to have shot Jonty, confirmed by her father as he tells her of the secretive Code 17…she wants revenge for Jonty and decides to find out more herself.
What follows is a romp through 1967….with its pop art, money and fashion. It’s a fast paced adventure in the vein of the Avengers….bowler hats and swords,there’s even a catsuit…. Lady Laura reminded me distinctively of Joanna Lumley’s Purdy…..
Lots of twists, with references to art and literature too. Great characters and a fun read.
Thank you to Anne Cater and Random Things Tours for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour and for the promotional materials and a free copy of the book. This is my honest, unbiased review
August 4, 2019
Fab fun from Francis Booth
If you were a fan of the 1960s tv spy series - The Avengers, The Champions etc., then you will love this. Obviously written with a great fondness for the era, the pleasure the author must have had in creating this fun read comes clearly through the pages. Highly recommended
If you were a fan of the 1960s tv spy series - The Avengers, The Champions etc., then you will love this. Obviously written with a great fondness for the era, the pleasure the author must have had in creating this fun read comes clearly through the pages. Highly recommended
May 19, 2023
FASCINATING STORY. WOULD DESERVE TO BE TURNED INTO A FILM
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews