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Tabitha Fox Never Knocks
CRIME/MYSTERY/HUMOUR/UPLIFTING LITERARY/UNDERGROUND/BRISTOL CULTURE/RAVE/SOUNDSYSTEM CULTURE
Traditional hobbies have failed to entice Tabitha Fox; crochet, baking and gardening have left her cold. With theft definitely not on her mind, she steps out of character one winter’s evening to try and fill the void that life has dealt her and finds herself 'accidentally' breaking into one of her neighbours’ homes. She takes nothing away except the discovery that deviation from the mundane makes her heart beat a little bit faster - and she quite enjoys it.
She starts to work her way down the residential street opposite her own home, watching and waiting for the occupants to go out so she can go in and explore by torchlight.
One night in the run up to Christmas however, things reach crisis point as on one of her illicit expeditions, she discovers Val, an injured, elderly lady who is in neighbor Don's home under circumstances far more tenuous than her own.
Earlier in the year, Steve, a homeless man attempted another break in –this time to Buckingham Palace. Like Tabitha, he was also in search of something more for himself, however, his adventure ended in death.
Elsewhere, a group of Bristolian hippy students experience a life changing vision as they explore the Thai jungle and around the same time, reports in the news come hitting hard and fast of the deaths of several people who've all taken a novel street drug referred to by the media as 'Bleach'.
How are these strange situations linked?
How can Tabitha possibly be the connection?
As she falls further in with her new crowd, she becomes entwined in blackmail and corruption, yet digging deeper seems to be the only way she’ll ever escape.
With her new found allies, can faith in the strangest of trips prevent the body count from rising?
Can Tabitha, Val and the university students work together to carry out one massive right to undo their collective wrongs?
And does Tabitha ever find what she's been looking for?
Don’t knock… just come on in.
Traditional hobbies have failed to entice Tabitha Fox; crochet, baking and gardening have left her cold. With theft definitely not on her mind, she steps out of character one winter’s evening to try and fill the void that life has dealt her and finds herself 'accidentally' breaking into one of her neighbours’ homes. She takes nothing away except the discovery that deviation from the mundane makes her heart beat a little bit faster - and she quite enjoys it.
She starts to work her way down the residential street opposite her own home, watching and waiting for the occupants to go out so she can go in and explore by torchlight.
One night in the run up to Christmas however, things reach crisis point as on one of her illicit expeditions, she discovers Val, an injured, elderly lady who is in neighbor Don's home under circumstances far more tenuous than her own.
Earlier in the year, Steve, a homeless man attempted another break in –this time to Buckingham Palace. Like Tabitha, he was also in search of something more for himself, however, his adventure ended in death.
Elsewhere, a group of Bristolian hippy students experience a life changing vision as they explore the Thai jungle and around the same time, reports in the news come hitting hard and fast of the deaths of several people who've all taken a novel street drug referred to by the media as 'Bleach'.
How are these strange situations linked?
How can Tabitha possibly be the connection?
As she falls further in with her new crowd, she becomes entwined in blackmail and corruption, yet digging deeper seems to be the only way she’ll ever escape.
With her new found allies, can faith in the strangest of trips prevent the body count from rising?
Can Tabitha, Val and the university students work together to carry out one massive right to undo their collective wrongs?
And does Tabitha ever find what she's been looking for?
Don’t knock… just come on in.
251 pages, Paperback
First published March 25, 2020
9 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 19, 2020
I loved the way you wrote Tabitha Fox Never Knocks, I found it funny to start with and then it went into serious mode, I read in three nights (I only read in bed at night, sometimes three hours, sometimes fives hours). I could not stop reading on the last night till I had finished. A story that touches your heart, and represents how family can be and how grief can affect you and how deep in the human heart you always want to help somebody somewhere. I look forward to reading your next book, peace, love and happiness always, Lorraine xXx
May 23, 2020
Everyday Hero
The triumph here is the main character. She is so well written she could (and does) get away with anything.The plot therefore works when even towards the end where there is some dubious security arrangements, they are almost believable If there are flaws it is the editing . It needed another read through before publication. I don't want spelling mistakes to take away anything however from such a worthy novel and I hope the next one is just as good.
The triumph here is the main character. She is so well written she could (and does) get away with anything.The plot therefore works when even towards the end where there is some dubious security arrangements, they are almost believable If there are flaws it is the editing . It needed another read through before publication. I don't want spelling mistakes to take away anything however from such a worthy novel and I hope the next one is just as good.
June 8, 2020
I really did enjoy reading this book. I really came to know Tabitha Fox, I felt great empathy for her at times then at other times admired her bravery. I often identified with her and at times she made me laugh. There was never a dull moment reading through the twists and turns of the tale and getting to know the characters and each chapter bringing the unexpected. A great book which involves up-to-date culture. I definitely will recommend it to friends, family and colleagues.
May 1, 2020
Really enjoyed this fun crime novel full of twists and turns!
May 21, 2020
I was not that keen of the book to being with but as the book went on I really enjoyed it , Ill look forward to the authors next book 8/10
July 1, 2020
Love it. Love the story. Its intense and fun read. Beautifully written. You won't be disappointed. Highly recommended!
July 1, 2020
I think this author writes really nicely and the books moves so fast its like being caught up in an enjoyable whirlwind that I didn't want to end.
July 1, 2020
Love this author's style. Strong characters, fast paced plot and lots of jokes. A great read for in the garden on a sunny afternoon or on a beach... I wish I was on a beach!
June 24, 2020
This is such a fun, captivating story. It’s a wild ride from start to finish, and I loved getting lost in the intertwined lives of the characters. Sarah’s writing is so descriptive and I love her use of language. It’s everything you want in a summertime read.
October 17, 2021
4.5 stars
This book is centred around a main character named Tabitha who has a young son and a husband, a job as a teacher but other than those things what does she really have in her life?
Tabitha is bored of her life and is fed up with her husband as he simply doesn't have any real interest in her or even their son. She has little outside of going to work and cleaning up after her son and her husband but when she decides to make the offer to water a neighbours plants she discovers that looking into the lives of others is something that gives her the little high she needs. Can she keep her high going whilst elsewhere a spate of drug deaths seems to be gripping the country? What of the local house where the students are staying, playing their loud music and seeming to live a somewhat partying lifestyle?
This book is full of twists and turns that you don't see coming and whilst it has a slowly building story it feels very different from many other suspenseful stories in the same genre. I really did love the book and only slightly mark down for a few editing issues and long chapters but for me these are very small things and don't put me off reading more by this author in the future.
This book is centred around a main character named Tabitha who has a young son and a husband, a job as a teacher but other than those things what does she really have in her life?
Tabitha is bored of her life and is fed up with her husband as he simply doesn't have any real interest in her or even their son. She has little outside of going to work and cleaning up after her son and her husband but when she decides to make the offer to water a neighbours plants she discovers that looking into the lives of others is something that gives her the little high she needs. Can she keep her high going whilst elsewhere a spate of drug deaths seems to be gripping the country? What of the local house where the students are staying, playing their loud music and seeming to live a somewhat partying lifestyle?
This book is full of twists and turns that you don't see coming and whilst it has a slowly building story it feels very different from many other suspenseful stories in the same genre. I really did love the book and only slightly mark down for a few editing issues and long chapters but for me these are very small things and don't put me off reading more by this author in the future.
April 1, 2020
An amazingly humorous debut novel from SJ Townend.
It's a witty and enthusiastic tale of a lady lost in her mid-thirties who feels invisible and starts to break into her neighbours homes for shits and giggles.
The novel is packed with fun. It follows the story of an interesting and likeable, if slightly odd female protagonist and also contains many poignant issues e.g. the expectations set for modern day working mothers, gentrification of city centres, eugenics, loneliness and isolation and even the morality of drug-taking amongst many other cleverly interwoven themes all laced together with a slightly surreal, criminal-mystery plot.
It's set around Bristol and there are many references to local places and events. A heartfelt, enjoyable read with more twists than a bag of fusilli!
If you were a fan of The Rosie Project, Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night, the Adrian Mole series, The Beach by Alex Garland or anything by Mark Haddon, Mark Watson or Nick Hornby then you may jolly well enjoy this novel.
It is available as e-book/Kindle edition and paperback via Amazon.
Watch out for SJ Townend's second release, Twenty Seven which will be out in the Summer of 2020.
It's a witty and enthusiastic tale of a lady lost in her mid-thirties who feels invisible and starts to break into her neighbours homes for shits and giggles.
The novel is packed with fun. It follows the story of an interesting and likeable, if slightly odd female protagonist and also contains many poignant issues e.g. the expectations set for modern day working mothers, gentrification of city centres, eugenics, loneliness and isolation and even the morality of drug-taking amongst many other cleverly interwoven themes all laced together with a slightly surreal, criminal-mystery plot.
It's set around Bristol and there are many references to local places and events. A heartfelt, enjoyable read with more twists than a bag of fusilli!
If you were a fan of The Rosie Project, Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night, the Adrian Mole series, The Beach by Alex Garland or anything by Mark Haddon, Mark Watson or Nick Hornby then you may jolly well enjoy this novel.
It is available as e-book/Kindle edition and paperback via Amazon.
Watch out for SJ Townend's second release, Twenty Seven which will be out in the Summer of 2020.
July 1, 2020
3.5. Good story dealing with loneliness, drug taking and revenge. I preferred the last third of the book whe strands were pulled together and issues confronted. Despite the jokey nature there were a number of things to think about after finishing the story, which ended in a very satisfactory way.
April 5, 2021
Entertaining story
I liked the main character Tabitha, enough to continue reading. Once the story line got going it was an interesting read. I felt as though I was reading a draft of the book which could have benefited from a decent editor.
I liked the main character Tabitha, enough to continue reading. Once the story line got going it was an interesting read. I felt as though I was reading a draft of the book which could have benefited from a decent editor.
May 1, 2020
Tabitha's story is a cracker and one to read to lift up your spirits.
August 18, 2020
Great read!
I love how you get pulled along in this story, starting off in a very lonely and dull life of Tabitha and the getting sped along to the the completely unpredictable ending. It reminds me a bit if the film magnolia in parts, swapping between interlinking characters and how interesting it is seeing how everyone ends up affecting, knowing or having some sort of connection to other characters in the book.
I love how you get pulled along in this story, starting off in a very lonely and dull life of Tabitha and the getting sped along to the the completely unpredictable ending. It reminds me a bit if the film magnolia in parts, swapping between interlinking characters and how interesting it is seeing how everyone ends up affecting, knowing or having some sort of connection to other characters in the book.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews