Lendle

SUMMARY
Thai criminals kidnap Andrew’s five-year old daughter from their home in a secure Moo Baan (Gated Community) in Bangkok, and his Thai wife blames him. After two years of heartache, it seems they have lost Jennifer for good and their happy marriage comes under so much pressure that he feels he will soon lose his wife, as well.

However, after months of steady research, he conceives an amazing plan. He studied the great long jump champions of the past, and noticed how their amazing feats attracted worldwide publicity. He discovers a new power or procedure that he can use to match or even surpass their records, which will result in worldwide publicity.

He recruits his grandson Jason, to help him prepare for this great challenge. However, he is too old for serious competition, so he enters a local UK athletics event. On the day of the competition, he uses his new technique and is so successful he soon has the whole world clamouring for information. However, things start to go wrong.

When the tremendous publicity of his long jump reaches a peak, disaster looms from a suggestion he is cheating, or taking drugs. This appears to bring Andrew’s plan to find his daughter and save his marriage to a halt. Discover how, despite Jason’s fumbling help and mistakes, he overcomes all obstacles until he is able to put into action the final stage of his amazing plan.

You will find mystery, excitement, fantasy, romance and much more as the story continues. Written by Brian Hunt, the bestselling author of “Michael’s Irish Magic” and “The Dariwn Manuscript”.

AUTHOR’S COMMENTS
I found it difficult to classify this novel, because it falls into many categories.

There is a great deal of suspense and action in the early part, which covers the abduction and the immediate consequences. But then as in so many cases of child-abduction, the family goes into a kind of limbo, wondering what steps to take next. So it is in the novel.

At this point, two things happen.

1. The hero finds he has an amazing power, which he realises he can use to great effect in trying to re-unite his family.

2. His grandson, looking for a new career, comes to live with him.

The story now has two interleaved threads and becomes interesting as the well-matched pair work together on honing the hero’s new power, and make plans on how to put it to good use. This is a complex novel, quite long, but well worth the effort in reading it!

EXCERPT
“Please tell me you’re not honestly serious about this long-jump scheme, Andrew. I listened to your theories and arguments this morning, and they all sounded practical and genuine enough, but mate, look at you. You’re a gangling sixty-nine year old grandfather without a muscle on his body; my God mate, a thirteen-year old girl can jump further than you can—please give up this crazy idea right now. Don’t embarrass yourself and the family, Andrew.”

David reached under his deckchair for a beer, but finding nothing there, he said, “If you really must exercise, pop into the kitchen and get a couple of beers, and then the pair of us can sit down and have a good laugh about it.”

Andrew ignored his brother’s cynical comments, and without even looking at him walked to the start of the run-up path, as the vibrations began to build up in his body. He turned around, looked down the path towards the sandpit, and then started his ungainly run, wavering as he passed David’s reclining figure.

“Go on my son,” called out David, sarcastically and enthusiastically shouting his brother on as if he was the favourite horse in the two o’clock at Epsom Racecourse. “That’s the way, mate, give it some stick…”

His voice tailed off as Andrew suddenly picked up speed about ten yards from the take-off board, almost sprinted like a young man, and leaped skywards over the sandpit. With an open mouth, he saw his brother sail across the sand and land gracefully in the grass beyond the pit.

David jumped to his feet, “What the hell!”