Vikbat: Blog Tour: Girl 99 by Andy Jones

I first read Girl 99 back in 2014, when I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Andy Jones at a blogger event, just before his book The Two of Us was published. Then Andy has had another book published, The Trouble with Henry & Zoe, and they are both brilliant. Not that the original Girl 99 wasn't brilliant - it was - but since the success of the last two books, Andy has updated it and it is even more brilliant and funny.

Here's a little excerpt from this fabulous re-release:

I spot my turning too late and hit the brakes too hard.
‘Bollocks!’ Ben says, spilling a handful of CDs onto the floor between his feet.
I reverse back to the turning and set off down a double-parked residential street. ‘You all right?’
‘Fine,’ says Ben, holding up a shattered CD case. ‘But I think I’ve killed Elton John.’
Maybe I’m a little wired on adrenalin, but I laugh harder than the quip warrants.
‘Never liked him either,’ Ben says, picking up the debris and stuffing it back into the glovebox. ‘I’ll never get all this shit back in here.’
‘Leave it,’ I say. ‘We’ll sort it out later.’
‘Just need to make some space.’ Ben starts removing various items. ‘Torn map, hairbrush, plastic bag, pen, two pens, two batteries, what the hell is . . .?’
In the corner of my vision Ben holds up something that might be a handkerchief. With a lace trim.
Ben glances at me furtively and bundles the glovebox junk into the plastic bag.
‘What was that?’ I say, jerking my thumb at the bag.
‘Eh?’
‘What you just put in the bag.’
‘Just . . . you know, shit.’
‘That last thing,’ I say.
Ben rummages in the bag and removes a battery. ‘Battery,’ he says with contrived offhandedness.
‘After that.’
‘Pen,’ Ben says, producing a capless red biro.
‘It looked like a . . . a rag?’
‘Yeah,’ says Ben. ‘A rag.’
‘Show me.’
‘What?’
‘The fucking knickers, Ben.’
Ben smiles apologetically and hands over the plastic bag.
I remove a pair of silk, rose-petal pink, La Perla pants. The thigh holes are bordered with butterflies trapped in inch-wide lace; the front panel is a delicate mesh, fine enough to show a shadow of pubic hair; at the back, below the waistband, is a small slit closed off with a knotted bow. Exactly like the pair I bought for £120 on Valentine’s Day last year. Presumably Sadie still has the matching bra.

Woah! Now doesn't that make you desperate to read on? Well you can - it's evah-so-easy - just click HERE and BUY IT! Girl 99 will be published on Valentine's Day by Lake Union as an eBook, paperback and audiobook.

About the Author

Andy Jones lives in London with his wife and two little girls. During the day he works in an advertising agency; at weekends and horribly early in the mornings, he writes fiction.

He is the bestselling author of three novels: The Two of Us, The Trouble With Henry and Zoe, and the soon-to-be-rereleased Girl 99. Additionally he has written a collection of short stories and two picture books for younger readers. His books have been translated into twelve languages.

Andy has not written any books about American presidents, farts, burps or risk management. Those were written by a bunch of other Andy Joneses. (It's a popular name.)

In case of doubt: if it's not on his Author Page, he didn't write it.

Follow Andy on Twitter and Facebook:

@andyjonesauthor