Well, that's what expat reporter Paul Lewis thinks, but after a lonely Manic Street Preachers fan reveals her disastrously unlucky life suddenly nothing's the same...

Manic Streets of Perth - Where a snake-wielding robber is just the start of your troubles.

Gentler and warmer than Dave Franklin's other novels, Manic Streets is an easy to read comedy.

"The storytelling is deft, sweet and funny; Brookmyre-esque without the gore, and is recommended. Manics fans, especially Richeyites, will enjoy the frequent references to the band, and the recurring theme of Kim's obsession with Small Black Flowers." - Forever Delayed (Manic Street Preachers website)

"Franklin crafts the central players with great ease to such an extent that the hot and mundane Perth streets are secondary. In fact, this enthralling tale could be set in any Australian town or city." - Quest Newspapers

"The title may make Dullsville sound exciting, but the protagonist of Manic Streets of Perth is defiantly less than flattering about our fair city. Still, if you like fiction offbeat and on the edgy side, there's plenty of humour, pathos and plain speaking." - Scoop magazine

"I loved *Manic Street*s - there was a great story underlying a slightly madcap series of events and characters that really pulled the reader through. There are some great characters in this story - the self-pitying, slightly idiotic journalist Paul, Kim's father (sans both legs), the support group for people with very unfortunate names, and Kim herself. Kim's just fabulous - real - strong - vivid." - Australian Crime Fiction

Autorentext

Born in Wales, Dave Franklin published his first story at sixteen in a national fishing magazine. He immigrated to Australia and made his living as a reporter, earning the distinction of being sacked twice by a Perth-based newspaper group. He then spent nearly three years teaching English in Korea, during which the mortality rate of the children under his care remained at an impressive zero. He now teaches ESL to adults in Brisbane, helping (among others) Thai Lady Boys get to grips with their past participles.

The major theme of Dave's small, character-driven stories is alienation, the symptoms of which include male immaturity, misogyny, dysfunction, xenophobia, religion, violence and a childish glee in winding up the politically correct. His books lack car chases and explosions; instead he prefers outlandish, twisted sex scenes that focus on exasperated loners full of doubt.

Readers who like his work tend to see its black comedy (and disdain for his own characters) whereas his harshest critics take everything at face value. Indeed, some observers would suggest the highlight of his writing career, which has produced ten novels, remains being published in a fishing magazine.

Contact him on babyicedog_dave@hotmail.com Here's a handy guide to his full-length work: DARK COMEDY 1. Looking For Sarah Jane Smith 2. Manic Streets of Perth 3. English Toss on Planet Andong 4. Evil Arse Soup: Three Ultra-Dark Comedies (Anthology of the above) 5. The Muslim Zombies HORROR 1. Straitjacket Blues: Stories of Unease 2. The Goodreads Killer 3. Begin The Madness: The Straitjacket Blues Trilogy (Anthology of the above) 4. Nice Man Jack: A Jack The Ripper Novella PSYCHOLOGICAL / CRIME 1. Girls Like Funny Boys 2. To Dare A Future 3. Blundering Blokes (Anthology of the above that includes Sarah Jane Smith) 4. Riders on the Storm and Other Killer Songs 5. Saving a Child from God 6. A Promise of Pain (Anthology of the above novels plus two novellas and a short story) EROTICA 1. Bawdy Blokes: Three Porno Funnies 2. Welcome to Wales, Girls: A Violent Odyssey of Pornographic Filth