Today I’m on the blog tour for Tainted by David Evans and I’m sharing the blog spot with Sarah Hardy over at by the letter book reviews so make sure you pop over to see her review.
If you’ve yet to read these, in book one, Trophies, childhood friends, Colin and Bob are reunited in the Yorkshire town of Wakefield. Colin is a DI in the police force and Bob has come back to join the local newspaper as their crime reporter.
I’m so excited that David has written an exclusive scene for my stop on the blog tour today which takes us back to their younger years and gives us a deeper insight into the foundations of their friendship.
So, without further ado, it’s over to you, David!
Tainted – David Evans
Colin and Bob
The Early Years – Girls
May 1974. Walking home after the school’s disco, two friends are eating chips from the paper. Bob Souter with long dark hair, dressed in flared trousers and a cheesecloth shirt was a couple of inches taller than the fair-haired Colin Strong similarly dressed but with a jacket over his flowery shirt.
“I thought you would be taking her home, Bob,” Colin said.
“So did I, mate.”
“Bit of a bugger her father turning up like that.”
“Just as well she saw him before he saw us,” Bob opined.
“Especially where you were keeping your hands warm.”
Bob grinned. “She’s developed nicely has Janet.” Another few chips made their way into his mouth. “Anyway, you seemed to be getting on well with Carol.”
“Oh nothing special,” Colin said, thankful for the lack of a street light to show he was a tad embarrassed. “She’s okay, good to chat to, but so are a few of the others.”
They walked on a few more yards in silence before Bob spoke again. “So when are you starting driving lessons then?”
“Probably over the summer. Dad said he’d take me out on that old airfield to start with.”
“My old man reckons I should take proper lessons first. I don’t think he wants me to get my hands on his precious Morris 1100.”
“You’d be bouncing the springs first chance you get. Especially with that Janet you were exploring tonight.”
“You’re only jealous.”
Colin gave a snort.
After a few second, Bob spoke in serious tones. “Have you ever done it, Col? You know?”
Colin kept his gaze away from his friend. “Yeah I do know. Course I have … well, no, not yet. What about you?”
“I nearly did a few months ago with Nichole.”
“Her from sixth form?”
“Yeah.”
“What d’you mean nearly?” Colin put the last of his chips into his mouth.
“It got pretty heavy but there’s only so much you can get away with in the Odeon.”
Colin screwed his chip paper into a tight ball and, clapping his hands together launched it into a nearby waste bin. “Yeah,” he shouted in celebration.
“That’s better than you did on Saturday,” Bob quipped referring to a series of near misses Colin had made in front of goal in their last football match.
“Piss off.”
“Give us a chip then, Bob.”
The pair turned to see two of their classmates had caught up with them unnoticed and were now close behind. Brenda Skinner who’d spoken and Carol Kingswood had both been at the school disco.
“Hello, Brenda,” Bob said, his eyes taking in every detail of the girl; her curly blonde hair falling down to her shoulders, her skimpy red top below a small jacket and her long legs in wedge shoes all the way up to her short, white hot pants.
“I’m too late for some of yours, Col,” Carol said, breaking the spell.
“Sorry about that.” Colin smiled at the girl he’d spent time talking to earlier. “What are you doing here? I thought you were getting a lift home.”
Carol glanced at her friend. “We were, but Brenda’s brother never turned up, so here we are.”
Colin finally saw Bob’s expression as the girl took the last of Bob’s chips and seductively put them in her mouth. “Put your tongue back in,” he said to him.
They turned and began walking towards home once more, Colin alongside Carol while Bob put a tentative arm around Brenda.
After a few yards, a Ford Escort drew alongside them.
“Get in, Brenda,” a gruff voice shouted.
The girl turned, disappointment on her face. “You choose your time,” she said. “I thought you were picking us up from school?”
“Looks like I timed it right,” her brother sneered. “Now get in, I haven’t got all night.”
As the lads watched the car disappear up the road, Colin looked to Bob. “Maybe for the best mate,” he said. “You could have got yourself into a lot of trouble there.”
Bob had a silly grin on his face. “I know,” he replied. “Bugger.”
David Evans, Feb. 2019
Eeek! Thank you for that, David. I love the cheeky banter they have.
If you want to find out how these young men turn out, here’s the blurb for book four …
Orchard View Publications (7 Feb. 2019)
A botched attempt to extort money has tragic consequences.
An embarrassing DNA match to an unsolved rape and murder twenty years before means DI Colin Strong has to use his best diplomatic tactics.
Simultaneously, journalist Bob Souter is tasked with writing about that same case to re-focus public attention. Will the newspaper’s actions help or hinder the police?
Meanwhile, Strong’s team has two separate murder enquiries to run.
With their friendship under duress, will Souter and Strong be able to work together?
You can get your copy now over at Amazon:
Huge thanks to David for joining me today and to Caroline Vincent at Bits About Books for my spot on the tour.
About the author …
Delighted to have The Wakefield Series re-published in paperback and ebook formats. The crime fiction series set primarily in Yorkshire, consists of TROPHIES, TORMENT, which was shortlisted in the prestigious Crime Writers Association Debut Dagger in 2013, and TALISMAN. Also planned for release in February 2019 is TAINTED, the fourth Wakefield novel.
Previously, The Wakefield Series became an International Best Seller in June 2017.
Also available is DISPOSAL, the first of The Tendring Series, a new crime series set in north Essex in the late 1970s.
Emma The Little Bookworm 