The Iron Buddha and Other Tales - Rod Watson

The Tales were originally conceived from real life situations to back up a business book. Colleagues liked them, so a collection was compiled. The 'linkman' was based on Philip Marlowe, but remodelled as a business consultant working in Southern England in the mid seventies to early millennium. Guy Gundle, 'our hero', like Marlowe is a hard drinking, heavy smoking man with an eye for the ladies; he is also an addicted race horse gambler. Flawed, imperfect, prone to falling by the wayside he is fundamentally a decent man who becomes involved in sorts of scrapes and adventures. The story opens with Guy`s father in Hong Kong in 1951, contemplating the Japanese Occupation and how he was swindled out of loot that he handed over to the HK Police. Of course, there is a sting in the tale. The action moves on to Guy's boarding school experiences in HK and South Africa and his encounter and near death experience whilst staying with an aunt. We then encounter his experience with a sexy, but kind landlady. `The Teapot` is an intriguing story of another aunt, her relatives and a...teapot. `The Puckle` takes place in the late sixties and covers Guy's interaction with a rather unusual and the comings and goings of the Cotswold's horsey set. Guy is then tracked through various adventures as young man finding his way in life and the world of work. Do strange things happen only to him or do they happen to everybody and simply pass unnoticed? He matures, he becomes more worldly wise and more cynical in his dealings with people, their greed, ambition and duplicity whilst maintaining his own humour and sagacity. In the late summer of his life he moves to the South Coast of England where he tangles with the Brighton underworld and once again, enters the horsey set. Finally, in somewhat bizarre circumstances he meets His Maker.