A fantastic read, by a great talent. Never have i read a book where i have so detested the main character and so wanted to see him get his comeuppance. The book grips the reader from start to finish in a rollercoaster of emotion and intrigue. Ken Scott's book is well worth the read. Like many of you, I have a stack of books on my nightstand and sometimes I read two or three simultaneously, choosing whichever one matches my mood. Occasionally, I'll start a book like that demands attention and won't allow time for the others. A Million Would Be Nice is one of those books. I couldn't divert from it until I was finished. It was much better than others I've read in this genre of crime thriller/suspense. Scott writes with intensity, and he is able to shift gears and thrust us into the warped thoughts and motives of various characters. While the main character is not traditionally sympathetic, there is no doubt about the origins of his sexually charged, murderous arrogance and cold-heartedness. What makes this book curiously different is that despite a few academic literary flaws, the intense writing style carries the story and lifts it above the others. Therefore, I can easily recommend A Million Would Be Nice. I didn't want to stop reading, which is the best measure for any fiction, regardless of genre. What a stunning novel. Not normally my genre, I was inexplicably drawn to this book and couldn't put the damn thing down throughout the duration of an outbound flight from the Uk to Italy! Suspense, intrigue, colourful characters that positively 'leap' from the pages to delight you with their exploits .. and to top it all, a stunning plot. Ken Scott you are a literary genius, keep that keyboard tapping because there is a wealth of inspiration from where that came from ... and I'll bet a cool million on that ! A stunning read, I marvel at all the wonderful thriller fiction writers Rankin, Connelly, Cole and Grisham. Surely this man Scott is up there with the best of them. From the chilling prologue we share the terror experienced by a young Donavan Smith at the hands of his religious zealot of a mother. Then on to adulthood with a chip on his shoulder and a 'no one stands in my way' attitude. At times a disturbing read but always a thrilling 'what happens next' pageturner. And the characters Scott introduces along the way and the plot that keeps you guessing and that wonderful wonderful climax. Simply the best book i've read this decade. I don't read many books that claim membership of a genre. In my humble opinion, a work of fiction should aspire to create its own world, describe it, communicate it and then live in it. I want a book's characters to inhabit the events that are portrayed, events that are clearly influenced by the character's presence, but which are also usually bigger than any individual's contribution. Wars don't exist unless people fight them. Crimes are not committed without criminals. Love stories are made by lovers and ghosts don't exist. For instance, in my own book, Mission, there are four wars, but it's not a war novel. There are at least three love stories, but it's not a romance. There are several deaths, one of which is a murder, but it's not a crime novel or a thriller. And then there's a character who comes back from the dead to haunt an old man, but it's not a ghost story or a fantasy. In short, it's Mission, a novel set in Kenya. So I approached Ken Scott's crime thriller, A Million Would Be Nice, as a reader unused to the genre's codes and forms. Unlike general or literary fiction, I recognise that learning what happens in A Million Would Be Nice is one of the main reasons for reading the book. My review, therefore, cannot reveal too much of the plot. Suffice it to say that there has been a bank robbery. It was an inside job and the scenario for its execution is carefully concocted and inventively created. The perpetrator gets away with it and scarpers with the loot to live it up in Spain. On an apparently separate thread, we meet Donavan Smith, a quite incredibly vile piece of humanity from Newcastle, of which I hope he is not representative. He's a successful young thing, a kind of nouveau riche moron, who apparently defines his identity by surrounding himself with requisite items of designer consumption, clearly knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing. He has everything, does our Donavan, but he is never satisfied. He wants more. There isn't a lot to endear us to Donavan Smith. He's a misogynist, and occasionally indulges in some quite bizarre behaviour in the bedroom. He justifies everything with quotes from the Bible, a source of justification that was beaten into him by an abusing mother. He lets nothing get in his way. He has his ideas, knows how to achieve them and then ruthlessly destroys anything that might resist. In some ways, he is quite creative. But one of his conquests becomes an accomplice, because she has inside information about that money that went missing in the bank raid. He needs her and together they visit people all over the prestigious bits of Europe, Paris, Cannes, London, the Costas, Newcastle, to pursue and realise their dream. And believe me, this Donavan is nothing if not resourceful and he certainly has a knack when it comes to making things happen. The story moves at a fast pace. Different characters are drawn into the thread and many are inevitably cast aside by Donavan Smith, our single-minded, calculating anti-hero. And that is as much as I will relate. A Million Would be Nice claims to be a crime thriller, and a crime thriller is exactly what it is, fast paced, and packed with greed, obsession and ruthlessness. The man himself gave me a copy of his book - I'd never read anything by him before and thought I would give it a go. Immediately I could visualise Donavan Smith with his evil heart and strange upbringing and even stranger ways. I kept on reading until the wee small hours as I wanted to see if Donneee would get his come uppance. This book is a compelling read, you just NEED to know what is about to happen next. Well done Ken, cant wait to read the next book 'Jack of Hearts' Thank you. I was tipped off that the book would be a good read by a pal so I brought a copy to take with me on a recent break in Rome. I got the book a few days before and had a quick look. The story and style of writing grabbed my attention immediately! I finished the book in a few days sitting with a cappuccino by the Coliseum, perfect! Well worth the read by any stretch, great story, written with humour and precision. Ken Scott has a knack it seems to relax the reader with his words while gripping them with the story. I will be looking out for more from this guy, a real pleasure ride full of thrills! This is the book I've been waiting for! A worthy sequel to JACK OF HEARTS, at last I found out what happened to the money stolen in the bank raid. Sometimes brutal, always intriguing, the story jetsets the reader from Newcastle to London to Paris to Monaco to Southern Spain and back! With more twists and turns than the Monte Carlo circuit, Scottie keeps us guessing until almost the last page! Ken Scott's own background as an employee of a major British bank provided him with much of the detail surrounding the original robbery. Since the back cover of the book shows him, like the robber in the book, living it up in Spain, I can only hope that this is as far as the similarity goes. A Million Would be Nice will appeal to readers of thrillers and crime fiction. It has all the elements you would expect and, in the relationship between Donavan and his mother, perhaps something extra as well. A friend gave me a copy of Ken Scott's book - I'd never read anything by him before and at first sight it didn't seem my sort of tale. But almost immediately I could visualise Donavan Smith - I even liked him at first! It wasn't long however before my lip began to curl at his activities and I wondered if he would get his come uppance. This book is a compelling read and whenever I put it down I'd work out when I'd have time to continue following the strong storyline. I won't mention the ending which made me feel ...... well, read it and you'll see! I received this book in my Christmas stocking and because I hadn't heard of the author, I put it off until I couldn't find anything else to read. (I read a couple of books per week) I wasn't dissapointed, the book was finished in two days, a record I think. What a story, the main character is nasty, real bad stuff happening, preying on young women. He uses date rape drugs and a video camera. And he's hunting a man with a bit of a checkered past, a few skeletons in the closet. The author cleverley runs the two characters in different storylines with one or two clever links. It all comes together in a very satisfying conclusion and along the way there's romance, sex, violence, kidnap and revenge. What more could the reader ask for. This book is a sequel to the Jack of Hearts which I haven't yet read. I'm onto the amazon buying page now! Ken Scott delivers with his second novel. "A Million Would Be Nice" is a fine sequel to Jack of Hearts. Scott portrays his central character well, "Donovan Smith" is hideous and bile inducing at times, but remains intriguing. Bob Heggie returns and after we are given a glimpse into his new, comfortable Spanish life, Scott ferociously ambushes him with Donovan Smith. What will the outcome be? Well you`ll have to read this book to discover who triumphs. (Trust me you`ll be on Team Heggie from the off...) A book which is a non-stop-read and I look forward to future Ken Scott novels. You might think the title of my review is going a bit over the top but it's not. I;ve never even bothered to write an Amazon review before but felt compelled to do so after reading this fast moving book. Why isn't this Scott guy famous? The book preface begins with a disturbing flashback to a small boy being abused both physically and mentally by a domineering religous mother. This preface reeled me in and I gasped as I turned each page unable to put the book down. Scott takes the boy into adulthood creating the nastiest character imaginable who just happens to uncover a way to make himself rich at the expense of an ex bank manger who has a murky secret too. It has everything, never before have I been so captivated by a book and I read this novel over a weekend. I must go now, I'm going onto this guys website to see what other gems I can uncover. On the surface, London City trader Donavan Smith appears to be an enviable man, with his good looks, high-paying job, a swish penthouse overlooking the Thames and homes in Paris and Cannes. But he has a traumatic past which has moulded him into a predator, the stuff of many women's nightmares.Vicky Mackenzie finds herself literally on the streets because her husband lost his job and his life when a friend and associate, Bob Heggie, robbed her husband's bank. She makes ends meet plying her trade from a variety of Newcastle hotels.Hiding in Spain, Heggie is enjoying a comfortable lifestyle but he misses his two kids, who are with his ex-wife in Geordie-land.When Vicky spends a night with Donavan Smith, her world changes. Smith is so suave and charismatic that she tells him she has evidence which might be used to blackmail Heggie. He isn't averse to a bit of kidnapping. He'd killed before, so snatching a couple of brats was no big deal.Then everything spirals out of control.The story ranges from the city of London to Newcastle upon Tyne, Cannes, Paris and Cadiz. Scott has created a thoroughly unpleasant character in Donavan Smith. As you embark on the page-turning journey with Smith, wanting to know what happens next, you're hoping that this swine will eventually get his well-deserved comeuppance. He's manipulative and cunning and without remorse. He is what his mother made him and he'll gladly quote the Bible to prove it. He makes the skin crawl. You're drawn into the dark heart of Donavan Smith. This is a truly gripping and heart-rending story of a young British soldier’s incredible spirit and determination to survive the inhumanity and degradation of German POW camps and the liberation of Europe in WW2. A well-crafted story of forbidden love overcoming impossible odds. The pages seem to turn by themselves one after another until the emotional conclusion arrives. Having begged the ghost-writer, Ken Scott, for ages to read this book, it took me no more than seven hours, cover to cover, to read it. Having had the ultimate pleasure in meeting Horace, the true, detailed and heart-breaking story saw me reliving the atrocities that he had to face and stirred many emotions inside. I am truly honoured to have met Horace and am so grateful that after all this time, he had his memoirs written. I never enjoyed history at school, but after reading, Do the birds still sing in hell?, I have learnt more than I could ever imagine. Even through the toughest and darkest days, Horace and his comrads stuck together and time and time again, created their own victories against the Jerry's. There is no question that this book is my far the best detailed and written love and war story around - none can compare. And therefore, a book everyone should have read or be reading! Horace, thank you for sharing your hardest but courageous times. Every once in a while, a truly riveting novel comes along that tells a magnificent story of courage. DO THE BIRDS STILL SING IN HELL is that novel and pulls the reader deep into the narrative to witness men and women at their worst and best.- A remarkable tale just waiting to be told, thank God it found the light of Day. Horace ‘Jim’ Greasley has related his story in simple terms and what a story it is. I found myself cheering and sobbing in equal parts. Horace, a man who stood by his principles despite the entire weight of the German army. He never bent to them, ever. I salute you my friend, a magnificent life and book.- A truly amazing true-life story of one man’s incredible experiences as a prisoner of war during the terrible WWII years. Compelling stuff; I could only put it down when my eyes could read no more. An incredible tale of one man’s fortitude and courage against impossible odds. David Mills; Help for Heroes. Horace’s superb memory for places and people draws the reader into the book from the very first page. The magic never wore off for me. Horace, his love and his courage will be with me forever, an inspiration and reminder that through the worst of times, honour, courage and downright audacity have equal roles to play. Please read and enjoy this book. Horace at 90 years must have suffered against the hand of his enemy, but with all the graphic details within the book you will see what a truly remarkable man/boy he must have been. Keep the faith Horace and thank you for sharing your amasing young life with as all. I was lucky enough to be successful on an e-bay bid on a limited edition print of this book. It arrived on Christmas Eve and early on Christmas morning I finished the most incredible book I have ever read. What makes the book all the more fascinating is that it’s all true. I truly hope this book written by a 90 year old ex POW gets the publicity it deserves and Horace Greasley is able to share his incredible tale with as many readers as possible. A truly special book, an astonishing, graphic and honest account of brutality, love and hope. Surely a candidate for book of the year in 2009.

I'm heading slightly off topic this week. Away from poker, but as this is still a "blog", I'm going to tell you what's been going on in my life the past week. So without further ado.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to a very distinguished friend of mine. I became acquainted with this man for the first time this week. You might possibly have heard of him but in all truth you probably haven't so let me tell a few things about the man.

He was born on Christmas Day 1918 and at the age of 90 he is my oldest friend by quite some way. In his day he was handy with a gun, as he was brought up on a farm. He is the only person I know who has ever shot and killed a German. Any guesses who I'm talking about?

No, it isn't the five knuckle-shuffling German exterminator Leslie Grantham.

It is none other than Horace “Jim” Greasley.

“And who is Horace 'Jim' Greasley?”, I hear you ask

Horace is one of the most remarkable characters alive. He was held for exactly five years in various prisoner of war camps during World War two. In one of the camps he was sent to Horace was to escape 57 times. But each time he would break back in, usually with a couple of rabbits he'd caught and some fresh vegetables for the other emaciated prisoners to eat. Trying to escape completely was pointless because the camp was surrounded by hundreds of miles of forest and without money and documents you would not last for long with a British accent. One man made it 60 miles before getting caught but to try to escape was basically committing suicide.

So why did he risk his life by breaking out and in 57 times? Well he had a rather good excuse. Each time he escaped he was off to shag the prison camp owner's daughter (as you do).

In one particular camp in Silesia, on the border of Poland and Germany, the prisoners were forced to work in a marble quarry. Horace would gee up the other prisoners during their brutal shifts of hard labour telling them that the reason they were being worked so hard was because the Germans needed more marble to make the headstones for their soldiers.  The owner of the camp had a sexy 18 year old daughter, Rosa, who could speak English and she came into contact with the prisoners while acting as a translator. At first he thought shagging one of the enemy was a great wheeze, but then he found out that Rosa wasn't a German. She was in fact a Silesian. (She would tell him “I am neither Polish nor German, but Silesian”). And her family was Jewish. Her dad had been shrewd enough to realise what was happening in Nazi Germany and removed all evidence that he was Jewish from his house. The Nazis took over his marble quarry and made the prisoners work there. They had no idea he was Jewish, or that he hated the Nazis as much as the prisoners did. But of course he didn't show it. Horace began to fall in love with Rosa. He realised just how much he loved her when he was moved to a new camp.

This left him awfully depressed for months but then one day a fellow inmate brought him some good news. Horace worked as the prison camp barber because this is what he was trained as before he joined the army. Into his “shop” came a man with a letter and to Horace's disbelief it was sent by Rosa. After he had switched camps she had spent months searching all the prison camps looking for him or anyone she recognised who knew him. The beautiful girl with the film star looks was just as in love with the starving prisoner as he was in love with her. She had found a group of prisoners working outside and recognised one as being one of Horace's mates. She gave him the letter and he took the letter to Horace. Horace gave him a letter to take back to Rosa and they were “reunited”. This is when Horace's escape planning began in earnest!

“So how does someone like me get to befriend a war hero like Horace”, I hear you ask?
Well the answer is Facebook. Yep Horace is 90 and he's on Facebook.

Let it be said, I resent Facebook for the sheer amount of time it has stolen from my life with the addictive properties I cannot define and its utter pointlessness. But all those wasted hours spent on Facebook I would gladly trade just for stumbling across this one discussion topic I saw. It was a discussion about the raw deal that soldiers today get, not exactly my typical reading material I must say. A man called Horace “Jim” Greasley had joined the discussion and he said:

I was captured and held prisoner by the Nazi's for five years, most of my comrades were killed. When I got back home, the bastards in Whitehall deducted board and lodgings from the army wages I was due. I sent my medals back the same day. Nothing has changed.

“Blimey”, I thought. “How out of order can you get deducting his wages on the basis he was in a PoW camp? And how old must this bloke be?” Then he went on to say:

“You can read about my exploits in my book, Do The Birds Still Sing In Hell?”

Whoever this Horace character was, I loved his attitude. When he said “the bastards in Whitehall” I thought he knows what he's on about. The act of returning his medals appealed to me a lot as well. “Fair play to you” I thought, and I ordered the book straight away.

His real name is Horace, but he goes by the nickname “Jim”. Horace was conscripted to fight in the second world war in 1939. He was given his basic training where he lived in Leicestershire and then sent on his way to France. Not long after he saw his first action his regiment surrendered to the Germans (much to Horace's disgust).

And so began the long march. The Germans made the prisoners walk hundreds of miles across France and Luxembourg before finally getting on a train to Poland. It took weeks, but they were given no food at all. It was as if the Germans delighted in their suffering. While the German guards would stand about eating and drinking coffee the prisoners were given nothing whatsoever and had to forage for rainwater and scraps of food. Fights would break out with the starving prisoners scrapping over the odd ear of corn. Horace knew that there were nutrients in dandelion leaves so he ate those. As the men grew weaker and ill, dysentery broke out and men would run to the sides of the road to empty their bowels. Anyone taking too long would be shot where he crouched. Untold prisoners died during the march.

One of the worst acts of cruelty and cowardice occurred on this march. As they were being marched through a French village some old ladies were stood by the side of the road and one gave an apple to Horace. But for these acts of kindness many prisoners would not have survived. One of the German guards witnessed this and admonished the old lady. She argued back and although his French wasn't up to much Horace could understand when she shouted “batarde batarde” at the German. The German aimed his gun at her. Horace thought this was a warning, a threat. But he shot her in the face. This was the type of person they would be dealing with.

The camp they were heading for was in Posen, Poland and it was run by the SS - a whole gang like the man who had shot the old lady. The German Waffen SS had been indoctrinated that prisoners were the lowest of the low, that a soldier should die on the battlefield and that if you were a prisoner you should be made to suffer.It would be hell on earth, especially in winter when the temperature would sink below zero.

There was one particular guard who stood out for his cruelty even among the Nazi SS. He used to beat prisoners for any reason, or even no reason at all. He was six foot three tall and he had beaten six prisoners to death. He was also a homosexual and had raped two prisoners that they knew of.

Horace's job as the prison barber was infinitely preferable to the work that the other men were doing, which was exhuming bodies from Jewish cemeteries to strip of valuables, including gold teeth with pliers. One day, in came the big bully SS guard to Horace's barber “shop” and pointed to Horace's razor and to his face, grunting away in German. It was clear that he wanted Horace to shave him. But if Horace was in any doubt to do it properly and take care, he got his pistol out and put it on his lap, talking in German again while pointing at his gun.

Horace's response was “listen you ugly bastard, if I decide to get handy with this razor you won't be in any position to shoot me”

Well you just KNOW there was another German guard stood by the door who happened to speak perfect English and who was unseen by Horace. What a bummer. That earned him a five minute all over body beating from the bully with his pistol and his size twelves. A beating which broke several bones and took many weeks to recover from.

In the pits of despair in the worst place in the world, even after that beating he felt as if he had won a small victory. His mates applauded his courage and he could take comfort from the fact he was the better man. And that is what Horace was and is all about - never let the bastards get you down and keep on winning. Small victories, no matter how small, just keep on winning.
“Do the Birds Still Sing in Hell” is a story of bravery and courage, a man's unbelievable will to survive and an object lesson in how to stick two fingers up at your tormenters. When you have no hope left you cling on to these small victories. And throughout his incarceration he won dozens of small victories.

He inspired the other prisoners and put a smile on their faces with his over-the-wall antics and his food presents. Towards the end, he got the impression from the guards' long faces that the war was not going well for the Germans. With Rosa's help he obtained the parts needed to make a radio. With other prisoners help they built a radio and listened to the British news, disseminating the information written on cigarette papers on a grand scale. 3000 prisoners were getting to hear how the German army was losing battles all over Europe thanks to Horace.

One high ranking British officer took him aside one day and said “I know what you've been up to lad”. Thinking he was going to get a ticking off for his risky behaviour, the officer told him “please keep doing what you are doing Horace. Don't try to make a run for it because the other prisoners need you here. What you are doing for morale is brilliant”

After five years in PoW camps, the war was over. But this led to another worry. Would the Germans just murder them out of spite?  You know of course that this didn't happen, but you wouldn't have bet on it were you in Horace's shoes.

You really should read this book. It's such an inspiring story.  Please don't think I have told you the whole story already because I haven't. I haven't even told you one percent of it. At the end of the book I was thrilled he made it and even more thrilled that he is still alive to this day. I wished that the years since the war brought him untold happiness, a warm bed at night, a full belly, love and happiness. I sent a message to him on facebook to tell him as much, and to say what a great book it was.

To my amazement, the next morning I had a message back from the man himself. We are now facebook “friends” and to my absolute delight he thanked me for the kind words and said that I had made his day!  The legendary Horace “Jim” Greaseley was actually thanking me. This was all very humbling.

So when you ask “who is Horace 'Jim' Greasley”, take a look at the photo below and check out the skinny kid who is staring out Himmler while the other prisoners watch in fear for him.

THAT, is who Horace is.

This is Horace's profile picture on Facebook (I know, we all put up the flattering photos of when we were younger). Under the picture there is a comment from Ken Scott, who was the ghost writer of the book “Do the Birds Still sing in Hell?”

We uncovered this picture only last week thinking it looked a little like Horace, and when I showed him he said 'thats me'. It came back to him where it was, and he remembers a high ranking Nazi coming to visit the camp though did not realise it was Himmler at the time

Horace said “Channel five have commissioned a documentary on the story only this week and it should be hitting the TV on boxing day. I pray I am still alive to see it”

I hope you are too Horace.

I'll finish with a story about the journey Horace made on the train to Poland. After the march the prisoners were crammed on to a train, hundreds of men to a carriage, all squashed in together. All of them were exhausted and ill. Many of them died in the carriages. The journey lasted a couple of days and stations were a long way apart. As they neared a station, Horace absolutely had to go to the toilet. But there was no toilet on the train. He had to go, he was ill, and so the men made some space for him and he crouched down and used his cap as a toilet.

Soon after the train pulled out of the station. Horace could see half a dozen German soldiers up ahead and the train was chugging towards them slowly. He leaned over to the window, and just as the train passed the soldiers, with a flick of his wrist, he sent the contents of his cap flying into the soldiers at head height, splattering the faces of the German soldiers. The carriage erupted in delight and they repeated the trick at every station on the journey.

Keep on winning Horace !

Once I got stuck into "Jack of Hearts" I was intrigued by the two main characters and the plot and could not put the book down until I had finished it - in one day! A really well written novel with a highly believable plot which set the heart racing at times !! I would highly recommned this book and am already looking forward to the next book by Ken Scott! I should have reviewed Mr. Scott's exciting thriller several months ago. I read it in one night, was very impressed, but life got in the way and I set the book aside, meaning to get to it in a day or two. Well the days turned into weeks, into months and last night I needed something to read and there the book was, still on my nightstand, under Harlan Coben's latest. Well, I pulled the book out, opened to page one and once again was immediately drawn into Bob Heggie's story. Mr. Heggie is one of life's losers. The game has passed him by and he never even saw it go. Then one day he is almost killed in a bank robbery and he begins to question what he's been about, what he is about. He hates his job, his boss, his life. He doesn't love his wife anymore and is almost a stranger to his kids. He doesn't even seem all that upset when he finds out his wife is having an affair and wants to leave him. Just about his only friends are a pair of aging dogs who appear to love him, though the feeling isn't mutual. Poor Bob Heggie is in a rut and it's getting deeper by the day. He doesn't like it. He has a better life he goes to, unfortunately it's in his head when he's walking those dogs on the Northern English moor. Then one day he decides that it's time to stop living in dreams. It's time to take action, to do something with himself. It's time, he decides, to rob the bank. How he does it is what makes this story so ingenious, so suspenseful. I enjoyed every second I spend with this book, both times. Bob Hegge is the kind of character you hate, then love to hate, then wind up loving. Stuff happens to Bob and it's how he handles that stuff that makes this such a good story. I just loved it. I came to this book backwards and read the sequel, 'A million would be nice.' first. As a result I had to read the debut. I was not disappointed. Thank you amazon for the flag, sorry I read them the wrong way round but it gave me the excuse to re-read the second book something I strongly urge everyone to do. Thanks Mr. Scott, thank you for Bob Heggie, long may he flourish and did someone really get away with the robbery, I would love to know. You tell me fellow readers.

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