Hi Everybody

“Come Here and I’ll Show You” has received eleven nice reviews on Amazon, plus a review by veteran author, James Reasoner and another by international banker, Richard Calvert. So the total is 13 nice reviews.

A summary of their comments is as follows:-

 “Satisfying Mature-Theme Fiction……what a story! ..Edwards is a former Secret War soldier and expatriate who gets enticed into returning to the lands along the Mekong River where he reconnects with former comrades to resolve an inheritance matter. This guy has no sense of political correctness which improbably makes him a magnet for dangerous women….I found Edward’s uninhibited style disarming and a great vehicle to lose myself in escapism, an experience that has got to be darn hard to find”

“Citizen John, Amazon, 5-Stars.

“Fun, noir-stylist, escapist adventure novel….The book is a lot of a fun, decidedly not politically correct fun, but fun in an old school macho man way. This is escapist adventure writing with a solidly described setting, you can feel Asia on the page. Once I started reading it, I couldn’t set it down”

Michael Duvernois, Amazon. 5-Stars.

  “COME HERE Invites You Into A World Of Imperfect Perfection,…I enjoyed this story because it takes you on a new adventure in writing that is not as contrived as some books that are hitting the market these days. The characters live, the story flows and the author entertains in a way that is sure to make him a reader’s favorite”.

 Cyrus Webb, Amazon, 5-Stars

 “This novel harkens back to the hard-boiled pulp magazines of the 30s and 40s… where the hero is always manly, strong and intelligent and the women are always beautiful and horizontally inclined. In this book, ……the women are all gorgeous and lubricious, their one overriding thought to get the hero into the sack with them”.

Frank Konopka, Amazon, 5-Stars

“Fun, light, pulpish, tale set in Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos,….The firsthand knowledge of the area and topic by the author, combined with a “pulpish” fun yarn about a tough hero who likes his women and beverages, makes this a great pick when you want a light quick-paced yarn for some escapism reading.”.

Alain Burrese, Amazon, 5-Stars

“In the heat of the noir…….is easily read in one-sitting, and moves along at a pace that won’t be put down….All of the main characters are in superb physical condition, addicted to exercise and sex, armed to the teeth, awash in top-shelf scotch, and moments away from being attacked, jumped, ambushed, kidnapped or seduced……Not my usual reading fare, but great fun nonetheless.”

Cecil Bothwell, Amazon, 4-Stars

 “A rippin’ modern read in the classic style………Is there still room in the marketplace for an old fashioned, manly adventure yarn? If there is, then let me introduce you to “Come Here … and I’ll Show You,” a book that nods heavily in the direction of the pulp stories of the 1940s and ’50s, but is a modern tale with a lot to offer modern readers”. 

Andrew Rogers, Amazon, 4-Stars

“A Great Gritty Men’s Adventure Book,……If you love a para-military adventure plot set in SE Asia post U.S. Vietnam Conflict that is properly spaced, understandable, and neither too complicated or shallow and throw in weapons, knives, adult beverages and beautiful women and you have a great afternoon literary repast for the spirit. Enjoy! You can gobble this gem in a few hours and lose yourself to the adventure. Five stars of fun!”

Jeffrey Hauck, Amazon, 5-Stars

“A man’s adventure book, for men…….Excellent escapist lad-literature with exotic settings and lovely maidens written in the “hard-guy” tradition of adventure stories set at the edge of civilization. There are nice references to survival techniques, plenty of plot twists and even a bit of self-deprecating humor from our hero in the same vein as Chandler”

Bachelier, Amazon, 4-Stars

“Read It…and You’ll FInd Out…….the major virtue of this novel is its unaffected, whole-hearted embrace of the “classic” style. Lantin eschews the affected need for a new type of hero: no conflicted, overly-reflected, self-absorbed, sensitive New Age types need apply; no need for a new “riff”; the old way is the best one!”

Keith Comess, Amazon, 4-Stars

“The plot…. is vintage hardboiled paperback original, and Lantin does a fine job of making sure most of the characters have secrets that are revealed in the course of the story,….. I like a book with a distinctive voice, and COME HERE . . . I’LL SHOW YOU certainly has that”..

James Reasoner, Author.

“A man’s man’s adventure in southeast Asia….. It’s an easy reading novel loaded to the gunwales with action, intrigue, fisticuffs, gunplay, dirty deals and double crosses, sticky situations, survival and narrow escapes, and, of course, a bevy of bountiful and willing beauties with lustful libidos and round heels! It is definitely in-your-face and entirely politically incorrect but don’t hold your breath waiting for any apologies or excuses”.

Paul Weiss, Amazon, 3-Stars.

“A Terrific Romp through the Jungles of Asia”.

Richard quips “If you are looking for some light-hearted reading to take your mind off the indignities of modern air travel, then “Come Here…” is an ideal choice

Richard Calvert, 5-Stars.

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Hi Everybody

Wow ! An alert reader has pointed out to me that Champagne is also sold in 30 litre bottles called “Melchizedeks” and has suggested I could make a fortune selling these to the Russians and their lady-friends in Provence.

What a brilliant idea ! My sharp business brain is going to work to put this into practice, – I think I am bound to make an absolute fortune. Phew!

I’ll have to put the lofty lady-friends on commission, of course, – just like they do in the girlie bars, – say 5% commission on every bottle sold. And, of course, selling only Melchizedek sized bottles is a brilliant business idea, – I’m sure the Russians can pronounce “Melchizedek” no matter how sozzled they are (I have difficulty pronouncing it when sober).

Soon I will be selling Melchizedeks all over the South of France at a rate that will bring Widow Cliquot out of retirement.

I have visions of an entire range of products, – all tastefully designed to compliment the Melchizedeks. How about gold-plated feeding troughs ? I think they’d sell like crazy, what do you think ?

Of course, once the idea has really cottoned on, I could sell the champagne by the tanker load, – we’ll call them “Motorised Melchizedeks” manned by operatives who will just plug a plastic tube line into the Russians and then pump the stuff into them intravenously.

Wow. The opportunities are endless; soon I will be rich and will retire in splendour to a beach in the Philippines, content in the knowledge that I was the man who first brought Melchizedeks to the Muscovites.

Must rush, I’ll start work on the business plan straight away…

I will keep you posted

Derek

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Hi Everybody 

My summer in Europe was not a glowing success. Provence was having terrible weather with lots of cold mistrals, heavy rainstorms and just one nice week in August (when it was so hot that people were fainting in the market in Nice).

 Sadly my favourite haunts have all now been taken over by hordes of uber-rich Russians, all with the table manners of monkeys, and all accompanied by vulgar, lofty hookers wearing towering heels and tiny skirts. Utterly ghastly.

Even the Carlton Hotel terrace in Cannes had been invaded by the Russian hordes whose favourite past-time seems to be to spray warm champagne over each other, – from methuselah sized bottles. It seems that magnums are not big enough for these people.

I mean, I ask you, … on the Carlton Hotel terrace….  

Granted, my friends and I have enjoyed some fairly extravagant times, but we never paraded around with hookers and our boozy moments were spent at private parties where everyone else was in the same state. We did not inflict our behaviour on the general public, did we ?

The French are, of course adept at parting the Russians from their money with lighting speed, but have the French no scruples at all?

I suppose the French think that they have no alternative but to milk the boorish Russians, simply because there is no one else left with any money to spend ??

I stayed, hermit-like, in the hills away from the beaches for a while, only venturing into town in the early mornings to find food and water.

Soon tiring of that, I made my way north but the leaky weather was the same, except colder. Paris was full of soggy tourists, haplessly wandering around wrapped up in anoraks and long plastic raincoats.

Never mind, I survived it all and I am now basking in the warm rain of Thailand. I have been here for a week and it has poured with rain every day. I blame the Arabs.

 I did, however, do a number of book promotions whilst in Europe, and the book continues to get more rave reviews. I will post more reviews here shortly.

All the best

Derek

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Hi Everybody

THere is the 5-Star Review from Richard Calvert who describes the book as “A Terrific Romp Through the Jungles of Asia”.

Richard quips “If you are looking for some light-hearted reading to take your mind off the indignities of modern air travel, then “Come Here…” is an ideal choice.

The Review is reproduced below. 

5.0 out of 5 stars

“Come Here… and I’ll Show You”,  A Terrific Romp Through the Jungles of Asia.

April 14, 2011 By Richard Calvert (Paris). This review is from: Come Here…and I’ll Show You (Kindle Edition)

I finished reading Lantin’s latest book in two sessions while on a plane from Hong Kong to Paris, – I’m glad I did. If you are looking for some light-hearted reading to take your mind off the indignities of modern air travel, then “Come Here…”  is an ideal choice.

Writing in English instead of his native French, Lantin has crafted a well-written novel with a plot that keeps you alert and has a neat ending that took me by surprise. I love adventure novels and this one has the works; wild chases through the jungles, bandits, bad guys, ambushes and a bevy of nubile Asian lovelies who seem to find our hero irresistible.

The book features an ex Special Forces GI named “Edwards” who is now a part time mercenary and adventurer. Edwards takes on tricky assignments if the price is right; in this case his client is a luscious Eurasian girl called “Daniella” who asks Edwards to return to the Laotian jungles to find some property that belonged to her father. Edwards’s quest for the missing property takes him through the jungles of Cambodia and Laos, into confrontations with bandits and bad-guys, and into the arms of various accommodating young ladies.

Having said that, the action and violence is not graphic and the sex mostly happens out of sight of the reader, although there was plenty of seduction to keep me alert and on my toes.

This book makes no pretence at being high-brow literature; the fly-cover makes it clear that the book is intended as a light and diverting read. Lantin has achieved exactly that and I recommend the book as a fun way to relax for a few hours or to while away a rainy day, – or the indignities of modern air travel.

I downloaded a copy from Amazon and read the book on my e-reader.

posted by derek
Tags: adventure, Asian, bad guys, bandits, bevy, hero, jungles, lovelies, nubile, romp, seduction, sex, violence, wild chases
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Hi Everybody

Just arrived back in (rainy) Britain.

Mind you, I was in Thailand for four weeks and it rained everyday, – warm rain, however.

“Come Here and I’ll Show You” is getting more rave reviews (nice.). I will post them here shortly.

I wish the weather in the UK would improve, isn’t this supposed to be the height of Summer?

All the best

Derek

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5-Star Amazon Review From Top Amazon Reviewer, Frank Konopka

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posted by derek
Tags: Amazon, beautiful women, come here, derek lantin, Five Star review, Frank Konopka, good downtime read, gorgeous women, hard boiled, jungle, pulp
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Hi Everybody

I am writing this from a pavement café close to the Sorbonne, – the sun is glorious, all the pretty girls are wearing dresses the size of smallish hankies. Life is pretty wonderful. The cafe is tucked away behind the university, an ideal place to relax. At a table behind me there is an Asian lady, trying hard to be inconspicuous by hiding behind conspicuously large sunglasses; – perhaps it is Yoko Ono…? I think perhaps it is.

Paris in the spring, with the sun shining and the pretty girls in full bloom is paradise. To cap it all the French Open this year has been terrific, – Nadal thumped Murray to book a place in the final and yesterday Federer arranged to meet him there by out-smoothing  Djokovic. Sadly Kim Clijsters got knocked out in the semis, but the final between Schiavone and Li should be fun to watch.

Today will be fraught with decisions, should I have lunch at Les Halles or at the Marché de Saint Honoré? Les Halles is no longer the wholesale market, but is now converted into a chic quartier with designer bistros and bars; I think perhaps not…Les Halles will be full of foreign tourists who keep stopping to ask me the way…each time I am stopped, I give them my best Gallic smile, shrug winningly and explain to them where to go in perfect Maurice Chevalierish, – sadly I have never been given a tip, not even once.

No, it will not be Les Halles……I think I’ll have another coffee and
give it some more thought………., life is full of decisions, isn’t it?

I will keep you posted,

All the best

Derek

posted by derek
Tags: Clijsters, Djokovic, Federer, Les Halles, Li, Nadal, pretty girls, Schiavone, Sorbonne, Yoko Ono
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Hi Everybody 

Sorry for the silence for the last few days. I did a research trip to the Philippines and had no internet connection, – then came back to France for a few weeks.

I took a walk or two down memory lane in Paris last weekend actually, – I do it every time after I have been away for a while, and somehow I never bore of dreaming of those times, – and perhaps to regret the foolish things that I can no longer do?

When I was much younger than I am now, I used to stay on a house-boat on the river Seine,- way out in Neuilly by the Isle des Jattes. My French friends used to laugh at me for living out in the sticks, – after all, it used to take me all of 20 minutes to cycle to Montmartre….Now of course it is chic and lovely, with bijoux residences at Isle de Jattes, each the size of a rabbit hutch, selling for about $2 million a go, – each one an absolute snip. The houseboats are still there, – not mine, of course, that has long since gone to that great house-boat in the sky, but the boats are still there, perhaps more posh and more civilised, but much the same.

One remembers the cafes, rendolent with morning Gauloise and vin ordinaire and the songs of Francoise Hardie and Edith Piaff at every corner…………….Edith singing “Non, je ne regrette rien…” with a heartbreak in every song, and Francoise singing sadly about “Touts les garcons et les filles de mon age…” in a way that only a French woman could do. I can still hear the words as she lamented that she had no-one to whisper “je t’aime” in her ear, – do you remember?, -

    “Mes jours comme mes nuits
    Sont en tous points pareils
    Sans joie et pleins d’ennui
    Personne ne murmure <je t’aime> a mon oreille.

Fortunately I never had that problem. My beautiful Vietnamese girlfriend used to call me (yes, I had a telephone). When she whispered “Je t’aime……” to me over the ‘phone, ……the words used to trickle over the receiver like warm honey and leave me totally breathless…..

Never mind, we survived the era, the Cuba missile crisis, the Kennedy assasination, the Berlin wall and Neil Armstrong’s “giant leap for mankind……”. Edith sadly went to that great “Milord” in the sky in 1963, torn away from us too soon, but Francoise is still well and warbling away, so all is not lost….

I will keep you posted (from the civilised joys of Paris),

All the best

Derek

posted by derek
Tags: Cuban crisis, Edith Piaff, Francoise Hardie, Kennedy, Milord, Montmartre, paradise, Paris, Philippines, Vietnamese girlfriend
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Hi Everybody 

“Come Here..and I’ll Show You” has received a 5-Star Review from top Amazon reviewer, Cyrus Webb.

The review is quoted below: -

 5.0 out of 5 stars COME HERE Invites You Into A World Of Imperfect Perfection

By 

C. A. Webb “Conversations Book Club” (Jackson, MS)

This review is from: Come Here…and I’ll Show You (Kindle Edition)

COME HERE…AND I’LL SHOW YOU takes you into the lives of characters that have to deal with the fact that though they might be good at their professional lives, that doesn’t always translate well into other aspects of their lives. The writer allows you to see what happens when the “work day” or career has ended and the individuals have to live and make decisions like the rest of us. It’s at that point that they are reminded that it’s not always as easy as it looks, similar to those who have to learn that campaigning and governing are two very distinct things.

I enjoyed this story because it takes you on a new adventure in writing that is not as contrived as some books that are hitting the market these days. The characters live, the story flows and the author entertains in a way that is sure to make him a reader’s favorite.

UNQUOTE

I will keep you posted of future developments!

Best wishes

Derek

posted by derek
Tags: adventure, come here, Conversations Book Club, Cyrus Webb, derek lantin, entertains, new, show you
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Hi Everybody  

A couple of readers have pointed out that they were not aware of the earlier reviews of “Come Here and I’ll Show You”.

So here is the great (short!) review from Michael Duvernois, who is an Amazon Top 500 Reviewer. Michael gave the book a top 5-Star rating.

  The review is quoted below: -

QUOTE:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, noir-stylist, escapist adventure novel, By 

Michael A. Duvernois (Minneapolis, MN United States) – See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Come Here…and I’ll Show You (Kindle Edition)

The book is a lot of a fun, decidedly not politically correct fun, but fun in an old school macho man way. This is escapist adventure writing with a solidly described setting, you can feel Asia on the page. Once I started reading it, I couldn’t set it down.

UNQUOTE.

How about that !?

I will keep you posted

Best wishes

Derek

posted by derek
Tags: 5-Star, adventure, Amazon, Asia, escapits, fun, macho
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