The Life Assistance Agency

Ben Fergusson-Cripps: owner of a half-cocked blog, the copyright to a book, and an unusual double-barrelled surname, is currently watching his life swirl down the pan after the launch of his literary debut, Mirrors and Lies. Just as the tome tries to debunk psychics and spiritually, all everyone else wants to do was debunk him and you can sense his nonchalant desperation from page one.

Quickly coming to terms that he needs a day job to prevent him eating out of dustbins, a business card from The Life Assistance Agency left on a pub table piques his interest. The company claims to offer solutions to all manner of calamities including the finding lost things, arranging coincidences, and bonsai trimming.

A desperate Ben finds himself in need of their ‘talents’ to turn his life around and visits an office he finds is manned by an old acquaintance who is delighted to clap eyes on him, even though the telephone is sitting in the middle of the floor and it looks like they should call their own help line and request immediate assistance.

When Ben enquired what life assistance agencies do, Scott Wildblood replied, “It’s like a detective agency without detectives.” That’s when Ben’s temporary career move took flight, with their first case to find a missing man from Mortlake. The trail of the eccentric University lecturer will take them from Kent to Krakow in a battered Saab, with nothing but Scott’s heart pills rattling around in the foot well to keep them on their toes.

On a road trip from hell, the not-very-dynamic-duo stay in flea pit hotels while stumbling across relics of historical or psychic significance. Each new destination draws them closer into the furtive subjects of Scrying and Alchemy until they find they are being tailed by hired hooligans courtesy of ‘The Society’, whose job it is to keep an eye on matters all things otherworldly to prevent members of the public accidently wading into dangerous waters. The manner in which Ben and Scott shake them in various escapades would be best left to village idiots in You Tube Videos!

A few inexplicable events later and sceptic Ben is contemplating the mockery of his own 'Mystic Meg' mother in his book. As 16th C ideals and morals merge with the present, he is lead to question his own beliefs and the suggestion that immortality is tangible (while wondering why a mysterious, intellectual man can continually whack his brow off everything and not become permanently concussed).

I was so immersed in this utterly bonkers reading experience I greedily devoured it in one sitting. There’s a cracking turn of events and it’s walloped in some brilliant one liners too. Undoubtedly, considerable attention has been paid to merging the past and the present which are brought alive by the frantic finesse of mystic mayhem, and a constant stream of curiosity that I found impossible to ignore.

Unquestionably quirky. Brilliantly barmy. Absolutely recommended.

The Life Assistance Agency
Thomas Hocknell already writes a funny and entertaining blog so I was very curious to read his debut novel, The Life Assistance Agency from Urbane publications (through NetGalley in return for an honest review). And I wasn’t disappointed. Combining the mystery and intrigue of The Da Vinci Code with a wacky, off beat sense of humour reminiscent of the great P G Wodehouse it’s hilarious from start to finish, with inspired one liners that catch you unawares. Laugh out loud funny.
‘People who’d baulk at chasing fairies happily claim to see angels, as though larger wingspan makes them more credible.’
At the start of the novel Ben Ferguson-Cripps, a wannabe author, has written his first novel Mirrors and Lies which attacks the accepted trio of religion the occult, and popular psychology. Ben’s father was a drunk and has played little part in his life; his mother, now dead, was a seaside fortune-teller. Ben is desperate to promote his novel but it’s not going well. In fact it’s going so badly that his agent dismisses him and wants her money back.
He turns to the Life Assistance Agency set up by his old friend Scott Wildblood for help. The LAA promises a bewildering array of support: from private investigations to life advice; and from fear of death minimalisation to swimming lessons, Feng Shui and Bonsai trimming. Success guaranteed.
Scott offers Ben a job with the agency and from here a series of unlikely adventures start: the search for a missing husband lead the dynamic duo from Mortlake via Marble Arch to Poland and Prague. With a cast of mysterious heavies; magical stones and crystals; alchemy and angels it’s a hugely enjoyable romp across Europe with some sections told from 400 year old diaries and letters.
There are twists and turns to satisfy all readers, and the unexpected ending is great. I found the ‘historical’ sections less engaging and perhaps a little too long but that didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of this novel. Definitely one to recommend. I’m looking forward to the next novel by Thomas Hocknell.

"The Life Assistance Agency" is a clever mystery novel that begins with failure. Ben has just published a book, but it's success was so dismal that the publishing agency is taking back his advance and considering dropping him as a client. As this was to be his meal ticket, Ben is in need of something else to do. He hears of The Life Assistance Agency and contacts them, learning it's run by his friend Scott, who hires him to work for them. The LAA will take any case of life problem, including dating, hitmen wanted, job finding, etc. The case on which Ben and Scott work is the case of a missing man, Mr. Foxe. As they begin to investigate his disappearance, they learn he was entangled in past mysteries of Dr. Dee from the 1500's who worked on alchemy and the search for angels.

Ben and Scott also learn that "the Society" (The Society of Psychical Research) is interested in this case and they are being pursued by them while on their search, following the footsteps of Dr. Dee and presumably Mr. Foxe. It's a pretty fantastical story with all sorts of elements of thrillers, mysteries, and the supernaturals. I can see a comparison with "The Davinci Code" as it does have a similar procedural mystery plus thriller feel.

Scott was a really fun character- he's sporadic and sometimes nonsensical and seems like a really fun (maybe at times frustrating) friend to have. Ben was a good character to follow (the story is told from his POV)- he's logical and serious. The mystery gets really crazy at points, and almost comedic in the telling. I found myself thinking they were all over the place, but then it all makes sense/comes together in the end. It was quite a story!

One thing I found a little odd was the diary of Jane Dee (Dr. John Dee's wife), as it is written just like the rest of the book, not in the style of a diary but rather a catalog of conversations (and they speak like modern day- but maybe this was because of the translation/transcription?). It didn't feel diary style. However, this made it arguably more interesting to read than an actual diary. It was a little difficult to tell where the diary stopped and really story began as the style is identical between them. This is a minor thing though. It was interesting how the past mirrored in some ways the present, and it was nice how this all came together at the end.

Overall, I found this book to be a really fun ride and hope to see more cases from the LAA in the future! Please note that I received this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

What a strange book ! and I don't mean that in a bad way,it's just very different from the books I usually read,and it made a welcome change.I liked the main character even if he was quite odd,and it was well written.I like authors who think outside the box,and this one most certainly does.I don't want to give much away but if you are getting bored with your usual choice of genre and want to try some thing different this could be the book for you, I hope you enjoy it, I did.Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Scheduled for publication September 25, 2016

With a quirky title like The Life Assistance Agency, the offbeat concept, and the humor at the beginning, I was put in mind of Douglas Adams' Dirk Gently books. As a result, I was slightly disappointed when the wit went away after the first part of the book. That's unfair, because the book really is a great read. It could benefit from just a touch more editing, but the free advance review copy that Urbane Publishing sent me may well get final touch-up before its release this week.

As best I can discover, this is Hocknell's premiere novel. I certainly hope it's not his last, because he does an excellent job of weaving together stories in two different timelines. It was consistently engaging, with pleasant twists and revelations along the way. The characters were interesting—even when not lovable. I will most certainly keep an eye out for future work from Thomas Hocknell. He's an author I look forward to reading again.

An exciting read that mixes the past and the present into a thoroughly engrossing tale.Well drawn characters that draw you into the story and keep you engrossed until the final word.I look forward to following this Author and his work.A definite must read

An interesting book that has a deeper story than the one you begin reading.
It has a modern account and a historical one relayed by notes from a diary. The basic concept is that two friends who set up the Life Assistance Agency, in their very first case, go in search of a missing lecturer only to become involved in the dark arts of trying to contact angels. (Scrying.)
At times it is like a thriller as they trace the footsteps of an old master in the skills of Scrying across Europe seemingly chased by a less enlightened group. The Society, who fear the contacting of angels is dangerous and borders on the occult.
Why the book works is the scepticism within the agency and the fantasy of what communining with the angels can mean in terms of personal gain. Certainly the book has the pace of an Indianna Jones movie at times and the clever historical aspect of enlightened times when the talents of apothecary and alchemy were permitted despite the concerns of the Church.
I liked this dabbling with science, the sense that our forefathers knew more in years gone by and how the events of the modern investigation related to the past.
No-one is quite who they seem; friendships and relationships are stretched beyond breaking point but the novel is informative as well as entertaining. It is a cracking tale of magic and mayhem. A love story that was lost in a desire to find secrets hidden from humanity; but a quest for knowledge that might not just turn common elements into gold but might provide insight into eternal life.
Funny at times; quirky and incredible but a story to enjoy and escape into briefly as a guilty pleasure. It neither champions nor challenges, faith or cynicism but reveals the flaws in human endeavour. While identifying that desire to push boundaries without appreciating the consequences. A book that reflects a desire to succeed but cautions about what we seek in life.