Socko's First Day - Tim Arnot

[Simon (Highwayman)]

Voted Book of the Month at the Group Get-together

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sockos-First-...

[Tim]

Socko Garrett is just an ordinary kid from the projects. Sure he doesn't have much in the way of prospects, but he never expects to be forced into the Watch. And it's all the fault of that red-haired woman. Now he has woken up in jail. Surely it can’t get any worse, can it? For Socko, no matter what happens, this is his first day…

This novelette (11,000 words) is the origin story for one of the side characters in my first novel, Wanted. A nascent version of the story appeared in the group's compendium release, A Splendid Salmagundi, and this version is much expanded and refined.

The character of Socko Garrett came about when I needed someone to investigate a crime scene. One of our members here, Andrew Barrett (who writes splendid police procedurals in his own right) is a CSI up in Yorkshire, and he had already provided invaluable technical advice on this particular incident. And so Socko Garrett, the young Kingsman dabbler in experimental forensics and things that go bang, was born.

Socko, of course, is a homophone of SOCO, the acronym for Scenes Of Crime Officer, the British term for a crime scene examiner.

Some of the characters from First Day appear in my other work, most notably Jessica Dixon the Kingsman, Angus the butler, and Babs Clegg.

[Kath]

I really enjoyed this little story. I've read all Tim's work and love the full length novel but these short stories can be read on their own. Here's my review -

Socko Garrett is old enough for The Choosing, where all 15 year olds are taken on as apprentices at an annual fair. Nobody chooses him so he ends up in the watch - the police. He's later discovered, headhunted we'd say these days, by the Kingsmen, the elite militia answerable only to the monarch. They choose him because, unlike most of the local watch, he has a brain.

This is one of Tim Arnot's short stories set in his post-apocalyptic world. Some of the characters are common to these short stories and the full length novel, ‘Wanted’ but the novelettes stand well as stories in their own right. There’s a wry humour in these tales which I greatly enjoy. They're very good indeed.

[Tammie]

I enjoyed this book and it definitely made me want to know more about Socko. It was well written and I will read books by this author again.

[Michelle]

I really liked this. It was a lovely short that left me wanting more so I've bought the second one and put Wanted in my wish list. Most of all I want to know not just about the characters but also about this world and the glimpses we get on how it came to be.

[Tim]

Thanks :) hope you like the others. Any questions about the characters, settings, world etc, I'll be happy to answer - as long as it isn't a spoiler!

[Tim]

Just a reminder that this group has ***shock horror*** Group Books! Which you can go out and read and discuss and stuff.

[Andrew]

Phooey, I thought I'd bought this, Tim! And I hadn't. So I just have. If it's half as good as Socko's other adventures, I'll be very happy :)

[M.T.]

Oi Tim, did you get my message about doing a blog tour week after next?

Everyone else. The book is top you should read it. I'm just enjoying Socko's First Case, myself.

Cheers

MTM