'BOSTIN BOOKS'

A little ‘Brummie’ book of phrases – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1980328447/

Another small taster from this little book which should not be taken too seriously.

A little book crammed full of short stories from the past as told by retired officers. Not to be taken too seriously it portrays a little-known part of police culture and shows that even police officers are human! The pages shown provide a small ‘taster’ and we are hoping to put a Volume II together in time for Christmas 2019. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1792111541/

Mike and Steve visited the Wolverhampton Express & Star offices on Wednesday to put the final touches to the photographic content for ‘Reporting For Duty’ ( West Midlands Police the first 25 years 1974-99). Greatly assisted by the wonderful Adam (centre), we secured 48 fantastic images for use in the book. Mike is close to completing the manuscript then it’s over to Steve to do the publishing. Hopefully this will be out June / July. We are donating half of our royalties to the Police Arboretum Memorial Trust.

Its been a while to post on the above book which details the history of the British Transport Police Dog Section from 1908 to 2015. It contains an illustrated section and more than forty recollections from retired dog-handlers. A Trust has recently been set up by the Force to look after retired dogs which is a great step forward. Many of these photographs (not in the book itself) were kindly passed on by PC Cathy Trunley and seven of them feature PD ‘Rori’ (the black dog) on GP Course passing-out in 2008. The insert from the book and newspaper cutting feature Ivor Kerslake who sadly recently passed away. (RIP)

The BTP Dog Section is the oldest in the country and has a rich and successful history. The book can be found on Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1445655470/

Link to ‘Pretty Thing’. Amazon UK book page

Published today. A new novel by Stephen Burrows.

A love story, a mystery… and David Bowie

 2015. Alice, a world-weary woman, meets a stranger in the park. She is a refugee of failed relationships, none of which have ever measured up to her first love, Danny. The stranger attracts, but is there any future with him, and why is he such a mystery?

 1972. Alice meets Danny, a shy and beautiful boy at the youth club disco. They fall in love. Then, Danny sees something on ‘Top Of The Pops’ that changes him. He becomes obsessed with ‘Ziggy Stardust’, but is it ‘love’, or something else? He embarks on a personal journey to find his true self that leads him into ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’, the orbit of a rising star, and a darker life.

 Meanwhile, David Jones is trying to find his path to stardom. When he does, it shatters convention, blasting the grey early Seventies world away in a riot of glitter, ‘glam’ and trashed sexual boundaries. Nothing will ever be the same again. For him, Danny or Alice…

 A work of Historical Fiction. Part love story, part thriller, and the story of David Bowie’s rise to stardom as ‘Ziggy Stardust’; this book is historically accurate. Recreating some of Bowie’s live appearances as Ziggy Stardust, it is a compelling tale of love, sexual awakening, betrayal and cultural conflict. Set in 1972/3 and 2015/16 and filled with Seventies nostalgia and details of the ‘Ziggy’ story.

Find it worldwide on Amazon. Available in paperback and Kindle formats

Article courtesy of Carl Chinn MBE an iconic figure in raising the profile of the history of Birmingham. ‘The Noble Cause’ is available as an E Book or in paperback on Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MRELU3F/

A historical crime fiction book and sequel to ‘Black Over Bill’s Mother’s’ – its 1976 and there are clashes on and off the pitch when Birmingham City and Aston Villa were both in the same Division. The clashes off the pitch involve two determined gangs of organised ‘hooligans’ vying for supremacy on the streets of Birmingham. Using their personal experiences in the police the authors seek to bring to life the characters within these two ‘tribes’ as the story-lines are weaved through a series of actual match results for those who love the history of the ‘beautiful’ game. As they battle with each other they keep one eye on the third ‘tribe’ – the police. Detective Inspector Rob Docker returns as the violence escalates and for those who have read the previous book he doesn’t play by the rules! Added to the mix is a love-story that threatens the very being of the groups – who will win and what will the final score be. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06XJV689J/