Overview

A hapless British rocker finds himself framed for a political assassination in the Caribbean and has to go on the run in this brand new comedy crime by award-nominated novelist Charles Harris FINALIST FOR THE 2025 PAGE TURNER AWARDS The most dangerous gig of his life AxMan Flyn is desperate to make his mark. A fading British rock-star, he grabs a chance to front a high-profile charity concert in the Caribbean and do some good in the world. But hardly has he arrived than he stumbles in on the assassination of the island's president in a coup. And, to his horror, the new gangster-president frames him as the killer. AxMan has to go on the run, chased by a police force which is determined to stop him revealing the truth. A real softie, despite a tough stage image, now he's forced to come out of his shell and fight for his life. And the only person who can help him is another gangster. But of course nothing is ever straightforward and AxMan's pride and hunger for fame keeps getting in the way - along with his over-eager fans. Play Me! is a heavy-metal comedy crime novel. If stories of fish out of water, unlikely heroes and twisty plots strike a chord with you, you'll love this rollicking witty tale where celebrity rock meets a dangerous underworld of violent mobsters, desperate guerrillas and unscrupulous politicians - and death is on the playlist.

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9781917936002

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Reviews

★★★★★ A great fun read. Charles is the Hampstead Carl Hiaasen. ★★★★★ Chaotic, hilarious, and surprisingly moving. A wild ride through ambition, corruption, and second chances. ★★★★★ It was a fun, easy read, with rememberable characters and laugh-out-loud moments. My overall impression is that Play Me! works because it doesn't take itself too seriously, yet it says something real about survival, power, and the messy human need to be seen. Beneath all the madness and music, the author's intent shines through: to remind us that even the most broken people are capable of change, and that laughter can exist even in the darkest corners. ★★★★★ The plot leaps from chaotic shootouts to sharp, satirical moments that expose corruption and greed, whether in politics or show business. Somehow, it all ties together in the fictional island of Bekuda, a place so vivid you can almost smell the humidity and danger in the air. President Isobel Bachman is a standout: ruthless, charming, and terrifyingly believable. ★★★★★ This book took me by surprise, it's wild, unpredictable, and full of personality. Play Me! reads like a mash-up between a political thriller and a dark comedy, but it never loses its emotional core. You meet Freddie, the disillusioned drug baron trying to change his fate; Sid, his hapless sidekick who couldn't organise a lunch break, let alone a revolution; Dania, the sister holding everything together while facing her own ghosts; and AxMan, a down-on-his-luck musician with a name as mysterious as his purpose. ★★★★★ What I loved most was how the narrative voice carries humour through tension. It's bold and self-aware, switching from heartfelt to hilarious in a heartbeat. The characters feel alive because they all believe they're the heroes of their own story, even when they're clearly making a mess of it. ★★★★★ Witty, droll and a roller coaster of a story. Meet one of the funniest anti-heroes ever.

Author Information

Charles Harris is a bestselling, award-nominated author and award-winning writer-director.His latest novel, the comedy crime Play Me! has won a place as a finalist for the Page Turner Awards 2025.Harris likes to give his novels a political edge and to go undercover to research them. For Play Me! he worked with SAS veterans, journalists researching high-profile assassinations and charity workers dealing with international corruption. He goes to great lengths to get the right details, to the point of falling off a mountain in the Caribbean.For The Breaking of Liam Glass, a gripping satirical tale of tabloid scoops and betrayal, he smuggled himself into tabloid newsrooms and local government offices. His debut novel, it was an Amazon bestseller and shortlisted for Wishing Shelf and Eyelands International awards. For his second novel, the psychological thriller Room Fifteen, he worked with police and talked his way into a police cell. It also became an Amazon genre bestseller.He has won international TV and film awards for his darkly satirical documentaries, dramatised documentaries and his debut feature movies, the black comedy Paradise Grove. He has had short stories nominated for awards and his non-fiction work includes the bestselling Teach Yourself: Complete Screenwriting Course (John Murray) and Jaws in Space (Creative Essentials). Both are recommended reading on MA screenwriting courses. He has also trained extensively in hypnotherapy and NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) which he uses to help writers, directors, actors and other artists, is a board member of the Society of Authors - and is a sixth Dan in Aikido.He has a wife lives with him in North London and two sons who don't.

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