The Free Lunch: 2 (The Felix Haythornthwaite Files)

Felix Haythornthwaite knew, from bitter experience, that nothing ever happened in the unremarkable Lancashire resort of Frecklesall-on-Sea, a black hole at the end of the road to nowhere. So when an ambitious new mayor takes control of the council and announces that things are going to change, the townsfolk can't believe their luck. But for Felix, still smarting from the injustice of his sacking as editor of the school magazine, there are many more questions than answers. Cajoled into action by his dangerous-to-know side-kick, ‘Crazy Keira' Makinson, he quickly finds himself dragged, kicking and screaming into the midst of a deadly international struggle which threatens the very existence of this quiet northern backwater. The Free Lunch is a hilarious story of corporate greed, corrupt power-hungry politicians, extortion and kidnapping, played out against the glamorous backdrop of the world’s greatest bike race – the Tour de France. One blundering teenager, his stupid big brother and five donkeys are all that stand between their beloved home town and oblivion. Sacre Bleu! It should be no contest, but there again, Le Tour has never visited anywhere quite like Frecklesall-on-Sea before, and on this showing, never will again!