#BookReview #SummerThrills ‘Ricky’s Hand’ by David Quantick

About the book…

A funny, violent and thoughtful story set in Florida about the way misfits bond together from the Emmy Award-winning writer of Avenue 5, Veep and The Thick of It.

Ricky Smart is a nobody, a Miami Beach paparazzo who lives in a cheap apartment and scrapes a living snapping celebs. One day Ricky wakes up, and realises there’s something wrong with his hand. It’s not his hand. In fact, it’s someone else’s hand. How does he know it’s not his? Because it looks different, it feels different and – perhaps the biggest clue– it has a four-letter word tattooed across the knuckles.

Then a week later, his other hand changes. A few days after that, Ricky gets a new arm…

Ricky is losing his mind as well as his body parts, but he has to eat and pay rent so he manages to get things together enough to pursue his seedy paparazzi career. He’s after candid shots of pop sensation and local girl Scala Jaq, who’s staying in town. He trails Scala, who has a secret of her own, and to his surprise and shock comes across her at a support group for people with an unusual condition, led by an overly enthusiastic guy called Don. Scala and Ricky team up when they begin to suspect Don, who tells them he’s a time-travelling policeman with an interest in Ricky’s problem.

My thanks to the wonderful Titan team who approved my Netgalley request to read ‘Ricky’s Hand’ which is out in paperback and e-book from August 9th.

I am not sure if the title is a nod to the song by Fad Gadget,a song about the perils of dissociating body parts from mind control, extrapolated as a warning not to drink and drive.

However, much like its predecessor,’Night Train’ , ‘Ricky’s Hand’ plunges you straight into the action whereupon we,and Ricky,start with the notion that the hand on the end of his arm is not his.

As unreliable narrators go,Ricky’s job as a paparazzi sets him up as just higher up the food chain than a rat.

So when he wakes in a hungover state, are we to really believe that this is actually happening?

All we have to go on is Ricky’s assertion that he did not have the word ‘fuck’ tattooed on the knuckles when he went to sleep.

So,ostensibly, we have a tale about a hand which belongs to Ricky as it exists at the end of his arm. And yet, further probing reveals not only is this absolutely not his hand, he has little redress to this situation.

A quick trip to hospital has the Dr’s thinking it is a case of possible Body integrity Identity Disorder.

But as Ricky tries to distract himself doing his day job,his path crosses with that of singer Scala Jaq who has a secret of her own…

If you imagine Invasion Of The Body Snatchers crossed with Doctor Who and a soupçon of a future crime novel, this is alternatively hilarious and terrifying.

Bodily integrity and autonomy is very difficult when your parts are being taken over by some mysterious force from the future wanting restorative justice for a crime yet to be committed.

But how can you stop future you from doing something without altering that future?

Mindbending and peppered with fabulous characters like Scala’s manager, Jonty, support group organiser, Don and my personal favourite, Ricky’s contact , Isinglass, I would urge any reader of speculative, and often gory fiction,to take a punt on this novel!

About the author…

David Quantick is an Emmy Award-winning television writer for such shows as Avenue 5, Veep, The Thick of It and The Day Today and the writer of the 2022 movie Book of Love starring Sam Claflin and Veronica Echegui.

He is the author of ‘All My Colors’, ‘Night Train’, ‘Sparks’, ‘The Mule’, and two writing manuals: ‘How To Write Everything’ and ‘How To Be A Writer’. He is based in Hastings

Links-https://davidquantick.com/

Twitter @quantick @TitanBooks