Wilt on High (Published in 1984) - More fun with Wilt - Authored by Tom Sharpe

Wilt on High, is the third installment in the Wilt Series written by comic novelist, Tom Sharpe, who made a bawdy and vulgar style of writing into an art form. His writings are quite similar to those of Wodehouse, from whom he took great inspiration. But funny is where the similarity ends. Tom Sharpe takes funny and adds more crass and vulgarity to the story. Even though he started writing comedy only by the age of 43 years, his stories were an instant hit, and found a large loyal reader base.
Wilt on High, follows the exploits of Henry Wilt, a mild mannered teacher, who always gets involved in sticky situations which make for an extremely entertaining read. In this book, Wilt is shown to still be teaching at Fenland Tech. His attempts at drilling English into the minds of plasterers and dozing his way through drab committee meetings is all rudely disrupted when a dark cloud hovers over the college in the form of drug dealing. And invariably like a magnet for bad things, the cloud of suspicion finds its way to Henry Wilt.
Henry Wilt goes about his mundane life, when suddenly a departmental inquiry is conducted. Someone in the department at Fenland Tech is dealing drugs. Wilt’s friends all find themselves resenting Wilt, as they all feel that he is the reason that the department has come under such investigation. Inspector Flint, an old adversary of Wilt, takes charge of this investigation. Seizing the opportunity to try and pin everything on Wilt, Inspector Flint goes about his job with double vigor to leave no stone unturned. Knowing that Wilt is guilty of something, he sets about to try and settles a number of old scores.




Wilt’s wife is of no support to him. Like every wife, she has her doubts about Wilt, and this does not help his cause. To make matters worse, Wilt only complicates matters for himself with his talent for creating new enemies. Wilt’s inborn talent to make people hate him, starts off with an allegation of voyeurism in the ladies staff lavatory, and ends at a showdown at a US airbase, with forces of law and order on both sides, and is Wilt as always, right in the middle of this messy affair!
The book is a constant topsy-turvy journey through oddities. And where Tom Sharpe’s brilliant writing shines through is how all these eccentricities come together to make sense. From situations involving a group called Mothers Against The Bomb, to the set of murderous quadruplets and a thermonuclear war that could be set off all because of the misusage of Spanish Fly, the book is a classic Tom Sharpe novel where things just keep getting worse and as a reader we wait for it to collapse in on itself. Only it doesn’t collapse, it just keeps getting better.
Tom Sharpe is known as P. G. Wodehouse on acid! He has more or less the same comic style of writing, but with loads of vulgarity and crude humor and bold satire. Wodehouse’s influence maybe visible in Sharpe’s plots and settings, but it’s the absurd and completely unbelievable twists and turns in the story that involve the reader.  A thoroughfare of absurd situations which grips the reader to follow the simple yet odd ball character called Henry Wilt.

Proof (Published in 1984) - Fake liquor and murders - Authored by Dick Francis

Thirty two, handsome and eligible - Tony Beach, entrepreneur, wine connoisseur, equestrian enthusiast. Widower since six months. His livelihood is a mixture of retail and outdoor catering of drinks - and, Jack Hawthorn, horse race trainer asks him to organize one of his victory-dos.  Jimmy, Jack’s secretary discusses with Tony, that his boss may have been served spurious liquor by one of Jack’s owners - Larry Trent, and wants to know if Beach has the expertise to tell a genuine scotch from a fake (the Laphroaig, malt from Islay, says the label, not the taste!). The malt distraction aside, all else seems to be going well at Jack’s party, when the laughter turns to screams as a horsebox breaks in and buries people, taking the marquee down with the guests in it! No one was driving, it stood alone, and after awhile, the sound of neighing drowned the sounds outside. An important Sheikh is killed; Jack and Jimmy are severely injured as is Flora, Jack’s wife. Sadly, Larry Trent is killed.
An investigator later discloses that the restaurant that Larry had owned was under the scanner for selling spurious liquor - especially the famed Laphroaig isn’t what it claims to be, more of grain whisky than malt. When Tony accompanies the investigating officer to the Silver Moon dance, he tastes the said malt and pronounces his judgment, after which the officer prohibits the sale of alcohol in the restaurant. Tony also learns that before his death, Larry had bragged that he could pass off substandard booze for the real stuff. The duo meet Paul Young the company representative, who is flummoxed and taken aback at the charges Detective Sergeant Ridger is filing, but puts up a brave front. The investigator (Mr. Wilson) grills Tony about his whereabouts and what he saw on the day of the tragedy, did he see anyone other than the four year old child besides the horsebox? Was there a possibility that someone else could’ve been in the horsebox as it rolled downhill, crushing the Sheikh?




When Flora and Tony investigate the prints in the horsebox, they are struck by the fact that many of the prints are those of a child - could the little boy have managed to finally live out his childish fantasy of driving a big car, and could he have mistakenly released the brake that cost eight lives? Meanwhile, the Silver Moondance has been looted and plundered - when Tony goes to find out what’s actually transpired, he is met with Ridger’s dark silhouette in the basement, near the wine cellars - the wine list and bottles are missing, no liqueurs, beers, malts or any alcohol is left in the restaurant.
In an office, Tony finds Paul Young in a state of unconsciousness, and another two corpses in the office - one is that of a constable, seated on a chair, head between his legs, and the other of a man, on the floor, his head and neck encased in plaster of Paris, identified as the wine waiter - Zarac. An intriguing read, Proof is one of Francis’s finer novels, engaging and entertaining. Loaded with interesting facts about wines and liquor, it is also a book that uplifts the reader in terms of Tony coming to accept that his inferiority is only a figment of his imagination, in fact, he is brave and is a hero.

The Miracle (published in 1984) - Written by Irving Wallace

Irving Wallace was born in Chicago, to Jewish parents,Bessie and Alexander Wallace Who had emigrated from Russia. He completed his studies in California and started out as a journalist at a tender age of 15. He studied creative writing at the Williams Institute in Berkley and from the mid-30s he worked as a free-lance correspondent. In 1941 he married Sylvia Kahn; they had two children. Irving Wallace served in the air force during world war two and later collaborated in several movies as a writer. His first book "Sins of Peter Fleming" did not attract much attention. But his second book influenced by the Kinsey report was a best seller. He has been a prolific churner of best sellers and his books have been adapted as major movies. He died on June 29, 1990.
A Miracle as defined by the oxford dictionary is an occurrence through faith which has no scientific proof or rational explanation. Wallace tries to weave a tale of intrigue, faith and love around the old legend of the Lady of Lourdes.
Lady of Lourdes is the Virgin Mary who had appeared to the shepherd girl Bernadette on the slopes of Lourdes. Bernadette sees the vision of our Lady and is subjected to intense scrutiny by the world and the faithful visit the grotto where the Lady had appeared in search of a miracle. It is said that the waters of the Grotto have healing powers and millions flock to Lourdes during the pilgrimage season celebrating the arrival of Our Lady before Bernadette.



So the novel opens with a scroll presented by Bernadette being opened by the Vatican council. According to this the Virgin Mary will again appear in Lourdes during the 8 day feast period. AS the church makes this information public millions flock to Lourdes for the miracle. Wallace centers the tale around five character's, principally women who travel to Lourdes for the Lady.
Sergei Tikhanov is a soviet official who suffers from muscular dystrophy and travels to Lourdes incognito as the communist party does not accept any religion. He hopes to get a cure and hires a young guide Gisele Dupree as an interpretor. Gisele has an agenda of her own and is looking for an avenue to get back in to the United Nations favored circle and get her job back. Peter Clayton, an young American is suffering from cancer and reaches Lourdes after canceling his treatments with a skeptical fiancée, Amanda in tow.
Amanda is a no non sense psychologist who does not believe in miracles. She has able company in Liz Finch, a hard nosed journalist who wants to debunk the miracle theory. She teams up with Amanda to expose the racket of Lourdes. Beautiful Natalie Rinaldi is stricken by a mysterious disease which has made her blind and she fervently believes that Virgin Mary will restore her sight in Lourdes. The sweet English woman Edith Moore is a poster girl for the Grotto as she has been cured of her cancer due to the intercession of Mother Mary. But she is a reluctant participant in this publicity which is commercially exploited by husband Roger. Basque terrorist Mikel Hurtado wants to blow up the shrine for his political beliefs and reaches Lourdes with the sole intention of destruction.
As the novel progresses you find the question of Faith is the touchstone, with the cure possible for Natalie Rinaldi where she finds sight and love from Hurtado who denounces the violence. But for Edith and Clayton the cure does not come and they look for medicine. For Gisele death follows and Tikhanov becomes the murderer. Wallace weaves the most splendid story with no preaching and is one of my favorite books in his collection. Read it and enjoy.

Strong Medicine (published in 1984) by Arthur Hailey, a book on the pharmaceutical industry

Arthur Hailey was born in Lutton, Bedford-shire, England. He served in the Royal Air force as a pilot in World War II. He migrated to Canada and has written best sellers like Airport, Wheels and Hotel. He moved to the Bahamas with his writer wife Sheila. Arthur Hailey died on November, 2004 leaving a legacy of best sellers and over 170 million books in print.
Strong Medicine, a typical Arthur Hailey potboiler, has him dissect the good and the bad of the pharmaceutical industry. Just as other Hailey books, he selects a public institution and develops the characters who make up this institution, and portrays how their attitudes and relationships form the ultimate pillar for the organization.
In Strong Medicine, Arthur Hailey examines the details of the women's march in their work place. In the character of Celia Jordan, he presents a talented lady trying to break the glass ceiling to reach the top most post of her company. She encounters chauvinistic behavior from all around and also support from certain men who are instrumental for her rise.



The Books begins by Celia reminiscing her life on her way to her home and is seen remarking to her husband about the threat faced by her because of a certain Senator Donaghue. Then Hailey takes us back in time where Celia as an young sales representative tries to market some of her drugs to Andrew Jordan, a young physician. He being in a very disturbed state of mind is very curt with her. Celia, understands that a medicine developed by her company, in the trial stage is capable of saving his patient. She cuts through the protocol and delivers it to him. Andrew administers this medicine and is able to save his patient.
They are married following a whirl wind romance and soon Celia is pregnant and a mother of 2 all through working her way up in her company. This is the most unbelievable part in this book because she has a picture perfect family and everything works according to her plan. Her babies are perfect, husband adores and encourages her and she has risen steadily in-spite of motherhood and all the odds.
In the company Celia has a very supportive boss, Sam Hawthorne who encourages her and is grooming her for succession. Celia delivers a speech in the annual company meet, castigating the lack of training, vision and leadership, rendering the top management furious. She is inches away from being fired, that Sam steps in to save her. All this happens with a perfect home-life, brilliant Kids who do well in boarding schools and a husband who whisks her to Ecuador to rekindle their relationship.
Celia hitches her star to that of Sam Hawthorne and is rewarded when he becomes the president. She being the vice-president soon realizes her ambitions. Both Sam and herself start two projects. First one is the Montayne project by the French who are developing an anti-emetic for pregnant women. Second one is to tap in to the British capabilities in pharmacy and develop a off shore research unit. They select a brilliant scientist, martin Peat Smith who joins their company after a lot of persuasion from Celia.
Celia has serious misgiving about the Montayne project and her fears are found to be true because their medicine causes congenital defects in the babies. Sam Hawthorne, who has profound belief in the drug had given it to his pregnant daughter, ultimately resulting in a handicapped baby. Meanwhile the FDA is hot on his heels about the drug and he is being blackmailed by an shady FDA official Dr Mace. The guilt drives Sam to suicide and ultimately Celia is in-charge of running the company. Felding Roth is being investigated by Senator Donaghue and Celia ultimately has to rescue it, earning the enmity of the senator. Soon after incidents of an affair with Martin Smith, power struggles with Gordan Lord and the financial rescue of the company Celia is firmly entrenched in her position. The book ends with her flying down to combat Senator Donaghue and appear before the senate's investigative committee. Apart from this sudden ending the whole book never fails to grip you and you come away with a belief that superwoman Celia will overcome the senator too.