ROBERT’ S PLANS BEAR FRUIT

Architecture For Beginners, by Robert Cohen, Published by Hobart Books, Price: £10.50

CONSIDERING how popular football is, it’s somewhat surprising there aren’t more novels that tap into the market.

Robert Cohen does his bit to redress the balance with his entertaining effort, Architecture For Beginners. While the title may not make it clear, there is a strong football element to the book.

The central characters are a couple of old school friends who have long since gone their separate ways – Alex Broughton and Reggie Cullen.

While Alex has gone on to become a successful architect, Reggie has become a football legend. A chance meeting brings them back together when both have turmoil in their life.

Alex is at loggerheads with his wife Mog after an ill-advised affair with Charlotte, a colleague at his practice, while Reggie is struggling to get over the suicide of his wife Denise and in a search to find something to fill the void left by the end of his playing days.

The temperamental Reggie, who is prone to lose his temper, then decides it would be a good idea to get Alex to design and build a football stadium at his Hertfordshire estate.

Without giving too much away, there are plenty of twists and turns, thrills and spills and funny moments along the way as Alex attempts to cajole Reggie, toying with an acting career, into getting on with the project, even going to live with him at one point. With a variety of characters woven well into the story, it fairly whizzes along and it’s a good sign that you want to find out what happens to them next.

There’s plenty of good dialogue, some fruity, and incidents that will make you laugh out loud.