TONY PARSONS madehis name with blokey“men lit” novels – butnow he is embarking ona life of crime.The Sun on Sunday colum-nist has just penned his firstthriller, about a sleuth try-ing to track down a serialkiller bumping off rich andpowerful men in London.And Tony, 60, hopes that thesingle-dad hero of The MurderBag — Detective Max Wolfe ofthe Homicide and Serious CrimeCommand — will feature in manymore books to come.SFTW spoke to Tony about tak-ing a punt on something newand how so far it has paid off.He said: “I’ve always lovedreading crime and I enjoy booksthat are character led.“I wanted to create my ownserial hero — one of those mythic

characters like Sherlock Holmesor Sam Spade or Philip Marlowe— or Harry Hole.” He added:“When I was creating the worldof Max Wolfe, I knew that oneof the things I wanted to do wasgive my crime novel an evocativesense of place — like Los Angelesin the novels of RaymondChandler and James Ellroy, orEdinburgh in the Rebus novelsby Ian Rankin.“My home city is London and27 Savile Row felt like an origi-nal location — and it had a nicering to it. It’s a place where Maxcan grow and make his own.“I also thought he needed tohave a human side, so he’s got afive-year-old daughter, Scout. Iwanted him to have some family— but not to be tied down andI’m looking forward to himevolving in future books.”

‘I cashed pension’Former music journalist Tony’sbest-known novel is the semi-autobiographical novel Man AndBoy, which sold millions andwon the 2001 British Book OfThe Year prize.Tony admits: “It was a big dealfor me to change genres.“People who read thrillersknow their stuff. I only hadone shot to get it right and itcouldn’t just be OK. I basi-cally cashed in my pensionand wrote on spec andkept telling myself Ihaven’t gone insane.“I feel I’ve usedevery muscle in mybrain to get thisright.”It seems to havepaid off, Tony wasoffered a three-book deal for hiscrime novels byCentury andArrow. And

early reviews of The MurderBag have been positive, withthriller writer Lee Child call-ing it “spectacular”.Tony admits: “I’ve beenreally chuffed with the earlyreviews and I feel I’m on tosomething — but we shall see.“I’ve worked so hard on Maxthat I just want everyone to lovehim as much as I do.”Tony is great mates with PiersMorgan — so has the TV pre-senter read the book?The writer says: “Ha, not that Iknow of. He came to the launchwhich is typical but I haven’theard what he thinks of it!”As for the secret of a greatcrime novel, Tony says:“Twists are vital — but theyhave to be earned andmake sense. I alsobelieve a thriller shouldhave heart.”He is currently work-ing on the secondMax Wolfe book, TheSlaughter Man,which will be outnext year. The thirdwill be released in2016.He said of thethird book: “Ihave the title andthe plot but Iwill keep itunder my hat fornow.“The next fewyears are allabout DetectiveMax Wolfe forme — and ofcourse writingmy column forThe Sun on Sun-day.”

l The Murder Bagby Tony Parsons isout now.

5

BOOK CREATOR£1.50 for Android

3

UNPOSSIBLE£1.49

SHADOW FIGHT 2Free for all (in-app purchases)

MONSTER BUSTERSFree for all (in-app purchases)

COMPLETELY USELESSGUIDE TO LONDONMartin Pullen, £7.99

100 DIY JOBSSarah Beeny, £20

EVER wanted to tile your ownbathroom or learn how to hanga door properly?Then this attractive hardback

is the book for you.In it, Sun on Sunday

columnist and property expertSarah Beeny shares her DIYwisdom.She shows you how to do

everything around the home,from plumbing in a washingmachine to putting up shelves.This really is a book for

beginners and is somewhatgeared towards the girls but if itcan save you a fortune onworkmen’s fees,who cares?Essential read-

i ng fo r anyhomeowner. Nowpass me myspanner . . .JENNY GREEN

CITYHAWKFree for iOS and Android

THERE is so much more toLondon than meets the eye. Ourwonderful capital city has it all –and then some.From amazing architecture

and oodles of history to some ofthe best shops and restaurantsin the world.But it is also home to some

pretty useless information.Did you know that if the

London Eye ever broke loose, itwould take four years and 324days to roll completely aroundthe earth?Or that the Queen’s under-

wear is made byRigby & Peller inHans Road, next toHarrods in Knights-bridge.Useless facts

make for a mightyinteresting read.

SCHNARFF SCHNARFFWHO: Myles Bonnar (vocals),Richard Douglas (guitar/vocals), Andrew “Turtle”MacLean (guitar/vocals),Brian Farquhar (bass/vocals),Jamie Douglas (drums/vocals)WHERE: GlasgowFOR FANS OF: Pixies, Nir-vana, Arctic MonkeysJIM SAYS: I had a jolly timeat Schnarff Schnarff’s recentEP launch at The Record Fac-tory in Glasgow’s West End.It was my first time seeing

them and it was an impres-sive show. They clearlyenjoyed themselves.All originally from Inver-

ness, the band formed inGlasgow where they continueto be based.Singer Myles went to Man-

chester for a while, so the restof the band formed up asBipolar Bear but theychanged their name toSchnarff Schnarff when hereturned. Turtle explained:“We found out there wasalready an MC called BipolarBear in the States. AfterMyles and I bounced somenames about we agreedupon Schnarff Schnarff.“We all loved the combina-

tion of the humorous nameand our serious — and some-times dark — music.”Myles added: “Turtle and I

were discussing what wouldbe funny when pronouncedin an Invernessian accent.“We eventually agreed on

Snarf Snarf as it was funny

when Turtle, the most Inver-nessian-sounding of theband, said it. In addition,Inverness is known to itsnatives as the Schneck so wemimicked the spelling andpronunciation by turningSnarf Snarf into SchnarffSchnarff. We are very muchof the belief that your name iswhat you make it.“If you do the right things

musically, you can be calledanything you want as you willeventually make the nameyour own, associating it withyour sound rather than itsoriginal meaning.”I can’t agree more. Some

of the biggest bands havesilly names. Look at BiffyClyro. You soon forget aboutthat if the music’s any good.The Schnarff Schnarff EP is

released through the Glas-gow Kelvin College label Elec-tric Honey Records.It is a five-track EP which

BBC Radio Scotland pre-senter Vic Galloway hasdescribed as “StaccatoGrunge Pop”.Myles said: “That pleased

me as I love Nirvana and theyare the undisputed kings ofgrunge.”The band play The Iron-

works in Inverness on June 5as part of the goNORTH festi-val. They’ve also been con-firmed for the main stage atthe sold-out Belladrum Festi-val near Inverness in August.MORE: facebook.com/SchnarffSchnarffQ Jim presents Drivetime on XFMScotland, Monday to Friday 4-7pm.xfm.co.uk jimgellatly.com Photocredit: Fred Murray

EMILY Brighouse works in the pub-lic relations industry and sheknows how to live life to themaximum.But maybe she’s been

doing too much for far toolong.She’s 29, about to lose her

job and her flat but hasgained an Asbo.Could things get worse or

is she finally going to meet

The One who will save her fromherself and make everythingin her life OK?Fun, frivolous and full of

embarrassing moments, italso gives a wonderful insightinto the world of public rela-tions and is a pretty decentdebut novel.

GIRLS LIKE USCharlotte Ashby, £1.99

4

NEW MUSIC

4

3

A SADISTIC killer is on theloose, kidnapping couples andforcing them to decide who lives– and who dies.Each time, the desperate

victims – ranging from friendsand lovers to work colleagues –are locked in a room with a gunand a single bullet.They have no food or water

but a mobile phone with justenough power to receive amessage that gives them twoterrifying choices – kill or bekilled.This taut, fast-paced debut is

truly excellent andintroduces South-ampton-based DIHelen Grace.I sincerely hope

we haven’t heardthe last from her.JENNY GREEN

By JIM GELLATLY

EENY MEENYMJ Arlidge, £7.99

THE latest in a popular board bookseries is a fresh retelling of MarkTwain’s classic tale.The concept behind this Cozy

Classics’ book is wonderfullysimple: Take 12 child-friendlywords and put them togetherwith 12 needle-feltedillustrations to offer a brillianttake on early learning.Each page features just

one word relating to the rele-vant picture – giving ample

time for child and parent to discusswhat is happening in the storybased on that word.The images are simply stun-

ning and the concept wonder-fully simple but oh so perfect.The tale may be short but

it’s certainly not lacking inlearning.

BATTLE through 500+ levelsof “match-three” action as youattempt to liberate yourgingerbread men pals from anarmy of monsters. It’s all set ina castle with six types of levelto work through, including aboss mode where the evilgenius appears in the middleof your grid.

ONE user commented youneed to “die a thousand timesbefore you start to master this”and he was right. It’s a fast andfuturistic endless runner. It’swhat’s known as “twitchgameplay” – as in you need tohave nippy reactions as youfire along attached to a tubewhile avoiding obstacles.

3.5

THE ADVENTURES OFHUCKLEBERRY FINNJack & Holman Wang, £6.99

2

ADRENALYN XLiOS (free)

DARK SOULS 2PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC(reviewed) (£39.99)

4.5

MAKE your own interactiveebooks of pictures, playablevideo and audio clips and sharethem online. This one is anaward-winner and more than4million people have used it tobuild their own ebooks. Thisnew version is for Android butan iOS one has been about forages, priced at £2.99.

CHECK the real-time availabilityof restaurants around you andbook a table with three taps ofyour screen. Also gets youdeals, such as a free glass ofwine, at selected venues.Initially covers 600 eateries inLondon only, but there areplans to roll it out to more UKcities over the next 12 months.

ROLLERCOASTERTYCOONiOS (free with in-apppurchases)

BOO

KSSEQUEL to the Facebook hitcombo of RPG andTekken-style fighting. Build upyour man’s armoury withswords, nunchakus and magicpowers to beat baddies acrosssix worlds. You get coins forwinning battles but wins aren’teasy. Alternatively, you can buyyour way to success.

AMERICAN author Coben has a winningformula for writing thrillers. Take an ordinaryperson – reasonably happy, fairly successful –then turn their life upside down because someoneclose has a secret past that threatens everything.It’s compelling stuff, playing on our darkest fears,and has helped him shift 50million books.Now some of the best ones have been republishedby Orion. They include Just One Look (hubby disap-pears after wife shows him mysterious photo) and SixYears (bloke finds ex who broke his heart doesn’t exist).Coben’s writing can be clunky and he’s no Linwood Bar-clay but his plotting is masterly. SJC

THE classic theme parksimulator has made the jumpto iOS – but unfortunately it’sa stripped-down version thatdoesn’t entertain half asmuch as its predecessors.Following the mobile trend,the game involves waitinghours for rides to build andconstantly checking back tocollect cash from your shopsin order to level up, thusunlocking more content.It’s near unplayable without

wasting money on the micro-transactions that areconstantly thrust at you, andeven then the entertainmentvalue is limited.Fortunately, a new fullversion of RollercoasterTycoon is expected on PClater this year but until then,avoid this game. LP

Listen to the band at:thescottishsun.co.uk

THERE are thousands ofgames out there – so whypick one that constantlykills, frustrates andpunishes you?As you start up Dark Souls 2,you’ve got to be ready for atough time. Even during the tuto-rial, you’re exposed to some ofthe difficulties that lie ahead forthe 70 to 80-hour campaign.As soon as you finish the brieftraining on the basic controls,you’re thrown in and have agreat deal of freedom to explore

the world at your leisure. Ratherthan guide you in one directionor another, Dark Souls 2 will letyou go anywhere but will giveyou clear signs you’re goingwrong by killing you instantly.You can try to push throughbut your chances of success arelimited.The world of Drangelic issomething to behold. There aregorgeous views and each areafeels unique, with landmarks

ranging from massive castles todeep, dark caves.The level design is one of theshining features. Every turnprovides something different, beit a new piece of equipment or ahorrendously dangerous enemy.The one major barrier youhave to overcome to really getinto Dark Souls 2 — as with allother Souls games by FromSoftware — is its difficulty.It’s hard. Really hard. And noteveryone will find the challengeto their liking.The frustration that this gamecan create will test anyone to

breaking point, and it could ruinthe enjoyment for some.But if you’re up for thechallenge and can bear the trial-and-error approach, a rewardingexperience is in store.The PC game is graphicallybetter than the console versionsand still has the same greatgameplay experience.While not everyone will enjoythe challenges in store, for thosewho dare to brave it a detailedand gorgeous adventure await.Prepare to die — but prepareto have a great time too.

JAMIE NIGHTINGALE

T IN the Park is perfect for a weekendbreak with the girls and it’s back with thehottest talent heading to Balado fromJuly 11-13.See Biffy Clyro, Calvin Harris and Arc-tic Monkeys, plus Paolo Nutini, PharrellWilliams, Ellie Goulding, Haim and more!Stay in the legendary campsite or goglam in The Residence — for luxury livingvisit theresidenceexperience.co.uk.Ensure you’re looking good with a visitto Refresh, the pamper parlour with hairwashing facilities, showers and toilets.Taste the finest festival cuisine in

Healthy T, including Loch Fyne oystersand Arran burgers.Pre-order chilled Tennent’s Lager or

Magners Original Cider using Tennent’sLager’s Be Chilled service at tennents.com/bechilled. Don’t miss out — get yourtickets now from tinthepark.com!Thanks to festival organisers DF Con-certs and founding partner Tennent’sLager, you can win VIP weekend camp-ing tickets, Refresh wristbands, andHealthy T and Be Chilled vouchers andone lucky runner-up will win a pair ofweekend camping tickets, Refresh wrist-bands, and Healthy T and Be Chilled

vouchers! To win just tell us the name ofArctic Monkeys’ frontman? Is it A. SimonNeil B. Dave Grohl C. Alex Turner. Emailyour name, address, daytime contactnumber, date of birth & answer to win@the-sun.co.uk with T IN THE PARKWEEK-END BREAK in the subject heading.Q Over 18s only, excluding any employees and their fam-ilies or anyone professionally connected with this promo-tion. Competition closes Midnight on Friday May 9, 2014.Prize is as stated above. Promoter reserves right to substi-tute any prize with one of equal or greater value. One winnerand one runner-up selected at random after closing datefrom all correct entries received. Usual Scottish Sun rulesapply. Editor’s decision is final. For more information andregular updates from The T Lady visit tinthepark.com. Forthe facts about alcohol, see drinkaware.co.uk.

IN case you aren’t aware – sorry, wherehave you been? – the World Cup is barely amonth away.And, as you’d expect, there are plenty of

apps to accompany this summer’sshowpiece sporting event.Panini, fresh from the success of its

sticker album, has capitalised on that tide ofnostalgic feel-good factor by launching anapp for you to collect virtual stickers on.Adrenalyn XL isn’t just about collecting

players, though – you can also manageyour line-up and take on others.There are playing sub-sets such as

“defensive rock”, which includes theworld’s greatest defenders, and “utilityplayer” for versatile stars.Players who have featured at two or more

World Cups are considered “experts”, whilespecial “double trouble” stickers featuretwo of the world’s best players on the samecard.It’s Pokemon cards meets Panini stickers,

infused with modern technology.I can’t imagine a better combination.

While card games of this ilk can often seem

geeky, football has the mass appeal tocounteract that. And, if enough people getinto it, it could be an absolute revelation.Given the popularity of FIFA’s Ultimate

Team mode, the amount of playersshouldn’t be a problem.It’s still early days, so it’s not clear how

the game would handle such traffic – but,potentially, this is very exciting. LP

GIRLS ON TOP . . . TITP weekend break could be yours

Friday, May 9, 2014 571S