Book Jacket

 

rank 5470
word count 18844
date submitted 26.11.2009
date updated 11.01.2010
genres: Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, ...
classification: adult
incomplete

The Best Debauchery

Kevin Pynter

When a college president attempts to blackmail a notable poetry professor his plan backfires and he becomes the primary suspect in a murder case.

 

Truman Best is the president of a major liberal arts college with a substance abuse problem.
Ash Lyndon is a bipolar Nobel Prize-winning poet.
Timothy Pinstripe is an ingenious student who can't graduate.
And Calcutta O is an erotic performance art professor with a death wish.
After a brutal murder is exposed on campus, their lives become intertwined in an inexorable and devilish whirlwind of conspiracy.

 
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24 comments

 

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Bamboo Promise wrote 813 days ago

GREAT book, it flows very well, Backed with pleasure.

Jesse Hargreave wrote 836 days ago

Backed January 12.

Jesse - Savant

http://www.authonomy.com/ViewBook.aspx?bookid=14062

Lady Calverley wrote 836 days ago

SO much fun-- witty and sparkling. You possess a gift for crafting excellent prose and dialogue. Truman had me hooked right away. I confess my ex-husband is an academic-- though nothing like as corrupt!!- so I took extra pleasure in looking at the seedy underbelly in the hallowed ivory tower. I'm mixing metaphors now, and I am sure my ex would take joy in pointing that out to me... suffice to say, I like the "Small World" flavour and caustic humour, and I am putting this on my shelf for a spin!

Ruth/Base Spirits

Louise Galvin wrote 894 days ago

What a fabulous first sentence! Oh, I do like corrupt, vain, irritable Truman, with his busy turbines. This made me laugh. I like your perspective. I’m pausing to put this on my shelf, but am coming back to enjoy the rest of it.

Jupiter Echoes wrote 894 days ago

What an interesting work. quick to foam up some drama amidst a little bit of humour. Crisp and at times quirky dialogue, and fast-paced prose.

I quite liked Truman - kinda guy i would like to meet. It feels like a good story in the reading.

BACKED

Jupiter Echoes wrote 894 days ago

What an interesting work. quick to foam up some drama amidst a little bit of humour. Crisp and at times quirky dialogue, and fast-paced prose.

BACKED

Carole Somerville wrote 900 days ago

You plunge the reader straight into the story and what a fun and amusing read this is.
Shelved,
Carole

Urania wrote 900 days ago

Interesting. Actually more than that. Amazing. I love the time thing, I love your pace, style and succint writing. This is one of those cult type books which may not please all of the people etc, but the ones that count (hopefully) - I adore your MC and want to know him intimately - dare I? Lovely stuff, so backed, of course, with pleasure.

Francis Albert McGrath wrote 901 days ago

Sheer genius.You have created a wonderful comic character in Truman. Your pacing is perfect. I am truly impressed.
Frank

vivalasbradleys wrote 901 days ago

Fascinating characers, wonderful humor.
You; may: want; to: lose; some: of; the: colons; and: semicolons; just: a; suggestion.
Also, Harry S Truman -- no punctuation after the S.
Anyway, nicely done.

Nick Poole2 wrote 901 days ago

Fabulous, funny work. I'm going to back it. A cast of characters indeed. Truman the god-deluded cokehead. Ash the mad professor. Timothy Pinstripe and sexy Linea. And Gloria.

yes indeed.

Miles Etherton wrote 902 days ago

Hi Kevin,
I need to be careful what I say as I've worked with many academics in my career! That said, and because of that, I couldn't help but smile at some of the characteristics I recognised. This captures aspects of academic beautifully (both good and bad) and your dark writing style delivers it beautifully. Truman is a complex, unpleasant character who you can't help but be interested in. Well written and observed and a real grower! Backed. Miles.

C W Bigelow wrote 902 days ago

Kevin,
Such an intriguing, self centered, humorous dude. love how its all about him! I will read on and on. Shelved before. CW (To Save the Sun)

Niobrara Kardnova wrote 902 days ago

Kevin,
As the spawn of an English professor I can't help but love this book. You have the lunacy, the arrogance and the impotence of college characters down pat. Your language and phraseology matches perfectly with each situation you describe, though I must admit reading this piece with a dictionary at my side. Can't wait to see how the murder investigation plays out! No nitpicks with the story but one with the pitch: Your first sentence implies that the college, not Truman, has the drug problem--unless that was what you were going for? Avidly backed.
Niobrara Kardnova (The Trouble with Wives)

Andrew W. wrote 904 days ago

The Best Debauchery

Hi Kevin,

Back again, as I promised I'd be. And this is the best fun, deliciously mischievous and irreverent from the off. You scene-set with aplomb and we are soon lost in the complex machinations of Truman’s world. You are a clever writer, you use misdirection to keep us guessing as to what is going to be happening next. Broken, wacky and slightly unhinged characters people this world and make it an extremely interesting read. Your characters have issues and difficulties beyond the dreams of analysts. Great, fresh writing, confident but not showy.

Good luck with this and best wishes
Andrew W
(Sanctuary’s Loss)

Andrew W. wrote 904 days ago

The Best Debauchery

Hi Kevin,

I've been reading this on and off for a few hours now, it is quite excellent, I will keep reading now and will be back in the morning with a comment...best wishes and thank you for posting to Authonomy - Andrew W.

TheLoriC wrote 905 days ago

Your first few chapters were both riveting and outstanding! I had this watch listed for awhile, and finally got around to it! Certainly worth the wait and on my shelf.

L. Anne Carrington, "The Cruiserweight"

J. G. Reynolds wrote 906 days ago

Fast moving, delicious, malicious in places and worthy of being backed! A great start, keep it up.
Hope you're tip top
JG Reynolds (Head, Heart & Trousers).

Leigh Fallon wrote 907 days ago

I usually read three chapters before commenting but your first one is such a humdinger I'll got right on ahead. Some great writing here, well thought out and flows very well. Some nice elements of humour in the dialogue.
The very best of luck with this. Backed.
Leigh Fallon
The Carrier of the Mark

Cait wrote 907 days ago

Kevin, as it's quite late, I just read the first chapter. Truman is such a modest, and introverted fellow. Not!

And Professor Emeritus sounds a right character in his worn-out shoes. For a minute I thought the 'Mustard Session' was all just in his mind as I couldn't see a nineteen-year-old with such an old geezer, and then when Truman took the pictures I thought maybe he'd set the old man up. But obviously the student wasn't the first.

Just a couple of little things, here.

...stood up and plead the young man's case... Should this be, - and pled, or pleaded, the young man's case?

It happened to be a student actually. - Not sure you need this? If you do, then a comma after 'student'?

Your writing is very good but when you use 'began' in places, I feel it weakens a bit? And I found the underlined a bit distracting.

...began fluttering... fluttered? ...outgoing call began to ring... outgoing call rang? ...began to undo the buttons... undid the buttons? ...could [start to] see.

All the best with this, and I've already backed it.

Cáit ~ Muckers ~

John Brassey wrote 907 days ago

This is great writing. You have a comedic literary style that is a delight to read. From the pitch and what I have read so far, I am not sure why you have categorised it in the Science Fiction genre. Good luck and enjoy authonomy.
John

bonalibro wrote 907 days ago

I would agree with AlleJo on the length, but the story itself is a delight. How deluded we are on cocaine. What powers do we believe we possess? What a sad little fellow, what a huge ego. Knew one like that myself once. Doubt that he used cocaine, but he sure could be rude to his wife in the presence of his staff. I hated him for that.

Jared wrote 908 days ago

A great cover, only visible on my Watch List at present, and a very good short pitch, but the capitals in the long pitch are an annoyance, I'd recommend losing them. A long, possibly over-long, opening chapter takes the reader straight into the story and confirms the writer has a great deal of ability. Just a style point, for me the underlining doesn't work as well as italics would.
Clever writing, excellent dialogue, this has great promise. I'd like to read more. Backed.
Jared.

AlleJo wrote 908 days ago

Great fun!

Rather 'David Lodge-ish' - if I can say that (maybe not!), but right here,
right now - wonderfully written, wonderfully detailed, satirical and suspenseful.

I think the first chapter is extremely long for on-screen reading and could
be broken into about four chapters quite comfortably.

Great read!

AlleJo

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