10 May Phil Hughes The Alcoholic Mercenary Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour #HistoricalFiction #Crime #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @Phil_Hughes_Nov @maryanneyarde

FEATURED AUTHOR: PHIL HUGHES

It is my pleasure to welcome Phil Hughes as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held May 2nd — May 12th, 2022. He is the author of the Historical Crime, The Alcoholic Mercenary, which was released by PerchedCrowPress on 30th April 2022 (350 pages)

Below are highlights of The Alcoholic Mercenary,  Phil Hughes’ author bio, and details of his harrowing experiences in Naples that are reflected in his book.

To Follow the tour, CLICK Tour Schedule Page

HIGHLIGHTS: THE ALCOHOLIC MERCENARY

The Alcoholic Mercenary

By Phil Hughes

(Blurb)

They said, “See Naples and then die!”

Rachel had thought it was to do with the natural beauty of the place. A misconception she soon lost after climbing down from the C130 troop carrier. The suspicious death of her predecessor, followed by the murder of a sailor, and an enforced liaison with a chauvinistic and probably corrupt cop saw to that.

“See Naples and then die!”

Some said the saying was anonymous. Some attributed it to Goethe. Still, others said it was Lord Byron, or maybe Keats. When the young brother of a mercenary hitman became her main suspect, Rachel leant towards Keats. Didn’t the poet die here? Somewhere near, for sure. Probably coined the phrase on his deathbed.

And then, the cherry on the top of her ice cream soda, she could smell grappa on the breath of the mercenary when she interviewed him. The only thing worse than a violent man: a violent man who drinks.

The only thing worse than a violent man who drinks: a violent man who drinks and considers himself Rachel’s enemy.

Buy Links:

Available on #KindleUnlimited

Universal Amazon Link  ♠  Amazon UK  ♠  Amazon US  ♠  Amazon CA  ♠  Amazon AU

AUTHOR BIO: PHIL HUGHES

Although educated in Classical Studies, Phil is the author of several historical crime novels. Having spent many years living in the Mafia-infested hinterlands of Naples, Phil bases his novels on his experiences while living there. Much of what he includes in his stories is based on real events witnessed first-hand.

Having retired from writing and editing technical documentation for a living, Phil now lives in Wexford with his partner and their border terriers, Ruby, Maisy, and the new addition Ted. He writes full-time and where better to do it than in the Sunny South East of Ireland.

Social Media Links:

Website  ♠  Twitter  ♠  Facebook  ♠  LinkedIn  ♠  Instagram  ♠  Amazon Author Page  ♠  Goodreads

My Experiences in Naples

Over the years, I had many experiences: from being asked by the local boss to go out in a Zodiac to owing a favour because a mafioso returned my stolen motorbike. I could write about the execution of two informants in the foyer of a neighbouring apartment block (palazzo) or the restaurant where Maradona allegedly bought his cocaine. Or I could write about a friend’s father committing suicide when the local clan kept burning down his tailor shop because he wouldn’t pay for protection.

For the sake of this article, I shall restrict it to one story told directly in my book, The Alcoholic Mercenary.

An aspect of Organised Crime that is common throughout the world: from various mafias and tongs to the IRA, is the concept of punishment. Any unauthorised crime tends to be dealt with swiftly and brutally. This is no different in Naples.

While we lived in Lucrino, there was a heroin addict who was known to do a bit of selling on the side. He bought his supplies from African drug dealers operating in the city’s hinterlands. They sold their drugs in cul de sacs laid out where no houses were ever built (also in the book). I know this because my bike broke down outside Lago Patria, and he offered to tow it back for me but had to run an errand first. The errand ended up being a cat and mouse chase around empty streets (and by empty, I mean streets without houses) with a car full of African drug dealers. In all my experiences, this was the scariest. The drug dealers in their Fiat Punto (four of them) were definitely armed and not affiliated because in Naples in the nineties, racism was rife. No one would deal with the Mau Mau (a derogatory term for African criminals). Affiliation was vital because it meant some form of control: a set of rules if you will. The car chase ended up in a houseless cul de sac and involved the exchange of a small fortune (payment for the tow) for a condom full of heroin that the dealer had tucked away in the side of his mouth.

The guy who offered a tow was skinny, always with an open shirt and a grimy vest underneath. He had a greasy ponytail and a broken-down Fiat 500.

Apparently, his drug dealing was unauthorised because he was kneecapped outside our local bar one Saturday morning while drinking an espresso. Its audacity would seem astounding until realising that no one would act as a witness, not even the victim. After his punishment, I only saw the dealer once more, hobbling down the street with a removable cast on his leg and crutches. I can only assume he either moved away after that or failed to heed the warning.

This episode is related in The Alcoholic Mercenary, in the kneecapping of an “unauthorised” drug dealer along the seafront of Pozzuoli.

@coffeepotbookclub