Playing the Pools

- Blurb -

Roddy Doyle meets The Full Monty in a story of hopes, dreams, love and betrayal - and the football pools. Reggie Kellison loves his family but it' s a struggle. He has 5 children with number 6 on the way, his marriage is failing, and he dreams of a better life, a life away from the never-ending humdrum of struggling to make ends meet in 1960s Liverpool. He fantasises about running away with Laura from accounts, about his beloved Tranmere Rovers winning the league and about somehow (this is sketchy) making lots of money. Working at Littlewood' s he pitches a cracking idea for a summer cricket pools, giving him the opportunity to win a fair commission if they take up his idea. Littlewoods rejects his proposal, but then, to Reggie' s fury, bring out an identical game. Seething, he vows to get his revenge and plots a football pools heist, assisted by his brother-in-law Rodney and the delicious Laura. The scam works and Reggie finally has all the money he ever dreamed of but he doesn' t get the girl. Laura flees to Australia with Rodney, and while Reggie is heartbroken, all is not as it seems. Decades later Reggie and Ronnie' s sons dig deeper into this family secret but what does it reveal? And will Reggie finally forgive Laura and Rodney for breaking his heart? AUTHOR: David Sindall lives in West Kirby on the Wirral. He grew up in Birkenhead and spent most of his career working in the field of diversity. Playing the Pools is his third novel following on from After Alyson (2012) and Snatched (2016). It celebrates his lifelong love of Tranmere Rovers and reflects on his childhood as the youngest of 6 children.