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Lifting the Lid - A comedy thriller Paperback – December 30, 2013

by Rob Johnson (Author)
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 2,119 ratings
See all formats and editions
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When Trevor Hawkins hits the open road in his beat-up old camper van with his incorrigible dog, Milly, his quest for adventure soon spirals dangerously out of control. The simple act of flushing a hotel toilet transforms his life from redundant sales assistant to fugitive from a gang of psychopathic villains, the police and MI5.

Then there’s private detective Sandra Gray, who could cheerfully throttle him for turning a well paid, piece-of-cake job into a total nightmare. Or could she?

With more twists and turns than an Escher-designed bobsleigh run, Lifting the Lid is a comic thriller about how a single, split-second decision can change someone’s life forever.

‘A superb adventure-comedy... Lifting the Lid will grab you and pull you along for a fun and wild ride... I can't wait for the sequel!’ - Jennifer Reinoehl for Readers' Favorite

Lifting the Lid is the first book in the ‘Lifting the Lid’ series, featuring Sandra Gray, Trevor Hawkins and his incorrigible dog, Milly. The sequel, Heads You Lose, is also available from Amazon.
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Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 3
    Lifting the Lid
  2. Print length
    318 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    December 30, 2013
  5. Dimensions
    5 x 0.8 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0992638429
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0992638429
  8. See all details
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From the Publisher

"Lifting the Lid" - The comedy thriller series

Lifting the Lid cover

Heads You Lose cover

Dishing the Dirt cover

"Lifting the Lid" (Book 1)

It was simply a matter of a broken toilet flush, so how come redundant sales assistant Trevor Hawkins is suddenly a fugitive from a gang of psychopathic villains, a private detective, the police and the secret service? ‘Lifting the Lid’ is a comic thriller with more twists and turns than an Olympic bobsleigh run.

"Heads You Lose" (Book 2)

Trevor and Sandra’s detective agency is about to run out of funds when they’re offered the job of looking after the ageing Marcus Ingleby at his villa in Greece. It’s a lucrative assignment that should have been a piece of cake except someone is trying to frame them for murder... with a watermelon.

"Dishing the Dirt" (Book 3)

August in Greece wasn’t ideal for sitting inside a stifling hot camper van to carry out a surveillance operation, but a little physical discomfort was nothing compared to what came next. Blackmail, murder and kidnapping had definitely not been on the agenda.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It's brilliant!... You go from one hilarious, life threatening scene to the next and you'll never know where it's going.
You'll laugh so hard, you'll have to make a couple trips to the restroom... The writing is fast paced, funny and downright thrilling."
Samantha Coville for SammytheBookworm.com

"A superb adventure-comedy... Lifting the Lid will grab you and pull you along for a fun and wild ride...
The characters are lively and intriguing. They leave you wanting to read more about them and their zany lives...
I can't wait for the sequel!"
Reviewed by Jennifer Reinoehl for Readers' Favorite

"The story is just so much FUN! It is entertaining, well-written, cleverly planned and expertly timed...
Johnson gives his reader variety in mood, pace, setting and dialogue, never giving them a chance to become
bored or to be able to predict where the story is heading."
- Joanne Armstrong for Ingrid Hall Reviews


"The twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat, laughing all the time.
The story is intriguing, but the best part is just enjoying the frolic from one adventure
to the next...Lovers of comedic thrillers are sure to enjoy Lifting the Lid."
- San Francisco Review of Books

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Xerika Publishing; First Edition (December 30, 2013)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 318 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0992638429
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0992638429
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.3 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.8 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 2,119 ratings

About the author

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Rob Johnson

Rob Johnson

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‘You’ll have to write an author biography of course.’

‘Oh? Why?’

‘Because people will want to know something about you before they splash out on buying one of your books.’

‘You think so, do you?’

‘Just do it, okay?’

‘So what do I tell them?’

‘For a start, you should mention that you’ve written four plays that were professionally produced and toured throughout the UK.’

‘Should I say anything about all the temp jobs I had, like working in the towels and linens stockroom at Debenhams or as a fitter’s mate in a perfume factory?’

‘No, definitely not.’

‘Motorcycle dispatch rider?’

‘You were sacked, weren’t you?’

‘Boss said he could get a truck there quicker.’

‘Leave it out then, but make sure they know that "The Undertaking" is the seventh book you’ve written. And don’t forget to put in something that shows you’re vaguely human.’

‘You mean this kind of thing: “I’m currently in Greece with my wife, Penny, two cats and five rescue dogs and working on a new novel and a couple of screenplays”.’

‘It’ll have to do, I suppose, and then finish off with your website and social media stuff.’

‘Oh, okay then.’

• Website at https://www.rob-johnson.org.uk

• @RobJohnson999 on Twitter

• Facebook author page at https://www.facebook.com/RobJohnsonAuthor

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9 out of 5
2,119 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

simonze
4.0 out of 5 stars Light Reading
Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2014
Verified Purchase
This is a good book. I found it a refreshing change of pace from the murder mysteries I usually read. The hero is in the middle of a comedy of errors which makes for some entertaining reading. Well written.
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stargazer
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2023
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Funny and engaging you never know what is going to happen next.would recommend this book and author for anyone willing to follow a different storyline.
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Jeremy
3.0 out of 5 stars Good But Missing The Funny
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2019
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Trevor Hawkins looking for an escape. He's fallen into a rut so he's packed up his belongings, along with his terminally misbehaved mutt, Mllie, into a VW campervan and has left his life behind looking for adventure. He didn't expect this much. During a comically insane switcharoo involving a broken toilet tank lid and traditional British embarassment, Trevor ends up with an envelope containing a set of instructions. A set of instructions that was supposed to go to Sandra, a private detective that was offered a large sum of money to make sure a package was picked up and delivered. Add to that a couple of inept MI5 agents, a whole gang of bickering gangsters and a police force increasingly hot on the trail, Trevor finds himself careening from one dangerous situation to another. And worse yet, his own past seems to be catching up with him.

The set up to this caper was great. It was laughably absurd and yet I could totally see how one, through a series of poor decisions, could end up in this situation. Especially a character like Trevor who is every bumbling simp made manifest. After that the story meanders toward the inevitable conclusion where all the parties involved find themselves staring at each other down a barrel of the gun and not one of them entirely sure how or why. The great reveal mostly makes sense although is needlessly complicated.

The characters mostly felt flat to me. Trevor is meant to be terribly uninteresting and that comes through loud and clear. The detective, Sandra, is annoyingly concerned with her weight, and the gang leader, Harry is a bellicose idiot. The only character I rather liked was MacFarland, the scottish bruiser/ whipping boy of Harry. He was the only one I felt had a bit of depth and the only one who the joke about their character came through. They other players in this comedy of errors seemed to blend together.

Which brings me to the 'comedy' aspect of this 'comedy thriller'. It just never really clicked for me. Again, the set-up was nicely absurd and laughable and I chuckled as I could see where the situation was going even though the characters were too caught up in themselves to see it. After that, it's hard to describe other than it fell flat. The comedy either wasn't enough of an exaggeration, or randomly too much one.

Overall a decent, light-hearted caper/ spy thriller. I think there are a lot of readers who will appreciate the almost Guy Richie storyline with a softer, lighter touch. But those going in expecting the sharp wit and keen sense of dramatic irony will be mostly disappointed.
4 people found this helpful
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Cathey Newhouse
4.0 out of 5 stars Fun Page Turner
Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2023
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This is a roaring fast paced page turning tale. Found myself actually laughing out loud. Immediately fell in love with and cared about the characters. They go from one madcap adventure to the next in each of the chapters. Looking forward to the sequel!
One person found this helpful
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Dixie
5.0 out of 5 stars Trevor was as ordinary as they come
Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2014
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Unremarkable Trevor Hawkins is about to be downsized from a job he’s held for fifteen years. He buys a used camper and starts off with his dog, intent on having the adventure of his life. He gets much more adventure than he ever wanted as each mishap leads to the next and his sheer incompetence lands him in one hilariously confusing predicament after another.
The main characters were consistent and well drawn, although I had trouble tracking some of the minor characters. The story got more and more interesting as I progressed through the book. The author kept up the suspense with some surprising twists. I would recommend the book to anyone who enjoys broad humor and unlikely but likeable heroes.

I am a reader for the Awesome Indies and this review may be used in a submission for inclusion in the Awesome Indies site.
One person found this helpful
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HMMADNESS
3.0 out of 5 stars Hit and miss
Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2024
Verified Purchase
There was parts and characters I enjoyed and several I didn't cars for. Not really my type of book but have been trying to branch out.
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Bruce
4.0 out of 5 stars This is a summer read
Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2021
Verified Purchase
The book is an easy read. About a third of the way through you want to finish the book to see how it ends. The ending was not very well thought out in my opinion. I started the second book, but do not think it is worth the time.
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Ronald A. Barber
5.0 out of 5 stars Rob, keep 'em coming!
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2020
Verified Purchase
My only disappointment is that, thus far, there's only one more in the series!
I LOVE Trevor, Milly and the wonderful, eclectic cast of characters. Brilliant
and hilarious, too! Clever plot with Keystone Kops-like sub-plotting. Like
David Rosenfelt and Caimh McDonnell with their characters Andy Carpenter
and Bunny McGarry, Rob Johnson goes rocketing way up on my hit list of
favorites. These stories are like Cheetos. Just TRY eating one!
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars loved it
Reviewed in Canada on January 11, 2024
Verified Purchase
Another British amateur detective style, but this is an anti-hero. Keeps you guessing until the end. Great read. Loved it.
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Suzi Stembridge
5.0 out of 5 stars A truly clever plot, packed with humour and the most unexpected twists and turns.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 27, 2017
Verified Purchase
Trevor has never got along with his mother or to rephrase this he was never his mother’s favourite. But even Trevor, once married to Imelda until she disappeared, would never expect that his mother’s phone call to the police would drive his life, and that of his mongrel Molly, into such uncharted territory. Within the first five chapters we are introduced to characters named Lenny, and Carrot, and the Suit, so no prizes here for realising this lifting of the lid is to be on the murky channels of the underworld. But then Detective Sergeant Logan and Detective Constable Swann appear on the scene and there is never any doubt that he and she think they’ve got a case to prove. Sandra (can’t resist another slice of toast) Gray, Private Detective, isn’t aware either that she is going to become challenged more than she thought. So when the protagonists move from York to the Leeds Music Festival it is here that events hot up with MacFarland, Humpty and Delia keeping an eye on the lockers here, not to mention Patterson, ‘police? Something like that, Sir’, and his team Jarvis and Coleman. Tom Doyle with his slinky wife doesn’t seem exactly squeaky clean either although clearly on the side of the law along with Colin Statham. Perhaps with the introduction of Harry Vincent, his love Donna, his side kick Eddie, we catch onto the real baddies? The plaited threads of this brilliant tale are hard to review without giving a spoiler; and don’t mention Mr. Bracewell. All I can say is that this author creates brilliant suspense encased in serious humour! An excellent read.
2 people found this helpful
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MP
5.0 out of 5 stars great comedy detective novel
Reviewed in Australia on January 25, 2023
Verified Purchase
Brief review, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a light hearted read with a happy ending.

Twenty word minimum! That’s all folks.
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Snapdragon
3.0 out of 5 stars Aimiable
Reviewed in Australia on September 30, 2021
Verified Purchase
The plot of this is well constructed if unrealistic for comic effect and the characterisations pretty good. It’s a cosy kind of story that raises the odd smile.
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L.P. Philcox
4.0 out of 5 stars A well-crafted and witty crime novel
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 20, 2013
Verified Purchase
I loved the characters and plot of this very polished and fast-paced first novel by Rob Johnson. It has humour, great characterisation, and unpredictable yet wholly convincing twists and turns which meant I never lost my interest or commitment to the story and characters from first to last sentence. Well researched and unusually internally coherent book- really looking forward to the sequel/s
7 people found this helpful
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