Beating the Devil

Description An eventually uplifting tale of one man's battle to overcome depression, or 'The Devil' as the author calls it. As Kris Kristofferson wrote in one of his most memorable songs:- 'You see the devil haunts a hungry man, If you wanna beat him, you have to join him. I ain't saying I beat the devil, but I drank his beer for nothing. Along this rollercoaster of a ride we are introduced to the Gascon version of Arthur Daley, the charismatic ex-paratrooper Pierre Lagaillarde and the Nigerian generals; as well as being involved in la guerre d'Algérie and the War on Terror. We also hear about the numerous health advantages of foie gras and the Gascon way of life, the Planet under Stress, Van Morrison and last but not least the life-saving qualities of both Prozac and landscape. About the Author Simon Turner was born in 1948 and lives in Sudbury, Suffolk. He is a former Chartered Surveyor who had, in his own words, 'a notably undistinguished career in property'. He was also an aubergiste and agent immobilier in France for seven years between 1989 and 1996 until he was overcome by 'The Devil'. On recovering he did 'six years penance' as a Private Hire Driver. His first book 'The Waiting Game' was a novel ostensibly based on those experiences but in hindsight he now realizes was more about total mental decomposition.