Blog tour: ‘Tinker, Tailor, Schoolmum, Spy’ by Faye Brann

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for ‘Tinker, Tailor, Schoolmum, Spy’ by Faye Brann.

Thanks to Random Things Tours and Harper Collins for my copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is published on 2nd September.

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From the Publisher:

Vicky Turnbull has never regretted giving up her career for family life in the suburbs. And apart from being outstandingly good at paintball, no one would ever know that in a past life she was an undercover spy and has been trained to kill a man with her bare hands. Not even her husband, and certainly not the other mums at the school gate.

But beneath the school runs and bake sales, Vicky had never quite said goodbye to the past. So, when a newcomer on the PTA sets alarms bells ringing and MI5 comes calling, she’s determined to prove that despite her expanding waistline and love of pink gin, she’s still every bit the cold-eyed special operative.

When the assignment gets uncomfortably close to home, Vicky must decide if she has got what the job takes after all, and if home is really where her heart is…

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My Review

I can thank the Comedy Women in Print Prize for bringing me to this book. When I heard that this won their award for an unpublished novel in 2020, I knew I had to sign up for the blog tour.

I am so pleased I did.

This is the story of Vicky Turnbull, a forty-something mum whose usual stomping ground is the school run, PTA meetings and the mums’ night out. However, she has a dramatic past as a spy…something that even her husband doesn’t know about.

When she is called back to spy on some new parents at the school, it seems that her past and present will collide – but does Vicky have what it takes to complete her mission when her family risk being caught up in the middle?

This novel will be instantly relatable to anyone who is familiar with Vicky’s world – parents and carers who share her weary over-familiarity with the workings of the school community will recognise a lot here. The school mum types, the bureaucracy of school committees, the parenting shortcuts – it’s all in this novel!

At the novel’s heart, Vicky is a likeable heroine – she is clearly caught up in a desire to have a life and career separate to her family, something that a lot of working parents struggle with. Her dilemma is explored sympathetically as she tries to operate professionally while also protecting her family and keeping her home life on track.

What I really enjoyed about the novel was the fact that female friendship was central. The characters – who start as immediately recognisable school mum stereotypes – become more rounded and the relationships more nuanced as the plot progresses.

As well as the comic central premise – the unconventional juggling of the personas of mum and spy – the book is gently humorous throughout. There is plenty of warmth and wit in the treatment of the characters – plus the plotting adds lots of tension and some moments of genuine peril. Both the humour and the excitement kept me reading avidly!

Brann manages the premise well – I was concerned that the humour might be at the expense of schoolmums, but actually this is an affectionate portrait of parenting. Indeed, being a mum is not seen as the consolation prize for not having the glamorous career – the struggle to have both is a real challenge for Vicky and parenting throws up as many difficulties as being a spy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and would recommend it as a light and fun read. If you have/have had school age children, you’ll recognise a lot here – even if your murky past doesn’t include a stint as a spy! There are some lovely messages about working parenthood, female friendship, family life and a lot more in here – all wrapped up with lots of warm humour.

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About the Author

Faye grew up in Essex before running away to drama school. She worked in the West End as a stage carpenter but decided to get a ‘proper job’, for reasons which are still unclear but may have been influenced by Rachel from Friends. After a decade working her way to the heady heights of middle management, Faye met her husband and moved to Dubai where she ditched corporate life for good in favour of having a baby, performing improvised comedy, and gaining an MA from Falmouth University.

Now back in London with her family, Faye divides her time between performing in musicals with her local theatre company and working as a freelance copyeditor, but her real passion is for writing novels about (and for) kick-ass middle aged women. Her first novel, ‘Tinker, Tailor, Schoolmum, Spy’, won the Comedy Women in Print Unpublished Prize in 2020.

Keep in touch with Faye on Twitter and Instagram @writerfaye