Local Author David M Golden was in conversation with local historian and radio presenter Carl Chinn on Radio WM last Sunday.

Inspirational local historian and all-round nice bloke David Hodgkinson recently contacted me to point out that former local lad, top lawyer and author David M Golden had appeared on Carl Chinn’s radio show last Sunday, 4th March 2012.You will no doubt remember that David, an ex pupil of Brownhills Central Boy’s School and specialist Fraud Lawyer, gave a presentation to Brownhills Library Reading Group last November. His work is continuing to sell well, and is very enjoyable.

I took the liberty of recording David on the show from BBC iPlayer, so readers could enjoy it too. The chap speaks well for himself, as you would expect, but also appears to be a funny, gentle, self-effacing chap with a good sense of humour. Please do listen.

Sorry about the pops and crackles, but they’re present in the iPlayer recording, which is pretty poor, really. I’d have thought the BBC could have generated a decent quality stream, but it would seem not.

Brownhills Central School old boy proves them wrong

Beating the language barrier to the top.

Specialist fraud lawyer from Brownhills writes comic novel about a Black Country boy becoming a barrister despite his accent and dialect.

In the 60’s, the author went to Brownhills Central School for Boys. That’s not quite rural, not quite the Black Country and not quite Birmingham. It may explain the confused love life and career of Izaak Gatehouse, the hero of his second comedy novel The Case Is Open. The newly qualified barrister struggles with the language of love, the language of the law but worst of all the problems of “spaking” Black Country in the centre of Birmingham, not to mention rural Warwickshire.

When David M. Golden was at Brownhills Central School most of the pupils were expected to go straight to the factories or the pits, he was aiming to qualify in law. He still remembers when a careers advice officer said “Of course you will never qualify”. Well he did and “The Case Is Open” is his second comedy novel about how it happened — (allegedly).

Since the 1980’s David has specialised in the conduct of complex and serious criminal cases. The careers advice officer would be very shocked to learn that David is not only conducting major criminal cases but he is also turning his hand to creating stories that are laugh aloud funny, totally absurd and yet technically believable.

David M. Golden’s comic novels may be stories of lost love and the law but there is also a minor battle being fought. The rivalry between Birmingham and the Black Country folk matters to Izaak Gatehouse. Mocking and in return being mocked by the people of Birmingham seems to be the main occupation of the Black County hero of “The Case Is Open”.

The Case Is Open ISBN: 9781843869115 is in paperback and it is published by Vanguard Press priced at £8.99. Copies are also available from Downes Newsagent, Brownhills; Waterstone’s, Walsall and most online retailers.

Available from all good bookshops, and from Downes Newsagents in Brownhills. Bag a copy now!