Whilst on holiday recently I whipped out my kindle and re read Dudes Down Under by my good friend Suzannah Burke. You may remember she wrote Empty Chairs and Faint Echoes of Laughter which told of her life from childhood. I cried through Empty Chairs because of the injustice of her young childhood - prostituted by her mother at four years old. However I laughed again 'til tears ran down my face at Dudes Down Under.

Here is part of my review ....

Sun sea sex euthopia and a talking croc, 

Every so often as reviewers we pick up a book and just know from the first chapter the huge potential of having a block buster in our hands. I cried tears in bucket loads at this writers two autobiographies and I cried tears of laughter all the way through Dudes Down Under. How versatile can a writer get but Suzannah Burke does it seamlessly.

Take a private, tropical island set up to pander to every whim, needed by the elite of the world. They are happy to pay whatever it costs for their luxurious privacy. (I could almost smell the lush tropical foliage through the pages.) Add the staff who will go to the ends of the earth to support the owner in her endeavours. Then add Cyril the crocodile, who seems to be able to read human thoughts and has been raised by humans since he was an egg. Bring in Skeet (short for mosquito) who panders to every whim of Cyril, including reading him a bedtime story, plying him with beer and Jack Daniels if he's really lucky. Dressing him in his favourite colour clothes, including sun hat and shirt with Velcro for ease of dressing. Then bring in a love match for him called Sadie(he's at that adolescent age and needs a mate)

This idyll is running just perfect and even the guests enter into the spirit of things with Cyril once they get used to him. He's a crocodile that constantly burps and farts, takes a teddy to bed with him, and his favourite music is Some Enchanted Evening. Have you ever seen a crocodile swaying in time and in rhythm? Well Cyril does and with style as well.

Then the cyclone strikes !! No one is too concerned as contingency plans are in place, BUT some guests are missing and suddenly everything starts to change....
How could you not be enchanted by Cyril? So here's your chance and this is where you can find him on Amazon UK

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_10?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=dudes+down+under&sprefix=dudes+down%2Cstripbooks%2C148&rh=n%3A266239%2Ck%3Adudes+down+under&ajr=0

Here he is on Amazon US

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_10?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=dudes+down+under&sprefix=dudes+down%2Cstripbooks%2C163

Enjoy the read it's so cheap at the moment.