The Life Assistance Agency finds itself at a loss after returning from Europe. Ben is determined to stay away from anything involving Angels when the phone rings to invite them to write the biography of a self-deluded singer from defunct rave group Elev-8.

At his mansion in Sussex, they meet the singer’s right-hand man, Billy `blind’ Fury, a retired wrestler, and his beautiful secretary Amber. Both of whom have plans for the Life Assistance Agency far beyond writing down half-recalled anecdotes from the early 90s pop charts…

Unfinished Business is the second novel featuring the Life Assistance Agency. When you’re in trouble whatever you do, don’t give them a call…

Belief in an afterlife drifts from many places. It blows in upon Saharan winds, and from the rear seats of family estate cars when you’re too old to be in a family, but too young for your own. It arrives born from desperation, boredom, hope and naivety, but mostly it comes from darkness requiring light. Mystical bodies stride boldly at night; it’s when shadows need banishment and loneliness sting deep… From Mirrors and Lies by Ben Ferguson-Cripps

There are a number of pitfalls to avoid when setting up a life assistance agency. Firstly, avoid getting stuck in a lift. Requiring your own assistance has the kudos of a safebreaker requiring a locksmith a poor look. Nonetheless, Scott gave Keith from Otis Lifts our Life Assistance Agency business card. It was going to take more than twenty minutes stuck in an elevator to dent his optimism.

“Thanks,” said Keith, as the card disappeared into a pocket it was unlikely to emerge from again. As we finally stepped out the lift, he asked whom we were visiting.

“The Fortean Times,” said Scott proudly. “We’re being interviewed.” He looked at his watch. “We’rem late.”

It was actually my interview but guessed it unlikely that Keith was interested in the details.

“I thought they’d moved offices,” Keith replied.

“Been abducted have they?” Scott joked, but the lift doors had already closed on Keith. He had rescued us and not laughed when given our business card; for that alone Keith deserved twice whatever he was being paid.

We had called Robin from the Fortean Times lift to make our excuses for being late. The interview had not been my idea and I had cleverly disguised my irritation that Scott had arranged it when he informed me the previous day. “You did what?” I had glared at him. “You didn’t think I’d mind? Arranging an interview with a magazine read by more nuts than spanners…” A dustcart reversing into Hanway Street censored the rest of my sentence.

“It’s a good promotion,” Scott argued.

“It promotes us as fools, which, by the way, thanks to your card, we already appear to be.”

“Ben, you can see angels…”

“Apparently so, and angles.” I tapped our business card. He had ordered replacements, but I wasn’t going to let him off his spelling mistake that easily.

“No one’s going to believe what happened in Prague, apart from the readers of this,” I said, swatting our office fly with an old issue of the Fortean Times.

“Which is why we’re talking to them and not the Financial Times.” “Not we. Me.”

Apparently, the article would find us new customers, those more ‘appreciative of our services’. Up to now, our audience had been children laughing at us negotiating Oxford Street strapped to the Life Assistance advertising sandwich board. I was more concerned about children being in the West End.

“Cancel it,” I said. “I’m not talking to them.”

The Fortean Times had reviewed my first book Mirror and Lies with a level of criticism now banned under the Human Rights Act and I wasn’t chomping at the bit to rekindle our romance.

Thomas Hocknell was brought up in Kent. He knew the distance to central London from the foot of his childhood bed and moved there the first moment he could 23 years ago. He has been writing music reviews for Record Collector, The Metro, Classic Pop, BBC and Line of Best Fit while also practising as a mental health social worker. He completed the Faber Academy course and published his debut, The Life Assistance Agency, in late 2016.

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