It is common, even in the worst of books (of which this is the epitome) to find the author embarking on passages of purple prose. So you might find, for example, a passage like, "the town clung to hillside, a maze of streets darting through the mist".
On the other hand, even the most infantile writers remember that while their narrative can be as flowery as they like, in dialogue, people usually speak in a register which is representative of their class, situation and relationship to the listener. So you'd find: "Cor blimey, gov! You gave me right fright and no mistake", gasped the chimney sweep. "I say, sorry about that, old bean", replied Raffles, unperturbedly.
Colin Forbes is… Read more
