Take the slap-stick farce of a 1950’s Ealing comedy and update it with a generous portion of risqué humour – this is the laugh-out-loud comedy novel by Donald Wightman. The Bridgnorth writer used his own on-train experiences to create his story. ‘I set out to devise an original plot packed with humour and quirky characters. My own railway industry knowledge provided the ideal platform for this hilarious, read-between-the-lines comedy novel, Bland Encounter. With a heritage railway on my own doorstep, a trip along its meandering route would inevitably fire-up my imagination and help me to create new ways of thickening the plot.’ Woven through with gentle humour as well as outbreaks of pure farce, Bland Encounter features an off-the-wall main character surrounded by a host of amusing supporting roles. Dave Bland is a man struggling to make a new life after the break up of his marriage. The middle-aged train manager turns to an internet dating site and soon gets embroiled in intrigue. Is the mysterious Galina a high-class hooker, a hit woman or simply a lady looking for love? When she arrives in the UK, he invites her into his home, but complications arise when Galina’s niece appears on the scene. A sex-trade worker down on her luck, Irina needs a place to stay. With money tight, old habits die hard, so Dave formulates a plan for Irina and her colleagues to target Trainspotters who are due in town for a special steam weekend. Chaos ensues when members of a rival steam railway try to sabotage the event. The mayhem increases when a train wrecks a nearby Safari Park. Order is eventually restored, but the consequences prove crucial for the people involved.