The Beauty of Truth by Bruno Bouchet is published by Arrow at £6.99 WHAT would happen if, without reason, you undeniably became the most beautiful person in world?

Would it make people sit up and listen to you, more eager to applaud ideas which were previously dismissed?

That is the idea explored in this, Bruno Bouchet's first novel.

The Beauty of Truth is an amusing tale which takes Mark Boyd, Mr Average, and turns him into an Adonis.

Suddenly, his views make people sit up and listen, his career makes a meteoric rise to dizzy new heights, and beautiful women queue up to be with him.

While women worship him and most men want to be associated with him, jealously brews, evoking feelings of pure hatred among some.

Bouchet's characters are larger than life creating a funny tale of love, intrigue and morality.

He takes a seed of a basic idea and allows it to grow and grow. The story races along at a pace that keeps the reader well and truly hooked.

It is a story which makes the reader chuckle all the way through while wondering what is going to happen next.

For a first novel, Bouchet displays an obvious talent for storytelling and a flair for comedy -- all written in a distinctive style that makes The Beauty of Truth a joy to read.

Beverly Greenberg