Enlightenment and the Death of Michael Mouse

Tommy Spitz, the anti-hero of Sawdust Caesar is back! This time he is on the run from murderous London thugs and the police after viciously assaulting a stranger. In a desperate attempt to escape, Spitz embarks on an epic pilgrimage from the grimy streets of London to the back alleys of Istanbul, Tehran, Kabul and Karachi. En route, Spitz finds himself questioning his life and the values by which he lives. He discards his mohair suit for the more ragged apparel of the seasoned traveller, picks up a copy of the Bhagavad Gita, and heads East in scarch of Enlightenment. Of course, nothing comes casy to the true pilgrim. Before he realises what is happening, Spitz finds himself drawn into the machinations of the underworld thanks to his old mate and temporary travelling companion, Frankie. Escaping from a web of corruption in Istanbul, Spitz finally heads East alone. What he finds is far beyond his wildest imaginings and a world away from the hashish dens and drug culture associated with the hippy overland traveller. The turmoil of pre-revolution Iran, and the hippy communes of Afghanistan, all leave their mark on our jaded hero.
However, it is not until Spitz reaches Karachi that he finally finds his guru - but the message received from this naked old man is so shocking and unexpected that Spitz's world collapses. Saved by a timely journey back to Europe, he once again - against all calculations and plans - finds himself in Istanbul preparing to face the consequences of his relationship with Frankie and the Turkish mobsters with whom he had earlier been embroiled. Enlightenment and the Death of Michael Mouse is a pacey travelogue, an entertaining and insightful examination of our need for self-justification and ultimately a coming-of-age story which sees Spitz leave London as a teenage thug and return as a man prepared to take responsibility for his actions. It is both an intelligent sequel to Baker's acclaimed first novel, Sawdust Ceasar, and a facinating book in its own right.