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all started back in February when some sixty-odd crime writers across
the globe received a mysterious proposition. Would we be interested in
participating in a unique project with a major car manufacturer? Now,
I'm a bit of a petrolhead, so I got my agent to make further inquiries.
When I heard that the car maker in question was BMW MINI, I was interested.
I've driven BMWs for ten years now, so I knew the quality of engineering
involved. And when I was a kid, my dad had a succession of MINIs, so I
have a great sentimental attachment to the marque. Eventually, they whittled
the shortlist down to six and they sent a couple of people over from Munich
to take me to lunch, presumably to check whether I could do up the buttons
on my shirt correctly and eat with a fork and knife. They must have liked
what they saw, for I ended up as the writer of choice on MISSION MINI.
So what
exactly is this strange creature, MISSION MINI? It's a car launch with
a difference. A huge difference. Instead of draping blondes over the
bonnet or taking motoring writers up a twisty mountain road to show
off the MINI Cooper S, MINI decided they wanted to do something that
would represent the spirit of MINI - contemporary, fun, international,
stylish and witty. So they hit on the idea of an interactive detective
story.
Here's
how it works. I've written the opening section of a novel which introduces
the reader to Sam Cooper, an investigator with a mysterious past, who
now lives in Barcelona. He's persuaded by Susana Bradman, a beautiful
gallery owner, to investigate the mysterious theft of six original photomontages.
(These have been created especially for MISSION MINI by American artist
Peter Halley.) We follow Sam as he opens his investigation. We discover
who the five main suspects are, and we dog Sam's footsteps as he digs
into their background and interviews them. The novel ends with a cliffhanger,
and Sam's realisation that he can't continue this investigation alone.
He needs help.
This is
where the readers come in. The novel is being distributed in hard copy
as a magazine supplement in the participating countries. But you can
also download it from the website, www.MissionMINI.com
as well as finding out much, much more about the background to the investigation.
There you'll see photos of the suspects, Sam's dossier, and lots of
other fun stuff. And if you like what you see, you can apply to take
part in MISSION MINI. There's an application on the back page of the
novel, but you can also apply online.
So what
do you have to do? Well, the lucky 80 investigators will be flown to
Barcelona and put up in the fabulous Arts Hotel, which is one of the
world's finest. There, you'll be split into teams of four. Each team
will have a MINI Cooper S. You'll have time to orientate yourself in
Barcelona, and you'll learn how to stunt drive at a special driver training
centre. And then you'll have forty-eight hours to uncover the thief
and find the stolen art works.
The cars
come with PDAs with internet access, mobile phones and GPS, just to
make the job that much easier. And the investigators will have an office
base where they can mull over what they've learned and brainstorm their
conclusions.
It's going
to be an amazing experience. There will be stunt drivers demonstrating
the most extreme examples of the MINI Cooper S's capabilities. And I'll
be there, resisting all bribes to reveal the ending. So check out the
website right now, and climb aboard MISSION MINI, I promise, it'll be
an amazing ride.
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