Having seen Bob Mortimer tell yarns many times on TV, I anticipated that this novel would be written in the same style as his verbal stories. It sure was! In my head I could hear him talking aloud.

The story is about the unremarkable Gary Thorn, who meets a girl in a pub after his mate leaves early. She suddenly disappears without saying goodbye and, although Gary doesn’t even know her name, he remembers the name of the book she was reading – The Satsuma Complex – and decides to find her.

This is where typical Mortimer style kicks in. Gary takes a meandering path to tracking down the woman he’s decided to fall for, and becomes involved in something larger than he’s anticipated.

Note: high squirrel content! 😁

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster (Australia) for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Gary is a hopeless muggins working as a low-level solicitor. One night, he reluctantly meets up with a work acquaintance, Brendan, for a drink. After Brendan leaves, Gary chats up a good-looking girl, who also leaves without giving him her name.

Then Gary learns that Brendan has been murdered, and he is the last one to see him alive. The girl becomes his alibi, but he doesn't know who she is or how to contact her.

Mortimer spins this out into a cozy murder mystery that relies a bit to much on handy coincidences like Gary's ancient neighbour being a computer whiz. There are flashes of Mortimer's humour, especially in Gary's conversations with a squirrel, but not enough to rescue this from being a very ordinary mystery novel.

I could not love this man more. What an absolutely pleasure to read a crime story from the mind of Bob Mortimer. This is everything you'd expect from Bob -- it's absurd, silly, laugh out loud hilarious, and delightfully sweet. I wanted more (please be more). The mystery is super simple and unfolds in a clever and compelling way. The cast of gleefully ridiculous characters are a joy to spend time with, including (and especially) the squirrel that acts as the main character's conscience in a truly inspired device.. I loved it so so much.

This is like a little miracle - Bob Mortimer has somehow translated his amazing way with words in stand up comedy into a thoroughly readable and really well structured mystery. It reminded me a bit of Elinor Oliphant in that the characters are funny and quirky but also kind of heartbreaking. You can’t help but care what happens to them. And, as I said, it offers a really strong mystery as the central plot. I loved this. Bob Mortimer has proven his worth as a fiction author, on top of everything else he does!