This is a strangely compelling read: strange because I didn’t like any of the characters but still wanted to know what happened to them. The story moves along at a cracking pace and is very well written, (though not quite Wodehouse standards). I think it would make a great book club choice; providing a lot of points for discussion - how far would you go for someone you loved?

I found this book slow to start with but once the pace picked up I really enjoyed the characters and style of writing. This isn't a book you can read if your busy, it requires your attention and has lots of detail that won't make sense if you get distracted.

The Kellerby Code tells the story of Edward, who faces difficulties fitting into a wealthy world and dealing with his two rather spoilt and unsavoury friends, leading ultimately, to his unraveling. The book explores themes of loneliness, the struggle to belong, and the extremes people resort to in order to avoid their authentic selves.
It’s a bit of a slow start but stick with it!

I was sent an advance proof copy of The Kellerby Code by Jonny Sweet to read and review by NetGalley. I wasn’t too sure about this novel to begin with as I didn’t particularly like any of the characters and I didn’t identify with any of the backgrounds and lifestyles of them. However, the further into the book I got the more invested I became. There are plenty of twists and turns and moments of both disbelief and urgency to keep you reading more. Not the best novel I have ever read but definitely worth 4 stars!

I don’t like giving negative feedback at all, so what I will say is that this book is extremely well written , but unfortunately it’s just not for me. On the face of it it seemed like something I would enjoy , but sadly not ; maybe it was my frame of mind at the time .

Edward is a gentle giant who feels inferior and awkward around his posh friends Robert and Stanza from university days. He thus bends over back to help his friends to keep in with them . This occupies alarge part of the book without much of substance happening. In his past there was a fatal incident that he is embarrassed about but as the book progresses the reader starts to wonder if it was an accident or not. The storyline is fairly sensible for two thirds of the book but becomes outright bonkers in the last third when Edward needs to travel unseen from Kellerby house in the middle of the night. I would have preferred it to be bonkers all the time or not at all. I was not sure how the book would end and was surprised by it. Perhaps i simply don’t understand it but it didn’t make sense to me for Edward to take the actions he instigated after Robert had answered his questions in a way that i thought would satisfy Edward. The novel didn’t grab me but has not put me off reading more from this author.

I just reviewed The Kellerby Code: 'Magnificent.' Richard Osman by Jonny Sweet. #TheKellerbyCode #NetGalley

I’m really sorry but I just couldn’t get into this book at all. It sounded great in the description but it fell very flat. Very disjointed and didn’t “flow” at all.

Worse than that, you just couldn’t engage or connect with any of the characters.

I found this book really slow at the start, and I got a bit confused with the characters, none of whom I could take to or get invested in. I’m sorry to say I could not finish it and gave up, just not a book for me. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this early copy.

I actually really enjoyed reading this. It took quite a while to get into it. It was a very slow starter and I found the beginning quite confusing, but then I got sucked right in. I really enjoy reading complex characters that don't quite fit in any mold.
None of the characters are particularly endearing. They are smug, entitled and just full of their own self importance. Completely out of touch with the real world. But I still was gripped.
The ending was especially satisfying.

Edward Jevons likes to please. He covers up his humble origins by helping his aristocratic chums in small ways.
What he doesn't see is the contempt in their voices as they refer to him as "Jeeves" or the "doormat"

He has a dark secret from his school days.
When his friend Robert asks him for the ultimate failure he doesn't hesitate.

I couldn't find any sympathy for any of the characters in this book but others may be able to do so.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Faber & Faber Publishing for the chance to read and review this book

I’m afraid I was disappointed by the lack of mystery in the story and found the small cast of characters very uninteresting and rather two dimensional. Obviously not a book for me.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley

A very intriguing read, it feels like it could be set in a very different time, but is clearly up to date.
That may be because the attitudes and behaviour of people who feel entitled to a certain lifestyle, have been to the right schools and are from the right backgrounds, have not changed that much.
On the surface it's a country house crime thriller, but with something very much darker and more disturbing underneath.
Yet you can't help but root for Edward, if only because everyone else is even more flawed than he is.

***advance review copy received from NetGalley in return for an honest review***
A book whose synopsis threatens a Mr Ripley esque story, but that’s not the tale to be told here. Our main character is somewhat pitiful, he exists on the edge of where he wants to be but has no understanding of why - or even really of his true place.
I was expecting that the story would evolve the character and for him to gain more awareness of his situation, but I’m not sure that ever really happens - perhaps that is the story that Sweet wants to tell.
I think personally I would have preferred a main character who takes more decisive action, but I’d still be keen to read more from Sweet if and when he publishes more.

Sweet is clearly a talented and funny writer, but perhaps his style is more suited to shorter form work.

I found The Kellerby Code's prose hard to follow - it's lovingly written, and you can tell the author has pored over every sentence. But unfortunately that makes it a bit of a slog to read, and I must confess I gave up and DNF.

The tone strives for PG Wodehouse but it lacks that author's nimble storytelling touch, I think.

While it's clear Sweet can craft an amazing sentence, I'm not sure that's enough to write a great novel.

I'm really not sure who would enjoy this book.

The Kellerby Code follows Edward, and he is trying to cope living in a world that he can’t afford. In a hope of hiding the shame of his birth and his violent past, he tries to blend in by catering to all of his friends' needs, anything to keep his two best friends, Robert and Stanza, happy. But it all starts to unravel, when he finds out that Stanza, someone he has strong feelings for, is with Robert. And now new problems arise as Edward’s past comes back to haunt him in new ways. We follow the story through a couple of months, from June through to November as everything seems to spiral out of control.

Unfortunately, this was hard to follow in places. Early on in the book I had no real idea or understanding of when The Kellerby Code was set. It had an old timey Downton Abbey vibe, and then all of a sudden characters were whipping out mobile phones. I found this very distracting and off-putting, but only to begin with. Once I had a clearer understanding of this books vibes and setting I was able to sit back a lot more relaxed and enjoy it.

Also, on that same vein, when the pacing picked up, whether through action sequences or a high tense conversation, I found it hard to follow. And in quite a few instances I had to re-read through certain passages to have any understanding of what just happened. But, I have a theory for this and I will explain later on (actually in the good points - so stick around!).

Majority of the characters I did not like at all. I found that, for the most part, they were vain and obnoxious. But I think that for the most part this was intentional. They were all from wealthy backgrounds, entitled upbringings and it was everything that Edward idolised. It's just that this caused me not to care about them, they were just dislikable.

And now, let’s talk about what I liked, and I shall begin with the point that I have already teased about. So while I already said that I found it hard to follow in places, and having to reread sections to understand what just happened, I fully believe that this was intentional. And this is because, early on, you get a sense that not everything is well with Edward. He clearly has some internal demons and a form of mental illness, possibly even as severe as a form of schizophrenia. Now while these passages were hard to follow, it is clear while reading through them that the disjointed aspect was there in part to serve as an indicator that Edward is not well. And I thought that it was done really well, once I understood why it was done this way. Added to that is Plum, Edwards imaginary friend that tries to escalate matters by making suggestions to Edward, disguised as trying to help out and support Edward through the more difficult situations that he finds himself in.

The plot of The Kellerby Code was great. Following Edward who clearly is trying so hard to fit in and wanting so much to be in his friends lives (Stanza and a little bit Robert), that he finds himself in awkward situations where he doesn’t quite know how he got there or what to do about it going forward. It was also a great look into the class system of the UK and how much Edward wanted to fit in and other people's thoughts and opinions on the matter that helps show how disjointed Edward is from the reality of it.

Now, while The Kellerby Code is a dark comedy novel from comedian Jonny Sweet, it isn't necessarily a laugh out loud read, a lot of the time there wasn't much humour to be had but when it was there it was fun. The humour mostly came through in the situations that Edward found himself in. Sometimes fueling his awkwardness, not knowing what best to do with himself to best blend in and fighting with the desire to be of help to his friends. The comedy aspect was deftly handled and brilliantly blended together to lift up the darker scenes and stopped them from being overdramatic. While the comedy wasn't making me laugh out loud, it did make it much more enjoyable to read.

Overall, this was a great read and one I would recommend to fans of dark comedy with some murder mayhem to see you through. This is definitely one that I will be picking up again for another read some time in the future. Hopefully picking up more of the story, the more subtle hints to Edwards psychosis and anything more that The Kellerby Code has to offer, and I am sure there is more to be had.

Captivating crime comedy.
Immensely enjoyable and immersive with razor sharp dark humour. Superb dialogue and plot.
Well-developed compelling characters including several obnoxious elitists. The story follows the ups and downs of the main character, Edward, who is a fawning fantasist people pleaser running errands for two arrogant spolit rich kids who use him. As the story unfolds Edward's darker side is revealed as he navigates several impossible situations. A wild roller coaster ride with plenty of cringeworthy and laugh out loud moments.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.