bundy23's review
2.0
I'm sure a lot of people will like this but for me it just didn't work. My main problem was that I found it impossible to get over the fact that the book opens with our hero almost falling for a facebook "princess" scam and then spends the rest of the opening chapters appearing dumber and dumber but as the story moves along we're supposed to believe that he's actually Irelands greatest investigative journalist turned Irelands greatest P.I. who'd hired by the richest man in the world to find his missing daughter.
I just couldn't buy the plot and the "comedy" was dreadful.
I liked Inspector Clouseau as a kid but as an adult he was just fucking annoying. And so was this guy.
DNF. 50ish%.
I just couldn't buy the plot and the "comedy" was dreadful.
I liked Inspector Clouseau as a kid but as an adult he was just fucking annoying. And so was this guy.
DNF. 50ish%.
mhanlon's review
2.0
I was on a real Colin Bateman kick when I was younger… in the late nineties and early two-thousands. I blazed through _Divorcing Jack_, which was a revelation: I loved the narrative voice and the wild plot. Every time I entered a book store I would check first the 'A' section of the fiction shelves, and then proceed to the 'B' section for a new book by Mr. Bateman.
And Colin's recent resurgence on Kickstarter and Facebook got me back into his work, which I'd left, for whatever reason (maybe he simply stopped churning out books at a pace that kept up with my book store visits). I enjoyed his re-launched collection of short stories, _Dublin Express_, and, on the back of it, bought the audiobook of _Fire and Brimstone_, his latest book not financed by Kickstarter.
And there it was, suddenly, Dan Starkey, like some old buddy, back in the saddle. The voice was the same, after all he'd been through (near divorce, infidelity, by both himself and Trish, the death of their son, numerous beatings) and off he dove into a fresh adventure.
Almost immediately I was glad I'd given Dan a break for a number of years before tackling this book, I don't know that I could read them all back-to-back, because Dan is, intentionally, I believe, a pretty unsympathetic character. By the time I'd gotten halfway through I thought the plot was interesting enough, but an unease with the whole book began to settle over me. By the time he runs into his third (or so) bad guy I clocked it: the book feels like one long, drawn-out bad guy monologue. From Harry Frank, the drug dealer, from a high figure in a new cult on the streets of Belfast, from Trish, from Dan, himself, from the leader of the Botanic Boat Crew. They all take the stage, proclaim to the audience how they're going to do what they're going to do or why they're going to do it, and then exeunt, stage left. Except for Dan, who sticks around to chuck witty little quips in everyone's direction. More than anything else in the book, the tendency of the characters to wibble on a bit grated the most.
The action gets a little predictable, and if you've read any other Dan Starkey books you can probably guess the outcome and resolution to a few of the mysteries. But it's familiar turf to Bateman's readers, with Belfast getting a little drug and gang makeover, in lieu of sectarian violence, which is entertaining enough.
And Colin's recent resurgence on Kickstarter and Facebook got me back into his work, which I'd left, for whatever reason (maybe he simply stopped churning out books at a pace that kept up with my book store visits). I enjoyed his re-launched collection of short stories, _Dublin Express_, and, on the back of it, bought the audiobook of _Fire and Brimstone_, his latest book not financed by Kickstarter.
And there it was, suddenly, Dan Starkey, like some old buddy, back in the saddle. The voice was the same, after all he'd been through (near divorce, infidelity, by both himself and Trish, the death of their son, numerous beatings) and off he dove into a fresh adventure.
Almost immediately I was glad I'd given Dan a break for a number of years before tackling this book, I don't know that I could read them all back-to-back, because Dan is, intentionally, I believe, a pretty unsympathetic character. By the time I'd gotten halfway through I thought the plot was interesting enough, but an unease with the whole book began to settle over me. By the time he runs into his third (or so) bad guy I clocked it: the book feels like one long, drawn-out bad guy monologue. From Harry Frank, the drug dealer, from a high figure in a new cult on the streets of Belfast, from Trish, from Dan, himself, from the leader of the Botanic Boat Crew. They all take the stage, proclaim to the audience how they're going to do what they're going to do or why they're going to do it, and then exeunt, stage left. Except for Dan, who sticks around to chuck witty little quips in everyone's direction. More than anything else in the book, the tendency of the characters to wibble on a bit grated the most.
The action gets a little predictable, and if you've read any other Dan Starkey books you can probably guess the outcome and resolution to a few of the mysteries. But it's familiar turf to Bateman's readers, with Belfast getting a little drug and gang makeover, in lieu of sectarian violence, which is entertaining enough.
scotchneat's review
3.0
Short review. Not as fun as some of Bateman's other books, which I've enjoyed very much.
Poor Dan Starkey is somehow more inept with age, it seems. He's off chasing down a billionaire's missing daughter and dealing with attacks on the local abortion clinic.
Poor Dan Starkey is somehow more inept with age, it seems. He's off chasing down a billionaire's missing daughter and dealing with attacks on the local abortion clinic.
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