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After an undercover case looking into the Irish Republican Army (the IRA) goes horrifically wrong in Belfast, detective Martin Murphy finds himself back on the job in London, tasked with infiltrating a criminal gang of diamond thieves, whose cover is running an undertaker business. This Colin Bateman read seemed a lot more adult than his usual stuff, and I found myself really wanting to know how it all turned out. 7 out of 12. If anyone is wondering why I read so many Bateman's it's because they...
This book feels like a sequel. There are so many allusions to previous events that I spent the first twenty chapters feeling that I'd missed out on something important, and worrying that the reason I didn't like the main character was because I didn't have the full picture. Eventually, I worked out that he just wasn't very likeable. Not necessarily a fatal flaw - I loved Mystery Man - but, combined with a plot that's a bit lacklustre and some unmemorable villains (I had to re-read the introducto...
An excellent read. Straight in, no kissing. Bateman's style in this is quickfire, nonsense-free. The narrator curses and opines, dumps you in a car boot, and drives you somewhere nasty, with no ostentatious word-faffery to ruin a quality story.
what an unexpected random treasure. I loved it.
Have read most of his books and can't remember all exactly - just that I have never been let down and have enjoyed Mr Bateman's writing immensely
I believe in all things Bateman. Murphy is a tragic mess of a cop trapped undercover with a grand gang of psychos. Highly recommended!
Detective Jimmy Murphy has been given one last chance. After a terrible experience working undercover in Northern Ireland, he's in London, and about to fail another psychological assessment. While his life spirals out of control, his boss sends him back undercover to expose a gang of diamond thieves who have just burnt a security guard alive. As he gets closer to the gang's leader, Murphy realises their plans are more ambitious - and more deadly - than anyone expected...Enjoyed it kept seeing Ja...
This was more fun to read than I expected, having seen trailers for the tv series and not fancying it at all. The story centres around an Irish undercover policeman living in London. There is a quite a touching backstory about the loss of his son and divorce from his wife. There are too many wisecracks for my personal taste but I enjoyed the gangland plot and thought it worked well in terms of balance and pacing.
A very readable farce. Not deep, not laugh out loud funny, but amusing in a droll kind of way. It's impossible to think of Murphy without seeing James Nesbitt, and the character was written for him. Belfast born, gift of the gab, gets into scrapes but always finds a way out, and usually with a clever line too.
This was a good book with Bateman's wicked sense of humour and a few twists and turns put in to surprise, but throughout the book, I was just wishing I was reading about journalist Dan Starkey instead of Detective Martin Murphy.
Really disappointed in this book. I'm currently working my way through all of his books having read one about 10 years back and not thinking much more of it. (Horse with my name)I've also recently borrowed the entire Murphy's Law TV series having missed the original run.This is a crime novel by someone who clearly knows little about crime. The plot is far fetched beyond belief. Now I know that we are not meant to take Bateman's characters too seriously, but the holes in this plot and its diverge...
I can't seem to remember much about it though it's been only a couple of weeks since I read it. I remember the funny main character though - the guy in pain who somehow seems awesome. Funny, well written.
Whilst this seems like another Northern Irish story of violence, the poignancy of Murphy's loss of his son in retribution for thwarting the IRA and subsequent loss of his marriage, paint a different story. I found myself wanting him to stop hurting and move on from his losses.
As far as thrillers go ... this isn't one of the best, but still a decent timepass book - which could be categorized as a great holiday or bedtime read!
I loved this book. Wonderfully well written and very funny.
Great story but poorly written.....