A Wee Review - Dr Yes by Colin Bateman

DR. YES is the third in the Mystery Man series of books that feature No Alibis Bookstore in Belfast. Picking up where Day of the Jack Russell left off, the still nameless protagonist invites unholy chaos into his life when he allows a shaken and seemingly unhinged crime fiction writer to take cover in his shop. Augustine Wogan, a critically acclaimed scribe lost to obscurity, believes that Dr Yes, a plastic surgeon based in Belfast, is responsible for the death of his wife. And a grisly turn of events soon convinces the mystery man and his pregnant girlfriend/sidekick that there may be more to this case than the ramblings of a confused author.

Bateman maintains his knack for creating a great story enhanced by the kind of comic genius that is guaranteed to make the most dour reader laugh out loud. As the series develops so does the protagonists lists of physical and mental hypochondriacal foibles. But he is forced to overcome his obstacles by the allure of another mystery. And so, pregnant girl wonder in tow, Belfast's premiere private eye and bookseller is back in business. DR. YES is that oh so Northern Irish mix of the bleak and comedic that has become a hallmark of Bateman's work. Another winner.

A History of the Paperbacks (accordin’ to the Times)

An interesting article from The Times Online the other day gave a brief history of the paperback in all its money-saving glory. It concluded with a paragraph on the perception of how the e-reader or Kindle may eventually replace it. The writer seemed to doubt that this may happen, but who knows what the future will hold, eh?

Sit down, Nostradamus.

Anyway, if you click on the link, you’ll also find a list of the top fifty paperbacks as judged by a triumvirate of Times-type folk. Only two of the fifty actually feature on my bookshelf, though. Bateman’s Mystery Man and The Reapers by John Connolly. I wonder if I should construct my own top fifty... Mightn’t be worth the effort. I mean, it’s not like I’m in a position to offer a cash prize to the top three or anything. Still, might mean more to the average CSNI reader, legion that you are.

Dial 64888 for MYSTERY

Edit 18/11/11 -- This number no longer works as described below. Apparently the number has now been hi-jacked for scam purposes. Thanks to the anonymous commenter who brought it to my attention.

Heard it through the grapevine that you can get chapter one of Mystery Man sent to your mobile by texting MYSTERY to 64888. I tried it out myself and it's kosher. Why not have a wee go yourself? Kind of funky to have one of the funniest opening chapters in Northern Irish crime fiction stored on your phone.

I assume this only works if you have a UK mobile phone.

Edit -- Skip over to Declan Burke's Crime Always Pays for a number that works in the Republic of Ireland.

The Book of No Alibis

So, Mystery Man. Bloody great book. The funniest Bateman has written to date. For more of my opinions on this book, see my review in the post below. By the looks of things, it’s going to be his most successful book to date. There’s been a real flurry of promotional activity in the last couple of days.

Just yesterday, it happened to be one of the rare occasions where I stayed late at work. So I caught Arts Extra on BBC Radio Ulster on the way home. Quite fortuitous, because David Torrans who owns No Alibis in Belfast was on the show talking about Mystery Man, which is largely based in his shop. This was cool for two reasons. One, because I love to hear Northern Irish crime fiction discussed on the radio. Two, because Crime Scene NI got a mention. They even read out a comment Stuart Neville had made on my Mystery Man review. You can catch the whole interview on Listen Again. I think it’s the second or third piece (about fifteen minutes in).

Bateman himself will attend readings galore. There was one tonight in Bangor Library. Tomorrow night at seven, he’ll read at No Alibis. And on Monday at six, he’ll read with Gene Kerrigan at the Black Box in Belfast. Great stuff! I’ll be at the No Alibis one.

But here, there’s more. And this is VERY good news for Bateman. He’s made it onto a list of eight books that will only get the Richard and Judy treatment. This is akin to an American writer catching Oprah Winfrey’s interest. I think there’ll be an audible KABOOM in sales after it features on their show on the 17th of June.

And all it cost him was his first name.

A Wee Review - Mystery Man by Colin Bateman

There’s a new PI in Belfast. His qualifications? He owns No Alibis, a bookshop specialising in crime fiction. Is he a fast-talking, hard-drinking, skirt-chasing tough guy? Um, no. Not at all, really. He’s a bit... well, he’s cut from a different cloth. Oh, and he most definitely is not David Torrans.

Mystery Man is a Belfast crime fiction comedy in which our protagonist (a man with no name) tackles the cases he’s inherited from one of the few ‘real’ PIs in town. Malcolm Carlyle, the proprietor of Private Eye, a private investigation firm situated next to No Alibis bookshop, has apparently skipped town; leaving many a loose end untied. In desperation, his abandoned clients have started trickling into No Alibis for help. Handpicking a few cases, to pass the time more than anything else, the narrator makes a bit of a hobby out of tracking down scorned girlfriends or elusive items of clothing. It’s a nice distraction. Well, it’s nice up until he gets involved in The Case of the Dancing Jew.

This is probably Bateman’s most comedic novel to date, with practically a laugh a paragraph guaranteed. Some of the humour can make you feel a little guilty for laughing. To Bateman, political correctness is something that happens to other people, it would seem. It’s actually quite refreshing. The rest of the humour is of the semi-self-aware, self-deprecating variety that comes from the small revelations of the narrator’s personality. Each little nugget of information gradually builds to form one of the finest protagonists I’ve ever read. Yes, he even gives Dan Starkey a run for his money.

In the early chapters, you could well believe that Bateman has chosen to have a go at writing a modern-day cosy; a slightly bumbling detective logically solves a few minor mysteries. Then the dead bodies start to show up. In abundance. And as Dan Starkey has said more than once, “The jigsaw thickens!” Bateman looks beyond the Troubles (well, apart from a few political wisecracks – it’s set in Belfast, after all) and brings a different evil into the Northern Irish mix. Even at his most light-hearted and funniest, Bateman can’t resist dragging the reader over to his dark side. And, you know, it wouldn’t be half the experience it is if he didn’t.

So, accompanied by a dreadful shop assistant, a beautiful and quirky sidekick and a personality defect or three, Bateman’s latest protagonist really spins a terrific yarn. And it’s possible that he’s taking on Starkey’s torch as the new Bateman series character. In fact, Bateman has announced on his blog that he’s already halfway through the follow up, Day of the Jack Russell. If anybody is going to replace Belfast’s most infamous reporter and anti-hero, let it be the Mystery Man.

You should look forward to April 2009, when you can get your hands on a copy. Mystery Man will give you more laughs than a room full of rabbis and priests. This being the follow up to the more serious Orpheus Rising, you just never know where Bateman is going to take the loyal reader next. You do know that it’s a place worth visiting, though.

Pre-order this book now!

Back to Porridge

I'm officially off the gravy train. The dayjob called me back today, and I dove into those spreadsheets and financial reports with hyper-enthusiasm.

Sort of.

Actually, I spent most of the day wishing I was home with Michelle and the kids, but I guess that's just the sign of a terrific break. I think my batteries are suitably recharged and I hope to get up to some serious writing this month. And the blogging should return to normal pace as well. To warm you lot up, here's a number of snippets.

The competition Mike Stone (pictured above) conceived was drawn today. Since it was first announced over at Book Smugglers, they got the scoop. Mike and the lucky winner also had a little to say. For my part, thanks to all who entered via CSNI and my live journal account. You were all in, but you didn't win. Maybe next time, eh?

I figure it's my civic duty to alert you that Colin Bateman has updated his blog! Yup, a mere five months since he posted the opening chapters of Mystery Man, he's got some information on what he's up to this year. Well, I say some, but it's more like a boatload. Plenty to look forward to there.

And finally, a John McFetridge interview has been featured on Allan Guthrie's Noir Originals. Wasn't so long ago I interviewed Adrian McKinty for that very venue. Oh, and have you read the opening chapter of Piranhas yet? Why not?

In relation to McF and McK, I read Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere and Fifty Grand in the last couple of weeks. Hell, yeah! More on that to follow.

Mystery Man - Sample Chapters on Bateman's Blog!!!

Hey, you!

Jonesing for a Bateman fix? Need something to read while you chomp on that ham sandwich? Why don't you visit his blog and read chapters one and two of the unreleased Mystery Man (set in the excellent No Alibis bookshop)?

Yes! Bateman has updated his blog. That's twice this month, and it's only the 4th. Could he be going for a record? I hope so.

A couple of days ago he blogged about the award his children's book, Titanic 2020, scooped. Well done, sir! I actually have a copy of this at home. Might have to take a break from hard-boiled crime and give it a read soon.

A Wee Review - Orpheus Rising by Colin Bateman

(Colin) Bateman’s latest offering sees a big change in direction from the likes of his Dan Starkey series. Orpheus Rising still has that cool dry wit that the Bangor man employs with casual ease, but it’s less frequent and more understated in this novel. And for this particular story, it seems to be the perfect amount of humour. I think that Bateman had a story to tell and although it was very different than anything he’s tried before, he’s listened to his instincts and told it the way he thought best. I have to say, it worked a bloody treat.

I coasted through this book with utter ease and loved every sentence. It seems as if he’s really upped his game since I Predict a Riot. The writing is much denser than his usual minimalistic style, but I didn’t feel bogged down by description or superfluous detail. Each word counted. And so the result is a huge story that still manages to weigh in at a smidge under 400 hardback pages.

Orpheus Rising is the poignant tale of Michael Ryan, an Irish writer who found the love of his life under dramatic circumstances (involving a shark and grisly amputation) and lost her soon after to a violent death (even more violent than the shark thing). Without spoiling the plot for potential readers, I’ll tell you that we accompany Michael on his return to the Florida town of Brevard, ten years after he found happiness and had it ripped from him, to face up to the ghosts of his past.

I was very surprised by the supernatural content in Orpheus Rising. Again, I’m wary of spoilers and there’s not a lot you can talk about without robbing the book of some of its impact, so I’ll not go into how or why he uses it. Just trust me when I say, he does it with the aptitude of the likes of Stephen King or John Connolly, and I hope it’s an area he revisits in future work. He sets up a powerful world and sticks rigidly to his own rules, and the transition into suspension of disbelief is an easy one for the reader as a result.

His next book will see a return to form, with Mystery Man, a detective story set in the real No Alibis bookshop in Belfast, but featuring a fictional owner. Not David Torrans. But maybe in the book after next he’ll bend the boundaries of his chosen genre? I hope so. He does it very well.

Orpheus Rising is a rare example of a perfect book.