This book has attracted a lot of attention and sold millions so it has to have something going for it. Richard Osman is one of those faces you can't seem to get away from lately on tv, whether it's a show that he hosts or guest spotting on other celebrity shows. It was only a matter of time before he put out a book.
Most celeb books turn out quite average overall, but the man giant that is Mr Osman is known for his brains as well as his height
Side note - I genuinely was a contestant (with my mum) on Pointless a couple of years back, just before I started writing this blog. Before filming, Richard and Xander come over and talk to the contestants. I'm not particularly tall, but I'm not short either. When Richard Osman came over to shake my hand I was on eye level with his nipples (which were covered by his suit obviously). He's easily the tallest guy I've ever met. He seemed very nice as well.
Are his writing talents as towering as his physicality?
It has 50 separate reviews either on the cover or the first two pages. That's overkill surely. The fact that I agree with the majority is irrelevant.
This is a very good and very funny (in places) crime thriller. The members of the murder club are nicely drawn (although the two men are kind of sidelined and the women do most of the heavy lifting in the case) and the supporting cast are equally good.
There's some great misdirection going on and plenty of twists and turns. However it does rely too much on withholding information from the reader to prevent the mystery fans from having any real chance at working it out. The final reveal was somewhat disappointing to me in the way it was done. I can't say more because - spoilers obviously.
I expected to read this in his voice. It often happens when you know what the writer sounds like, but in this case that didn't happen at any point. In fact the different characters' voices are well delineated and have their own distinct rhythms.
It certainly kept me amused and intrigued as to what would happen next. It's much better than average, especially considering it's a debut novel. The except from the second book looks very intriguing too.
Cosy crime novels like this aren't my usual thing. I normally go for the grittier side of things. So, I'm not sure it's a classic, but its a damned good fun read.
In case anyone was wondering, Me and my mum didn't win on Pointless but we didn't show ourselves up and I even got two separate "Well played Marc" comments from Richard.
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