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It feels like every famous person is trying their hand at writing books these days. I blame Richard Osman for making it seem so easy. I know celebrities have always written books but it’s so much worse now. Especially when it comes to cosy crime. It would be okay if everyone was as good and dedicated as Osman. But they aren’t. So, I was worried about Bob Mortimer’s book. I almost didn’t buy it. Then the paperback with stencilled edges came out and I bought 3 copies. Whoops! Not only did this not make financial sense but it meant that the pressure was on to enjoy the book.

Bob Mortimer is undeniably funny. He has such a unique sense of humour that I wasn’t sure that it would translate onto the page. I had nothing to fear. This book is exactly the kind of book that you’d expect him to write. He has such an original voice and is always funny. There are so many quotes that just scream Bob. Near the start of the book, Gary secretly duba two dogs “Zak Briefcase and Lengthy Parsnip”. If I hadn’t known who had written the book before, it wouldn’t take long to figure it out.

This is the kind of book that had too many great quotes. I might as well have highlighted the whole thing. (“I imagine it was smashed by a child manoeuvring an adult ladder” is another personal favourite.) Gary is such a fantastic character and I loved getting to see into his mind. I would have been happy if this had been a simple stream-of-consciousness novel where we just got to witness Gary’s thought process. More conversations with squirrels and dogs. It’s a shame that the main narrative had to come along and get in the way.

If I’m being honest, the plot is the one thing stopping me from awarding this 5 stars. It just feels quite basic and left me quite disappointed. I won’t say it’s the worst thing I’ve ever read but it wasn’t the most original. Gary works at a law firm taking on the jobs nobody else wants. After an acquaintance goes missing, Gary finds himself caught up in a mystery. A mystery that may or may not involve the woman he made a connection with at the pub one evening. A woman whose name he never learnt but has dubbed Satsuma. It’s got some fun elements but it’s a fairly standard crime novel. The protagonist gets his hands on a MacGuffin and must find out what it means. At the same time, the bad guys are looking for the same MacGuffin and threatening the protagonist’s nearest and dearest. We’ve seen it before many times.

I know that if anyone else had written this book then I wouldn’t have been so quick to praise it. It’s purely down to Bob’s style and humour that this worked at all. He creates such lovable characters and adds so much to the story. He has a gift for little details and idiosyncrasies that give this book a greater depth. This book might not be the greatest literary triumph ever but it’s one of the most enjoyable things I’ve read in a while. It’s packed with genuinely funny and weird writing that I absolutely loved every minute of it. Even the less successful parts.