Scan barcode
wowsmeows's review
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
"I've never been good at striking
up conversations with
strangers, especially the opposite sex. I needed to come up with a suitable opening line. I knew what would work for me if the roles were reversed - something like: 'Do you prefer even or uneven surfaces?' 'Do you wish that Sports Direct also sold fresh meat?' 'Have you ever needed to use a tourniquet in your work environment?' "
The Satsuma Complex follows the story of Gary, a man who meets up with a friend for a pint and then accidentally gets caught up in their subsequent disappearance. This is not a crime thriller by any means, but it does have some suspense, mystery, a touch of romance and a really solid plot.
I really enjoyed this book, there were many laugh out loud moments. I listened to the audiobook and there were times you could almost hear Bob smiling at the jokes. Wonderful. Sally Phillips was equally fantastic as always. If you're a fan of Bob Mortimer's crazy humour from his many WILTY appearances, I'd definitely recommend giving this a go.
That being said, there are some darker moments in the book, but overall it was a delight to read.
"dogs sharing an interest in a spillage (I imagine the dogs are called Zak Briefcase and Lengthy Parsnips)."
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Bullying, Murder, Violence, and Emotional abuse
mayze's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
A funny book by the comedian Bob Mortimer. I strongly recommend the audiobook version as it is narrated by the author (and Sally Phillips ) and we can better understand the sense of humour in it.
It's a solid book, I think it doesn't bring anything new narrative-wise and found the romantic plot very unrealistic and even somewhat stalkerish (I initially thought that would be the plot) but still it a pleasant read overall.
It's a solid book, I think it doesn't bring anything new narrative-wise and found the romantic plot very unrealistic and even somewhat stalkerish (I initially thought that would be the plot) but still it a pleasant read overall.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexism, Violence, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Blood, and Emotional abuse
jordanez's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Stalking, Violence, Racism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Kidnapping, Child abuse, and Gun violence
nreyno's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, and Kidnapping
beccafinney3's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Good book, with some interesting moments, but based on reviews I expected more comedy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Kidnapping
Minor: Sexual assault and Addiction
carolined's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
This is a terrible book with terrible dialogue. Imagine the class clown when you were 14 who would do all sorts of disgusting things for attention and say random things and make the same joke over and over and misuse words. Now imagine they are trying to impress you. This book should never have been published.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Cursing, Excrement, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Stalking, Police brutality, Gun violence, Violence, Confinement, Kidnapping, and Death
Minor: Alcohol, Drug use, and Death of parent
stagasaurus's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Gary is such a shithouse. I did get annoyed by his passivity but that was believable. I enjoyed the talking squirrels.
Some sentences only Bob Mortimer could have got past an editor. My favourite one, "We each had an ice cream cornet made with the draft variety of ice cream that falls out of the machine at the pull of a lever."
Some sentences only Bob Mortimer could have got past an editor. My favourite one, "We each had an ice cream cornet made with the draft variety of ice cream that falls out of the machine at the pull of a lever."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, and Domestic abuse
bookforthought's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I love a good mystery (even though I don't read that many anymore), and even more so if any humour is promised so The Satsuma Complex sounded like just the book for me. I received a sampler from NetGalley (although I hadn't immediately realised it wasn't the full copy) and finished listening to it on audiobook on Storytel.
I'm not too familiar with Bob Mortimer and his brand of humour, so I wasn't really sure what to expect from this, but I was in the mood for a light read and to switch it up a little after lots of fantasy books. Unfortunately, this didn't really meet my expectations.
The premise was quite good and I liked the mystery aspect of it, though I won't go into any details to avoid spoilers. I tend to like stories where we don't really know which characters we can trust, and there was plenty of that going on here. However, for the most part, the characters just felt flat. I definitely appreciated the attempt at introducing a wide and varied cast, and there certainly were some colourful characters in there, but to me, they all felt very one-dimensional and I never actually started caring about any of them, which meant the stakes were very low whenever any amount of danger was involved.
I found the main character to be very annoying and... well, just not funny. I did like his relationship with his neighbour Grace and her dog, which I found wholesome and sweet, but he didn't really have much else going for him. I found it very hard to get through the book and was bored for the most part. I really only finished it because it wasn't overly long and I wanted to see if it would improve when everything wrapped up. The ending itself was good, but it didn't really make up for the rest.
This is by no means a bad book; if anything, I found it fairly average, just like Gary: not anonymous, but not memorable either. It probably just wasn't my kind of humour and others may like it a lot more, but this one just wasn't for me.
I received an advanced review copy of this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.
I received an advanced review copy of this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Kidnapping and Violence
Minor: Gun violence, Murder, and Police brutality
jacs63's review against another edition
dark
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A quirky, funny, sad, quite violent book, about friendship, relationships; Police Corruption and love. So worth the read, especially if you read it in Bob Mortimer's voice. I hear the audio book is well worth it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Murder, Gun violence, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, and Suicide
joshsimp's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Blood, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, and Violence
Minor: Murder, Stalking, Death of parent, Kidnapping, and Alcohol