You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
gemsliterarygems 's review for:
The Hotel Avocado
by Bob Mortimer
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The Hotel Avocado is the second outing of hapless solicitor Gary Thorn, new hotelier Emily, curmudgeonly pensioner Grace and her dopey dog, Lasso. Yet again Gary finds himself at the wrong end of the attentions of a career criminal, this time as a result of everything that happened in book 1 (The Satsuma Complex). Definitely read Satsuma before you read this one or you’ll be filling in blanks for the entire book!
It’s multiple POV this time, with chapters from Gary, Emily, Grace and a “friend of Gary’s” and centres around Emily’s Hotel Avocado preparing to open, Gary’s decision whether to move to Brighton to be with her and Grace trying to cope with potentially losing her only friend while trying to gain visitation rights to her granddaughter. I started reading the physical book but swapped to the audiobook and with Bob Mortimer reading Gary’s words, the eccentric humour really shines through much better.
It’s a decent cosy crime with a good smattering of Bob’s signature humour and randomness thrown in. Sure, it is mainly predictable and the twist was so obvious I could see it from space, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. My only criticism is that everyone repeatedly calls Gary a “shithouse” and it’s so repetitive in that specific comment that it started to grate! Particularly as it’s a phrase I’d never heard used so when everyone uses it, it’s noticeable.
A fun, if predictable, follow on from Satsuma and I really hope he writes a 3rd book soon.
It’s multiple POV this time, with chapters from Gary, Emily, Grace and a “friend of Gary’s” and centres around Emily’s Hotel Avocado preparing to open, Gary’s decision whether to move to Brighton to be with her and Grace trying to cope with potentially losing her only friend while trying to gain visitation rights to her granddaughter. I started reading the physical book but swapped to the audiobook and with Bob Mortimer reading Gary’s words, the eccentric humour really shines through much better.
It’s a decent cosy crime with a good smattering of Bob’s signature humour and randomness thrown in. Sure, it is mainly predictable and the twist was so obvious I could see it from space, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. My only criticism is that everyone repeatedly calls Gary a “shithouse” and it’s so repetitive in that specific comment that it started to grate! Particularly as it’s a phrase I’d never heard used so when everyone uses it, it’s noticeable.
A fun, if predictable, follow on from Satsuma and I really hope he writes a 3rd book soon.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cursing, Gun violence, Violence, Injury/Injury detail