Meantime: The gripping debut crime novel from Frankie Boyle

Product Information

The mystery that underpins this crime novel is solid enough, but I can't help thinking that its role is secondary and it is essentially only a vehicle for the author to air his thoughts - both comedic and socio-political. Felix taxis away with Tom and Sophie from Beloved Intelligence, who give him information on Chong and Marina. The Times named it August's Book of the Month in the thriller genre, with Dugdale praising the "scintillating sentences and perfect lines of dialogue". star review, a Chortle critic found that the author created a realistic environment, with "expressive, almost poetic, descriptions of Glasgow life in all its forms" and "sympathy towards his characters" that the reader will share. Even now I'm finished I'm not entirely clear if Marina was murdered, who killed her or if Felix even unravelled it (it seemed much more likely to be the work of the ex-cop who seems ridiculously willing to help a man who can't keep his eyes open half the time.

It was laugh out funny at times but he is trying to squeeze in way too many themes and personal rants. He is our narrator and, as you can expect from a man of his "highs" the story is somewhat confusing in places.Sometimes the novels chosen are new, often they are from the backlist and occasionally re-issued from way back. For me, the central character seemed to be very much Frankie Boyle himself, he certainly used his jokes.

It contains all the deft wordplay you’d expect and a few well-aimed, drive-by satirical shots at political targets along the way.Not quite on a level of Trainspotting bad, but certainly not the behaviour or decorum you usually expect in crime fiction. I loved Felix’s interactions with the suspects as well as those close to him that he would come to find he couldn’t trust completely either.