THE SATSUMA COMPLEX

by Bob Mortimer, Gallery UK, £16.99, ebook £9.99

★★★★★

Mr Clown Shoes. Lassoo the dog. The corn cob dongle. Just three hilarious elements of The Satsuma Complex – a surprisingly serious debut novel from Would

I Lie To You? and Gone Fishing comedy star

Bob Mortimer.

The stellar success of his surreal and semi-truthful autobiography And Away... caused clamour for a fully fictional follow-up, and Mortimer fulfils the brief with a remarkably dark and gritty tale of sink estate murder, law and order mystery, and honey-trap romance. His distinctive tone and bizarrely British humour sing from every page, with the story swinging from side-splitting set-pieces to moments of real pathos and high drama. It’s a bit unusual, but you’ll love it.