This book was really good. Touching, funny and an easy read. I'm glade I picked it up.

I will say that I'm happy I persevered with this book because it wasn't as bad as I thought on my first attempted readings. I found the beginning peurile and, although there were flashes of this throughout the book, most of it was ok. And ok is as far as I'm prepared to go. There is nothing subtle about this book; the red herrings almost shout 'I'm a red herring!' and the relationships are all one dimensional and stereotypical. Hopefully, most detectives in real life don't behave like 15 year olds.

A good yarn but pretty heavy handed with an obvious perpetrator.

Reading back through my review 3 stars may have been generous!

Not my usual read but enjoyed the twist in the characters and plot

This was an enjoyable thriller that I read over a weekend. It wasn't a pleasant read and as a warning there are graphic descriptions of sex and violence throughout the book. The main character, Edward Newsome is a very flawed character, in fact most of the characters in this book were flawed and almost unlikable but this did not spoil the book for me. I did however guess the killer pretty early on and could not believe that our detective did not get it earlier.

i realy enjoyed this book, even though i did work out who done it about half way through. but there was still plenty of good bits and surprises on the way through. Ben Elton is fast becomeing one of my fav authors, i've read two of his books now and i realy like the way he looks at things, his characters and his wit.

Good, not the best Ben has ever written. I just love the hidden message in the satire.

Didn't pick the killer, but had my suspicions. It was enjoyable and at times, up put downable

Maybe a touch too graphic for me (not only with the violence, but some of the sexual parts of the book as well - could have done without the graphic description of fisting really).

It was an interesting read, based around the hunt for a serial killer with a thing against school bullies. The character of Newson was pretty good, but made me feel embarassed for him most of the time (can't be easy when you're in love with your second in command - Natasha was good fun as well). It really picked up on the internet and the popularity of sites like Friends Reunited.

I did kind of figure out who the killer was though - Elton did make it rather obvious (how else would the killer get into the homes), but there were a couple of good red herrings in there.

Elton really tries to hammer home the impacts of child bullying and it's ongoing affect on the victims psychology into their adult life. Was not impressed with the romantic angle.

If you took out all of the times that the protagonist sleazed over women's legs, the book would be half as long and all the better for it. What a slimebag.
It is an easy read and quite pacey but you can see the ending a mile off.

As you will see from my other reviews, I generally enjoy reading Mr. Elton's output in the form of novels. 'Past Mortem' disappointed, however. What I normally like is the way he is able to combine wit, social issues and realistic characters into an intriguing storyline. The characaters in this novel were not as well fleshed out as in some others (such as 'Inconceivable'), but they were real enough to keep the plot going. So what didn't I like about this one? First, it was not very funny. That is shocking from a man who has been within the circle of comedians who have defined British comedy for last 20 years. Shocking, but forgiveable. Second, the storyline did not really work. In a previous book loosely based on the detective story genre (Dead Famous), the 'whodunnit' aspect was a major part of the success of the story. It was a real mystery. In this book, I could spot the culprit a mile off - a long time before the apparently brilliant young detective was anywhere near. Disappointing, but redeemable if all of the other elements are in place. So what did I really not like about this book? Ben Elton's novels generally tackle a particular social issue. This one is no exception. The issue here is that of bullying. This is a major problem that needs to be tackled in British society and I commend Mr. Elton's approach and bravery in the way that he deals with it. What I did not like, however, is that the issue of bullying became the only successful part of the novel (see the comments above). The book then becomes a morality tale without the tale. I expect better craftsmanship from someone who has been working on his style for such a long time.

A pleasant enough read.

I am from the same eighties era as the ginger copper, so references to school discos and The Thompson Twins brings it all back for me.

The story is a bit over the top with the moralizing. We get it, Ben, bullying is bad.

2 stars

If you write half of a book, find it crap and keep writing - just stop. I would have rather read nothing. Ew.