i don’t feel let down, i actually giggled a fair few times and thought the mystery was quite well organised :)

What a fabulous book. A funny, quirky and compelling plot with so many great characters. Gary’s thought process and choice of words really made me laugh - it felt like stepping inside Bob Mortimer’s weird and wonderful mind. DEBUT British comedian and memoirist Mortimer's ( And Away) fiction debut is filled with witty dialogue and a distinctive quirkiness. On the evening that unassuming legal assistant Gary meets his coworker Brendan at the local pub, he also hits it off with an intriguing, book-reading stranger who leaves without giving Gary her name. However, she leaves behind her book, The Clementine Complex. Confused by her hasty departure but unsurprised due to what he considers his ordinariness, Gary keeps the book and heads home. After learning the next day that Brendan is missing and possibly deceased, Gary decides that finding the mystery woman is the only way he can clear his own name while also getting justice for Brendan. Armed with the book she left behind and a description of her bicycle, Gary starts asking questions. Recruiting his oddball neighbor Grace and her dog Lassoo for assistance, Gary stumbles into a world of corruption that leaves him wondering whom he can trust. VERDICT This whodunit's memorable characters help set it apart from more traditional crime fiction. Will appeal to readers who appreciate a healthy dose of eccentric humor with their murder mysteries. —Lucinda Ward Library Journal

Need Help?

As funny, idiosyncratic, and full of squirrels as you'd expect. It's also really rather lovely." —Heat, book of the month It is normal to experience a sore throat and bloated tummy for a couple of days after surgery. This will resolve over time, but be gentle with yourself as you rest and recover by drinking plenty of fluids, and take painkillers if you need to. Speak with your Consultant about your symptoms and the best way to manage them if they concern you. So, it’s no surprise that I’m a Bob Mortimer fan and have been appreciating his quirky style of humour for years now. So it’s not surprising that, while reading The Satsuma Complex, I could hear his voice every time his lead character, Gary Thorn, opened his mouth. It takes around two weeks to fully recover from laparoscopic gallbladder removal surgery. Most people who have keyhole surgery can leave hospital on the same day as the operation, but you might be required to stay overnight depending on your individual circumstances. This may well be arranged before surgery.

And so begins Gary’s quest, through the estates and pie shops of South London, to finally bring some love and excitement into his unremarkable life… Upper GI endoscopy or EGD is a procedure to treat a narrowed esophagus, which can result in difficulty swallowing, vomiting, pain, and discomfort. It involves gently stretching the wall of your esophagus by inserting and inflating a balloon inside to stretch it. There is a lot to lie in The Clementine Complex, but I have to admit that I struggled. The mystery wasn’t too difficult, but it is convoluted, and I had some trouble keeping my attention in the story enough to unravel things easily. I liked it. It has some good characters and a lot of heart. I just didn’t love it as much as I’d hoped it to. Good, not great, but still fun. Mortimer conveys an infectious joy in his own oddity, and... a sweetness to his worldview that makes his writing gently poignant." —The Telegraph

Member Reviews

Gary Thorn is in the middle of investigating a serious criminal case in south London involving police corruption, domestic violence, possibly even murder, when he stops in the street to speak to a passing squirrel. He tells the squirrel what he’s planning to do next and the creature, as ventriloquised by Gary, tries to talk him out of it. “I would think around that decision a bit deeper than you obviously have,” it says.