Book info

• Title The Satsuma Complex
• Author Bob Mortimer
• Year 2022
• Genre Mystery

'My name is Gary. I’m a thirty-year-old legal assistant with a firm of solicitors in London. To describe me as anonymous would be unfair but to notice me other than in passing would be a rarity. I did make a good connection with a girl, but that blew up in my face and smacked my arse with a fish slice.' Gary Thorn goes for a pint with a work acquaintance called Brendan. When Brendan leaves early, Gary meets a girl in the pub. He doesn’t catch her name, but falls for her anyway. When she suddenly disappears without saying goodbye, all Gary has to remember her by is the book she was reading: The Satsuma Complex. But when Brendan goes missing, Gary needs to track down the girl he now calls Satsuma to get some answers. 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…

Thoughts

Oh wow, this is exactly what you would expect from a Bob Mortimer novel, and that is a bit of a nutty story but a real heart to it and a genius undercurrent that shows itself as and when required. It’s random in places, and sometimes you wonder what you’re reading and if it’s ever going to come all together, but I loved it. These characters that think and say random things, it’s not really believable as real life (although I entirely believe it’s how Bob thinks and would conduct conversations!) but it’s hugely entertaining. An absolutely enjoyable ride, and I’m very glad there’s a sequel to get stuck in to as well.

Rating: 5 / 5