Quite Ugly One Morning [Paperback]

Christopher Brookmyre (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 9, 2002

Quite Ugly One Morning is the book that made Christopher Brookmyre a star in his native Britain, establishing his distinctive, scabrously humorous style and breakneck, hell-for-leather narrative pacing. The novel that won the inaugural First Blood Award for the best debut crime novel in the United Kingdom is now available in America for the first time, and comic crime writing on this side of the Atlantic may never be the same. Quite Ugly One Morning introduces Brookmyre's signature protagonist, the hard-partying, wisecracking investigative journalist Jack Parlabane, who is not afraid to bend the laws of the land (or even the laws of gravity) to get to the truth. Parlabane is nursing a horrific hangover when he stumbles across the corpse of the scion of a wealthy Edinburgh medical family. Determined to get to the bottom of the murder himself, he quickly becomes enmeshed in a wild adventure that will take him through all the strata of Edinburgh society and into some dangerous (and hysterical) situations. Laced with acerbic wit and crackling dialogue, Quite Ugly One Morning is a wickedly entertaining and vivacious thriller. "Very violent, very funny. A comedy with a political edge, which you take gleefully in one gulp." -- Literary Review "The plot crackles along with confident gusto and intelligence.... An assured debut by a talented writer." -- The Times (London)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Christopher Brookmyre's wild and wildly funny debut crime novel, Quite Ugly One Morning, which won Britain's First Blood Award, journalist and hedonist Jack Parlabane ("different day... same hangover") investigates the murder of a young, well-to-do citizen of Edinburgh. Crooked cops, guns-for-hire and cheating spouses complicate matters as does Jack's growing affection for the dead man's wife.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

Thrillingly unpleasant ESQUIRE A sharp, funny novel, with strong characters and some smart dialogue TLS A wicked satire...excellent plotting and a goodly amount of acidic one-liners THE SCOTSMAN a great title and a thrillingly unpleasant murder mytery. ESQUIRE --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Grove Press (January 9, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802138616
• ISBN-13: 978-0802138613
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #912,128 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun Cartoony Crime Novel, January 21, 2003

By 

A. Ross (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Quite Ugly One Morning (Paperback)

I first read Brookmyre in the Fresh Blood 2 anthology, where his story "Bampot Central" had me in stitches (the story is also posted on Brookmyre's website). I then read his book to be publishedin the US, "Not the End of the World," which is a fairly predictable Los Angeles-set thriller, suitable for a long rainy night or airplane, but little else. I thought I'd give him one more chance to wow me with this, his prize-winning first novel.

I have to say, I'm not sure what other reviewers are talking about when they throw out terms like "noir", "pulp", or "Irvine Welsh" when talking about this book. I mean, it is a crime story, and it is set in Edinburgh, and there are a (very) few Scottish idioms, but otherwise it's a pretty mainstream crime novel, heavily laced with humor. It's not noir at all, it's not Irvine Welsh at all (unless you think Irvine Welsh invented black humor), and it's only pulp in the Quentin Tarantino sense, which is to say, hip postmodern neo-pulp. There are some rather gory scenes at the beginning and end, but it's all handled with so much comedy and wisecracking that it's more cartoon show than horrorshow. Think Elmore Leonard or Carl Hiassen rather than Raymond Chandler or James M. Cain.

In any event, the story is a mostly enjoyable tale about corruption within the National Health Trust system. Hero investigative journalist Jack Parlabane literally stumbles into a cover-up murder and then teams up with a female cop and the murder victim's ex-wife to get to the bottom of it all. Fast-paced, with some memorable villains (the shell-suited hitman is a riot), and plenty of digs at Thatcheism and privatization schemes, it's a fun read with plenty of one-liners, but unlikely to make a lasting impression.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best in British fiction, September 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Quite Ugly One Morning (Hardcover)

Quite Ugly One Morning opens with quite possibly one of the funniest chapters ever written. This one is not for the faint hearted. It is highly irreverant, witty and downright naughty. A genuinely fast paced novel very much a roller coaster of detective sleuthing and dark comedy. Works well alongside works by Ian Banks and Colin Bateman.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars glaswegian noir, August 29, 2000

By 

allison wyndham - See all my reviews

This review is from: Quite Ugly One Morning (Hardcover)

feel like an attack of the sniggers? read "quite ugly one morning" by christopher brookmyre, a scot who writes fabulous female characters. *have* to get more of his stuff. the book is peopled with credible characters. the hitman is a shellsuit-wearing doofus from cortina-land with poor impulse control called darren. just enough brains to be dangerous. but only just - priceless. a funky chick called sarah slaughter - a doctor, no less. and more. it's full of constant digs at thatcher and portillo and the national health service. never has a mutilated corpse been so funny. a balm to the soul.