What you're actually getting
Look, Bob Mortimer is one of the funniest people alive. That's not an opinion I'm going to defend at length, it's just a fact. So when he quietly released a debut novel a couple of years back, a lot of people raised an eyebrow. A mystery novel, of all things. With a protagonist called Gary Thorn who works in insurance and eats a lot of ready meals.
The Satsuma Complex is strange. Properly strange. Gary witnesses something odd one night involving a woman he fancies from a dating app, and what follows is less Agatha Christie and more a slightly surreal wander through South London with a man who thinks in very Bob Mortimer-shaped ways. The humour is dry and deadpan, the plot is loose in places, and there's a dog called Tiberius who honestly steals several scenes.
Who it's for (and who might bounce off it)
If you like Mortimer's particular brand of off-kilter storytelling, the kind where a completely mundane detail becomes inexplicably funny, you'll be at home here. It's a quick read, too. I got through most of it on a train from Manchester to London, which tells you something.
Honestly, if you're after a tightly plotted thriller with a satisfying twist, this probably isn't your book. The mystery almost feels like a backdrop for character observation and quiet jokes. That's not a flaw, it's just what it is.
At 99p for the Kindle edition though, the ask is minimal. You're not gambling much. Worst case, you spend a few hours in the company of a very likeable oddball. There are worse ways to spend a quid.
