About
Reviews
Search
Submit
Home

Mystery Books for Sale

[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]


  

HOW TO BE BAD
by David Bowker
St Martin's Griffin, June 2005
256 pages
$12.95
ISBN: 0312328265


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

David Bowker is writing from so far leftfield in the crime genre that he needs a search party to find him. I LOVE MY SMITH AND WESSON was a head-scratching mix of the gangster and the gothic. HOW TO BE BAD takes a sledgehammer to the new man market, or whatever you want to call the likes of Nick Hornby and Mike Gayle.

Mark Madden is a 20-something who really needs to get out more. He runs a bookshop in London, loves compiling lists and has a faintly scary fixation with Hornby and his books (note to American readers -- Hornby attempted to make soccer, male feelings and being anally retentive about your record collection cool).

Mark is obsessed with Caro, a former girlfriend who really isn't the kind of woman you want to take home to mum and dad -- especially when she wants you to display your love for her by killing three men. Mark is a bit disconcerted to find the hit list contains her ex-boyfriend, her dad and a scary gangster called Jesus.

The grand guignol of I LOVE MY SMITH AND WESSON is back, as bodies pile up and wimpy Mark finds himself in the middle of this rather unfortunate killing spree.

If you've read the lad lit canon, such as Hornby's FEVER PITCH or HIGH FIDELITY you'll pick up on lots of neat little references, particularly the chapter headings with a slant -- Fever Bitch and My Murderous Girlfriend were my favourites! Even if you haven't, you'll still have a ball.

One of Bowker's strengths is his, erm, eccentric characterisation -- there are plenty of cameos, including the very wonderful Wuffler, and a couple of pathetic cops. And it's fun to watch Mark trying to connect with his working-class dad.

HOW TO BE BAD doesn't have much of a plot, as the book veers from one incident to the other. And there's an 'eh?' moment for one of the plot strands, where I had to flick back to see who the person was. But who cares? Bowker's black humour and slick storytelling put him way out there on his own.

Reviewed by Sharon Wheeler, August 2005

[ Top ]


QUICK SEARCH:

 

Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]