The cover of A Snowball In Hell by Christopher Brookmyre

I have just finished reading A Snowball In Hell, the new book from Christopher Brookmyre, who is right up there in my list of favourite writers.  There are a select few authors whose books I keep a special eye out for, and when they publish a new one I really can’t wait for the paperback to appear: currently Robert Rankin and Brookmyre and if Tom Clancey came out with a new ‘proper’ book I would probably get that straight away too.

Its always a worry starting a new book by a favourite writer.  What if they have jumped the shark with this one?  You would still continue reading their books, but get less excited about the prospect and less fulfilled by the result.  An additional worry is when you start the book and find that it is not set in the familiar place or with the familiar characters – will you take to the new setting?  Did you actually like the writing of the previous books or just the characters?

I remember when Robert Rankin first departed from the Pooley/O’Malley/Brentford topics. It turned out OK, and now I look forward to when a book goes in an entirely new direction. Better that than to get locked into one thing like Pratchett has with Discworld.

No need to worry about jumping the shark with this new Brookmyre book though – its as good as ever.  Jack Parlabane is given a rest this time though, and the star of the show is Angelique de Xavier from A Big Boy Did It And Ran Away and The Sacred Art of Stealing.  Even better, the baddie from ‘Big Boy’ is back and nastier than ever and Angel X has to enlist the help of Zal Innez from ‘Stealing’ to help her out.

As per usual the story is immensely well plotted, with perhaps even more twists and turns.  Again there is the humour, some of it very dark.  To continue ticking all the boxes, there are the casual cultural and technical references revealing a writer in touch with the modern world and assuming his audience is too – when a cultural reference is thrown in there is no condescending explanation of it.  On top of all this there is the social commentary, and it is all delivered with a generous helping of expletives.  This mixture makes it like a Ben Elton novel but darker, grittier and much more Scottish.

My only criticism of the book is that it is too damned good.  I was so eager to know what happens next that I put off doing other things just to continue with it and it was over in no time at all.  My consolation is that I know I will be reading it again some time.

This time around the plot concerns the return of Simon Darcourt, previously thought dead.  In his own way he is making a point about reality TV by creating his own version, kidnapping celebrities, subjecting them to humiliation, torturing them and killing them before streaming the results on the Internet.  At times his schemes and traps are like the Saw movies – but with jokes.

The book is a clever mixture of first- and third-person with the transitions managed seamlessly.  Likewise the jumps between the main narrative and flashbacks is effortlessly natural, even when it is being deliberately misleading.  One theme of the book is misdirection – as a magician’s technique and as it applies to criminal endeavours – and Brookmyre has no qualms about using a little playful misdirection himself. To give examples would spoil the plot, so you have to take my word for it.

Anyone who has read previous Brookmyre books will not need to know any more than that this is as good as the rest.  I think this book would work for anyone not familiar with the two earlier ones featuring Angelique X as it does expand a little on past history but surely you get more from it having read ‘Big Boy’ and ‘Stealing’ first.