Renowned children writer’s first adult novel and what fun he has had. A tasteless joke overheard in a pub sends our protagonist off in search of its origins. It is a crazy scenario, full of incident which suddenly changes gear and becomes a surreal tale, a thriller, a wacky caper. Interesting, clever, unusual and a little sinister. Comparison: Ben Elton, Stephen Fry, Douglas Adams. Similar this month: Jasper Fforde, Tom Sharpe.
When Guy Fletcher protests at a feeble joke he overhears in his grotty local pub, he finds himself headbutted and struck by an idea in quick succession. Is it possible to trace a joke all the way back to its original source? Guy's meandering trail leads him to a humourless Hungarian dentist, a hyperactive troupe of Boy Scouts, a group of giggling grave-diggers and half a dozen undercover detectives. And there are some pretty odd things happening along the way. Guy is sure he's being followed by a sinister Englishman, Irishman and Scotsman. He has an unfortunate accident on a banana skin. And there's a fly in his soup. Guy is on the verge of discovering something very unpleasant. Making jokes is no laughing matter ...
'An entertaining read, cleverly plotted and joke-filled' Ben Silverstone JEWISH TELEGRAPH
'The best (of comic writing out this summer) is The Killing Joke...Great fun' Peter Gutteridge THE OBSERVER
'Horowitz's novel takes a simple 'what if' and allows the answer to unfold more or less logicaly, gathering laughs as it speeds away from reality'
SUNDAY TIME
Author
About Anthony Horowitz
Anthony Horowitz may have committed more (fictional) murders than any other living author. As a TV screenwriter he created both MIDSOMER MURDERS and the BAFTA-winning FOYLE'S WAR. Other TV work includes POIROT and the widely acclaimed mini-series COLLISION and INJUSTICE. He is also the author of a string of bestselling children's books, including the ALEX RIDER series which has sold 13 million copies worldwide. He has often claimed Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to be an inspiration for his work ever since encountering the Holmes canon, aged 16. He currently lives in Clerkenwell.
