I picked this up from the fundraising bookshelves within the Bridge cafe at COGS (the Centre on Gracious Street) this morning because I have a ticket to see the author in York in November and haven't yet read anything he's written. Now I have a chance to do so! I'm going to the event because he's appearing with Mark Billingham, a writer who I have heard speaking before so I know how entertaining he can be in person, although his books are a little too gruesome for me! Unfortunately, Mr Brookmyre looks to be even more thrilling, gruesome and graphic! I'll give this novel a go - but I'm not optimistic about getting to the end, perhaps not beyond the first chapter. As the first sentence reads " 'Jesus fuck.' " I may not even get beyond the first paragraph . . . .

Amazon Editorial Review: "Yeah, yeah, the usual. A crime. A corpse. A killer. Heard it. Except this stiff happens to be a Ponsonby, scion of a venerable Edinburgh medical clan, and the manner of his death speaks of unspeakable things. Why is the body displayed like a slice of beef? How come his hands are digitally challenged? And if it's not the corpse, what is that awful smell?A post-Thatcherite nightmare of frightening plausibility, QUITE UGLY ONE MORNING is a wickedly entertaining and vivacious thriller, full of acerbic wit, cracking dialogue and villains both reputed and shell-suited."

Note: Although the above cover isn't quite the one on the book, it's close enough!

It's amusing, the writing style is definitely quite jokey, but it's not for the squeamish or faint-hearted . . . . and that includes me, I'm afraid. I managed the first couple of chapters but it was too graphic for me to stick around for long! It's probably more of a bloke's book . . . .
Yet I'm still looking forward to the author event :-)

Left on the bookswap shelves at the entrance to the cafe. Please make a donation towards Thirsk Christmas lights, a worthy cause which will help to make this pretty market town even prettier over the Christmas period!

Well over a million people around the world give their books a unique BookCrossing IDentity number (BCID) before sending them out to find new readers. Since the start of the scheme in April 2001 over twelve million such books have been put into circulation. This is one of them!

Our hope is that we can track the progress of our books once they've left our hands - and that's possible if finders like you visit the website, key in the BCID and leave a comment, however long or short. It's fun, it doesn't have to cost anything, although the site always appreciates donations towards running costs, and you can remain anonymous if you wish. You don't have to join but if you do you'll be able to number and track your own books!