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Mystery Man

By: Colin Bateman
Narrated by: Stephen Armstrong
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Summary

A superbly gripping and blackly funny mystery by the king of the comic crime caper.

He’s the Man With No Name and the owner of No Alibis, a mystery bookshop in Belfast. But when a detective agency next door goes bust, the agency’s clients start calling into his shop asking him to solve their cases. It’s not as if there’s any danger involved. It’s an easy way to sell books to his gullible customers and Alison, the beautiful girl in the jewellery shop across the road, will surely be impressed. Except she’s not – because she can see the bigger picture.

And when they break into the shuttered shop next door on a dare, they have their answer. Suddenly they’re catapulted along a murder trail which leads them from small-time publishing to Nazi concentration camps and serial killers.

©2009 Colin Bateman (P)2010 WF Howes Ltd
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What listeners say about Mystery Man

Average customer ratings
Overall
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Fresh, funny and fascinating

I loved the droll humour of this yarn with its mini-plots and twists and turns. The self-deprecating neurotic hero is one I hope we'll hear more of, and the reading was so good I kept forgetting that it wasn't a real person. If it has a fault, I think I'd have to say the denouement was a tad predictable, but all that led up to it was sheer enjoyment.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Totally different murder mystery as so amusing

Wasn't sure if I Iiked it at first as it wasn't at all what I expected. But very quickly I came to enjoy it. So light hearted but still a page turner, and unusual combination. Didn't take itself too seriously. Will listen to more in this series

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Sublime comic crime caper

Hilarious and utterly irredeemable main charecter so be prepared for that.

Great plot and fantastic laughs.

Prefect if you want something that pulls no punches comedy wise,.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Overall not too bad

I will admit there were several times when listening to this book I did laugh out loud but there were also a number of times when I struggled to get through parts. The narrators voice suits it well and was one of the main reasons to carry on as his accent was dreamy and read it well. The main character of the book, seemed ok at the beginning but by about half way through he was really starting to annoy me as he was 'too quirky'. Supporting characters are well written and fleshed out so you don't feel as if they are just there for padding. I might look into getting other books by the author but they won't be making my wish list as a 'must read'.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

clever stuff

I found it really entertaining,clever and very entertaining, highly recommended.a great combination of humour and intrigue
other sp by thisauthor are well worth attention

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great craic, so entertaining.

Really enjoyed this book & the performance. It’s very funny but with a great plot & characters. Have book 2 ready to go.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

OK

I was a bit disappointed with this. Some of the humour was a bit obvious.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Nice little crime story with interesting take on the amateur sleuth

Though a slightly annoying protagonist this is a fun murder mystery. Not my normal read but I’m going to give others in the series a listen. It’s enjoyable escapism.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

RIVETING

This book is a tome of intrigue, espionage, courage, incontestable and allergy ridden bravado. The laughter escaped from my lips before I was aware of it. The plot was emotionally charged that I found myself constantly listening. The writing was prolific with a twist of comedic elements that surprise the reader. I was enthralled by the story because it was told with a depth and a simplicity. I loved the reader's irish brogue. The conclusion is a twist worth waiting for. Magnificent indeed.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

grew on me

Any additional comments?

It took me a while to enjoy this book the humor in the first few chapters was a bit obvious (a man walked into a bar....) but as it progressed i found myself laughing out loud at the 'hero' in the story who is not in the least bit likable and never fails to reach new lows.
well worth a read, it will cheer you up, not least because you will (hopefully) realise you don't know anyone quite so selfish and rude!

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