Past Mortem by Ben Elton
Although this is not one of his more famous book, is a thoroughly good read.
Here is the synopsis from Amazon:
With old friends like these, who needs enemies? It’s a question short, mild mannered detective Edward Newson is forced to ask himself having in romantic desperation logged on to the Friends Reunited website searching for the girlfriends of his youth. Newson is not the only member of the Class of ’86 who has been raking over the ashes of the past. As his old class begins to reassemble in cyberspace, the years slip away and old feuds and passions burn hot once more. Meanwhile, back in the present, Newson’s life is no less complicated. He is secretly in love with Natasha, his lovely but very attached sergeant, while comprehensively failing to solve a series of baffling and peculiarly gruesome murders. A school reunion is planned and as history begins to repeat itself, the past crashes headlong into the present. Neither will ever be the same again. In Past Mortem, Ben Elton – previous winner of The Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger Award for Popcorn – delivers both a heart-stopping thriller and a killer comic romance.
This was a great book, a proper page turner. I felt connected to the characters, and was wondering about their lives all the way through the book. It was an easy and entertaining read, much like his other books. Elton touches on the issue of bullying and the effects it has on people in a startling way. Although I was aware of bullying, having experienced a bit of it myself, he certainly enlightened me as to what it could do to someone’s life in the long run. I read this book in a matter of days, and was gripped until the end, although I had worked out who the murderer was.
However, as much as I enjoyed this book, along with the gruesome and detailed murders, which did not bother me, there were graphic sex scenes which I did not like, and which mean I won’t be passing this book on to my Mum to read.
7/10 – would be higher if the sex was not so detailed and sometimes scary