The Clementine Complex

by Bob Mortimer

Overview

Bob Mortimer, beloved comedian and #1 Sunday Times (London) bestselling author of the memoir And Away..., returns with a delightfully quirky mystery in the vein of Richard Osman and Nita Prose.

Unremarkable legal assistant Gary Thorn goes for a pint with his coworker Brendan, unaware his life is about to change. There, Gary meets a beautiful woman, but she leaves before he catches her name. All he has to remember her by is the title of the book she was reading: The Clementine Complex. And when Brendan goes missing, too, Gary needs to track down the girl he now calls Clementine to get some answers.

And so begins Gary’s quest, through the estates and pie shops of South London, to find some answers and hopefully, some love and excitement in this page-turning, witty, and oddly sweet story with a cast of unforgettable characters.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781668024164
Publisher:	Gallery/Scout Press
Publication date:	09/05/2023
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Bob Mortimer was born in Middlesbrough in 1959, the youngest of four sons. He trained as a solicitor before a chance encounter with Vic Reeves in the 1980s led to a successful career in comedy as half of the duo Reeves and Mortimer. His screen credits include Shooting Stars, Big Night Out, Catterick and most recently BBC Two's Gone Fishing. 

His memoir, And Away..., published in 2021, became the bestselling memoir of the year, was named The Times and Sunday Times Humour Book of the Year, and was shortlisted for Non-fiction Book of the Year at the National Book Awards. The Satsuma Complex, his first novel, was published in 2022. It was an instant Sunday Times bestseller and won the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction in 2023. 

He's on Twitter and Instagram as @RealBobMortimer.

Editorial Reviews

"Funny, clever and sweet... The good news is that there is a lot of Mortimer's ridiculousness in all this." —The Sunday Times

"A surprisingly serious debut novel... a remarkably dark and gritty tale of... estate murder, law and order mystery, and honey-trap romance... it's a bit unusual... you'll love it." —The Independent

"Contains the funniest description of somebody having a bath that you're ever likely to read." —Daily Express

"Mortimer conveys an infectious joy in his own oddity, and... a sweetness to his worldview that makes his writing gently poignant." —The Telegraph

"It's as hilarious and surreal as you would expect... stuffed with laugh-out-loud moments." —Daily Mail

"As funny, idiosyncratic, and full of squirrels as you'd expect. It's also really rather lovely." —Heat, book of the month

“[A] punchy page-turner starring a quirky character who must leave his comfort zone to unravel a complicated knot of mysteries....will appeal to readers of Graeme Simsion's The Rosie Project... and Nita Prose's The Maid.” —Booklist

“Comedian Mortimer’s quirky debut novel follows a hapless protagonist on the adventure of a lifetime... The author’s comedy chops translate well to Gary’s deadpan voice... and he never lets the frantic pace flag. Here’s hoping Mortimer has more mysteries up his sleeve.”—Publishers Weekly

“(F)illed with witty dialogue and a distinctive quirkiness.... This whodunit’s memorable characters help set it apart from more traditional crime fiction. Will appeal to readers who appreciate a healthy dose of eccentric humor with their murder mysteries.” —Library Journal

“The first novel by British comedian and memoirist Mortimer is a rom-com and mystery packaged in one.... Quirky, self-aware... You’ll root for a happy ending.”—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2023-06-14
A 30-year-old legal assistant musters the courage to talk to a woman in a pub and unknowingly inserts himself into a criminal plot.

The first novel by British comedian and memoirist Mortimer is a rom-com and mystery packaged in one. Our narrator, Gary Thorn, is alone in London with a dull job and no relationship prospects, but life gets more interesting when he goes for a reluctant drink with Brendan Jones, a private investigator who works closely with his law firm. While Brendan chats away, Gary is distracted by a woman sitting at the end of the bar with a book. When Brendan needs to leave after receiving an urgent call, Gary is free to ask the woman about her book, The Clementine Complex. This turns into a multihour conversation that ends abruptly—the woman disappears while Gary is fetching a drink. A defeated Gary is surprised to learn the next morning that Brendan has been found dead. Gary was likely the last person to see him alive. And what about the woman, whose name he never got? Is she in danger, too, or is she suspicious given that she left in a hurry? Gary has many questions, which he bounces off his neighbor Grace, who loves to gossip over meat pies. With heavy reliance on Gary’s rich interior dialogue, the book has little allegiance to the rule of “show, don’t tell.” Gary can’t resist the urge to figure out what’s transpired, so, with good intention and zero preparation, he plods his way through police stations and South London estates in search of answers, hoping to find the woman who's taken his fancy in the process. Gary’s quirky, self-aware nature is often endearing, especially in how much he subtly cares for others, but the surface-level humor Mortimer uses to give the story pep can be a tough sell, more awkward than funny. The narrative flow is derailed halfway through when our mystery woman becomes the narrator. Despite the whiplash, the fresh perspective—which is raw and humorless in a good way—is welcome. You’ll root for a happy ending despite the flaws.

Quirky, lighthearted, but easy to forget—it could have been a gem with more polish.

Kirkus Reviews

Both narrators are spot-on delivering this lighthearted mystery. Thirty-something Gary Thorn reluctantly meets his colleague, Brandon, for a drink. When Brandon leaves suddenly, Gary starts chatting up a beautiful woman who is carrying a popular book titled THE CLEMENTINE COMPLEX. When Gary goes for more drinks, the woman disappears--leaving the book behind. The next day, Gary learns that Brandon has been murdered. Or has he? Narrator Bob Mortimer gives Gary just the right flippancy. He is terrific as Gary's eccentric neighbor, Grace, making her slightly loopy but undoubtedly in charge. Sally Phillips as the elusive woman sounds as beautiful as Gary describes her. Her attitude is snarky and seductive, while her backstory is performed with just the right tongue-in-cheek tone for this entertaining comic mystery. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

AUGUST 2023 - AudioFile

Both narrators are spot-on delivering this lighthearted mystery. Thirty-something Gary Thorn reluctantly meets his colleague, Brandon, for a drink. When Brandon leaves suddenly, Gary starts chatting up a beautiful woman who is carrying a popular book titled THE CLEMENTINE COMPLEX. When Gary goes for more drinks, the woman disappears--leaving the book behind. The next day, Gary learns that Brandon has been murdered. Or has he? Narrator Bob Mortimer gives Gary just the right flippancy. He is terrific as Gary's eccentric neighbor, Grace, making her slightly loopy but undoubtedly in charge. Sally Phillips as the elusive woman sounds as beautiful as Gary describes her. Her attitude is snarky and seductive, while her backstory is performed with just the right tongue-in-cheek tone for this entertaining comic mystery. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

AUGUST 2023 - AudioFile