Meantime: The gripping debut crime novel from Frankie Boyle

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Set in Glasgow in the aftermath of the Independence referendum, Frankie Boyle’s gritty, sharply funny and utterly gripping debut thriller follows an unlikely trio hellbent on bringing the killer of Marina Katos to justice.

And more drugs than the whole Trainspotting series - and that's just chapter one - no not really, but almost! Occasionally they succeed in translating their skills into the new medium, but far too often I find myself disappointed and wishing they had stuck to their day job. All said, a very strong debut novel which is eminently readable and enjoyable, packed full of every human emotion there is.Many Frankie Boyle-esque moments of social commentary, both barbed and not, litter the text, and whilst Felix may seem to be a complete waster, someone who would rather avoid life by sinking a few (dozen) valium, there is an astute mind there. I didn't really understand how it was solved and I'm not sure if I missed something or we're supposed to not get it. It is of course very funny, as I found Boyle's descriptions of places and in particular people, especially Donnie, to be hilarious. Marina Katos – Felix's murdered friend, a graduate of Princeton University who was recently employed for the artificial intelligence company Beloved Intelligence while working at a Mexican bar, the Go-Go. The casual nature of drug use throughout the book normalises conversation about male mental health and the need for better healthcare and support around mental health and grief.

Rachael O'Connor – a delusional stalker who formerly pursued Felix and is currently obsessed with a man named Greg. I didn’t care about him, or the murdered woman, or any of the rag tag band of misfits he’d enlisted to help him solve the crime.He joked that he was "very keen on not going mad during a lockdown, and writing the book really helped with that"; Laura Wilson of The Guardian noted a proliferation of crime fiction by male celebrities written during COVID-19 lockdowns. Jake Kerridge of The Daily Telegraph found that—similar to Raymond Chandler's novels—atmosphere-building, misanthropic jokes and social commentary are prioritised over plot and the message is not nihilistic as Felix is not amoral. Baskerville, its crime fiction and thriller imprint, announced that Meantime would be one of its first major titles at its 2022 launch. Although the author is a famous comedian, this is their debut, and I feel it will divide the room between those who like the book and those who found it “out there.

The lists of pills at times reminded me of Bret Easton Ellis’ listing of brand names in American Psycho and these were used to highlight a mundanity of the coping strategy then just as I believe Frankie Boyle has done so now. Comparisons of this book to Trainspotting is lazy and disingenuous and disregard all reviews and opinions who make this lazy comparison.Notice to Internet Explorer users Server security: Please note Internet Explorer users with versions 9 and 10 now need to enable TLS 1. However, some reviewers criticised the plot as unfocused and that some digressions are excessive or read like Boyle is directly expressing his thoughts. I don’t believe I’ve ever highlighted as many passages in one novel to send to friends than I have for this book.