Book review. The Dead Pass by Colin Bateman. Starkey is still odd but Bateman is definitely a class act at putting together a great story

I first started reading Colin Bateman’s novels when I came across The Mystery Man series.  I was immediately attracted to their funny titles and found myself completely drawn into the books by bizarre plots and crazy behaviour of the characters.  When I saw the latest Dan Starkey novel The Dead Pass I decided that I should give this a try too.

 

Dan Starkey is a private investigator, hired to find Billy The Bear, the son of a retired republican activist Moira Doherty, missing and presumed murdered.  Shortly after meeting Starkey, Doherty is found dead, which makes Starkey determined to find both Billy and Moira’s killers.  It doesn’t take long for Starkey to get drawn into Londonderry’s seedy underworld of porn and drugs, until he finds himself at the centre of a new “spectacular” planned by Sunny Jim, one of a new generation of gangster terrorists.  

 

The Dead Pass is a snappily written novel that makes the most of Starkey’s character – anarchic and irrational but somehow genuinely human and believable. There’s amusement, absurdity and many laugh out loud moments, but as the novel progresses, whilst Starkey’s sense of humour remains, it’s not all giggles as his friend Patterson is beaten up and Starkey puts his own life in danger to find who is responsible.

 

The Dead Pass is a really enjoyable read and I did wonder whether Bateman uses his novels as an oblique way of telling us that “normal” life in Northern Ireland is far from peaceful.  My final verdict – fun to read with a good balance of laughs and serious bits.  I’m definitely going to look out for the next one.

 

Romancrimeblogger