Book #42 for 2023: Dial M for Merde by Stephen Clarke
Dial M for Merde by Stephen Clarke
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
So, this was a completely blind read, picked up in a second hand shop. My understanding was that it was about an attempt to assassinate the French president.
The blurb sounded promising; the main character, Paul, is in a relationship with Gloria Monday, commonly known as M, who turns out to be part of a the assassination plot. It sounds promising, but much of the story is overwhelmed by a plot where Paul's friend is about to get married, and has asked him to cater; the assassination isn't mentioned until half way through the book.
Early on in the book, the farce seems to involve a misunderstanding on a beach that gets Paul and his friend's fiancee briefly arrested, and much of the rest involves him trying to find a fish to serve at the wedding.
Most of the book is farce, full of misunderstandings that feel influenced by the writings of P.G. Wodehouse (a lot of it involve Paul mispronouncing "traiteur", French for "caterer", and calling himself a "traitor" by accident. The assassination becomes more prominent later on in the book, but overall it just felt too slow-paced, with the climax over very quickly. Apparently this is the first book in a series, but I don't think I'll be reading any more in a hurry. It's unfortunate, as it felt like there was more comic and dramatic potential in this premise; it ended up feeling like Poor Man's "Day of the Jackal".
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First book for August's Calendar of Crime; it's definitely set in a holiday destination.
January: 3/10
February: 4/10
March: 2/10
April: 3/10
May: 3/10
June: 4/10
July: 2/10
1. August in the title
2. Author's birth month
3. Primary action takes place in this month
4. Academic setting
5. Other August holiday (I can only think of the Summer bank holiday!)
6. Original publication month
7. Book title has word starting with A
8. Summer scene, beach, water, school or bus on the cover
9. Year of the Sheep
10. Summer holiday setting