Inspector Hobbes and the Bones by Wilkie Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Oh deary, deary me, I’ve gone against everything I believe in. The Order of Which One Should Read a Series.
‘Call me an ambulance’. ‘You’re an ambulance’.
Inspector Hobbes and the Bones is book 4, and I never start off in the middle of a series, let alone at the end of one. (Although, I’d hope that Wilkie Martin is penning another!)
Anyway, seeing this on NetGalley, (albeit, last year, me bad, sorry NG, I’m on it) I have to own up, it was the cover that inially intrigued me. The artwork was zingy and eye~catching, the blurb sounded like an easy~going, light read, and daft humour tickles me pink if the mood takes, and this is exactly what I fancied this week.
I’m not a Cozy Mysteries kinda girl, and I don’t really do Fantasy either, but this is a Cozy Crazy Crime Fantasy Comedy Mystery (CCCFCM for short) which just kept me entertained from start to finish.
It was extremely British, with puns galore, slapstick~style action, and dog characters!! Yes dogs!! Well, there are humans and the…..ummm, unhumans as well. But my favourite characters were definitely Dregs and Mimi. To see an animal relationship blossom is something I’ve never read about before and it was so lovely. And very funny.
The characters and place names!!! From pubs, to shops and street names, I sighed, whispered ‘oh dear’ to myself, and quietly smiled with cheesy, guilty pleasure.
One of the two MC’s is Andy Caplet. A hapless, clumsy, wally of a man, who’s pretty much outta luck all the time it seems. And, of course, Hobbes, a Police Inspector of questionable age and ethics, whose character I’d like to know more about. He has strange abilities and strength. I, for one cannot drink scalding hot tea or break a padlock with my bare hands. Reading book 1 will hopefully give him some background to answer a few of my questions. Who or, what is he?
It was all a bit silly, but the silliness was balanced with a nice little mystery that was cute and clever. Unlike poor Andy.
Every character was superbly written, you do get some funny types in these small English villages, I can tell you. Anyway, I need silly sometimes. There comes a time when reading this stuff suits me just fine.
So, on finishing this, I’ve learned two things, one, I need to read books 1~3 when my next non~serious urges arrive. And two, crime and dodgy shenanigans can always wait whilst there’s a good hearty meal to be had. Who could possibly solve anything on an empty stomach?
Wilkie Martin has my kind of humour, and his style certainly won’t be for everyone, but I loved it. A proper bonkers CCCFCM. I’m off to make that a new Goodreads shelf.
I’d like to thank the author, Wilkie Martin, the publisher, The Witcherley Book Company and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
OwlBeSatReading 