What do you think?
Rate this book
Riot Most Uncouth: A Lord Byron Mystery
The year is 1807, and Byron is living large as a student at Trinity College in Cambridge, England. He has successfully skirted the college's rule against keeping dogs in the dorm by rooming with a rather large bear named "the Professor." When a young woman is found murdered in a local boarding house, Byron can't pass up the opportunity to prove his immeasurable genius by solving the case. In a time where there are no police investigators, only expensive private eyes, it's up to Byron to bring her killer to justice while finding time for his normal pursuits of excessive drinking, bedding married women, and generally causing trouble wherever he goes. This is a serio-comic mystery by an enormously talented young writer that combines social satire and a brilliant detective plot.
296 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 2015
10 people are currently reading
921 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
September 8, 2018
The old dons had provided me a humble three-legged stool to squat upon in the near darkness. The entire arrangement seemed orchestrated to make me feel small. Their plan had failed, however. Marble floors and Corinthian columns had no capacity to intimidate me, and I was not the sort of subservient youth who would prostrate himself before anyone with sallow flesh, colorless lips, and a craggy countenance. I was Lord Byron, and I could expand to fill any space.
i was reading this book all cozy curled-up on my bed, and by page 40 i'd already giggled audibly about 16 times. sean of the house asked what was so funny, and i explained that it was a book about byron and his pet bear and a series of murrrrderrrrrs.
s.o.t.h.: byron had a pet bear?
me: yes! when he was at trinity, they had a no-dog policy, but there wasn't any no-bear policy on the books, so - pet bear.
s.o.t.h.(with an eyeroll): what a douche.
oh, and then it was on, friends, and there was passionate lecturing and hand-flailing and frowning, and my closing arguments were something like, yeah - if byron were around and doing all these things now, he'd be pretty douchey. but back in 1805? fucking rockstar.
drinking red wine out of a goblet made from a human skull?
in 2016, in hackensack, when you buy it from hot topic, that's pretty douchey.
in 1805, when you find the skull on the property of your own crumbling inherited estate and commission artisans to transform it for you and then write a freaking poem about it that you recite during your drunken parties … okay, so it's a little douchey, but also still fucking rockstar!
basically byron gets a pass because he was the first to do a lot of douchey things and he's the o.g. of goth and punk and emo.
as long as you forget about this lounge-act period of his life, when he was the o.g. of dirtstache and co-opting albanian culture.
i've read a lot of novels in which byron is a character. it's one of my interests. and they're rarely well-researched or thoughtful, and what you get is this half-assed child's-drawing version of byron, all emo-sighs and coarseness and exaggerated villainy and swagger. and it's not like those aren't elements making up byron, or at least of the mythology of byron, as he himself points out:
I am so changeable, being everything by turns and nothing long - I am such a strange mélange of good and evil, that it would be difficult to describe me.
but most authors miss one major characteristic: they never make him funny. if you've ever read his letters, you know byron was terrifically funny; whether he's being languid and self-deprecating, or acerbic and pointed, or in one of his juvenile scatological or otherwise vulgar moods. this book occasionally veers a bit into oscar wilde territory, but i can forgive a lot if something's funny enough, and this one gave me some serious giggles at the outset.
unfortunately, after i had to pause in my reading to berate sean of the house for his foolishness, the book never made me laugh aloud again. so maybe it's just the beginning that's funny, or maybe sean ruined my reading experience and now owes me many apologies in the form of cookies.
whatever the reason, i still really enjoyed this book and i frequently laughed in my head, if not aloud. and for those of you who want the gloomy-doomy byronic outlook, there's still plenty of that here:
Women feel the heat and see the light, and they recognize that love is a kind of flame. But they don't know which kind. They think love is a votive candle, and it isn't. Love is a wildfire. It's bigger than they comprehend, and more chaotic. It dances against the sky and sucks all the moisture from the air and earth, and leaves everything charred and desiccated. Love doesn't redeem. Love consumes.
oh, byron…
and it also features all the naughty womanizing that's a big part of the byronic hero:
"I couldn't stay away. You're so beautiful." I moved my face close to her neck and took in the scent of her skin and her hair. "Why do men always tell girls that they're pretty?" she said. "Why don't you ever say a woman is bright or talented or witty?" "We do say that," I said. "We say it all the time. To the ugly girls. We tell them they have charming personalities and remarkable senses of humor, and we avoid looking directly at them; we fix our gaze on a point behind them, or off someplace to the side, to see if a prettier one is just beyond the periphery of our vision."
which is shallow and misogynistic and all of that, but his daughter did write the first computer program, so he contributed to the sisterhood in his own way.
but the point is that this book does all the things those lazy authors do, but also remembers to bring the humor. which i applaud heartily.
the basic premise: when a young woman is murdered, nineteen-year-old lord byron takes time off from his busy schedule of drinking, cuckolding husbands, writing poems, dodging creditors, and skipping class to investigate the murder, frequently accompanied by his pet bear.
his reasoning is that:
A poet must have a keen eye for details and for feelings; for subtext and for innuendo. This same set of skills is also essential if one hopes to have any success at the pursuit and capture of murderers. The 1807 publication of Hours of Idleness, my first collection of verses, cemented my reputation as the greatest poet ever to have lived. It therefore stood to reason that I also was the world's greatest criminal investigator.
byron never loses his confidence in his abilities as a detective, despite his clear lack of aptitude or sobriety or even permission: …"I've found that if I behave as though rules do not apply to me, then they usually don't." but then there are mooooore murrrrderrrsss, byron's theories take a supernatural turn, his daddy issues start to resurface, and he is a raw nerve of anxiety, which he occasionally uses to try to get some:
"I have seen terrible things today. Mangled corpses and murdered children. I am distraught, and I am seeking solace," I said. "I believe I misplaced some between your bosoms."
and of course, his eccentricities make him a target for suspicion by the actual investigators.
I leaned back against the velvet upholstery of the big chair. "Surely, you don't think I killed the girl?"
"You're as good a suspect as any. People tell me you made a crass and explicit sexual proposition to Felicity a couple of months ago, and responded with anger when she rejected you. Is that true?"
I rubbed my fingers across a carved armrest. "I don't recall."
"Lying to me is a futile enterprise, Lord Byron. I'm difficult to deceive, and I'm smarter than you."
I shifted my weight, and crossed my legs in what I thought was a rakish manner. "No, I mean, that probably happened. But I don't recall. I make crass sexual advances toward almost every woman I encounter, you see. Usually, when I've had a lot to drink."
"You're often drunk?" His eyebrow arched, stretching that long, wicked scar as he regarded me with distaste.
I shook my finger at him. "I'm drunk right now, as it happens."
"It's the middle of the afternoon, on a Tuesday."
"Time is of little concern to me. I haven't slept in days." For some reason, I was proud of this. "May I offer you some whiskey?"
"Certainly not." The furrows beneath his cheeks seemed to deepen.
"Very good." I produced a silver flask from my waistcoat pocket and tipped it back. "More for me."
i mean, what's not to love here? it's bloody and bawdy and funny and it's so much better than 80% of the books i have read featuring some lopsided version of byron with zero chuckles. (the remaining 20% is pretty much just The Stress of Her Regard. i am horrible at math.) if this decides to become a series, i will continue reading it with pleasure.
come to my blog!
March 3, 2016
I won RIOT MOST UNCOUTH, A Lord Byron Mystery, by Daniel Friedman, through Goodreads Giveaway in exchange for an honest review. This novel set in the year 1807, in Cambridge, England and combines mystery, historical fiction and a large dose of humor, to keep you laughing throughout the novel. This is a dark and twisted mystery that will keep you guessing.
Lord Byron is a nineteen year old student (Did I say Student? Ha! Ha!) Living at Trinity College in Cambridge, England, although he rarely attends. He has other interests…which include daily drinking and intoxication, writing poetry, avoiding creditors but most of all he was a womanizer!
"I couldn't stay away. You're so beautiful." I moved my face close to her neck and took in the scent of her skin and her hair. "Why do men always tell girls that they're pretty?" she said. "Why don't you ever say a woman is bright or talented or witty?" "We do say that," I said. "We say it all the time. To the ugly girls. We tell them they have charming personalities and remarkable senses of humor, and we avoid looking directly at them; we fix our gaze on a point behind them, or off someplace to the side, to see if a prettier one is just beyond the periphery of our vision."
And you won’t believe it…he even has a pet (but not a Dog, as it is strictly forbidden by the College)…he has a pet BEAR, a rather large BEAR named “the Professor”. Who wouldn’t love a guy with a pet Bear?
When a young woman is found murdered in a local boarding house, Byron takes time off his busy schedule, to act as a detective, by solving the case, despite his sobriety. And he does this while living his lavish lifestyle of excessive drinking, bedding married women, and generally causing bedlam wherever he goes.
This novel is at times funny and sad and more graphic than I needed it to be. I was expecting more of a cozy historical mystery and this definitely isn't one; the murders are quite gory. This novel is probably more geared for English lit majors, for fans of literary humor than a more general audience.
Lord Byron is a nineteen year old student (Did I say Student? Ha! Ha!) Living at Trinity College in Cambridge, England, although he rarely attends. He has other interests…which include daily drinking and intoxication, writing poetry, avoiding creditors but most of all he was a womanizer!
"I couldn't stay away. You're so beautiful." I moved my face close to her neck and took in the scent of her skin and her hair. "Why do men always tell girls that they're pretty?" she said. "Why don't you ever say a woman is bright or talented or witty?" "We do say that," I said. "We say it all the time. To the ugly girls. We tell them they have charming personalities and remarkable senses of humor, and we avoid looking directly at them; we fix our gaze on a point behind them, or off someplace to the side, to see if a prettier one is just beyond the periphery of our vision."
And you won’t believe it…he even has a pet (but not a Dog, as it is strictly forbidden by the College)…he has a pet BEAR, a rather large BEAR named “the Professor”. Who wouldn’t love a guy with a pet Bear?
When a young woman is found murdered in a local boarding house, Byron takes time off his busy schedule, to act as a detective, by solving the case, despite his sobriety. And he does this while living his lavish lifestyle of excessive drinking, bedding married women, and generally causing bedlam wherever he goes.
This novel is at times funny and sad and more graphic than I needed it to be. I was expecting more of a cozy historical mystery and this definitely isn't one; the murders are quite gory. This novel is probably more geared for English lit majors, for fans of literary humor than a more general audience.
August 27, 2018
Lord Byron! A couple of my favorite web humorists, Kate Beaton and Daniel Mallory Ortberg have plenty to say about the ultimate Romance poet. Sez Beaton via comic parody:
Yeah, he was good looking, but also gross.
Ortberg, now working as "Dear Prudence" for Slate online magazine, did a healthy run managing the-toast.net. Super-funny, rabidly feminist, always ready to lovingly bash the reputation of Byron. My favorite post is a ranking of Byron portraits, in order of how much HIMSELF is in them!
Totes adorbs.
Ortberg rated this portrait as "All Possible Byrons! One billion percent would Lord Byron grow a mustache and demand that everyone notice it." He was quite the looker in his Greek armed forces uniform. After making too many enemies in England, fornicating and putting himself into debt, he took himself away to the continent, where he spent time in Italy with the Shelleys, and yes, joined the Greek armed forces. He caught a fever and died at 36.
This book covers his youth in Cambridge, where he attended Trinity College, kept a bear as a pet, and left no women un-ravished. When he found some time to meet with his esteemed professors and academic advisors, he had no tolerance for their guidance. After they left the room, he stole a chair. And this was not one of those cheap office chairs of today. It was a carved and upholstered piece of weight and importance. Byron wanted it and took it. (This may or may not be based on fact. Not sure how much this author researched.)
Readers take note, however. This book has a surprising amount of gruesome murders in it. NOT a spoiler: The bear didn't do it. Just go ahead and cross him off your suspect list.
Fun fact: Lord Byron had basically one legitimate child (among a cluster of illegitimates). Ada Lovelace! The lady is credited as the inventor of computer programming!
Yeah, he was good looking, but also gross.
Ortberg, now working as "Dear Prudence" for Slate online magazine, did a healthy run managing the-toast.net. Super-funny, rabidly feminist, always ready to lovingly bash the reputation of Byron. My favorite post is a ranking of Byron portraits, in order of how much HIMSELF is in them!
Totes adorbs.
Ortberg rated this portrait as "All Possible Byrons! One billion percent would Lord Byron grow a mustache and demand that everyone notice it." He was quite the looker in his Greek armed forces uniform. After making too many enemies in England, fornicating and putting himself into debt, he took himself away to the continent, where he spent time in Italy with the Shelleys, and yes, joined the Greek armed forces. He caught a fever and died at 36.
This book covers his youth in Cambridge, where he attended Trinity College, kept a bear as a pet, and left no women un-ravished. When he found some time to meet with his esteemed professors and academic advisors, he had no tolerance for their guidance. After they left the room, he stole a chair. And this was not one of those cheap office chairs of today. It was a carved and upholstered piece of weight and importance. Byron wanted it and took it. (This may or may not be based on fact. Not sure how much this author researched.)
Readers take note, however. This book has a surprising amount of gruesome murders in it. NOT a spoiler: The bear didn't do it. Just go ahead and cross him off your suspect list.
Fun fact: Lord Byron had basically one legitimate child (among a cluster of illegitimates). Ada Lovelace! The lady is credited as the inventor of computer programming!
February 2, 2016
This is an interesting twist on the British murder mystery genre. In this case the focus of the story is not the murders themselves but the fictional character study of the philandering sot, Lord Byron. It is somewhat distressing when the main character displays absolutely no redeeming qualities or actions whatsoever and consistently disappoints at every opportunity. He continually expounds on his intellectual wit and investigational brilliance only to be repeatedly proved foolish and lacking. Byron's behavior and humiliation is predictably humorous until the conclusion of the book in which he descends even lower into the netherworld. The post-murder scenes are gruesome (aka Jack the Ripper attends Cambridge) but they create little sympathy for the victims since the reader has had little prior exposure to these assorted characters. There is no justice dispensed or catharsis rendered. Pragmatism and injustice rule and lots of innocents suffer at the hands of evil. In the end, little is adequately resolved leaving this reader somewhat unsatisfied. The ruling elite are portrayed as evil parasites who prey mercilessly on the common people without any sense of justice.
The book is an enjoyable, easy quick read with many short chapters each introduced with an excerpt from an Byron poem or missive. Despite his lack of decency, the lead character's development is good and draws the reader into the story but his total lack of anything redemptive tends to leave one empty in the end.
The book is an enjoyable, easy quick read with many short chapters each introduced with an excerpt from an Byron poem or missive. Despite his lack of decency, the lead character's development is good and draws the reader into the story but his total lack of anything redemptive tends to leave one empty in the end.
February 11, 2016
I liked Lord Byron, I liked his ursine companion, and as a mystery goes, this was certainly quicker and gorier than my usual fare. (My favorite mysteries are the ones where it takes literally half the book for the author to introduce any sort of mayhem. See: the works of Amanda Cross, in which nothing is deadlier than an academic committee meeting.)
March 19, 2016
When it was droll, it was very, very droll, and when it wasn't, it was surprisingly dark. A pretty good mystery too, if you like that sort of book.
November 4, 2021
CW: gore, child death, mutilation of a corpse, infidelity
Actual rating: 2.5 stars
Okay, but they never confirmed he wasn't a vampire...
Actual rating: 2.5 stars
Okay, but they never confirmed he wasn't a vampire...
November 4, 2015
This book stars George Gordon (later simply “Lord”) Byron, though you need not like or even be familiar with him to enjoy this. Set during his Cambridge student days, the man is 100 percent swagger, high on the publication of his first book of poetry, which he claims “…cemented my reputation as the greatest poet ever to have lived.” Because he’s bored—and because he seems to be immune from modesty—he declares himself also “…the world’s greatest criminal investigator.” And just like that he takes it upon himself to investigate the murder of local debutante Felicity Whippleby. Ignoring the rudimentary local constabulary and avoiding the private investigators that the Whipplebys employ, Byron noses around, taking his pet bear (yes, a real thing) along for the investigatory ride. Byron’s megalomania proves exuberantly infectious. You, too, will soon be remarking that others are “…intimidated by my estimable presence” and that your “…raw sexual magnetism had a tendency to frighten or confuse lesser men.” When meeting with a hostile lawyer you too will think, “I wanted to shoot him in the throat.” Mounting debts? Failing classes? Big deal. There is wine to be enjoyed. VERDICT Ian Phlegm Fleming was among the best at writing evil masterminds bent on world domination (see: Simon Bar Sinister, et al.); dudes like Ernst Stavro Blofeld spouting lunacies like “…the methods of the great pioneers have often puzzled conventional minds” in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Friedman (author of five-star Don't Ever Get Old) might not be the first to take this twist to a good guy, but the result is funny enough to make you snort coffee all over your fellow commuters. Inspired, hilarious lunacy.
Find reviews of books for men at Books for Dudes, Books for Dudes, the online reader's advisory column for men from Library Journal. Copyright Library Journal.
Find reviews of books for men at Books for Dudes, Books for Dudes, the online reader's advisory column for men from Library Journal. Copyright Library Journal.
May 9, 2016
This book was an absolute and total delight! Lord Byron is a mess, but he's a brilliant and funny mess. I was laughing out loud within the first few pages and the witty humor continued throughout the book.
What's more, the author gives excellent insight into his background in order to describe Byron's actions and his present day circumstances. The fact that you're given this glimpse into his psyche in order to understand his current situation is actually extremely refreshing and gives Byron the sort of dimension and depth that is frequently missing from character development.
The mystery is also interesting and captivating, I was never left confused but always interested in where the story was going.
And all I'll say about the ending was that is was incredibly satisfying. I REALLY hope that Friedman makes this character a series of some sort, because Byron's wit and sass is too good to waste on just one book.
What's more, the author gives excellent insight into his background in order to describe Byron's actions and his present day circumstances. The fact that you're given this glimpse into his psyche in order to understand his current situation is actually extremely refreshing and gives Byron the sort of dimension and depth that is frequently missing from character development.
The mystery is also interesting and captivating, I was never left confused but always interested in where the story was going.
And all I'll say about the ending was that is was incredibly satisfying. I REALLY hope that Friedman makes this character a series of some sort, because Byron's wit and sass is too good to waste on just one book.
Want to read
August 13, 2015I doubt the book can live up to these two sentences from the summary:
The year is 1807, and Byron is living large as a student at Trinity College in Cambridge, England. He has successfully skirted the college's rule against keeping dogs in the dorm by rooming with a rather large bear named "the Professor."
The year is 1807, and Byron is living large as a student at Trinity College in Cambridge, England. He has successfully skirted the college's rule against keeping dogs in the dorm by rooming with a rather large bear named "the Professor."
December 20, 2018
3.5 stars
I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
OK, to be honest, I was pretty skeptical going in to this book. I'm not a huge fan of mystery novels, so I was going a bit out of my comfort zone here. But I thought the fact that there was a literary figure as the main character might add a touch that would make it more tolerable. & I was correct!!
I actually really enjoyed Lord Byron as the narrator/main character, and I probs would have DNF-ed it if he hadn't been the MC. The author managed to create an approximation of Byron that's interesting and compelling, even if he's far from being an admirable character. Honestly I think that's what makes him enjoyable to read -- he's conceited, dramatic and oblivious, but in a way that's pretty humorous and 100% in line with who Byron the historical figure was. I also liked that the author included Byron's bisexuality, especially considering a lot of writers and academics conveniently ignore it; I'd have preferred if it were a bit more than passing mention though considering how much his sexuality in general was a part of the story.
Beyond our narrator, there were other good qualities of the story. The bulk of the story was compelling and kept one's interest. I found myself second-guessing who I thought the murderer was through the entire story -- the author dropped some good red herrings that caught & misdirected my attention. The story was also necessarily gorey -- it gave the reader a better grasp of the stakes involved in the mystery, and the descriptions of the murders & murderer were justly revolting. Sometimes books minimize the horror of a murder, but that wasn't the case here for the most part.
The two big shortfalls of the story that bumped my review down to 3.5 stars were -- unfortunately -- the beginning and the ending of the novel. It took me AGES to get into this story. I literally picked it up, read thru a chapter or two & nearly thought about DNF-ing it. So if you pick this up, make sure to give yourself at least 50-75 pages to get into the story. (Which, I'm the first to admit, is not great.)
The other big issue I had was with the ending. (I'm not going to be revealing anything concrete about the ending, but I'm putting my issues beneath a "hide spoiler" just in case.)
So overall, while I wouldn't recommend this story outright -- due to those issues with the beginning & ending -- I did have fun reading it, when I thought I might not. I won't re-read, but I am going to pass this off to my best friend bc I think he'd have fun reading it too. Honestly I think it would be an enjoyable read if you're not a huge fan of mysteries &/or if you're an English major &/or if you enjoy a certain Romantic (with a capital R) poet. An enjoyable book, but not one I feel passionately about.
I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
OK, to be honest, I was pretty skeptical going in to this book. I'm not a huge fan of mystery novels, so I was going a bit out of my comfort zone here. But I thought the fact that there was a literary figure as the main character might add a touch that would make it more tolerable. & I was correct!!
I actually really enjoyed Lord Byron as the narrator/main character, and I probs would have DNF-ed it if he hadn't been the MC. The author managed to create an approximation of Byron that's interesting and compelling, even if he's far from being an admirable character. Honestly I think that's what makes him enjoyable to read -- he's conceited, dramatic and oblivious, but in a way that's pretty humorous and 100% in line with who Byron the historical figure was. I also liked that the author included Byron's bisexuality, especially considering a lot of writers and academics conveniently ignore it; I'd have preferred if it were a bit more than passing mention though considering how much his sexuality in general was a part of the story.
Beyond our narrator, there were other good qualities of the story. The bulk of the story was compelling and kept one's interest. I found myself second-guessing who I thought the murderer was through the entire story -- the author dropped some good red herrings that caught & misdirected my attention. The story was also necessarily gorey -- it gave the reader a better grasp of the stakes involved in the mystery, and the descriptions of the murders & murderer were justly revolting. Sometimes books minimize the horror of a murder, but that wasn't the case here for the most part.
The two big shortfalls of the story that bumped my review down to 3.5 stars were -- unfortunately -- the beginning and the ending of the novel. It took me AGES to get into this story. I literally picked it up, read thru a chapter or two & nearly thought about DNF-ing it. So if you pick this up, make sure to give yourself at least 50-75 pages to get into the story. (Which, I'm the first to admit, is not great.)
The other big issue I had was with the ending. (I'm not going to be revealing anything concrete about the ending, but I'm putting my issues beneath a "hide spoiler" just in case.)
So overall, while I wouldn't recommend this story outright -- due to those issues with the beginning & ending -- I did have fun reading it, when I thought I might not. I won't re-read, but I am going to pass this off to my best friend bc I think he'd have fun reading it too. Honestly I think it would be an enjoyable read if you're not a huge fan of mysteries &/or if you're an English major &/or if you enjoy a certain Romantic (with a capital R) poet. An enjoyable book, but not one I feel passionately about.
April 3, 2024
Wow. My 5-star rating is way over the average, which sits right at 3.
I'm shocked at that result. I thought this was a really great novel. (I see a bunch of disgruntled Byron stans gave this a 1. But the most common score was a 5. I get it now.)
At the beginning, I almost DNF'd the book. Lord Byron is the main character, and as most people know, he was kind of a jerk. Mad, bad, and dangerous to know. Probably worse than that. And here, he is portrayed as an absolute malignant narcissist--which he might or might not have been. The Byron in the novel is a horrible man whose only virtue (besides being a good writer, I suppose) is that he generally is honest about himself, not pretending, for example, when he's seducing a woman, that he will ever love her or take care of her or anything noble. Most of the time, there is no sign of virtue, though. He is an asshole and uses his status as a club to injure people that mostly don't deserve his cruelty.
I don't like books with characters I have no sympathy for. That's my biggest turnoff in reading and in movies. Somehow, though, he became, by degrees, more sympathetic to me, and I started to care about him. Then I got into the story. (A similar example: Al Swearengen, in Deadwood, is a dangerous, callous, homocidal prick, but he's also smart and funny and strangely compelling. I should hate to watch him, but I don't.) Anyway, I can't totally explain why I found Byron sympathetic after all, except I guess he's also really smart, and when he's horrible to bad people it is pretty fun.
This is a mystery novel, which is one of my favorite things, and it has all the usual bits: a crime, some suspects, the gathering of clues, additional crimes, danger for the MC, and so on, but it also seems bigger than that. In part, that's because we get a lot of flashback scenes with Byron's childhood, especially revolving around his father, and the story is framed as a much older Byron revisiting the story from his university days. In terms of time, the novel is wider than the mystery, but thematically it's wide, too, touching on mental health and family relationships and the privileges of nobility, and so on, and feels in some ways like a mini-biography. I thought it worked.
There is a satisfying conclusion to the story, and though the older Byron narrating the last chapter casts doubt on some of the exact details of the mystery's end, it feels like it doesn't really matter.
Yes, he's a terrible guy, so I totally understand those who couldn't keep reading. And the mystery is bloody and violent, so that might spoil it for others. But from a certain perspective, there's a lot to laugh at here, not to mention a wild mystery to solve, and I really enjoyed reading it.
I'm shocked at that result. I thought this was a really great novel. (I see a bunch of disgruntled Byron stans gave this a 1. But the most common score was a 5. I get it now.)
At the beginning, I almost DNF'd the book. Lord Byron is the main character, and as most people know, he was kind of a jerk. Mad, bad, and dangerous to know. Probably worse than that. And here, he is portrayed as an absolute malignant narcissist--which he might or might not have been. The Byron in the novel is a horrible man whose only virtue (besides being a good writer, I suppose) is that he generally is honest about himself, not pretending, for example, when he's seducing a woman, that he will ever love her or take care of her or anything noble. Most of the time, there is no sign of virtue, though. He is an asshole and uses his status as a club to injure people that mostly don't deserve his cruelty.
I don't like books with characters I have no sympathy for. That's my biggest turnoff in reading and in movies. Somehow, though, he became, by degrees, more sympathetic to me, and I started to care about him. Then I got into the story. (A similar example: Al Swearengen, in Deadwood, is a dangerous, callous, homocidal prick, but he's also smart and funny and strangely compelling. I should hate to watch him, but I don't.) Anyway, I can't totally explain why I found Byron sympathetic after all, except I guess he's also really smart, and when he's horrible to bad people it is pretty fun.
This is a mystery novel, which is one of my favorite things, and it has all the usual bits: a crime, some suspects, the gathering of clues, additional crimes, danger for the MC, and so on, but it also seems bigger than that. In part, that's because we get a lot of flashback scenes with Byron's childhood, especially revolving around his father, and the story is framed as a much older Byron revisiting the story from his university days. In terms of time, the novel is wider than the mystery, but thematically it's wide, too, touching on mental health and family relationships and the privileges of nobility, and so on, and feels in some ways like a mini-biography. I thought it worked.
There is a satisfying conclusion to the story, and though the older Byron narrating the last chapter casts doubt on some of the exact details of the mystery's end, it feels like it doesn't really matter.
Yes, he's a terrible guy, so I totally understand those who couldn't keep reading. And the mystery is bloody and violent, so that might spoil it for others. But from a certain perspective, there's a lot to laugh at here, not to mention a wild mystery to solve, and I really enjoyed reading it.
June 25, 2022
I only tagged this as a mystery because it's a 'Lord Byron mystery.' Otherwise I would have just called it historical fiction because no one actually investigates the murders including Byron. It opens with a Jack the Ripper esque killing of a young woman while Byron is at Cambridge and she is drained of blood. He is intrigued because of his vampire interests and decides that poets are best at everything so he's perfectly capable of being the best detective ever. (hint he's not).
It should have been interesting. It was merely gross and I'm not talking the descriptions of gore (and the one child death). Bryon is gross. He does no detecting. He decided another student he doesn't particularly like must be the killer and spends the book trying to prove it....barely. Mostly he drinks, gets into fights and fucks (his words) Now it's 1807 so you expect misogyny. I know Byron more by his art than his life and what I do know about him is the Shelley years. I know he wasn't the best of men. I know John Polidori wrote a vampire book about how much of a user Byron was.
But in this he has no redeeming qualities. He spends the book bemoaning his father leaving him as a child, cheating people out of their money, spending money he doesn't have, insulting his teachers, fighting any rival (to prove he's more than his clubfoot) and believing every woman deserves to have his penis and he's going to make sure she gets it no matter how hard he has to cajole her. Oh and he's forever drunk, wandering around with his tame bear, the Professor.
The other main characters include a volunteer guard who's a carpenter and two thieftakers hired by the girl's father. One is a keen intellect ala Holmes, cruel and preferring torture to the science of detection but he uses the latter. The other is a bumbling baffoon.
Others die horrific deaths that seem to frame Byron which of course doesn't really add any tension to the story. That's the thing with these real person professional 'fanfic.' We know Bryon isn't going to go to prison for a crime because we know his life (I'm not sure why using real people is so popular in mysteries or why I keep reading them as I rarely enjoy them).
But the real issue for me is Byron doesn't even solve the mystery, not really. I don't want to spoil the end but it's just bad and breaks a lot of the unspoken rules in a mystery. I don't see me reading another in this series. I felt like I needed a hot shower after spending time with this Byron
It should have been interesting. It was merely gross and I'm not talking the descriptions of gore (and the one child death). Bryon is gross. He does no detecting. He decided another student he doesn't particularly like must be the killer and spends the book trying to prove it....barely. Mostly he drinks, gets into fights and fucks (his words) Now it's 1807 so you expect misogyny. I know Byron more by his art than his life and what I do know about him is the Shelley years. I know he wasn't the best of men. I know John Polidori wrote a vampire book about how much of a user Byron was.
But in this he has no redeeming qualities. He spends the book bemoaning his father leaving him as a child, cheating people out of their money, spending money he doesn't have, insulting his teachers, fighting any rival (to prove he's more than his clubfoot) and believing every woman deserves to have his penis and he's going to make sure she gets it no matter how hard he has to cajole her. Oh and he's forever drunk, wandering around with his tame bear, the Professor.
The other main characters include a volunteer guard who's a carpenter and two thieftakers hired by the girl's father. One is a keen intellect ala Holmes, cruel and preferring torture to the science of detection but he uses the latter. The other is a bumbling baffoon.
Others die horrific deaths that seem to frame Byron which of course doesn't really add any tension to the story. That's the thing with these real person professional 'fanfic.' We know Bryon isn't going to go to prison for a crime because we know his life (I'm not sure why using real people is so popular in mysteries or why I keep reading them as I rarely enjoy them).
But the real issue for me is Byron doesn't even solve the mystery, not really. I don't want to spoil the end but it's just bad and breaks a lot of the unspoken rules in a mystery. I don't see me reading another in this series. I felt like I needed a hot shower after spending time with this Byron
May 10, 2023
Having not been that knowledgeable on Lord Byron (other than the general accepted fact that he was insufferable and disliked by his own friends along with a few scarce biographical facts such as his involvement in the famous literary retreat where classics like Frankenstein were birthed), I found myself immensely drawn to this novel from the get-go--Byron is an insufferable, unreliable narrator that is hyped on vanity and alcohol and the reader both roots for and against the haughty protagonist. You find yourself rooting for him to be taken down a peg when he insists he's the greatest in any field despite no prior practiced, but you also smirk along with him when his wit counters those characters who equally hold themselves in higher contempt than they deserve. As far as a mystery novel goes, it is quite basic; from the victims, which increase in gore, to the beats--our hero is suspected, and framed, and even attacked, then systematically saved by the true villain, who you can guess from no later than halfway through the novel purely by process of deduction through screen time and poignancy of the introduced cast... A truly great mystery novel has a theme or secondary arc/story taking place alongside the murders, and this novel settles greatly on Byron's unresolved grief at losing his father, and the relationship they had. Byron tries to introduce the supernatural element of vampires to the reader, and whether you believe him in the end is left open and vague. The book doesn't try to resolve anything other than the most surface level dilemma--who is the murderer. Even their reveal comes with disappointment without justice (Justice for Angus) and literally everything else is left as unsatisfactory--which in itself was a theme of the novel with as much reference was spent on hitting home the point that clients and victims of these murderous tragedies want the invented closure that the thief takers provide, opting for that kind of closure over the actual truth. So, in that sense, I can't even fault the book for letting so much of the conclusion hang loose. And Byron really was the most loveable, punchable protagonist--I definitely wouldn't be upset to read a sequel should Friedman's specific Byron return to a print in my hands.
June 10, 2019
After reading the less than flattering reviews on Goodreads about this book, I almost didn't read it. However, I so enjoyed "Don't Ever Get Old", I thought I'd give it a go. I'm very glad I did. "Riot Most Uncouth" certainly is not for everyone, but it's one of the best books I've read in the past year. It was amazingly witty, I chuckled aloud on numerous pages. I also found the story and the way the author portrayed Lord Byron very engaging. It obvious he'd done a fair amount of research to help us get the feel for this very flawed man. Also, in the end I found this short and very readable novel quite thought provoking.
Other readers were much less enthusiastic about this offering. I can only say that perhaps some took this delightful romp a bit too seriously. Interestingly, their criticisms of this book are similar to the criticisms that Byron's contemporaries lavished on him. If you do your research you'll find even Byron didn't take Byron seriously. One reviewer called the book "gimmicky". One could argue that about all of the books of fiction. For example, what a whale of a "gimmick" was Moby Dick? One person's gimmick is another person's creativity.
From my perspective, I can only highly recommend this book. Let me share that at its' conclusion I wasn't entirely sure of what really happened, but remarkably, I was still more than satisfied. Maybe that's because Mr. Friedman practiced what he preached in the novel, "mystery seduces, but solutions disappoint". Ahhh, isn't that right my esteemed Professor? Here's to mystery!
Other readers were much less enthusiastic about this offering. I can only say that perhaps some took this delightful romp a bit too seriously. Interestingly, their criticisms of this book are similar to the criticisms that Byron's contemporaries lavished on him. If you do your research you'll find even Byron didn't take Byron seriously. One reviewer called the book "gimmicky". One could argue that about all of the books of fiction. For example, what a whale of a "gimmick" was Moby Dick? One person's gimmick is another person's creativity.
From my perspective, I can only highly recommend this book. Let me share that at its' conclusion I wasn't entirely sure of what really happened, but remarkably, I was still more than satisfied. Maybe that's because Mr. Friedman practiced what he preached in the novel, "mystery seduces, but solutions disappoint". Ahhh, isn't that right my esteemed Professor? Here's to mystery!
April 14, 2024
to call this a detective story would be a bit of a stretch, but it is absolutely spot-on historical fiction. like the writer called up caroline lamb and took notes on why she called him “mad, bad and dangerous to know.”
lord byron, in this book, is a MENACE. as much as he was in real life probably. I wanted to put him face-first through the nearest window as much as I kept hand-wringing my way through painfully insightful turns of phrases the narrative made. also the unexpected passages where there is sudden belligerent sexual tension with the man who’s trying to arrest him for murder. (the road to hell is paved with highlights in my kindle.)
there is a thin patina of plot (someone is carrying out a grisly series of murders in cambridge, at the same time that george byron is a student there) but think of it as 300 pages of unfettered access to an unrepentant, wise-cracking, awful, pestilence of a human being. and just when I am fooled into thinking this will be an empty-headed rollicking great read, the timeline switches abruptly to byron’s childhood and while it doesn’t redeem him, it shows me that this character’s got RANGE. he will disgrace humanity, but by god he will entertain you*.
(* people of delicate sensibilities may not enjoy his idea of entertainment. I cannot blame them because the things that happen are period-appropriate in the sense of lawlessness and disrespect for women and the working class, and byron was a sex pest, to put it mildly. your mileage may vary.)
lord byron, in this book, is a MENACE. as much as he was in real life probably. I wanted to put him face-first through the nearest window as much as I kept hand-wringing my way through painfully insightful turns of phrases the narrative made. also the unexpected passages where there is sudden belligerent sexual tension with the man who’s trying to arrest him for murder. (the road to hell is paved with highlights in my kindle.)
there is a thin patina of plot (someone is carrying out a grisly series of murders in cambridge, at the same time that george byron is a student there) but think of it as 300 pages of unfettered access to an unrepentant, wise-cracking, awful, pestilence of a human being. and just when I am fooled into thinking this will be an empty-headed rollicking great read, the timeline switches abruptly to byron’s childhood and while it doesn’t redeem him, it shows me that this character’s got RANGE. he will disgrace humanity, but by god he will entertain you*.
(* people of delicate sensibilities may not enjoy his idea of entertainment. I cannot blame them because the things that happen are period-appropriate in the sense of lawlessness and disrespect for women and the working class, and byron was a sex pest, to put it mildly. your mileage may vary.)
October 31, 2017
This one started out really promising, and I even laughed out loud a few times, but then I just got so bored. I'm really not one to skim books but I couldn't really be bothered to read the last hundred pages or so. The mystery was relatively interesting for a while but it was too drawn out and by the time the killer was revealed I didn't care anymore. I did appreciate the gruesomeness of the killings if only because I wasn't expecting that at all out of this sort of book, but the horror of them didn't save it.
January 30, 2025
Weird book - lord Byron kind of just wastes his life away and is super snooty. Obviously this isn’t reflective of the author’s writing skills, it was just a little graphic at times and felt a bit cyclical.
Twist at the end got me though and I was legit sitting with the book in my lap going “where did that come from??” - interesting way to wrap up the story
Twist at the end got me though and I was legit sitting with the book in my lap going “where did that come from??” - interesting way to wrap up the story
September 10, 2021
This was entertaining but a bit stodgy and hard to get into at first. I love a good mystery but this was at times hard to follow and I didn't feel the characters were all that well developed, would have loved to feel more of a connection to them.
June 14, 2022
2.4 stars out of 5 - I struggled through a library hardback over the past couple of weeks of evenings. The underlying story and the exposition of Byron's outrageous nature were interesting, but it could have done with a significant editing to cut down on the wordiness.
August 28, 2021
Fantastic novel...
November 24, 2022
I enjoyed it but I kept losing interest
July 26, 2025
One of the most boring books ever written
January 22, 2016
Disclaimer: I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was offered or requested.
When George Gordon, Lord Byron, was a lad, his father Mad Jack often told him tales of the vrykolakas, immortal beings who fed on the blood of the living. Now he’s nominally a student of the university at Cambridge, where a young woman has been found murdered and drained of blood. As both the world’s greatest living poet and England’s greatest expert on vampires, Byron feels that he is the best person to undertake an investigation. After all, he must also be the world’s greatest criminal investigator!
This new mystery novel is loosely based on real life poet and romantic figure Lord Byron (1788-1824). It blends some actual hings that happened (Byron really did have a bear as a pet to thumb his nose at Cambridge’s “no dogs in student housing” rules) with a fictional murderer on the loose.
Byron makes a fun narrator; he’s vain, self-centered and often drunk enough to miss important details. On the other hand, he’s fully aware that he is not a good person and is reasonably honest about his character flaws. We learn the circumstances that shaped him, including his abusive father and being born with a deformed leg–but it’s clear that Byron could have made much better life choices at any time. Some people may find him too obnoxious as a protagonist.
The neatest twist in the plot is that there are two private investigators that claim they were hired by the murdered girl’s father, who are not working together…and in a mid-book flash forward we learn that the father doesn’t know which of them he actually hired.
Bits of Lord Byron’s poetry are scattered throughout, and are the best writing in the book. A word about the cover: the Photoshopping is really obvious and a bit off-putting.
As mentioned above, Byron’s father is emotionally and physically abusive, there’s a lot of drinking and other drugs, gruesome murders (the corpses are lovingly described), on-screen but not explicit sex scenes, and some profanity. Period racism, sexism (Lord Byron himself is especially dismissive of women) and ableism show up in the story and narration. The ending may be unsatisfying for some readers–Lord Byron has odd standards of justice.
Recommended for Lord Byron fans, and historical mystery readers who don’t mind a protagonist who is more flaws than good points.
You might also like:
When George Gordon, Lord Byron, was a lad, his father Mad Jack often told him tales of the vrykolakas, immortal beings who fed on the blood of the living. Now he’s nominally a student of the university at Cambridge, where a young woman has been found murdered and drained of blood. As both the world’s greatest living poet and England’s greatest expert on vampires, Byron feels that he is the best person to undertake an investigation. After all, he must also be the world’s greatest criminal investigator!
This new mystery novel is loosely based on real life poet and romantic figure Lord Byron (1788-1824). It blends some actual hings that happened (Byron really did have a bear as a pet to thumb his nose at Cambridge’s “no dogs in student housing” rules) with a fictional murderer on the loose.
Byron makes a fun narrator; he’s vain, self-centered and often drunk enough to miss important details. On the other hand, he’s fully aware that he is not a good person and is reasonably honest about his character flaws. We learn the circumstances that shaped him, including his abusive father and being born with a deformed leg–but it’s clear that Byron could have made much better life choices at any time. Some people may find him too obnoxious as a protagonist.
The neatest twist in the plot is that there are two private investigators that claim they were hired by the murdered girl’s father, who are not working together…and in a mid-book flash forward we learn that the father doesn’t know which of them he actually hired.
Bits of Lord Byron’s poetry are scattered throughout, and are the best writing in the book. A word about the cover: the Photoshopping is really obvious and a bit off-putting.
As mentioned above, Byron’s father is emotionally and physically abusive, there’s a lot of drinking and other drugs, gruesome murders (the corpses are lovingly described), on-screen but not explicit sex scenes, and some profanity. Period racism, sexism (Lord Byron himself is especially dismissive of women) and ableism show up in the story and narration. The ending may be unsatisfying for some readers–Lord Byron has odd standards of justice.
Recommended for Lord Byron fans, and historical mystery readers who don’t mind a protagonist who is more flaws than good points.
You might also like:
December 28, 2015
In so much historical fiction the historical figures engage in uncharacteristic activities and are changed so much that the author may as well have made up his own character . That's not a problem with Riot Most Uncouth since Byron, The Professor and Byron's servant, Joe Murray, all appear as themselves and pretty much true to life.
This is the clever and dissolute Byron I remember from Romantic Literature class in college, though he recounts here a tale of bloody murder that happens to be fictional. As other reviews point out, Riot Most Uncouth is not a cozy. Byron was famously "Mad, bad and dangerous to know." But I don't see anything on the front or back covers or flaps that implies that this book is a cozy or that Daniel Friedman is Georgette Heyer.
A couple of phrases popped out at me and made me curious. One was "the main drag." The earliest reference I could find was, indeed, British but only dating back to 1851, not to 1807. I suppose that the expression could have been used on the street (or main drag...) before it was ever recorded anywhere. The other phrase was "dishwater blonde" and I couldn't find any 19th century reference to this exact phrase. It seems to have evolved from "ditchwater blonde" in the 1920's which may have come from "dull as ditchwater" which seems to date back to the 1300's. She was as digne as water in a ditch ~ Chaucer.
I love the cover. This is relevant only because I rarely do. Two characters who are actually in the book (The Professor and Byron) appear on the cover in recognizable form. Thank you, John Hamilton Design.
Pet peeve: I wish acknowledgements were at the end of the book instead of at the beginning. This is no reflection on the author because the layout is probably dictated by Minotaur/Thomas Dunne.
This is the clever and dissolute Byron I remember from Romantic Literature class in college, though he recounts here a tale of bloody murder that happens to be fictional. As other reviews point out, Riot Most Uncouth is not a cozy. Byron was famously "Mad, bad and dangerous to know." But I don't see anything on the front or back covers or flaps that implies that this book is a cozy or that Daniel Friedman is Georgette Heyer.
A couple of phrases popped out at me and made me curious. One was "the main drag." The earliest reference I could find was, indeed, British but only dating back to 1851, not to 1807. I suppose that the expression could have been used on the street (or main drag...) before it was ever recorded anywhere. The other phrase was "dishwater blonde" and I couldn't find any 19th century reference to this exact phrase. It seems to have evolved from "ditchwater blonde" in the 1920's which may have come from "dull as ditchwater" which seems to date back to the 1300's. She was as digne as water in a ditch ~ Chaucer.
I love the cover. This is relevant only because I rarely do. Two characters who are actually in the book (The Professor and Byron) appear on the cover in recognizable form. Thank you, John Hamilton Design.
Pet peeve: I wish acknowledgements were at the end of the book instead of at the beginning. This is no reflection on the author because the layout is probably dictated by Minotaur/Thomas Dunne.
August 19, 2016
Summary: Lord Byron is a college student attending Trinity College. But he thinks he is better than his professors and consistently skips classes. Even when he attends, it is just to stick it to the academics and gloat how good he is. He also fancied himself a person filled with emotion and with keen eye for details that would make him an excellent investigator. In fact, he sort of became an investigator. A poet parading around attempting to solve a string of gruesome crimes that seem to plague the town.
My tidbits (with spoilers): It had an interesting story-line but the Lord Byron character was a bit to much to take in. He had an obsession with vampires and had terrible egoistic personality.
He was a drunk, drug addict and an adulterer.
His pet was a bear. The college forbade dogs as pets yet Lord Byron found a loophole in the system and got himself a pet bear. He spent his time insulting people and wasting his money and reputation. When given a chance to turn his life around he ended up spoiling that chance. I guess this book would not have worked as well if Lord Byron was made into a more like-able character.
My tidbits (with spoilers): It had an interesting story-line but the Lord Byron character was a bit to much to take in. He had an obsession with vampires and had terrible egoistic personality.
I decided not to explain to this gentleman that I was a poet and thusly, skilled at nearly every intellectual pursuit. He'd learn this for himself, soon enough. (p. 48)
He was a drunk, drug addict and an adulterer.
I shook my finger at him. "I'm drunk right now, as it happens."
"It's the middle of the afternoon, on a Tuesday."
"Time is of little concern to me. I haven't slept in days." For some reason, I was proud of this. "May I offer you some whisky?"
"Certainly not." The furrows beneath his checks seemed to deepen.
"Very good." I produced a silver flask from my waistcoat pocket and tipped it back. "More for me." (p. 49)
His pet was a bear. The college forbade dogs as pets yet Lord Byron found a loophole in the system and got himself a pet bear. He spent his time insulting people and wasting his money and reputation. When given a chance to turn his life around he ended up spoiling that chance. I guess this book would not have worked as well if Lord Byron was made into a more like-able character.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 3, 2016
Its very rare that I don't finish a book. I made it through the first 20 chapters of this book. It is quick paced with short chapters. Beyond that, I unfortunately can't find anything positive to say about it.
The title does fit the plot. I found Lord Byron to be despicable to say the least. And while I know that in real life Lord Byron was far from a saint, this novel does nothing but stain his character further. He's a cruel, sexist, selfish drunken waste of flesh. There are no shortage of adjectives that come to my mind, but I'm sure those will do. The author choses to make this distasteful version Byron appear "witty" but I found his vulgar humor lost on me.
In Chapter 18, Byron investigates a murder suspect by seducing his maid. He questions her about her employer's character during the seduction. At one point during the encounter he purposely hurts her, adding sadist to his character.
After each chapter, I thought surely this has to get better, but after 20 chapters it just didn't. Every woman Byron encountered was evaluated in a debasing sexual way. I felt like I was spending time with the worst of men, and I just wanted to escape from him and his sick little mind.
This novel clearly wasn't written to appeal to women, but perhaps it was intended as some dark male fantasy fiction. It disturbs me that in this day and age anyone would want to write such a cheap and degrading depiction of women as entertainment, even if there is an iota of historical accuracy to it. Thankfully there are novels that portray women in a more respectful light.
I won this book as a First Reads giveaway from Goodreads.
The title does fit the plot. I found Lord Byron to be despicable to say the least. And while I know that in real life Lord Byron was far from a saint, this novel does nothing but stain his character further. He's a cruel, sexist, selfish drunken waste of flesh. There are no shortage of adjectives that come to my mind, but I'm sure those will do. The author choses to make this distasteful version Byron appear "witty" but I found his vulgar humor lost on me.
In Chapter 18, Byron investigates a murder suspect by seducing his maid. He questions her about her employer's character during the seduction. At one point during the encounter he purposely hurts her, adding sadist to his character.
After each chapter, I thought surely this has to get better, but after 20 chapters it just didn't. Every woman Byron encountered was evaluated in a debasing sexual way. I felt like I was spending time with the worst of men, and I just wanted to escape from him and his sick little mind.
This novel clearly wasn't written to appeal to women, but perhaps it was intended as some dark male fantasy fiction. It disturbs me that in this day and age anyone would want to write such a cheap and degrading depiction of women as entertainment, even if there is an iota of historical accuracy to it. Thankfully there are novels that portray women in a more respectful light.
I won this book as a First Reads giveaway from Goodreads.
July 19, 2018
Ugh, no. DNF. I usually hate gimmick-y novels (P&P & Zombies comes to mind), and especially novels with gimmicks where a famous historical person or character is written into a completely fictional story (pick any of the books about Darcy or Sherlock or fairy tale retellings, etc.). They're almost always poorly written and wildly unimaginative. However, when they are done well they are brilliant and highly entertaining (see any of Jasper Fforde's books but especially the Thursday Next series). So I went into this book hesitant but hopeful. Alas, I was disappointed. The author's descriptions of Lord Byron's character were so ridiculously exaggerated and over-the-top that his behavior was hardly believable to anyone who has ever read even the most superficial of biographies about him. The book was supposed to be tongue-in-cheek and hilarious, apparently, though I'm not sure where those funny passages were located. This novel is the fiction equivalent of that annoying friend at the bar who so desperately wants people to laugh at his jokes that he ends up trying too hard and embarrassing himself. Or he tells bits of jokes he heard on a Dane Cook stand up special and hopes we won't notice. He usually also owns a fart cushion or hand buzzer. You know...gimmicks. To distract from the fact that he's not actually funny. There are some people out there who, for reasons unclear to me, found this book to be hysterical, so maybe it's just that it wasn't my thing.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews