A Light-hearted Look at Murder

by Mark Watson

The author, a stand-up comic, constructs a devious plot and larger-than-life characters in the dubious world of the look-alike business in this clever story about the Beware Imitations Agency, and a young Hitler impersonator.

Genres: Fiction, Humor, 21st Century

320 pages, Paperback

First published August 28, 2007

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Mark Watson is an English comedian, novelist, and producer whose career spans stand-up, radio, television, and literature. Born in Bristol to a Welsh mother and English father, he grew up with younger twin sisters and a brother. Educated at Bristol Grammar School, he went on to study English at Queens' College, Cambridge, graduating with first-class honours. At university, he became a member of the prestigious Footlights, performing alongside Stefan Golaszewski, Tim Key, and Dan Stevens, and contributing to a revue nominated for Best Newcomer at the 2001 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Watson first gained wider recognition through stand-up comedy, performing regularly at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where he won the inaugural Panel Prize at the if.comeddies in 2006 and received a Perrier Comedy Award nomination in 2005. Known for inventive and often marathon performances, his shows have included 24-hour performances, collaborative audience-driven novels, and themed events like the “Earth Summit” and “Edit,” compiling his festival highlights. His comedy frequently incorporates unusual settings, from ferries and streams to vaccination queues, demonstrating his flair for unconventional experiences.
On television, Watson co-hosted the BBC Four panel show We Need Answers, appeared on series including Taskmaster, Richard Osman's House of Games, and Celebrity Mastermind, and starred in his own programs such as Mark Watson Kicks Off and the Channel 4 panel show The Mad Bad Ad Show. His appearances also extend to stand-up specials on Live at the Apollo, Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow, and international comedy festivals in Australia and New Zealand.
In radio, he has hosted multiple series including Mark Watson Makes the World Substantially Better and Mark Watson Talks A Bit About Life, often collaborating with Tim Key, Tom Basden, and Flo & Joan. He has also contributed to BBC Radio 5 Live’s Fighting Talk and produced series exploring both comedy and broader cultural themes.
Watson is also a prolific author, publishing novels, non-fiction works, and graphic novels. His books include Bullet Points, Crap at the Environment, Eleven, The Knot, Dan and Sam, Hotel Alpha, The Place That Didn't Exist, Contacts, Mortification, and One Minute Away.
Beyond performing and writing, he co-runs Impatient Productions, producing radio shows, podcasts, and digital content, and hosts the World Snooker Tour podcast Snooker Club. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he innovated with livestreamed 24-hour charity events called “Watsonathon!” and co-created the YouTube series No More Jockeys.
Mark Watson is a lifelong supporter of Bristol City Football Club and continues to live in East London, balancing a career that blends comedy, literature, and experimental performance with a commitment to inventive, audience-focused storytelling and engaging entertainment.

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a great hopes for this book as it was written by a comedian but I can't say that it was particularly hilarious or that well-written. The story was just bizarre and after building it up, it kind of fizzled out at the end.

[Adam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really pretty rubbish. I expected better from a good comedian.

[Tamara Zann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not very well written and largely stereotypes in my opinion. Wouldn't recommend it much.

[Adam Taz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick and fun read

[Grace Moovans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feel the ending would have benefitted from being darker but overall an enjoyable read from an author I've not read before.

[Lucas Emmerich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairly easy read. If you are expecting a comedy book, this is not it.

[Phyllida · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping this was going to be funny but it was just odd.

[Jo Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable story but chapters too long

[Adelle Kehoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a strange book, but definitely enjoyable - funny throughout with a few laugh out loud moments. The story is interesting and unique, I really enjoyed how much of it was told by translated memoirs. Some of the 'modern day' chapters are a little light, and many contemporary references/characters are already outdated, but the main characters are likeable and somehow believable!

[Dot Gumbi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trade descriptions need not worry - this book does exactly what it says on the cover. It is very light hearted, and it does contain a murder.

Plot (warning spoilers): A german studying at Oxford ends up dating the 5th tallest woman in Britain, together they set up a look-a-like agency where he earns his crust impersonating Hitler. And so they live happily ever after. Only they don't. We pick up the story some years later from the viewpoint of Alexandra - she becomes the Hitler impersonators pen-pal, and corresponds with him in prison. At first she knows little about him, but eventually his life story comes out, and we learn the gruesome truth.

There are many intriguing ideas but the plot and setting remains cosy rather than cartoonish, which is a shame as there are so many bizarre avenues this book could have gone down. Given that the author is a comedian of some note I expected a higher gag rate and more funny situations, but the story was told fairly straight and as a result it lacked bite - which is saying something given the lead character is an Hitler impersonator whose girlfriend is into S&M.

It's not a bad book. The writing is solid. The plot comes together. And it's an easy read. But overall it's just all a bit too bland and forgettable.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a disappointing book.

With the premise of the book (a lonely and socially awkward German student at Cambridge becomes smitten with the 5th tallest woman in the world and follows her to a look-alike show in a bid to 'bump' into her only to end becoming an Hitler impersonator himself), the sound-bites on the cover and the promising first 30 pages, I thought I was on to a winner with this one. Instead I found it predictable, clunky, dull and resistant to it's own progress.

It reads like a good idea which got lost half way through. Somehow the comedy and wit drops out, the characters get old very quickly and the whole thing becomes the paper-back equivalent of watching Cash In The Attic on a rainy day.

Dull and disappointing.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was something oddly compelling about this novel. I wouldn't say that it was gripping or thrilling, but I couldn't stop reading it. I have already read and loved Eleven and The Knot. This one didn't have the character development that I wanted, there was a lot of repetition concerning events and arguments and such. Having said that I did laugh out loud a few times!

I'm glad that I read it but at the same time, it wasn't one of my favourite Watson novels.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alex, her life unsatisfactory on every level, joins a scheme writing to lonely prisoners and is matched up with Andreas a German who sends her his life story which she has to get her flatmate to translate.

At two thirds in I was regretfully thinking this would be a two star book for me, much as I love Mark Watson's comedy work. It was an interesting and unusual story but the manner of its telling was too long winded (even given that it was part of the point that it should feel like that) But I liked the ending enough to feel more positive about the overall experience.

[Donald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a strange book, but I liked it.
A woman, somewhat at a loss after a rejected proposal, isolates herself by moving in with her younger brother - a city hotshot (and drug dealer).
Whilst doing research for her tv production job she clicks on a prison pen pal advert and is eventually put in touch with a weird German prisoner who entrusts her with his memoirs, in German naturally.
His story, translated by her other flatmate, a friend of her brother is a weird & strange tale of the lookalikes circuit, which ends in tragedy.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was surprised by this book - to be honest I only found out that Mark Watson had written anything after a chance amazon search. I was impressed on many levels, good character development, good attention to emotional detail. I'm just about to head off to amazon to see what else he has written...

My online review of the book is here as well, on my blog:

http://gracereviews.blogspot.com/2010...

[Emma Hevezi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book very much enjoyed the way that it was put together and the way that there are several storylines going along at the same time. The way the characters interact and rub along together is a really interesting construction which I will remember about this book. The characters are likable and you feel upset as things fall away from Alex's control. There are some funny, but odd parts to the book though!

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I expected this to be at all. Two narratives twine together through the need for human contact in a novel that, while never really attaining any real stakes, kept me coming back and reading large chunks every time I picked it up. A good heart to this one and a fun voice. I'll look for more by Mark Watson in the future.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a perfect book, but so quirky that this is easily ignored. I expected it to be very comedic (Mark being a stand-up comedian, after all), but instead it was simply light-hearted (no duh, I suppose). It was very hard to put down and lots of fun.

[Night · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the cover, I thought it was a chic-lit but it was not a typical one. A desperate woman started being pen-pal with an inmate, bringing in a third-party guy into this sort-of a look into a murder in the past.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mark Watson, as per usual, throws in a collection of eclectic characters and a plausible (but-only-if-you-look-at it-sideways) plot line, just to see what'll happen. "A Light-Hearted Look at Murder" is humorous, quick-reading, that very much has a "just one more chapter" vibe.

[Clare Coffey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like the Andreas character and the chapters dealing with his story. I did enjoy though, the Alexandra character and felt that Mark Watson reallly got into the mindset of a twenty something young woman. Not sure if I would recommend the book though.

[Ali George · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read, gently funny, great if you just want something to take you out of yourself that you won't have to think about too much.

[Emily Simmonds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable :-)

[Monica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just couldn't get on with it

[Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok - some good bits, but patchy

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

oh Charles!