No Laughing Matter

Nick Madrid #1

by Peter Guttridge

“This sparkling debut fires volleys of one-liners . . . Romping good stuff.”— Daily Mail “An original and highly readable debut for journalist-turned-gumshoe, Nick Madrid. But a word of never let this man house-sit if you value your pets.”—Lynne Truss “Made me laugh out loud and wince in sympathy at both the violence and the humiliation meted out to the narrator . . . enormous fun.”—Val McDermid Tom Sharpe meets Raymond Chandler in No Laughing Matter , a humorous and brilliant debut that will keep readers on a knife’s edge of suspense until the bittersweet end. When a naked woman flashes past Nick Madrid’s hotel window, it’s quite a surprise. For Nick’s room is on the 14th floor, and the hotel doesn’t have an outside elevator. The management is horrified when Cissie Parker lands in the swimming pool—not only is she killed, but she makes a real mess of the shallow end. In Montreal for the Just For Laughs festival, Nick, a journalist who prefers practicing yoga to interviewing the stars, turns gumshoe to answer the did she fall or was she pushed? The trail leads first to the mean streets of Edinburgh and then to Los Angeles, where the truth lurks among the dark secrets of Hollywood. Peter Guttridge is the Royal Literary Fund writing fellow at Southampton University and teaches creative writing. Between 1998 and 2002, he was the director of the Brighton Literature Festival. Since 1998, he has been the mystery reviewer for The Observer , one of Britain’s most prestigious Sunday newspapers. He lives in Sussex on the edge of the South Downs National Park.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Humor

252 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Peter Guttridge is the Royal Literary Fund writing fellow at Southampton University and teaches creative writing. Between 1998 and 2002, he was the director of the Brighton Literature Festival. Since 1998, he has been the mystery reviewer for The Observer, one of Britain's most prestigious Sunday newspapers. He lives in Sussex on the edge of the South Downs National Park.

Reviews

[Susan Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the funniest book I've read in forever. It's another Jeanie recommendation. Nick Madrid is a British free lance reporter covering a Comedian convention in Montreal. He's trying out a new yoga stance when, from his upside-down perch he saw the naked body of a woman flying by his window. She ended up in the shallow end of the hotel swimming pool and Nick ended up trying to figure out why. The characters in this book are funny but the author is hilarious. Unfortunately, this gem hasn't been published in the U.S. yet, but I found it, quite reasonably priced, on a British web site. It's a great read.

[Plum-crazy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A reasonable comedy thriller...quite amusing although not to my taste in parts.

[Alistair · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one funny book, peppered with great one-liners and clever set pieces. Following the comedy festival circuit from Montreal to Edinburgh, our hero, Nick Madrid, freelance journalist and reluctant sleuth, becomes enmeshed in a series of mysterious deaths - the first of which is a naked young woman plummeting past his fourteenth floor hotel window. Assisted, in a manner of speaking, by his best friend Bridget (aka the Broadsheet B*tch), and encountering a swag of savoury and otherwise Hollywood types, Nick's pursuit of justice, sex and lots of alcohol is a lot of fun. Guttridge manages to combine a lot of laughs with a more than competent mystery.

[Joe · Rating 1 out of 5]

NO LAUGHING MATTER - NO KIDDING

Always on the look-out for new authors I picked up this book and well, I wish I hadn't. In a nutshell, Nick Madrid, a freelance journalist, witnesses the death of a young woman - she falls past his hotel window - while covering a comedy festival in Montreal. Nick then becomes a somewhat hesitant gumshoe detective attempting to solve this "drug related accident". The author works way too hard to be funny, does a lot of name-dropping and doesn't work hard enough in crafting an engaging mystery or story. I don't see myself pursuing this series any further.

[Carrie]

One review from an author whose books I enjoy said "Made me laugh out loud...enormous fun!" So thought this might be some badly needed humor. However, I struggled with every page and finally gave up after 45 of them. I could not get in to the cliche every other line as plot storyline. Not worth my time when there are so many books I REALLY want to read, humor or not.

[Fay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book since I actually laughed out loud the first few pages. But the rest was kind of boring for a thriller and the humor seemed to be forced.

[Violet · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of funny but mostly just about gays and their sex life.