The Clementine Complex - by Bob Mortimer (Paperback)

About the Book

"Unremarkable legal assistant Gary Thorn goes for a pint with his coworker Brendan, unaware his life is about to change. There, Gary meets a beautiful woman, but she leaves before he catches her name. All he has to remember her by is the title of the book she was reading: The Clementine Complex. And when Brendan goes missing, too, Gary needs to track down the girl he now calls Clementine to get some answers. And so begins Gary's quest, through the estates and pie shops of South London, to find some answers and hopefully, some love and excitement in this page-turning, witty, and oddly sweet story with a cast of unforgettable pageacters"--

Book Synopsis

Bob Mortimer, beloved comedian and #1 Sunday Times (London) bestselling author of the memoir And Away..., returns with a delightfully quirky mystery in the vein of Richard Osman and Nita Prose.

Unremarkable legal assistant Gary Thorn goes for a pint with his coworker Brendan, unaware his life is about to change. There, Gary meets a beautiful woman, but she leaves before he catches her name. All he has to remember her by is the title of the book she was reading: The Clementine Complex. And when Brendan goes missing, too, Gary needs to track down the girl he now calls Clementine to get some answers.

And so begins Gary's quest, through the estates and pie shops of South London, to find some answers and hopefully, some love and excitement in this page-turning, witty, and oddly sweet story with a cast of unforgettable characters.

Review Quotes

"A surprisingly serious debut novel... a remarkably dark and gritty tale of... estate murder, law and order mystery, and honey-trap romance... it's a bit unusual... you'll love it." --The Independent

"As funny, idiosyncratic, and full of squirrels as you'd expect. It's also really rather lovely." --Heat, book of the month

"Contains the funniest description of somebody having a bath that you're ever likely to read." --Daily Express

"Funny, clever and sweet... The good news is that there is a lot of Mortimer's ridiculousness in all this." --The Sunday Times

"It's as hilarious and surreal as you would expect... stuffed with laugh-out-loud moments." --Daily Mail

"Mortimer conveys an infectious joy in his own oddity, and... a sweetness to his worldview that makes his writing gently poignant." --The Telegraph

"[A] punchy page-turner starring a quirky character who must leave his comfort zone to unravel a complicated knot of mysteries....will appeal to readers of Graeme Simsion's The Rosie Project... and Nita Prose's The Maid." --Booklist

"(F)illed with witty dialogue and a distinctive quirkiness.... This whodunit's memorable characters help set it apart from more traditional crime fiction. Will appeal to readers who appreciate a healthy dose of eccentric humor with their murder mysteries." --Library Journal

"Comedian Mortimer's quirky debut novel follows a hapless protagonist on the adventure of a lifetime... The author's comedy chops translate well to Gary's deadpan voice... and he never lets the frantic pace flag. Here's hoping Mortimer has more mysteries up his sleeve."--Publishers Weekly

"The first novel by British comedian and memoirist Mortimer is a rom-com and mystery packaged in one.... Quirky, self-aware... You'll root for a happy ending."--Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Bob Mortimer was born in Middlesbrough in 1959, the youngest of four sons. He trained as a solicitor before a chance encounter with Vic Reeves in the 1980s led to a successful career in comedy as half of the duo Reeves and Mortimer. His screen credits include Shooting Stars, Big Night Out, Catterick and most recently BBC Two's Gone Fishing.

His memoir, And Away..., published in 2021, became the bestselling memoir of the year, was named The Times and Sunday Times Humour Book of the Year, and was shortlisted for Non-fiction Book of the Year at the National Book Awards. The Satsuma Complex, his first novel, was published in 2022. It was an instant Sunday Times bestseller and won the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction in 2023.

He's on Twitter and Instagram as @RealBobMortimer.