Not sure this was quite for me, unfortunately. The story was really hard for me to get stuck into it but I managed to finish it anyway. Hopefully it finds it's audience!

I probably wouldn't have requested this if I'd realised it was a sample. But it's funny of course and Bob Mortimer's 'voice' is very strong. (I wasn't sure what his fiction would sound like - but it does, in fact, sound like Bob Mortimer.) I don't really want to give a star rating when I have only read such a short section, so four stars is kind of a guess. I will buy a copy at some point!

Great little mystery, with lots of great characters, comic moments, and a unique voice. Looking forward to Bob's next book!

I need to start this review by saying that I love Bob Mortimer and have done since 1991. I love his whimsy and mischief. I could listen to his stories for hours. So when I heard about this book I was desperate to read it and very thankful to Netgalley for giving me the eArc in exchange for this honest review.
There is so much to love about this book and so much I could relate to. The main character Gary has lengthy conversations with squirrels. I thought I was the only one who did this and felt “seen”. I’ve worked in a solicitor’s office and dealt with crazy, annoying clients like “clown shoes man”. I know the people in this book exist, no matter how far fetched some may seem. The relationship between Gary and Grace is lovely, without being too cosy. There were many laugh out loud moments within this book, as can be expected with Bob.
I did enjoy this book. However, I feel there was something missing. Perhaps it was an aspect of the plot, or something in the dialogue. I can’t put my finger on it. It’s a solid 3 star book that had potential to be 5 stars. Unhelpfully, I cannot quite figure out how it fell short, just that it did. I still love Bob and will read his next book because he’s great company and a lot of fun.

I was sent the first two chapters of this book to read, and it’s whetted my appetite for more! Quietly quirky and funny, I read it in Bob Mortimer’s voice. I’ll be looking out for the full version!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing these chapters for review.

Please note that I am a huge fan of Bob and it’s possible that this blinded me to any structural or tonal issues with this book, I don’t know. But I do know that I loved every line. It drips with the slightly surreal daftness that characterises Bob. There is an engaging plot and it held my attention well enough, but it’s the dialogue and exposition that I particularly enjoyed. The use of the squirrel as the inner monologue, the cruel pranks on Boiler Suit Man, that every building is ‘Victorian’…. I loved it. If you’re a fan of unadulterated Mortimer, you will too.

I really enjoyed this, not what I was expecting but overall very enjoyable.
I did find some parts didn’t hold my interest but it soon picked up again.

A wonderfully entertaining book. The characters are quirky, to say the least. I just couldn’t help smiling at certain parts of this book- the way human nature is captured is quite special. The main character appears to be a genuinely decent guy who gets mixed up in a terrible turn of events. The journey from start to end is full of crime, corruption and generally nasty people- so the ending is a nice fairy tale in comparison.

Received an arc of the sampler and it was filled with all the Bob Mortimer humour I expected. I enjoyed the set up for the story and am intrigued to pick up and read the full book.

This is a review for the first two chapters. What an explosive start, I can't wait to get a copy of the full book, as I am intrigued to find out more about Gary, Mr Average and Miss Satsuma too.

This sample was as I expected, full of Bob Mortimer’s brand of off the wall humour. It was developing into a fair story and was well written but didn’t quite grab me enough to wish to invest in the book. Perhaps I’ll pick up the paperback.

I thought this was a full ARC when i requested and was a little disappointed, however I really enjoyed the sampler i read and it gave a good indication that the full book is certainly well written and pulls the reader in to a very intriguing, twisting-and-turning tale.

As soon as this was announed I was desperate to read it, and it was everything I hoped it would he. Written in the typical Bob style of humour that has made him a household name, this has intriguing characters and a perfect storyline to keep the reader hooked. Read this book!

I was provided with a sample of this novel by our beloved Bob Mortimer for review purposes and I'm now waiting patiently for my copy in the library. Very enjoyable with Bob's trademark humour and had me wanting more as soon as I reached the end of the chapters which I had been provided.

Just a sampler but I enjoyed what I read and read it with the voice of Bob in my head. Will read the full book.

I loved this! Really entertaining! Brilliant characters - had me laughing out loud. A quick read but a good one.

I decided t listen to the second half on Audible and was very happy I did. Enjoyed the London accents.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

These first two chapters of The Satsuma Complex were certainly enough to wet the appetite for the rest of the novel. I am expecting lots of double crossing and absurdist humour. Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster UK.

I either forgot or didn’t realise that this was only a taster in the form of the first two chapters of the novel which was a little disappointing. It’s so hard to provide a review based on such a small part of a book, so I can only give it a middling rating based on what I have read
I am a huge fan of Bob Mortimer as a comedian so I was expecting this book to be delightfully odd and I did get a taste of that from this extract.
Plot wise, the book hadn’t really started before the extract ended. There wasn’t enough time to feel any sort of way towards the characters. I probably won’t continue with this book. Maybe if I see it in the library I will pick it up but I wouldn’t seek it out based on this extract

It's tricky to correctly assess a full-length novel on the basis of two short chapters, but I do believe that it's usually enough for a reader to decide if they should continue or rather abandon the book. Even though Bob Mortimer's style takes some getting used to--and I suspect it will get better as the story continues--I'm curious to know what happens next in our protagonist's search for the girl who disappears on him and only leaves him with a perplexing novel as a clue of how to find her.

Admittedly I am a fan of Mortimer's comedic work and his voice is instantly recognisable even in these few pages. It's quirky, witty and somewhat surreal. But that's the way Mortimer's brain seems to work. If that's not your cup of tea, The Satsuma Complex will certainly not appeal to you. Afterall, the clue is in the title. This isn't going to be a standard love story, it involves a citrus fruit and according to the cover, a squirrel. As the first chapter indicates, a TALKING squirrel! What more could you ask for?

I'm only giving it 3 stars because two chapters isn't enough to base a rating on.

Only the first two chapters were offered for review, which I didn't realise but there is certainly enough to proffer the reader an indication and whiff of what to expect from the début novel of Bob Mortimer. The writing has clarity, the wacky characters are fun and there is plenty of witty dialogue. Where it will travel is anyone's assumption, but I was entertained enough to want to find out. I have obtained the full copy for myself.