Hodder Headline London, 2002

If what the cover says is true, Bateman has a huge following of fans. And understandably so, as it´s quite a novelty to find Northern Ireland the setting for a thriller, that´s as witty and abstruse as the best of Janet Evanovic.

So it´s pure pleasure reading about down and out Dan Starkey, an ex-journalist, ex-husband, ex-everything, who stumbles into fraud, extortion and murder in connection with the horse-racing-business. Like Stephanie Plum he is more interested in his love-life or the lack of it than in solving crimes.

Unfortunately there is a sinister side to Bateman´s story-telling when he describes the torture and murder of a naked woman in gory details. Does he really need that to give himself a kick?