Tim Lott is, to my mind, a close second to Nick Hornby in the "lad lit" stakes. This is his third novel after winning the 1999 Whitbread First Novel award for his excellent "White City Blue".

The racy title is somewhat misleading. The novel is narrated by Daniel "Spike" Savage, a 45 year old advertising exec in the midst of an acrimonious divorce from Beth. As with Rob in Hornby's "High Fidelity", Spike believes he can make sense of his life through making a list, in this case of the "love secrets" he has learned over the years, so he takes us through his romantic history, sharing the wisdom he has acquired along the way. Given that his marriage is breaking down around him, his conclusions are, not surprisingly, somewhat jaundiced, but the novel's conclusion does offer him some hope and shows up his so-called secrets for what they really are.

Although Danny is not entirely likeable - he's rather full of himself, smugly middle class and solipsistic - he makes a realistic everybloke, making many of the mistakes men are prone to making in relationships. Given Danny's situation, this could easily have become quite a bleak, bitter novel, and it is to Lott's credit that Danny does not come across as just irritatingly self-pitying.

The novel's style lent itself very well to audiobook, since it is basically a monlogue. Like Hornby's work, women will find this educational, men a little more honest than they'd like. This is no great literary work, and does not step outside the conventions of the genre in which it firmly sits, but it is an enjoyable read nonetheless. ( )