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Don't Point that Thing at Me (1972)

by Kyril Bonfiglioli

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Charlie Mortdecai (1)

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4862150,087 (3.51)29
Fiction. Mystery. Humor (Fiction.) HTML:

A cult classic in the United Kingdom since its first publication there in the 1970s, Donâ??t Point That Thing at Me is the first of a series of hilarious and dark-humored crime thrillers featuring the Honorable Charlie Mortdecai, degenerate aristocrat, amoral art dealer, seasoned epicurean, unwilling assassin, and acknowledged coward.

With his thuggish manservant, the incomparably named Jock Strapp, Mortdecai endures all manner of nastiness involving stolen paintings, a vintage Rolls Royce, secret police, a whirlwind trip to the United States, a dead client, and a ravishing and wealthy young widowâ??all just to make a dishonest living. Heâ??s not one to pass up a drink, and he prides himself on being stylishly dressed for whatever occasion may present itself, no matter how debauched. Donâ??t miss this brilliant mixture of comedy, crime, and su… (more)

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English (20)  German (1)  All languages (21)
Showing 1-5 of 20 (next | show all)
Don't Point That Thing at Me is the first of a series of novels about the Hon. Charles Mortdecai, a dissolute and amoral art "dealer" (read "thief") who lives in Piccadilly with his thuggish valet Jock. Mortdecai comes from the landed gentry but is more likely to be involved with far more disreputable and often illegal activities.

In this first instalment, Mortdecai gets his hands on a stolen Goya on behalf of a wealthy and shady American client. This client has also decided to go in for a bit of blackmail, the consequences of which rebound on the unsuspecting Mortdecai and spectacular and often painful fashion.

The plot is wildly improbable from start to finish, but Mortdecai is a brilliant character that the reader warms to readiy. The narration is droll and arch, with some acid comments on matters such as the aristocracy, sex and airline food that provoke sputtering laughter. The Mordecai books are not easy to find, but worth seeking out. ( )
  gjky | Apr 9, 2023 |
Too self satisfied/ridiculous for me to finish. Maybe read 1/3rd, but when Charlie gets the police blighter back to his house and hangs him out a window, I got a bit tired. Yes, it is clever and well written... but archness should only go so far - at least for me I can't bear 300 pages of it. Still, as a sometimes Wodehouse homage with dirty crime in it, it is fun and I may take it up again, but.... it's like he doesn't trust his story to be good enough so spend his energy on cute jokes instead. ( )
  apende | Jul 12, 2022 |
Don’t Point That Thing At Me (1972) by Kyril Bonfiglioli. There is a tradition in British writing for the past hundred years or so, that of the titled man (Lord so and so or the Earl of Witsend) and his manservant. The pair make up a team. The titled character, in this case some far detached member of the royal family, has larceny in his heart, soul and every other part of him. He is Charlie Mordecai, part time dealer in “shady provence” art, full time drinker, womanizer when possible, and always looking for quick money. But he is also a “good” guy, funny, not as charming as he thinks, and usually ready to take a chance.
His manservant is named Jock Strapp (you can start to see the kind of humor this series is built around) and Jock manages to be a bit smarter than Mordecai, faster on the pick-up in daring situations, and ready to lend his large physical presence to the situation when needed.
It might remind you of Jeeves and Wooster, with a more larcenous Wooster, and you would be right. This author freely admits to the coincidence of character, but admitting is one thing and having the characters be duplicates is another. This pair might be images from a fun house mirror.
The thin plot consists of Mordecai getting his hot little hands on a stolen painting by Goya and then trying to foist it on the wrong rich American. There are some dirty British cops who might be helping him, or perhaps they want the painting for their own ends. The story ends up somewhere in the desert southwest of the U.S. after plowing through a short selection of locations along the way. There is also a murder, a fabulous Rolls-Royce, a beautiful young woman (naturally) and whiskey, whiskey, whiskey.
You don’t read this book for the story but for the characters as this is entirely character driven. Mordecai is smart, witty, and daring, but he is none of those things to the degree he thinks he is. There is a lot to be said for the rude, unconsciously funny and almost always desperate lead, but he is such a twist on the leading man trope that it is no wonder Johnny Depp played him in the movie Mordecai.
If you want to try and wedge this book into a genre, good luck with that. It isn’t a comedy nor a drama, a caper story or a nobility tale, or just about any one thing. It is several categories at once but the main thing that it is, is fun. You read this to hear about a scoundrel doing the thing he THINKS he does best and mostly ignoring the realities of the situation unto the point he gets conked on the head or his life is truly threatened. Just rise the tide and enjoy the twisted humor you find in Mordecai.
If you like this, seek out the follow-up stories about this character. ( )
  TomDonaghey | Jan 4, 2022 |
For all this talk of Wodehouse, I was put more in mind of S.J. Perelman: all those words, so urbane, maybe, but rather camp and ultimately pretty pointless. Like Punch: funny once upon a time (perhaps). More 'humorous writing' than actually funny. ( )
  jtck121166 | Jun 9, 2020 |
The first of the Mortdecai novels though fun was a little slower in pace than I expected and with sidetracks and wanderings as without restraint as Mordecai himself. I’ve never read what someone ate or the copious amounts someone drank (made my liver wince) to such a degree in a novel. Still, this is undeniably classic and I couldn’t help warming to Charlie Mortdecai and loving his thug of a servant, Jock. ( )
  SharonMariaBidwell | Apr 23, 2020 |
Showing 1-5 of 20 (next | show all)
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Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Kyril Bonfiglioliprimary authorall editionscalculated
prebble, simonNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Zann, NickyCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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"So old a story, and tell it no better?" Robert Browning, Pippa Passes
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When you burn an old carved and gilt picture frame it makes a muted hissing noise in the grate -- a sort of genteel fooh -- and the gold leaf tints the flames a wonderful peacock blue-green.
Quotations
Bed is the only place for protracted telephoning. It is also execellently suited to reading, sleeping and listening to canaries. It is not a good place for sex: sex should take place in armchairs, or in bathrooms, or on lawns which have been brushed but not too recently mown, or on sandy beaches if you happen to have been circumcised. If you are too tired to have intercourse except in bed you are probably too tired anyway and should be husbanding your strength.
The coffee having arrived (how hard it is to write without the ablative absolute!), we guzzled genteelly for a while.
To be on foot in the United States is only immoral, not illegal. Unless you're a bum, of course. It's just like in England, really: you can wander abroad and lodge in the open air so long as you've a home to go to; it's only an offence if you haven't one - on the same principle that ensures you cannot borrow money from a bank unless you don't need any.
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Fiction. Mystery. Humor (Fiction.) HTML:

A cult classic in the United Kingdom since its first publication there in the 1970s, Donâ??t Point That Thing at Me is the first of a series of hilarious and dark-humored crime thrillers featuring the Honorable Charlie Mortdecai, degenerate aristocrat, amoral art dealer, seasoned epicurean, unwilling assassin, and acknowledged coward.

With his thuggish manservant, the incomparably named Jock Strapp, Mortdecai endures all manner of nastiness involving stolen paintings, a vintage Rolls Royce, secret police, a whirlwind trip to the United States, a dead client, and a ravishing and wealthy young widowâ??all just to make a dishonest living. Heâ??s not one to pass up a drink, and he prides himself on being stylishly dressed for whatever occasion may present itself, no matter how debauched. Donâ??t miss this brilliant mixture of comedy, crime, and su

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