Past Mortem

Elton's Past Mortem flawlessly ties a string of gruesome murders to that staple of middle-aged terror: the class reunion. While the novel is often criticised for being predictable, what many readers don't get is that you are supposed to go: "Well duh, you bint. There's your killer.", only to eat those words a few chapters later when it turns out your suspicions were shared by the main character, Detective Inspector Ed Newson and new information surfaces that discounts your theory. The novel makes the agonizing reunion, something most of us have to go through at some point in our life, instantly recognisable. Will the bully still be an asshole, will the class princess still be the belle of the ball and most important of all: does anyone show more remember you? Elton writes effortlessly, weaving a bizarre murder plot into one man's attempt to confront the demons from his past, the girl he only had for a week and the girl he never knew he had... show less

extremely vivid hardcore sex scenes (I don't know if people consider that a spoiler or a warning, lol) a good story of revenge - you probably don't want to read it if you were ever a bully, but it it might be extremely satisfying if you were bullied

I have always enjoyed Ben Elton’s books, so I’m not sure quite why it took me so long to get around to reading this one. But I’m glad I finally did. Scotland Yard Detetice Inspector Ed Newson investigates the brutal murder of an equally brutal man who was killed in a most unusual manner. With the aid of his Detective Sergeant Natasha, who Ed is secretly in love with, he starts to connect the dots between this murder and others that have happened – and which continue to happen. Essentially someone is going round murdering bullies and is using the same methods that the bullies themselves used on their victims.

This novel was written in 2004, and the now defunct website Friends Reunited features as a prominent part of the story. Ed show more himself joins the site as a way of connecting with his old classmates which leads to him meeting a number of them again – some reunions being very welcome (the school beauty Christine) and others not so much.

I did work out who the killer was before the reveal, but I jumped about between a few of the characters beforehand, so although it was guessable, I wouldn’t say it was so obvious that it would mar enjoyment of the story.

It’s not out and out comedy, and there is a serious issue within the story about how bullying in youth can lead to severe problems later in life – but you can always rely on Ben Elton to make you smile and some of the dialogue exchanges between Ed and Natasha were very funny.

Just a warning to anyone who doesn’t like gore or sex – some of the murders are particularly unpleasant, and there is one fairly lengthy sex scene which is eye-poppingly excruciating, revolting and hilarious all at once.

Overall, if you have read and enjoyed Ben Elton before, I would imagine you would definitely enjoy this book. If you haven’t read anything by him before, why not give it a try? show less

Detective Inspector Edward Newson has been friendzoned by his rather attractive sergeant, Natasha Wilkie, and has to settle for covert glimpses of her shapely legs and hope she doesn't notice. Natasha's taste in men seem to run to the typical bad boy type and being a 5'4" ginger and all-round nice guy, Ed feels his chances are pretty close to zero for elevating that status. While investigating their newest case, a pretty grisly murder of a brute of a man, Ed is feeling a bit lonely so decides to look into his past and see how his old schoolmates are doing in the hope of reconnecting with the class queen, Christine Copperfield, whom he spent one glorious week with back in the class of '88. He manages to reconnect with a couple of people show more via the Friends Reunited website and creates a profile there for himself. Not long after he does there are a few more that join up too and one of those is Christine and it seems she want to organise a class reunion. Dare Ed get his hopes up for something more?

Meanwhile, back on the investigation, it seems like a few more cases have turned up that might relate to the one Ed & Natasha are working on but there's not too many clues as to the identity of the killer. Can they solve the mystery before another victim turns up dead? How will his burgeoning social life and interest in the past affect Ed's investigating technique?

Not really a laugh out loud comedy offering from Mr. Elton this time around, as this one is more of a social commentary, though there are genuine moments of mirth especially in the exchanges between Ed and Natasha. The mystery element isn't that hard to figure out but there are a couple of twists to throw the reader off the scent. Those of delicate sensibilities should give this one a miss as the murders are not for the faint-hearted and there is one particularly sordid and gratuitous sex scene described quite vividly. Personally though, I did enjoy this book and I do like the author more as a writer than I ever did as a comedian. show less

"Past Mortem" is a mystery which takes place in contemporary England. Edward Newson, a detective inspector from Scotland Yard, together with Natasha Wilkie, a detective sergeant, trace a thread of murders in which victims die from lengthy torture. The scenes of each crime are connected only by a single common element -- the meticulousness and elaborate planning to avoid quick death.

On the surface this would have been a mystery about the psychology of the perpetrator, there is that, but what this book brings above others is the two additional lines of development -- Newson's infatuation with Natasha, and the episodes of Newson's memories from high-school and him attempting to connect with his objects of puerile adulation from the end of show more the 80s.

Unrequited love is pain, Newson is a confidante into which Natasha's vents frustrations from her boyfriend. A position from which Newson believes he would never manage to graduate, him being simply a good friend is emasculating. Could a revival of old high-school passions bring the vigor he needs so desperately to demonstrate.

I found Ben Elton by checking out the credits on the BBC comedy "Black Adder", where he figured as one of the writers. The outstanding black humor of the series prompted me to reach out and try one of his books. To this I give enthusiastic 5 stars. The book is a mastery of pace, plot and style, it manages to not only entertain by the methods of typical good mystery -- keeping you on the edge -- but during the slow moments actually engaged my own memories about what high-school was, the good and the bad of it. show less

There's no doubt that this is an entertaining thriller that is easy to read, but the book also has a bitter and somewhat mean-spirited undercurrent that I always thought underpinned a lot of Elton's comedy. While most of his characters are likeable and therefore soften the impact of what is being portrayed, I think that many readers will be switched off by the key plot devices that are used to carry the story. There is also one sex scene that is almost stomach-churning in what it depicts, and will have most middle-of-the-road readers recoiling in horror at the content - but then Elton always loved to shock the middle England that he was a product of. That was in the Eighties, a time that this book constantly refers back to, and I doubt show more that you'll ever look at the Friends Reunited website in the same light after reading this. School bullying, mental cruelty and the inability to escape the past are the themes that weave through the novel, and if you have a liking for violent crime thrillers you'll not be disappointed with Past Mortem. show less

I love Ben Elton's books as a holiday read. He takes on any topic that gets a lot of media attention, in this case social websites that reunite school friends, and turns it into an entertaining page turner for the beach. After I finished the book it occurred to me that the murder investigation was handled rather bizarrely, but while reading the book, this hardly mattered.
The book is about a serial killer who kills bullies in the way they bullied kids in school.
The bullying/torture scenes were a bit much for my taste and the sex scene was decidedly the most disturbing I have read in a while, all the more so because it was so unexpected in the middle of this rather harmless beach read.