The Long Shoe by Bob Mortimer

I have to admit to being a fan of Bob Mortimer, going back to his early appearances on British TV comedy shows. He was one half of comedy duo Reeves and Mortimer and more recently we’ve been watching him on Mortimer and Whitehouse: Gone Fishing. Anybody who has seen him on Would I Lie To You? knows that he can spin a great story, often with the most bizarre characters.

Born in Middlesborough, North Yorkshire, he also comes with a great accent. This certainly comes through reading this, his latest novel.

The Long Shoe is subtitled ‘A Mystery With 3 or 4 Suspects’, which is in keeping with the tongue-in-cheek tone of the story.

The main character, Matt, lives with his girlfriend Harriet. She is a clever lawyer who is working on a tricky case. Matt is between jobs, having lost his role as a luxury bathroom ware salesman. One day he wakes up and discovers Harriet has gone. He thinks she has left him, but as the story unfolds this may not be the case.

Matt is offered a ‘job’ in a fancy apartment block, where he encounters two unusual residents, one a thug and the other a yoga teacher. In return for cheap rent the landlord expects him to ‘spy’ on them. This apartment block also happens to be where Harriet dreams of living.

To add to the stress, Matt accidentally leaves his cat, Goodmonson, behind when he moves house. Goodmonson is a clever cat that appears to talk to Matt. Retrieving him is another side adventure to the story.

Nosy ex-neighbour Carol is also frequently in the picture. Harriet is suspicious Matt and Carol are having an affair….or are they?

With some great twists and turns this is a fun book to read. With a great cast of quirky characters, Bob Mortimer’s flair for storytelling shines through.

Reviewer: Rachel White

Simon & Schuster