Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} The Prisoner of Brenda by The Prisoner of Brenda by Colin Bateman. By the time of ‘The Prisoner of Brenda’, Colin Bateman’s Mystery Man creation has been around for a few books. The enigmatic book store owner is a great creation; sarcastic, neurotic and quite likely psychotic. In his previous adventures he has been threatened plenty of times, but has always managed a jammy escape; usually with the aid of his girlfriend or lacklustre helper. However, ‘Brenda’ puts him up against his most dangerous foe yet, himself. We learn more in the pages of this book about Mystery Man than in all the previous novels combines. ‘Brenda’ in parts takes place in a psychiatric hospital, a place that MM spend some of his formative years in. To start with ‘Brenda’ appears to be the normal breezy Mystery Man book as a client enters the bookstore asking to hire him to investigate the murder of his brother. A prologue does hint that this is a darker tale than normal, but it is not until the mental institution that the book really takes a turn for the macabre. Although MM never comes across as a confident character, he is actually very smug and assured. When he places himself in the hands of the authorities he is forced to examine what he has become and deal without the pharmacy of drugs that he has come to depend on. For the middle section of the book, the crime story takes a back seat and instead the character of MM comes to the fore. How did he become so damaged and does his bitter exterior hide a brittle interior. There are moments of real dread in the mental institution as MM feels his ability to control things slip away. The book almost takes a horror turn as our hero fears being returned back to a life of institution. As a fan of the series and the character I found this elements very interesting. Bateman is a wonderful writer and he is able to get very dark laughs out of any material. The books are narrated from MM’s point of view and some of the best elements are when he thinks of something so dark that you don’t know if he is kidding or not. ‘Brenda’ is the first book in the series that hints that these thoughts may actually come into fruition. With such a great character study in the centre of the book, the crime bookend struggles to hold its own. The deaths may be gruesome, but the solution is a little flat. At least MM gets to have a little Poirot moment as he gathers all the suspects together. For fans of the series ‘Brenda’ gives a great insight into the character of Mystery Man and may just be the best book in the series, but for readers new to the books; it will be flatter. Colin Bateman Books In Order. Publication Order of Eddie and the Gang With No Name Books. Reservoir Pups (2003) Amazon.de | Amazon.com Bring Me the Head of Oliver Plunkett (2004) Amazon.de | Amazon.com The Seagulls Have Landed (2013) Amazon.de | Amazon.com. Publication Order of Titanic 2020 Books. Titanic 2020 (2007) Amazon.de | Amazon.com Cannibal City (2012) Amazon.de | Amazon.com. Publication Order of Mystery Man Books. Mystery Man (2009) Amazon.de | Amazon.com The Day of the Jack Russell (2009) Amazon.de | Amazon.com Dr. Yes (2010) Amazon.de | Amazon.com The Prisoner of Brenda (2012) Amazon.de | Amazon.com. Publication Order of SOS Adventures Books. Ice Quake (2010) Amazon.de | Amazon.com Fire Storm (2010) Amazon.de | Amazon.com Tusk (2011) Amazon.de | Amazon.com. Publication Order of Papercuts Books. The Dead and the Quick (2015) Amazon.de | Amazon.com The Return of the Native (2016) Amazon.de | Amazon.com Mr Turner's Prize (2016) Amazon.de | Amazon.com Hong Kong Phooey (2016) Amazon.de | Amazon.com The Good, The Bad and the Quite Ugly (2016) Amazon.de | Amazon.com The Eagle Has Crash Landed (2016) Amazon.de | Amazon.com The Next to Last of the Mohicans (2016) Amazon.de | Amazon.com Dog Day Mid-Afternoon (2016) Amazon.de | Amazon.com. Publication Order of Standalone Novels. Cycle of Violence (1995) Amazon.de | Amazon.com Best In The Business (1997) Amazon.de | Amazon.com Empire State (1997) Amazon.de | Amazon.com Maid of the Mist (1999) Amazon.de | Amazon.com Wild About Harry (2000) Amazon.de | Amazon.com Mohammed Maguire (2001) Amazon.de | Amazon.com Chapter and Verse (2003) Amazon.de | Amazon.com I Predict a Riot (2007) Amazon.de | Amazon.com Orpheus Rising (2008) Amazon.de | Amazon.com. Publication Order of Short Story Collections. Papercuts (2016) Amazon.de | Amazon.com. Before he became a full-time author, Collin Bateman used to serve as a journalist. , which won the Betty Task Prize was Colin Bateman’s debut novel. Ever since then, all the novels that Colin Bateman has penned down, have been critically acclaimed. Due to the success of his novels, Colin Bateman was even involved in the penning down of the screenplay feature films, that were adapted from his novels including Crossmaheart, Divorcing Jack and also Wild about Harry. Colin Bateman Best Books. Divorcing Jack is the story about a hero, though in this case his name is not Jack and neither is he getting a divorce. The protagonist’s name is one, , who is a satirical columnist for the local newspaper. As it is the case with many columnists and lead characters, Dan is a heavy drinker which many at times lands him in trouble with his wife. Worse than the hangovers that he normally experiences is the discovery of a body of his one-night stands, who murmurs to him, Divorce Jack before she passes out. The discovery of the body marked the starting point of a wild rollercoaster that was marked with multiple kidnappings, wife getting her revenge for betrayal, gunfights, car chases, multiple kidnappings, the leaders of the underworld chasing Dan alongside the IRA, the police, the army and several foreign secret services as well. With that said, Divorcing Jack is an exceedingly funny read. Despite the fact that the plot is somewhat unbelievable, the humor still made up. Apart from being filled with local characters, Divorcing Jack has several great lines that will keep the reader entertained throughout. Mystery Man is another highly entertaining book by Collin Bateman. It is also the first installment in the Mystery Man book series. The protagonist in this book is the owner of No Alibis, one of the leading mystery fiction bookshops in Belfast. In an exceedingly clever plot twist, the PI next door has been missing for quite some time. Thus, the PI’s clients come to the protagonist’s bookshop to look for him. Due to the fearless nature of the bookshop owner, he decides to take up these cases. The hero is the epitome of the paranoid hypochondriac. He eventually ends up with every personality disorder and disease that crosses his mind. The girl next door is a self-proclaimed virgin, whose main work is creating graphic novels. Without the assistance of the girl, the hero manages to solve a safe case like missing trousers, derogatory graffiti on flyovers. However, when the exceptionally beautiful girl teams up with the armchair detective, danger backs its ugly head. With that said, the mystery man is an ingenious story, with an extremely paranoid hero. This book is downright funny. Medications, medical terms, and descriptions are spot on. The Mystery Man is filled with some laddish humor as well as some exceedingly interesting anoraky stuff about crime fiction present and past. The Day of Jack Russell. The Day of Jack Russell is a comic crime caper that has been laced throughout with gags, humor and nonconformist characters. The readers will find themselves laughing from time to time. Colin Bateman’s style of writing is not only witty but also highly engaging as well. The author, Bateman has a gift of constructing a dialogue that crackles off the page. The storyline begins as one Bill Randall, a man who owns a low-cost airline enters the mystery man’s bookshop. The man has been made fun off on YouTube by several individuals, who had pornographically altered his features on one of the advertising billboards within Belfast. Randall wants the mystery man to find out who these men are so that he can be able to deal with them. Apart from this case, the mystery man is also presented with another case, where the Stuffed Dog of the Chief Constable of the town has been stolen. Dr. Yes is the third book in the Mystery Man book series. The book begins as the case of the cock headed man has just been solved and life has just returned to normalcy for the mystery man. Despite having some normalcy in his life, the Mystery Man is still facing some challenges at home, when his girlfriend alleges that she is three months pregnant with his child. One Day, he spots one Augustine Wogan, a paranoid crime writer walking past his shop. This, in turn, becomes the catalyst for one of the Mystery Man’s most dangerous cases ever. Wogan’s wife had disappeared a few moments after she entered Dr. Yes’s clinic, who is a professional plastic surgeon. Wogan is more than convinced that his wife is dead and he wants the Mystery Man to solve the mystery. However, it does not take long before Wogan is found dead. From here, things continue to become exceedingly dangerous and deadly for the Mystery Man and his girlfriend, their unborn baby as well as Jeff. With that said, this is one of the best books by Colin Bateman. Unlike the other previous installment, there is an element of danger for the heroes. The whole installment, is a rollercoaster, especially the Poroit case, which will keep the reader guessing who did it to the very end. I Predict a Riot. I Predict a Riot is another highly entertaining read by Collin Bateman. In this book, the author introduces the readers to James Mallow a die had copper and one of the best CID in Belfast. James career as a CID is closing to an end. However, before handing over his badge, he is more than determined to put more politicians behind bars as well as Pink Harrison, a racketeer. It does not take long before a dismembered body turns up and Mallow is more than convinced that this time around, he has managed to get the perpetrator. The only problem is that Pink Harrison is already down and the full-scale rioting is from the look of things likely to flare up. With that said, I predict a Riot is a brilliantly written book that is full of hilarious twists and turns and an exceedingly satisfying end. Despite the beatings and the murders, this is a feel good book. ISBN 13: 9780755378685. When notorious gangster `Fat Sam` Mahood is murdered, the chief suspect is arrested nearby. But he seems to have suffered a breakdown. Incarcerated in a mental institution, he`s known only as the Man in the White Suit. The suspect remains an enigma until Nurse Brenda calls on Mystery Man, former patient and owner of No Alibis, Belfast`s finest mystery bookshop, to bring his powers of investigation to bear. However, before our hero can even begin, the Man in the White Suit is arrested for the murder of a fellow patient. But is he a double murderer or a helpless scapegoat? Intrigue, conspiracy, and ancient Latin curses all combine to give the Small Bookseller with No Name his most difficult case to date. "synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title. Bateman was a journalist in Northern Ireland before becoming a full-time writer. His first novel, DIVORCING JACK, won the Betty Trask Prize, and all his novels have been critically acclaimed. He wrote the screenplays for the feature films DIVORCING JACK and WILD ABOUT HARRY and the popular TV series MURPHY'S LAW starring . Bateman lives in Ireland with his family. The Prisoner of Brenda by Colin Bateman ISBN 13: 9780755378678. Try adding this search to your want list. Millions of books are added to our site everyday and when we find one that matches your search, we'll send you an e-mail. Best of all, it's free. Are you a frequent reader or book collector? Join the Bibliophile's Club and save 10% on every purchase, every day — up to $25 savings per order! Social Responsibility. Did you know that since 2004, Biblio has used its profits to build 16 public libraries in rural villages of South America? Hang on… we're fetching the requested page. Can you guess which first edition cover the image above comes from? What was Dr. Seuss’s first published book? Take a stab at guessing and be entered to win a $50 Biblio gift certificate! Read the rules here. This website uses cookies. We use cookies to remember your preferences such as preferred shipping country and currency, to save items placed in your shopping cart, to track website visits referred from our advertising partners, and to analyze our website traffic. Privacy Details. The Prisoner of Brenda by Colin Bateman ISBN 13: 9780755378692. Try adding this search to your want list. Millions of books are added to our site everyday and when we find one that matches your search, we'll send you an e-mail. Best of all, it's free. Are you a frequent reader or book collector? Join the Bibliophile's Club and save 10% on every purchase, every day — up to $25 savings per order! Social Responsibility. Did you know that since 2004, Biblio has used its profits to build 16 public libraries in rural villages of South America? Hang on… we're fetching the requested page. Can you guess which first edition cover the image above comes from? What was Dr. Seuss’s first published book? Take a stab at guessing and be entered to win a $50 Biblio gift certificate! Read the rules here. This website uses cookies. We use cookies to remember your preferences such as preferred shipping country and currency, to save items placed in your shopping cart, to track website visits referred from our advertising partners, and to analyze our website traffic. Privacy Details.