Christopher Brookmyre – författare

The second book in the Jack Parlabane series, from author Christopher Brookmyre.The murder of a media moghul in his country mansion appears to be the result of him disturbing a gang of would-be thieves. The robbers are swiftly caught, but when they are unexpectedly moved to a different prison they escape. Back in Edinburgh, a young solicitor reveals to the press that one of the subjects had left a letter with her some time before the break-in which proves his innocence. Jack Parlabane, journo-extraordinaire, is intrigued, but when he approaches the lawyer he discovers someone else is trying to get near her - someone with evil intent, political connections of the highest order and a corrupt agenda. Fast-moving, blackly humorous and intriguingly credible.

This is story of murder, corruption and sin. And that''s just the hero.Every great story begins with something unspeakable . . . the first Jack Parlabane thriller, from multi-award-winning author Chris Brookmyre.Yeah, yeah, the usual. A crime. A corpse. A killer. Heard it. Except this stiff happens to be a Ponsonby, scion of a venerable Edinburgh medical clan, and the manner of his death speaks of unspeakable things.Why is the body displayed like a slice of beef? How come his hands are digitally challenged? And if it''s not the corpse, what is that awful smell?Quite Ugly One Morning is a wickedly entertaining and vivacious thriller, full of acerbic wit, cracking dialogue and villains both reputed and shell-suited, and heralds the arrival of a crime fiction legend, journalist Jack Parlabane. ''A lean, nasty, fun little page-turner''New York Times ''Brookmyre is always a class act''The Observer''A sharp, funny novel''TLS''A wicked satire''Scotsman

The senior pupils of St Peter''s High School are on retreat to a secluded outdoor activity centre, coming to terms with the murder of a fellow pupil through the means you would expect: counselling, contemplation, candid discussion and even prayer - not to mention booze, drugs, clandestine liaisons and as much partying as they can get away with.Not so far away, the commanders of a top-secret military experiment, long-since spiralled out of control, fear they may have literally unleashed the forces of Hell.Two very different worlds are on a collision course, and will clash in an earthly battle between science and the supernatural, philosophy and faith, civilisation and savagery.The bookies are offering evens.

The third book in the Angelique De Xavier series, from author Christopher Brookmyre.If society has the B-list celebrities it deserves, it now has a killer to match. Except that Simon Darcourt is a great deal more successful in his career choice than the average talent show contestant. He''s also got the media taped - by the simple expedient of by-passing them completely and posting real-time coverage of his killings on the internet. He''s got viewing figures to make the world''s TV executives gasp in envy, and he''s pulling the voyeuristic strings of every viewer by getting them to ''vote'' to keep his captives alive. Angelique De Xavier, his previous nemesis, is drafted onto the police team trying to bring this one-man celebrity hate-fest to an end. But she can''t do it alone, she needs the magical skills of her lover, only she doesn''t know where Zal is and meanwhile a whole load of celebs are, literarly, dying to be famous. An intelligent satire, a thriller with exhilarating pace - Christopher Brookmyre at his best.

The fourth book in the Jack Parlabane series, from author Christopher Brookmyre.It was a junket, a freebie. A ''team-building'' weekend in the highlands for lawyers, advertising execs, businessmen, even the head of a charity. Oh, and a journalist, specially solicited for his renowned and voluble scepticism - Jack Parlabane. Amid the flying paintballs and flowing Shiraz even the most cynical admit the organisers have pulled some surprises - stalkers in the forest, power cuts in the night, mass mobile phone thefts, disappearing staff, disappearing guests: there''s nothing can bring out people''s hidden strengths or break down inter-personal barriers quite like not having a clue what''s going on and being scared out of your wits. However, when the only vehicular access for thirty miles is cut off it seems that events are being orchestrated not just for pleasure ... And that''s before they find the first body. Thereafter, ''finding out who your colleagues really are'' is not so much an end product as the key to reaching Monday morning alive.

As a teenager Jane Bell had dreamt of playing in the casinos of Monte Carlo in the company of James Bond, but in her punk phase she''d got herself pregnant and by the time she reaches forty-six she''s a grandmother, her dreams as dry as the dust her Dyson sucks up from her hall carpet every day. Then her son Ross, a researcher working for an arms manufacturer in Switzerland, is forced to disappear before some characters cut from the same cloth as Blofeld persuade him to part with the secrets of his research. But they are not the only ones desperate to locate him. A team of security experts is hired by Ross''s firm: headed by the enigmatic Bett, his staff have little in common apart from total professionalism and a thorough disregard for the law. Bett believes the key to Ross''s whereabouts is his mother, and in one respect he is right, but even he is taken aback by the verve underlying her determination to secure her son''s safety as she learns the black arts of quiet subterfuge and violent attack. The teenage dreams of fast cars, high-tech firepower and extreme action had always promised to be fun and games, but in real life it''s likely someone is going to lose an eye ...Visit the author''s website at www.brookmyre.co.uk

The third book in the Jack Parlabane series, from author Christopher Brookmyre.Jack Parlabane, the investigative journalist who is not averse to breaking the law for the sake of a good story, has finally been caught on the petard of his own self-confidence and is experiencing accommodation courtesy of Her Majesty. The fledgling Scottish parliament is in catatonic shock after experiencing its first dose of Westminster sleaze. The Catholic Church of Scotland is taking full advantage of the politicians'' discomfort and is riding high in the polls as the voice of morality.Behind the scenes the truth is obscured by the machinations of the spin doctors and in prison, aware he''s missing out on a great story, Parlabane discovers that contacts and a pretty way with words are no defence against people he has helped to put away.Part political satire, part cliff-hanging thriller this is high calibre entertainment.

The second book in the Angelique De Xavier series, from author Christopher Brookmyre.Their eyes met across a crowded room. She was just a poor servant girl and he was the son of a rich industrialist.Er, no, this is a Christopher Brookmyre novel, although the eyes meeting across a crowded room part is true. Where it differs from the fairy tales is that the room in question was crowded with hostages and armed bank-robbers, and his eyes were the only part of him she could see behind the mask. He is an art-thief par excellence and she is a connoisseur of crooks. Her job is to hunt him to extinction; his is to avoid being caught and he also has a secret agenda more valuable than anything he might steal. There are risks he can take without jeopardising his plans. He can afford to play cat-and-mouse with the female cop who''s on his tail; it might even arguably be necessary. What he can''t afford is to let her get too close: he could could end up in jail or, even more scary, he could end up in love ...

We could tell you about the bodies. We could tell you their names, where they were found, the state they were in. We could tell you about the suspects too, the evidence, the investigators; join a few dots, even throw you a motive. But what would be the point? You''re going to make your own assumptions anyway. After all, you know these people, don''t you? You went to school with them. We all did. Granted, that was twenty years ago, but how much does anybody really change? Exactly. So if you really knew them then, you''ll already have all the answers. If you really knew them then...Put on your uniform and line up in an orderly fashion for the funniest and most accurate trip back to the classroom you are likely to read, as well as a murder mystery like nothing that has gone before it. Forget the forensics: only once you''ve been through school with this painfully believable cast of characters will you be equipped to work out what really happened decades later. Even then, you''ll probably guess wrong and be made to stand in the corner.

The fifth book in the Jack Parlabane series, from author Christopher Brookmyre.Do you believe in ghosts? Do we really live on in some conscious form after we die, and is that form capable of communicating with the world of the living?...Aye, right. That was Jack Parlabane''s stance on the matter, anyway. But this was before he found himself in the more compromising position of being not only dead himself, but worse: dead with an exclusive still to file. From his position on high, Parlabane relates the events leading up to his demise, largely concerning the efforts of charismatic psychic Gabriel Lafayette to reconcile the scientific with the spiritual by submitting to controlled laboratory tests. Parlabane is brought in as an observer, due to his capacities as both a sceptic and an expert on deception, but he soon finds his certainties crumbling and his assumptions turned upside down as he encounters phenomena for which he can deduce no rational explanation. Perhaps, in a world in which he can find himself elected rector of an esteemed Scottish university, anything truly is possible. One thing he knows for certain, however: Death is not the end - it''s the ultimate undercover assignment.

The first book in the Angelique De Xavier series, from multi-award-winning author Chris Brookmyre.We all make life choices. Some cause more mayhem than others.Back when they were students, just like everybody else, Ray Ash and Simon Darcourt had dreams about what they''d do when they grew up. In both their cases, it was to be rock stars. Fifteen years later, their mid-thirties are bearing down fast, and just like everybody else, they''re having to accept the less glamorous hands reality has dealt them.Nervous new father Ray takes refuge from his responsibilities by living a virtual existence in online games. People say he needs to grow up, but everybody has to find their own way of coping.For some it''s affairs, for others it''s the bottle, and for Simon it''s serial murder, mass slaughter and professional assassination.PRAISE FOR CHRIS BROOKMYRE''In the pantheon of great crime writers''Elly Griffiths ''Keeps you guessing until the very end''The Times ''Offers a brilliantly scathing portrayal of humanity''Time Out