Divorcing Jack - Softcover

Bateman, Colin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1559703598 ISBN 13: 9781559703598

Publisher: Arcade Publishing, 1996

Synopsis

An adulterous fling with an anonymous woman who is soon found murdered plunges Belfast journalist Dan Starkey into the district's violent politics, as his search for the woman's killer leads him into the highest reaches of power

About this title

Review

In Colin Bateman's first novel, Divorcing Jack, a witty Belfast newspaper columnist named Dan Starkey gets drunk, falls in lust, and finds himself helplessly mired in trouble with his wife and the law. Shortly after Starkey's wife catches him in the arms of another woman, that woman is murdered and Starkey becomes the prime suspect. Turns out the deceased woman was related to an important political figure, and now thugs from several of Northern Ireland's factions are out to get Starkey. The columnist decides he must track down the killer in order to clear his own name. During the investigation, he uncovers a scandal that could potentially alter the outcome of the next national election--and destroy the country's hopes for peace.

Mostly though, this thriller chronicles the beleaguered journalist's lame efforts to stay out of trouble. Starkey isn't exactly a man of action; in fact, he's a likable character partly because he knows he's a weak man. Late in the book, Starkey sums up his predicament: "The world was still after me, Patricia was still missing, I was still a killer on the run, and I had a disturbing tendency to burst into tears, but I wasn't going to let little things like that get me down." He copes with stress by 1) drinking too much and 2) making jokes. When a nun in a miniature car saves Starkey from a hail of gunfire, for instance, he spends a few moments wondering what the proper name of her headgear is and decides to call it a Godpiece. Dan Starkey makes an entertaining guide to war-torn Northern Ireland, even while he discovers again and again that the pen is not mightier than the sword. --Jill Marquis

About the Author

Colin Bateman worked as a journalist in Ireland before becoming a full-time writer. His first novel, Divorcing Jack, was published in 1995 and won the Betty Trask Prize. Colin later adapted the novel for a film starring David Thewlis and Rachel Griffiths. Colin is the author of many critically acclaimed novels, including several that he has adapted for the screen. He has also written several children's books including Reservoir Pups and Bring Me The Head Of Oliver Plunkett. In May 2010, Bateman won the Crimefest Last Laugh Award for his novel The Day of the Jack Russell. His new book, The Prisoner of Brenda, featuring the return of the inimitable Mystery Man, was published in October 2012.

Edition details

• Publisher: Arcade Publishing
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 1559703598
• ISBN 13: 9781559703598
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 288