JOSH Bazell's Beat The Reaper isn't a book I'd recommend to the squeamish.
It's a fantastic comedic thriller that comes across like an episode of Scrubs mixed with one from The Sopranos (with shades of Dexter and a nod to Cronenberg's brilliant A History of Violence thrown in). Naturally, this makes it bloody marvellous ... deliberate use of the word bloody there!
It follows a young doctor with a dark past who, through no fault of his own, is dragged back into the shadowy underworld he tried so hard to escape. The book is funny, engaging and disturbing - there is a scene near the end that is particularly harsh - and I enjoyed it immensely. I was lucky enough to read a proof copy a few months back, and have been going on about it ever since.
It's probably not a good read for your granny, but any 18- to 40-year-old guys you know will love it!
Moving on from the blood and violence, I've also been leafing through the pages of Watchmen: The Film Companion, which is, erm, full of blood and violence!
Fear not, gentle reader, because although Alan Moore's legendary graphic novel is probably one of the darkest ever written, this book is about the film itself and, as such, covers all aspects of production. From original story boards to costume design and casting issues, it tells you everything you could possibly want to know about the film of the year.
Move over, Slumdog Millionaire, before the Watchmen blow your head off! I'm off for a quiet sit down ... happy reading!
Top 10 books
1. When Will There Be Good News?, by Kate Atkinson
2. The Secret Scripture, by Barry Sebastian
3. The White Tiger, by Aravind Adiga (Booker Prize winner 2008)
4. New Moon, by Stephenie Meyer
5. Breaking Dawn, by Stephenie Meyer
6. Q&A (Slumdog Millionaire), by Vikas Swarup
7. Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic, by Sophie Kinsella
8. The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, by Kate Summerscale
9. Dreams From My Father, by Barack Obama
10. Child 33, by Tom Rob Smith
These were the top 10 titles sold at Waterstone's, in The Chimes, Uxbridge, during the week ending March 1. www.waterstones.com
