Product Description

When Thomas Lang, a hired gun with a soft heart, is contracted to assassinate an American industrialist, he opts instead to warn the intended victim - a good deed that doesn't go unpunished. Within hours Land is butting heads with a Buddha statue, matching wits with evil billionaires, and putting his life (among other things) in the hands of a bevy of femmes fatales, whilst trying to save a beautiful lady ...and prevent an international bloodbath to boot.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4210 in Books
• Published on: 2004-10-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Review
A very funny book ... makes many another comic novel look slow-witted in comparison Sunday Telegraph A terrific debut Daily Telegraph Clever and hilarious, with a story that is intricate, tense and well researched - and unstintingly joyous read Time Out A ripping spoof of the spy genre Vanity Fair

From the Publisher
In a 'ripping spoof of the spy genre' (Vanity Fair), Hugh Laurie tells the tale of a former Scots Guard-turned-hired gun, a freelance soldier of fortune, who also happens to be one hell of a nice guy.

About the Author
Hugh Laurie was born in 1959. At Cambridge University he took part in a number of undergraduate revues, the last of which won the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1981. Since university he has made his living as a writer, actor, director and musician, appearing in, amongst others, Blackadder, A Bit of Fry & Laurie, Jeeves and Wooster and House. He lives in London with his wife and three children, and is utterly devoted to motorcycling.

Customer Reviews

Kept me on the edge of my seat.
This book was a rollercoaster ride from start to finish, nothing like I expected. I was expecting a funny book. Don't get me wrong it is funny, but it is mainly a thriller about a guy being swept up in a chain of events beyond his control. Laurie suceeds in drawing you into the plot and making you empathise with the main character. It is excellently written with twists and turns a plenty, keeping you on the edge of your seat, especially the superb climatic rooftop ending. I particulary liked the use of quotations at the beginning of each chapter, which gave a little clue as to where the story was going, making you want to read on. In a lot of thrillers you can work out what's going to happen before you have got to the middle however in The Gun Seller the plot thickens so much that it isn't until the last few pages that the whole thing comes together. Indeed it's only in the last chapter that you work out the full meaning of the title. Hugh Laurie is a talented novelist and can do much more than just be funny.

Sharp
Fast-moving plot, written with panache and wit. From the opening sequence, when we witness the hero having his arm nearly broken by the thug I found this book to be engrossing. As others have written, it was hard to put down. The book is scattered and splattered with wry, comic, sharp observations on how and why people react to each other. Some of the scenes, where Lawrie described body language and dialogues were original and I found myself rereading them to increase the pleasure. The detailed and seemingly accurate description of firearms, Czech republic, Morocco, London were enthralling. Loved it! Good work, Mr Lawrie!!

Blackly funny and great fun
Don't buy this expecting it to be high literature and you won't be disappointed. Some beautiful set-pieces and nicely human characters keep the entertainment turned up high and you could easily read this in one go as it whizzes along. The second half of the book seems slightly sketchy compared to the first half but by then you are so keen to stay with the story it doesn't really matter and doesn't spoil the enjoyment. One of a very small number of books that made me laugh out loud.