Brookmyre is back. This is a massive return to form. I am prepared to call him Chris now too, if that's what he wants, as this book is easily the best under the 'Chris' Brookmyre moniker.

I was uncertain when he changed from 'Christopher' but stuck with him as his early work merited a lot of credit from me. The Jasmine Sharp books are competent and will keep any reader turning the pages, the problem is that those of us who have been with Brookmyre for the long haul know that they are not representative of his true talents.

I worried about revisiting Jack Parlabane so soon after the good (but not great) Black Widow but those concerns were unfounded. Whilst this does not contain as many laughs as Quite Ugly One Morning or as much political observation as Country of the Blind it is classic Parlabane.

Taking it's cue from earlier (non-Parlabane) novels like Bedlam, Brookmyre brings back great supporting characters like Spammy and, well, I won't mention the other, but a Black Widow character does return to great effect.

The story offers plenty of twists and in classic Brookmyre style, keeps you guessing right up to the final chapters. I laughed out loud on several occasions and found plenty to enjoy in the witty dialogue.

I do hope this is an indication that he has found a rich vein of form as a Brookmyre book launch is guaranteed to get this reader very excited.