Dial M for Merde

The gloom of the recession has been lifted periodically while reading all of Stephen Clarke's books in strict chronological order - which is the right way to read them since all his characters become your friends as well and you would want to know what events shape them to be what they have become: A Year in The Merde, Merde Actually, Merde Happens and Dial M For Merde - in that order. Apart from his humor his strength is the depth of his characterization. It is like you know all the characters of his books so well that you can predict how they will respond to any situation. 5-6 of the characters feature in all his books and they are a great foil to his (Paul West's) personality. The 2002-2004 recession was the Bill Bryson recession for me and the 2008-2009 recession is definitely Stephen Clarke's.

I was a big fan of "A Year in the Merde" (I hope that becomes a movie some day!), and I think "Dial M" is a great next step. It's a hilarious and exciting take on James Bond -- à la Paul West, with lots of laughs and (accidental) adventure -- and I really love it and recommend it for a great holiday read.

Is there a better comedy duo than Stephen Clarke and Paul West? In this newest installment of the inimitable Merde series, eco-friendly, fish-loving French domestic terrorists find themselves and their plot to assassinate the French president flummoxed by the surprisingly deft espionage of Mr. West, helped along by his friends in the French police. As always, Stephen Clarke manages to keep you laughing out loud with his characters' antics, all the while making you wonder why James Bond can't be both sexy AND hilarious...

I was really happy that Dial M for Merde continues in the vein of Stephen Clarke's first big hit, A Year in the Merde, and is just as hilarious. Following the adventures of Paul West, this time Clarke takes the reader to the southern coast of France, where Paul goes for a girl and ends up in James Bond mode. I found Dial M for Merde laugh-out-loud funny, and Clarke keeps on doing a great job at making light of cultural differences all while keeping the reader thoroughly entertained. Definitely one of Clarke's funniest books: two thumbs up.