Don't Point That Thing at Me

A Charlie Mortdecai Mystery

By: Kyril Bonfiglioli

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

Length: 6 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

A cult classic in the United Kingdom since its first publication there in the 1970s, Don't Point That Thing at Me is the first of a series of hilarious and dark-humored crime thrillers featuring the Honorable Charlie Mortdecai: degenerate aristocrat, amoral art dealer, seasoned epicurean, unwilling assassin, and acknowledged coward.

With his thuggish manservant, the incomparably named Jock Strapp, Mortdecai endures all manner of nastiness involving stolen paintings, a vintage Rolls Royce, secret police, a whirlwind trip to the United States, a dead client, and a ravishing and wealthy young widow, all to make a dishonest living. He's not one to pass up a drink, and he prides himself on being stylishly dressed for whatever occasion may present itself, no matter how debauched. Don't miss this brilliant mixture of comedy, crime, and suspense.

©1972 Kyril Bonfiglioli (P)2005 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Wickedly entertaining....A sure-fire, acid-tongued winner." (Publishers Weekly)
"[A] laugh-out-loud nasty tale of international intrigue." (Kirkus Reviews)

Bertie Wooster...He's not!

While readers might recognize the Wodehouse style, the hero of this work, Charlie Mordecai, has none of the wit or style of Bertie Wooster. The maze-like plot would confuse even the most determined Minotaur. Enjoy it for the great narration by Simon Prebble, but don't expect the plot follow even the minimum of logical sequence. It's not worth wasting a full credit...maybe if Audible offered bargain basement price...or maybe not.

I loved the narration more that the story

I thought this would be a more comedically written story, and has moments where it is, but the main character “Charlie” is just so full of himself and doesn’t earn and it just rubs me the wrong way.

There are moments where the buddy relationship with his butler/bodyguard really makes me think ok this is where the story becomes the buddy cop story I’ve been waiting for but it’s not that. And the ending just left me empty.

But that narration - marvelous! The different style of voices was just amazing.

I think I read the description wrong and was hoping for a different kind of story maybe - so take my comments with a grain of salt.

Don't

Hard to follow and I didn't like the way it ended.

I tried.

I downloaded this book in 2015 before the movie adaptation came out in theaters. at the time I was under the impression that Johnny Depp could lay his hands upon any character, and I would instantly love them.

I was mistaken. upon first attempt, I got... maybe three chapters in, and decided I hated the British dialect.
and this book has been sitting in my DNF pile since.

I'm taking a break from sword and sorcery with this British caper book. good idea ole chap! cleanse the pallet, then start again, a fresh.

like the film, this novel is garbage. the main character is a grab bag of shitty attributes, the only decent character dies, and there's no bloody ending.

I know there are two more novels featuring C. Mordecai, and you couldn't pay me the price of that Goya painting to start either of them.

snarky fun

This is a prime example of how a great narrator can improve a book by a superb narration -- Simon Prebble is perfect for Charlie Mordecai, and I look forward to hearing more adventures.

This is good, snarky, fun. I wouldn't want to buy art from Charlie, but I think I'd love to have a few drinks with him, and Jock. They are wonderful characters in a romp of a tale.

Interesting but not pleasurable

Engaging prose makes the language enjoyable. For me, the story wasn't credible or even pleasurable

A charming scoundrel

I'm not sure why stories about likable ne'er-do-wells are so appealing, but this is a fine example. Good prose and narration.

He can call me a turnip

Mordecai can insult my intelligence by saying brain is the size of a pea or I have the IQ of a turnip, but I don't get it. You can't help to like Mordecai, even if he repels you, and the sarcastic wit of the author is superb. Yet, I could not make head or tails of the plot. To add insult to injury it ends on a cliffhanger, but can't say the humor is enough to compel me to the next in the series. Part of not understanding has to do with the narrator. He seemed to speedy and, though I've never encountered this before, the accent became unintelligible. I hoped to like this much more and guess I'll wait for the movies instead.

Wishing for the movie Mordecai but

got a funny totally different. Good story, but not interested enough to listen to the remaining 2 books.

PG Wodehouse mixed with 1960s James Bond

Must read! Author is brilliant in his own right and doesn’t try to copy Wodehouse style at all but has that type of humor and shows appreciation for him giving him many nods without trying the impossible task of imitation. Story is set in 1960s with its modern language and sexuality, and will make you laugh out loud. I suggest reading book one then book three as they are sequels. The narrator is one of my favorites and marks every word cue and pause with the intuition of a good standup comedian. Great listen! I never tire of it. You will probably need to read or listen twice as the author throws you into the middle of the plot. That’s what makes it so fun. I love figuring out what’s going on like reading Sherlock Holmes. By now every word makes perfect sense, but then I’m intelligent and love intelligent British humor.