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Mr Old Guy

He can write, but with too many words

Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2020

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The Gun Seller was on sale for Kindle. I said to myself that Hugh Laurie was a good actor (I really liked him in Jeeves and Wooster) and a decent musician; maybe he can also write. Well, that he can ... and write and write and write. The story is a decent one - about a spy who get recruited by another organization and ends up infiltrating yet another group (of terrorists) - all in the name of goodness and truth (and a hot babe whom he fell for). However, it has entirely too many words. In my opinion, the 341 pages could easily have been written in less than 250 and still been a super story. Eighty-two percent of the way in (279 pages for those mathematically inclined) I had had enough; the desire to know how it all turns out was overcome by my exhaustion at reading so many words - and I quit. I am not saying that Mr. Laurie isn't a good writer; to the contrary, he is very witty and spins a clever tale. He just uses too many words to say it! It reminds me a tad of Ian Fleming's spending the better part of a chapter describing James Bond's automobile. (This is why I have never had an interest in finishing that series.)
If you like Ian Fleming and long-winded descriptions of just about everything, you might enjoy The Gun Seller. Otherwise, give it a pass. Two out of five stars from me.

john martin

A celebrity who can write

Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2017

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This book restored my faith in celebrity novels. The last one I read (by a former TV hero of mine) was so disappointing but Hugh Laurie is a first-rate wordsmith and an excellent storyteller. I already knew he was a brilliant actor (I'm midway through The Night Manager, and his performance is sending shivers down my spine), a comic genius and a super blues musician, so he is way more multi-talented than most of us. This book is an action thriller, which is not my usual fare. I suspect he has a great comic novel in him, in which case I'll be at the head of the readers queuing up. But if he writes another action novel I'll still be jostling for a good position. I can't let talent like this just pass me by.

Bob Jarvis

Witty, but muddled, confused & a complete waste of time.

Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2020

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I love Hugh Lawrie's sense of humour & it does come out in the writing here. Sadly, the whole story is one witticism after another. told at the expense of anything like a credible plot. It's like reading a series of constant "one-liners" trying to link together a tellable story.
This is neither fish, nor foul. After finishing reading the book if anyone would ask me what genre it is I would not be able to stay. The "hero" is some sort of hardman, ex MI5, or CIA (the book gives him no depth, or background) not sure which. He falls into dangerous situations, gets involved with a group of US State Dept. (?) bad-hats & finishes in an embassy attack. All this to do with trying to undermine a plot to exploit the introduction of a new high powered killer helicopter.
It's high hokum told in a totally confused, but witty, manner. Over half the time I hadn't a clue what the hell was going on.
I really wanted to like this book but finished like I had wasted my time struggling to finish it.
Avoid this book like Covid 19.

Gaylee

Rollicking good fun!

Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2020

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The hero of this tale has a nice irritatingly funny sense of humor. Laurie can indeed write!!! Who knew House was so multifaceted?! It’s an excellent and super entertaining tale of arms dealers and corrupt covert operators in our national secret agencies. All very scarily plausible. Excellent characters, plot, and action. It would make an excellent movie, but we’d kiss out on his narrative stream of consciousness. I hope Laurie writes another book soon!

David Garcia

Dammit, Hugh!

Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2020

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I wanted to write a book like this someday. It was on my bucket list. The really good bucket list, not the phoney baloney one I posted online once in a while.

Then I learned about "The Gun Seller," and bought it. After all, Hugh Laurie...right?

And now here I am, faced with how a book like that ought to be written. Funny as funny can be -- and yet with a solid story line that is both intricate and compelling. Even people who don't know how to laugh will read it through to the end, because they just gotta.

So that's how it's done. Or how Hugh Laurie did it, over twenty years ago.

I can't write like this. Not in a million years.

Well thanks a heap, Mr. Laurie. You showed me that I need to find some other way to create magic. Because I'm clearly out of my league in this profession.

Dammit.

Delamaine

I didn't have any problems (as an American) with the lingo

Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2018

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**Trying to keep this spoiler-free**

I enjoy this book a lot and come back to reread it every few years. However, I've always been confused by the very ending of it, when Lang is in a car with some people. One of those people seems out of place at that time, and I always wondered how that person ended up in the car. I had always guessed that it was just courtesy to Lang, bringing in this person he is comfortable with. But on my most recent reread, I almost wondered whether the person actually is a business colleague of the other two, and had been acting as such throughout the book. If so, this is too subtly done for me (this was probably my 12th reread and it never occurred to me until now). Even knowing this, and looking at that person's interactions earlier in the book, I could not really tell if this was a member of some British organization, or just a plain citizen as written. This is so annoying to me that I almost took off a star! However, I kept it at 5, and will now go enjoy some I'm Sure I've Seen That Grouse Somewhere Before to calm down.

Top reviews from other countries

GPOP

Just go get it and read! Quick!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 16, 2020

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Wow! I’ve just literally flipped the last page and this book — I didn’t want to end. OMG Hugh Laurie MUST write more Thomas Lang! What a fresh thing to read something so exciting, suspenseful, technical enough, uber clever but not pretentious, and best of all, Thomas Lang is so wonderfully funny and one of a kind. Bertie meets Bond, as one review said. So why haven’t they made this into a tv movie or something!? I’ve had this ebook for years now but just finally read it and I’m getting a printed copy just in the off chance I get it signed by the wonderful author himself. Wit and humour, best combo ever.

M.L.B.

Worst book I ever read.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 14, 2019

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Possibly the worst book I have ever tried to read. If it were possible to give it minus one star, then that is where I would put it. Boring story that didn’t seem to be going anywhere but what really irked me was the over use of silly, inane humour in almost every paragraph. Amusing at first, then boring and finally totally irritating. I just could not stay focused on the story and abandoned the book halfway through it. I bought this book on the basis of the reviews but in this case I was very misled.

sashaknits

Not to my taste

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 15, 2018

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The existing celebrity of the author is literally the only reason I bought this book. I adore Hugh Laurie: as a comedic actor, as a dramatic actor, as a musician (I've seen him in concert with his blues band, amazing!), so I figured I'd give his writing a try. Unfortunately the subject matter just wasn't for me and I really didn't care what happened to anyone. So many different people thrown into the mix that I couldn't keep straight. Boring specifications of weapons I wasn't interested in. Massive Gary Stu moments every time the protagonist went on about his motorbike. Witticisms that just felt too forced.

Sorry, Hugh, I'll be sticking to Blackadder and House reruns to enjoy your art in future.

Mark D. Holtom

Starts irritatingly then gets better

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 23, 2020

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For the first 20% of the book there was the overwhelming feeling that Hugh Laurie was the smart boy in the class and was trying to show it. Every paragrah was crammed with 'superior' wit to the detriment of character, plot or story. Frankly it felt like reading a young boy out to impress his English master with his wit, knowledge and ability.
Then after this section, his writing calms down and he moves forward with the plot, characters and story. It then becomes enjoyable to read.

Ant Wright

your about to love Hugh Laurie even more!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 25, 2016

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i loved this book. Hugh Laurie is a multi talented man and he carries on being so with this book that is written with great humour, sarcasm and a large dollop of wit. the book struck me as a script that Laurie has written with a view to hopefully turning it into a movie or a show and if anyone has seen The Night Manager that he was in this was in my mind throughout this book with a couple of nod's in that direction for example when the protagonist is asked "are you English" he replies 'to the core' just like the Jonathan Pine character in The Night Manager and a rather innocuous reference to a smell being 'pine' (i know paper thin but hey) this book will have you smiling at almost every page and laughing a lot and you can almost see Hugh sat in his study writing this and there's something magical knowing that the words have come from his very sharp mind. he references things with immaculate detail throughout the book which is even more impressive. all in all a very good book that i very much recommend

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