Bastard was a real surprise of a book that I absolutely loved. It was a crime story at it’s heart but it was also a brilliant tale of how sometimes people get caught up in such a web of lies they can’t actually get out of it. The writing felt really polished and the quick short chapters give it a sense of pace and urgency that ramps up the menace within the story.

The narrator is not particularly a person that you like, but by the end I was absolutely rooting for him. There is a large cast of characters from gangland bosses to pub landlords and everyone in between that all really bring the story to life and add a comedic element to lighten things up.

The twists and turns and double crossings in this book just keep coming and it was a brilliant whirlwind of a ride from start to finish. The language and violence are not for the faint hearted but that’s part of what makes the story something that feels quite unique.

This was a really good and fun read, that I’d highly recommend.

Bastard is narrated in the first person with a lot of humor and grit, and in the kind of colloquial and immediate style that draws the reader in. Each chapter finds a new way to use the word "bastard" in a creative way to describe the characters our protagonist meets - corrupt politicians, undercover MI-5 agents, drug bosses - as it becomes increasingly difficult to figure out who can be trusted. Whether he's involved in a high-stakes meeting of crime bosses or enjoying a pint with Dino in their favorite pub, our bastard comments on his surroundings with disarming sharpness and wit. The way humor meets crime is deeply entertaining, hilarious, and addictive.