Don't Point that Thing at Me (Charlie Mortdecai Series #1)

by Kyril Bonfiglioli

Overview

This witty crime thriller series debut follows the exploits of an unscrupulous art dealer with a stolen Goya—“this cult classic . . . is a true original” (Booklist, starred review).

In Don't Point that Thing at Me, British author and art dealer Kyril Bonifiglioli introduced the Honorable Charlie Mortdecai: degenerate aristocrat, amoral art dealer, seasoned epicurean, unwilling assassin, and general knave-about-Piccadilly. Since its publication in the 1970s, this dark humored crime thriller has earned its place as a beloved cult classic.

With his thuggish manservant Jock, Mortdecai endures all manner of nastiness involving secret police, angry foreign governments, stolen paintings, and dead clients, all just to make a dishonest living—while decked out in the most stylish garb and drinking the most bizarre alcoholic cocktails. Don’t miss the brilliant mixture of comedy, crime, and suspense.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781468307870
Publisher:	ABRAMS, Inc.
Publication date:	08/16/2022
Series:	The Charlie Mortdecai Mystery Series , #1
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	178
Sales rank:	628,214
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Kyril Bonfiglioli (1928 – 1985) was an art dealer, accomplished fencer, a fair shot with most weapons, and a serial marrier of beautiful women. He claimed to be “abstemious in all things except drink, food, tobacco, and talking,” and “loved and respected by all who knew him slightly.”

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"A rare mixture of wit and imaginative unpleasantness" —Julian Barnes

"You couldn't snuggle under the duvet with anything more disreputable and delightful" —Stephen Fry

"Just read the first page of this book and try to keep a straight face. Then try to put the book down. You won't be able to do either one. This cult classic (the first of a trilogy), about louche, sybaritic Charlie Mortdecai, an art dealer largely untroubled by conscience, draws readers into its unpolitically comic world and keeps them there. The plot concerns Mortdecai's efforts to keep one step ahead of nemesis Martland, a policeman vested with the power to work outside the law, and to deliver a stolen Goya he has concealed in the headliner of his Rolls Royce Silver Ghost. The plot takes him to America (where is he much bemused by the locals, and they by him) and back again, ending in a most intriguing predicament. Wry and dry, picaresque and profane, a book like this can be so hard to describe that efforts to do so—invoking some or all of P. G. Wodehouse, Kingsley Amis, Vladimir Nabokov, even Hunter S. Thompson and John Kennedy Toole—give the impression that it's a Frankenstein's monster. Not true. Bonfiglioli's Mortdecai is a true original, and there's nothing quite so hard to describe as that." —Booklist (Starred Review)

 

Editorial Reviews

Charlie Mortdecai will appeal to listeners because he hovers in the gray area between right and wrong. He s absolutely charming and cultured as he relates his illegal pursuits in the world of arts and antiques. Prebble s mature raspy voice enhances Mortdecai s appeal as he navigates listeners through this first hand account of his adventures in the United Kingdom and the United States as he delivers and acquires highly sought-after goods. Accompanied by his intelligent but gruff servant, Jock Strapp, Mortdecai uses his keen wit, quick thinking, and upper-class esteem to manage his way out of some zany predicaments. Although perhaps a little older sounding than the "middle aged" Mortdecai, Prebble s timing, tone, and emphasis in this very sarcastic narrative more than makes up for the discrepancy. Unfortunately, poor sound editing leaves over half a dozen instances where Prebble s voice audibly shifts, ruining the pre-established pace and tone as if the segment was re-recorded and slipped into the original piece. These distractions only briefly deter the listener from full encapsulating themselves in this enjoyable tale. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information

Publishers Weekly

Bonfiglioli's comic thriller series features low-life Charlie Mortdecai and his sidekick Jock Strapp. This initial 1972 outing is a mishmash of stolen artworks, secret police, and a hot young widow. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Yes, yes, the West has declined, but that's no reason Bonfiglioli (1928-85) can't dance on its grave in this laugh-out-loud nasty tale of international intrigue first published in the UK 30 years ago. The Hon. Charlie Mortdecai is a tatty art dealer who just wants to keep sniggering at everything and everyone he meets, starting with himself and Jock Strapp, his "anti-Jeeves." But things keep happening to Charlie. Extra Chief Supt. Martland, his old schoolmate, accuses him of receiving a stolen Goya and then, when the painting is traced to the Rolls Royce of a Mortdecai intimate who turns up dead, presses him to accompany the hiding place on a trip to the USA, deliver it to its owner, Milton Krampf, and complete Krampf's earthly happiness by executing him. Though Charlie's only credential for a diplomatic passport is that his face fits in the spot for the photograph, he's soon driving the Interstates, leading a mysteriously coy escort to Krampf's West Coast digs. On his arrival, he finds that Krampf's wife Johanna is surprisingly eager to greet him and that Krampf has even more obligingly keeled over just before their welcoming tryst. If only things could stay so lovely. One thing, as Charlie would say, stands out like Priapus: Americans whose most intensive exposure to nonstop blather has been Kinky Friedman are in for one wild, equally plotless ride. Two sequels will follow.

Kirkus Reviews

"A rare mixture of wit and imaginative unpleasantness" —Julian Barnes

"You couldn't snuggle under the duvet with anything more disreputable and delightful" —Stephen Fry

"Just read the first page of this book and try to keep a straight face. Then try to put the book down. You won't be able to do either one. This cult classic (the first of a trilogy), about louche, sybaritic Charlie Mortdecai, an art dealer largely untroubled by conscience, draws readers into its unpolitically comic world and keeps them there. The plot concerns Mortdecai's efforts to keep one step ahead of nemesis Martland, a policeman vested with the power to work outside the law, and to deliver a stolen Goya he has concealed in the headliner of his Rolls Royce Silver Ghost. The plot takes him to America (where is he much bemused by the locals, and they by him) and back again, ending in a most intriguing predicament. Wry and dry, picaresque and profane, a book like this can be so hard to describe that efforts to do so—invoking some or all of P. G. Wodehouse, Kingsley Amis, Vladimir Nabokov, even Hunter S. Thompson and John Kennedy Toole—give the impression that it's a Frankenstein's monster. Not true. Bonfiglioli's Mortdecai is a true original, and there's nothing quite so hard to describe as that." —Booklist (Starred Review)

"What are the books like? They are darker, stranger and more interesting than any film of them (or at least any film cleared for general release) could be…The novels are extremely funny, first of all. They deal, like Wodehouse, in sentence-by-sentence sparkle, in gestures of grand insouciance. "  —Sam Leith, The Guardian 

From the Publisher

Charlie Mordecai, a “degenerate aristocrat, amoral art dealer, seasoned epicurean, unwilling assassin, and acknowledged coward,” is our protagonist in this comic British crime series from the 1970s. In this one, Charlie encounters a stolen painting and takes a motor trip to New Mexico in a very special Rolls Royce. Mayhem, mischief, close calls, sex, food, and drink follow--something for everyone. The excellent Simon Prebble enjoys himself throughout as he mixes escapades with discussions of wine and fine cuisine. While his well-known range isn’t really tested, he does get to entertain us with American English of the Southwest, a host of British accents, and the occasional French accent. The listener’s attention will never wander. R.E.K. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

APR/MAY 06 - AudioFile