well that was beyond a mind trip, the 'philosophical discussions' and tangents that the characters go off on often making me wonder if I hadn't actually consumed a few hallucinogens too. It's a crime thriller but it very much reflects Boyle's previous tv and stand up work, in that it's not your conventional crime thriller. Donnie Wilson – Felix's depressed downstairs roommate, whose marriage is ending after his wife cheated on him. Many Frankie Boyle-esque moments of social commentary, both barbed and not, litter the text, and whilst Felix may seem to be a complete waster, someone who would rather avoid life by sinking a few (dozen) valium, there is an astute mind there.

He was a permanent panellist on Mock the Week for seven series and has made guest appearances on several popular panel shows including Have I Got News for You, 8 Out of 10 Cats, Would I Lie to You? Though he had written non-fiction before, Meantime was Boyle's first novel; he wrote parts of the novel in hotels after stand-up performances and while wandering his hometown Glasgow.The reason the book is a three star is because it just tried to do too much, the plot itself became a little lost and there seemed almost too much to it. When Felix investigated Marina's murder, they planned for him to overdose on Donnie's drugs or be framed for intent to supply, then for him to be killed by Matt and Mary – who were given drugs and told someone was trying to kill them. Frankie Boyle's gripping crime debut novel, Meantime, is a hallucinogenic ride through Glasgow as one man seeks justice for his friend's murder. Inherent vices and scalpel-sharp jokes vie with a very human concern for those least garlanded in the rat race of life. It holds a different kind of magic, one where the disappointment from the referendum eats at the shoes of people walking to work, hailing taxis, and people on serious comedowns in dingy wee flats that contain all the hope of a mouldy pizza sitting on the countertop.

It’s VERY political, extremely satirical and I’m not sure if it���s all just Frankie Boyle writing a massive Parody of life today.

I know that Frankie Boyle is a bit of a Marmite comedian, so if you do love him, I’m sure you’ll love this book. I didn't really understand how it was solved and I'm not sure if I missed something or we're supposed to not get it. The investigation stumbles along at times and doesn't seem to gain much traction and Boyle also takes time out describing Felix's state of mind, as he ponders the meaning of his and our existence on the planet.

Frankie Boyle’s first work of fiction is an enjoyably dark and entertaining tranche of Glasgow noir. There are red herrings along the way and also a few twists but the novel builds to a quite revelatory climax as Felix's past is revealed and he and Jan confront the killer. Reviewers found that the novel's plot was of secondary importance to its social and political commentary, including Scotland's role in colonialism and capitalism and the nature of Scottish identity.Unsurprisingly, there are passages that are piercingly funny, especially when Boyle is on familiar turf: “I’d always had real problems with motivation, but I’d worked for a couple of years at BBC Scotland, where that had been an asset. You’d never get a Scottish version of The Matrix because anyone up here who was offered two pills would just gub both of them’, he muses.