Christopher Brookmyre Yeah, yeah, the usual. A crime. A corpse. A killer. Heard it. Except this stiff happens to be a Ponsonby, scion of a venerable Edinburgh medical clan, and the manner of his death speaks of unspeakable things. Why is the body displayed like a slice of beef? How come his hands are digitally challenged? And if it's not the corpse, what is that awful smell? A post-Thatcherite nightmare of frightening plausibility, QUITE UGLY ONE MORNING is a wickedly entertaining and vivacious thriller, full of acerbic wit, cracking dialogue and villains both reputed and shell-suited. 'Very violent, very funny. A comedy with political edge, which you take gleefully in one gulp' LITERARY REVIEW 'The dialogue is a joy throughout and the plot crackles along with confident gusto and intelligence...an assured debut by a talented writer' THE TIMES

Mil Millington Pel Dalton's life is uneventful. He spends his days bluffing through an IT job in the university library, pillow-fighting with his two sons and finding new things to argue about with Ursula, his German girlfriend. But all this is about to change. When his boss suddenly disappears, and Pel steps reluctantly into his shoes, his life begins to spiral out of control. Stolen money, missing colleagues, ominous calls from Hong Kong, and something nasty beneath the university foundations are only the beginning of Pel's problems. Faced with embarrassing PTA meetings and a fridge that really needs defrosting, Pel is about to learn that sometimes the things that drive you crazy can be the only things that keep you sane.

Kathy Reichs The prize-winning and bestselling debut novel from expert forensic anthropologist and internationally bestselling author, Kathy Reichs