The Gun Seller

The Gun Seller is a witty comic spy novel, by the House actor Hugh Laurie. The writing reminds me of Kyril Bonfiglioli, full of zingers like these:

Death and disaster are at our shoulders every second of our lives, trying to get at us. Missing, a lot of the time. A lot of miles on the motorway without a front wheel blow-out. A lot of viruses that slither through our bodies without snagging. A lot of pianos that fall a minute after we’ve passed. Or a month, it makes no difference. So unless were going to get down on our knees and give thanks every time disaster misses, it makes no sense to moan when it strikes.

[...]

It was the sheer variety of the pain that stopped me from crying out. It came from so many places, spoke so many languages, wore so many dazzling varieties of ethnic costume, that for a full fifteen seconds I could only hang my jaw in amazement.

The book doesn't have much of a plot, and too many of its best moments are front-loaded, but overall it is an unexpected delight.