I Predict a Riot, by Colin Bateman is set primarily in Belfast and centres on the relationship between Walter, who is a little overweight, is bored with his job and is also desperate to find love; and Margaret, a security guard at Primark, but who dreams of becoming a fashion designer. They meet through a dating app and all goes swimmingly until Walter bumps into Margaret's estranged husband, Billy (a dodgy accountant for a local racketeer). Confused and now bruised, Walter tries to forget Margaret but when she ends up in hospital after eating a dodgy carrot cake (yes, you read that right!), it is Walter who goes to visit her. Into this mix comes Linda, an estate agent who is deeply unhappy with her own love life, and is attracted to Walter when he tries to invest in a property. Walter can't believe that, so soon after the Margaret debacle, another woman is practically throwing herself at him. But it's Margaret he really likes. Their on-off relationship seems doomed by missteps, mishaps and bad decisions ... many of which are infuriating and funny in equal measures. But alongside this is Margaret's friend and work colleague who encourages her to follow her dreams, and who is experiencing newfound freedom following the incarceration and subsequent death of her terrorist husband in South America. However, it turns out that her husband, Redmond, has faked his own death to escape, and then makes his way back to Belfast disguised as his twin brother - but what will he do now that his wife has seemingly "moved on" following his apparent demise. And then there is Superintendent James "Marsh" Mallow, who is determined to put villain-come-politician, Pink Harrison (and Billy's boss), behind bars, even if it costs him his job. As you can tell, there are many strands within this novel, which aptly has the subtitle of "Murder, Extortion and Carrot Cake". The characters are larger than life and yet, it's easy to have empathy for them in their odd and often self-inflicted situations. The dialogue is sharp and funny and this book is an easy read, despite the chopping and changing between different storylines, which, of course, do cross over with each other as the book progresses. Full of incident, twists and turns and humour, this is a fun read that made me laugh out loud on a number of occasions.
My STAR rating: FOUR.
Length: 672 print pages.
Price I paid: £4.00.
Formats available: Print, unabridged audio download.
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