The Fly Guy Paperback – 11 Feb. 2015

The Fly Guy is the first book by writer Colum Sanson-Regan, you'll be following the life of Martin Tripp who when we join him; holds down a night-job in a sleazy bar, and works out of his shell of a 1-bed apartment writing short stories. Like his apartment, Martin Tripp's life is empty, his stories are all he has... that is until his newly sparked love interest asks him to move in, and Martin finds himself writing more than ever before - he eventually grabs the attention of a well-known occult magazine with a series of short stories involving detective 'Henry Bloomberg' Henry Bloomburg is made for private detective work, he lives in the shadows, has an exceptional eye for detail and has no attachments. Just like Martin, Henry lives an empty existence apart from his work; hunting whatever murderous psychopaths his clients or the local police are too inept to deal with themselves. Everything seems to be going well for Martin Tripp, until one day he catches Henry Bloomburg at work ...has Martin allowed himself to become so absorbed by his work that he can no longer tell real life from his fiction?I loved the characters in this book, and saw a bit of some people I knew in them, which helped make them feel real to me. This is a dark book, there were a few parts that made me laugh, it has tarantino style quality in it's portrayal of extreme violence and has some disturbing sexual content, but nothing that doesn't add to the charm of this tale, which really kept me guessing right up until the end... at times you will go back and re-read sections of the book, analysing clues left by the author that made me feel like a detective myself!

I haven't read a novel to the end for about two years, not because I dislike reading, but none have held my attention long enough; life got in the way and I ended up losing track of plotlines and putting the books aside, never to be picked up again.That was until last week when my copy of The Fly Guy arrived. I began reading it on the Friday morning and pretty much didn't put it down until I finished the lot a few days later.I found the book thoroughly gripping with great twists and turns. The characters were so real I felt as though I knew them personally, and the way the author described their experiences was so detailed I was completely immersed in their world.I look forward to reading more of Colum's work in the future.

I'm an unashamed snob when it comes to literature. I have the capacity to discard a book before getting through the first couple of pages, especially if I don't immediately see anything intellectually stimulating about it. Basically, I struggle to read crap, and my definition of what isn't crap is pretty acute.I didn't know what to expect from this novel: Sanson-Regan being a first time author, the inherent pulpiness of the title, the promise of wanton violence, and especially the tag "a dark thriller". Was this genre fiction? Is it a literature-nasty? From the first paragraph I knew that this wasn't going to be like anything I'd expected. Far from being a piece of genre fiction this novel is singularly, wonderfully odd, defying convention and rendering a genuinely original vision of contemporary noir.As a psychological examination into what it is to be a young creative failing to surpass mediocrity in his field, The Fly Guy is brutally accurate. Martin Tripp is a thoroughly modern character, recognisable in every office in the western world, behind every bar, contributing to every web-based magazine and blog site. Melancholy clings like dew to the narrative from the off, as we first see Martin ritualistically burying his life's work in the sodden earth. But it isn't long before the edges of sanity and reason begin to blur, and the novel reveals it's true genius: an uncompromising and devoted meta-fiction that becomes increasingly relentless, until you find yourself running round an Escheresque hall of mirrors, uncertain of what is what.Yes, the violence is savage, but the stark and unsparing nature of it stirs something primal in the reader. And ultimately there is also a lot of love here, as counterpoint to the horror and the brooding, and it is expertly employed to add sweet complement to the dark overtones.For a debut this really is very strong. It's an utterly compelling read, nourishing intellectually, delectably gruesome, and provocatively weird. I can only say that I'm very much looking forward to reading his next book.

A thrilling and kaleidoscopic psychology experiment, 'The Fly Guy' is evocative, uncompromising and tenacious. Evocative because it produces a reality which is at once vividly familiar and yet unsettlingly distorted. Uncompromising because it may challenge, appal or even disgust you, without you ever wishing to opt out of the experience. Tenacious because it is the kind of novel that keeps you guessing while you're reading, and stays in your head once you've finally put the book down. Highly recommended reading.Franz Kafka noted that one should only read novels that bite you and sting you. 'The Fly Guy' would have kept him awake at night.

One of those rare books you can’t stop reading because you just have to know what happens next. The scene switching back and forth between each chapter intensifies that need to keep reading and the mystery of what’s happening. A brilliantly haunting story which is still with me months after reading it.

I loved this book - a great read.A clever take on a crime novel; it's a crime story within a crime story, where the story that's being written (within the book) takes you in as much as the main story itself. Lines are cleverly blurred between the two, which leads you to wonder which is the actual story the author himself is writing?Such a page turner; I highly recommend it.