A Particularly Nasty Case by Adam Kay – Book review

A Particularly Nasty Case is the first novel from Adam Kay. Best known for his memoir This is Going to Hurt about his years working as an NHS junior doctor, it was Adam’s natural and very funny tone that made his memoir such a huge success (alongside the eye-opening things he talked about too).

I’m very pleased to report that his highly engaging tone is very present throughout A Particularly Nasty Case. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by the wonderful Andy Serkis (yes, Gollum from Lord of the Rings) so it’s safe to say he brought the passion and storytelling to this listen.

A medical murder mystery

Our lead character is Dr Eitan Rose, an NHS doctor back from a recent mental health sabbatical, he is thrown into the chaos and drama of an average day as a doctor, while also contending with his evil (Eitan’s general summary) senior doctor, Dr Moran.

So, when Dr Moran suddenly and – to Eitan’s mind mysteriously – dies, while no fan of him, he decides to delve further into what he thinks really happened. His theory is backed up when another senior doctor dies in a similar way. Just what is going on?

Eitan’s character is given nice depth through his buding romance with hospital porter, Cole and we learn more about Eitan’s past, including the tragic events of his sister that contribute to his present day.

Funny and with heart

There were so many laugh-out-loud moments and jaw-dropping situations in A Particularly Nasty Case, that I just enjoyed every second of it. It captured that classic British slapstick humour with some very witty one-liners thrown in too.

I would listen on my daily dog walks and found myself really looking forward these moments. The pace of the book was great, the blend of humour and heart was conveyed really nicely and overall, this was just a book that delivered on the cosy side of the murder mystery genre. A perfect read for winter evenings.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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