Quite Ugly One Evening
Hardback Published on: 07/05/2026
Price: £22.00
Synopsis
An Atlantic voyage. A family at war. A secret worth killing over.
Reporter Jack Parlabane thrives on chasing stories in unlikely places, and where could be less likely than a fan convention on a cruise liner celebrating a contentious Sixties TV series? But unlike the media family exploiting their show's renewed relevance, he's not there to stoke controversy: he's there to solve a murder.
Already in deep water with his employer, Jack desperately needs a win, and solving this decades-old mystery could be it. Problem is, he's in the middle of the Atlantic, and someone onboard has already killed once to keep their secret.
And that's not even the tricky part. No, the tricky part is definitely the dead body locked in a stateroom with him, covered in his blood. Now Jack has to solve two murders, otherwise the only way he's getting off this ship is in handcuffs - or in a body bag.
Quite Ugly One Evening is a zeitgesty locked-room mystery that sees the return of rogue journalist Jack Parlabane thirty years after his first appearance in Quite Ugly One Morning.
Publisher information
- Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
- ISBN: 9780349145822
- Number of pages: 400
- Dimensions: 238 x 162 x 44 mm
- Weight: 620g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
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Entertaining read with some funny one liners
Review
Quite Ugly One Evening is the first Chris Brookymre book I’ve read, and so also the first book I’ve read in the Jack Parlabane series. For me, I di... READ MORE
Quite Ugly One Evening
I struggled to get into this book but carried on for a while and then gave up I am afraid. If I am honest I found it too complex and maybe this is why I d... READ MORE
Complex lighthearted but serious murder-mystery spy story
Investigative journalist Jack Parlabane has just agreed to act unofficially for MI5 by heading off on a luxury seven day cruise to New York. This is not t... READ MORE
Investigative Journalist Series.
Jack Parlabane #10
Reporter Jack Parlabane thrives on chasing stories in unlikely places, and where could be less likely than a fan convention on a crui... READ MORE
Quite Ugly One Evening
Well... Mr Parlabane, it's been a while - but boy are you well worth the wait...
Usual housekeeping first - although the main story is self-contained, thi... READ MORE
Complex
A locked room mystery on board a cruise ship with Chris Brookmyre at the helm? Sign me up!
When reporter Jack Parlabane is asked to join an anniversary ... READ MORE
Fun - perfect holiday read!
This is a fast-paced mystery with a lot of unusual twists and turns that kept the pages turning. The set up - a celebration of an iconic TV show on a trans... READ MORE
Jack's back!
Jack's back! So, thirty years may have passed since that amazing morning, and that infamous mantlepiece artwork, and Jack Parlabane may have grown up somew... READ MORE
Engaging thriller with a humorous twist!
This is a fast-paced mystery with a lot of unusual twists and turns that kept the pages turning. The set up - a celebration of an iconic TV show on a trans... READ MORE
A Locked in Mystery.
Jack Parlabone travels on a luxury Atlantic cruise which is hosting a fan convention for a controversial 1960's TV show. He is hoping to investigate an old... READ MORE
A Locked Room Mystery
My thanks to Chris and NetGalley for allowing me to read Quite Ugly One Evening prior to the publication date.
This is a locked room(ship) mystery with th... READ MORE
fast paced and complex
Great to meet up with Jack Parblane again in one of Mr Brookmyre's signature fast paced and complex thrillers. Set on a cruise ship at a puppet convention ... READ MORE
Quite Ugly One Evening by Chris Brookmyre
Quite Ugly One Evening by Chris Brookmyre was an old fashioned spy thriller, with murders included to make life more interesting. An Atlantic, voyage,a fam... READ MORE
Interesting take on culture wars
Culture wars. I have arguments all the time with my son about this. He’s comes from a position a little on the left. Me? Not so much. Maybe it’s an age thi... READ MORE
A compelling and fun mystery with an uplifting conclusion.
Wow. I was still up reading at an obscene time of the morning. This had well-developed, three-dimensional characters, an abundance of twists and turns, and... READ MORE
Danger on the high seas
his is my first Brookmyre novel and expectations were quite high. Now this novel is a long awaited follow up to his first novel featuring journalist Jack P... READ MORE
Mayhem and murder
4.5 stars for this locked in mystery set on an Atlantic cruise liner. I've read all Chris Brookmyre's novels and as per usual this one is full of mayhem, m... READ MORE
I have mixed feelings about this one.
The story is basically about an extended locked room mystery, in that it takes place on a cruise ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. As such it somet... READ MORE
Another well plotted romp from Brookmyre - and this time Parlabane's all at sea
Thanks to Little, Brown and NetGalley for ARC.
It's tough getting old and realising you shouldn't, and can't, work the way you used to. For Jack Parlab... READ MORE
Complex plot, good twists
This took me quite some time to get into, not because of the main plot but because I struggled to understand about ‘Imaskynation’ which is a family company... READ MORE
A great summer whodunit
A smashing whodunit, this story uses the claustrophobic setting of a luxury cruise ship to create a perfect atmosphere of tension and intrigue. Jack Reache... READ MORE
Compelling story and stands alone well
Though I have read other books by Chris Brookmyre, but not the book before this one - Quite Ugly One Morning. It isn't needed as this one stands its ground... READ MORE
A sharp, funny, and satisfyingly familiar outing for Parlabane fans
Thank you to the author, publishers Abacus and NetGalley UK for access to this as an advance reader’s ebook. This is an honest and voluntary review.Jack Pa... READ MORE
A winner!
4-5 stars rounded up His name is Jack Parlabane and he’s a journalist, currently somewhere in the North Atlantic in the middle of a storm. What’s more, who... READ MORE
Culture wars and Russian agents aboard a cruise ship
I have somehow missed reading the earlier Jack Parlabane books, but with a writer of Chris Brookmyre's calibre, I knew there would be plenty of breadcrumbs... READ MORE
Strap in, this will be a interesting ride full of surprises
When I first got into the story, I was surprised to see how keenly the author has plotted this story. I had absolutely no idea how it would turn out, and i... READ MORE
Clever and topical
Left-wing investigative journalist Jack Parlabane is on the point of being let go by his employer after accusations of entrapment. He is approached by a g... READ MORE
Another excellent book by Brookmyre
I was provided an advanced copy of this book for review by the publisher but this review has not been paid for.
This was a wonderful read!! You have al... READ MORE
Scathing, witty and deadly
Succession meets Thunderbirds in the latest offering from fabulous author, Chris Brookmyre. Thirty years after the first Jack Parlabane novel, Quite Ugly O... READ MORE
Murky right wing politics merge with a family feud!
his was certainly something different. Murder Mystery on the high seas, with some family feuds and nefarious Russian secret agents thrown into the mix!
J... READ MORE
Good thriller
Sometimes I like a good thriller for a change fromm my usual genre. This book had good thriller in spades. A journalist sort of being thrown under the bus ... READ MORE
A bit slow in the middle and confusing but gets better towards the end
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.
3.5
The only other book by this author which I have read is the brilliant Cra... READ MORE
Excellent return for Jack Parlabane
It’s been nearly thirty years since I picked up quite ugly one morning in my university bookshop and have been a fan of Brookmyre - and jack parlabane - ev... READ MORE
An enjoyable read - eventually
Jack Parlabane is back, but his job is on the line and he's feeling old and he is out of touch. As a way of saving himself, Jack agrees to work undercover... READ MORE
Murder mystery on a boat
Jack Parlabane's career is slowly going down the drain as his methods of journalism don't always translate to the modern world. When his latest scoop is n... READ MORE
Classy Chris Brookmyre
Hurray for a new Chris Brookmyre and even more hurray for a new Jack Parlabane! Love the throw back title, as expected Jack is involved in a clever whodunn... READ MORE
Light humorous writing style
Chris Brookmyre is a well established author and he has quite a light humorous writing style. I have previously read Cracked Mirror and enjoyed that but t... READ MORE
Not a quick read
Quite Ugly One Evening (Kindle Edition) is a locked-room thriller by Chris Brookmyre.
Jack Parlabane, a journalist who is on the cusp of losing his job,... READ MORE
Very good
I enjoyed this book, Jack Parablane is on a cruise ship trying to solve an old murder. A tightly weaved plot and well drawn chracters. Plenty of twists alo... READ MORE
A witty and twisted locked room mystery
Chris Brookmyre’s Quite Ugly One Evening marks the return of his investigative journalist Jack Parlabane, in a high-stakes "locked-room" mystery set aboard... READ MORE
Beware this is part of a series
I write this review with mixed feelings as I enjoyed the second half of the book and to be fair I hadn’t realised that this was part of a series. The first... READ MORE
Nuanced crime caper
This book is a slow burner of a crime mystery. Set on a fan cruise ship, isolated on the ocean, this is a locked-room mystery of the highest order.
Featur... READ MORE
Exactly what I would expect of the talented Chris Brookmyre
Though I know, and have enjoyed, Chris Brookmyre's previous works, this is my first outing with daredevil journalist Jack Parlabane. What a joy to drop int... READ MORE
Jack is back!
As a Brookmyre addict, I don’t want a cure. QUOE opened with Jack Parlabane in an awkward situation … hooked. I did find a few of the following chapters ra... READ MORE
Great read.
I have collected and read everything he has published, and he never diappoints. The Jack Parlabane stories are my favourites, because he is so irreverent.C... READ MORE
Verified Purchase
Jack Parlabane in a locked room mystery!
I'm grateful to the publisher for giving me access to an advance e-copy of Quite Ugly one Evening to consider for review.
In a sense I feel that reviewing... READ MORE
An exciting thriller
Journalist Jack Parlabane is essentially put on garden leave after writing a story and getting himself into trouble. He accepts a task to go on a trip with... READ MORE
Not for me
Thank you, the publisher, for a copy of Quite ugly one Morning by Chris Brookmyre.
I have read previous novels from this author and really enjoyed them ... READ MORE
Excellent
It is a while since I read a book by Chris Brookmyre, that was also a Jack Parlabane novel, and I now realise what I’ve been missing. This book is just fan... READ MORE
Intrigue and deceit on the high seas
Jack Parlabane is a journalist who is on the verge of losing his job. He has to investigate a family made famous through a 1960s puppet show. This leads hi... READ MORE
A complex murder mystery
I have recently read the first book in this series, and I think it helped, as I have now read the latest. Jack Parlabane is an investigative reporter; he i... READ MORE
Love the language and the style of Jack Parlabane's way of dealing with things.
This is the first book that I have read that features Jack Parlabane but it will most certainly not be the last because I just love his laid back, acerbic ... READ MORE
Murder on a cruise ship mystery for Parlane
Jack Parlabane, investigative journalist is approached by someone he knows at MI5 to investigate the decades-old death of an undercover agent. The agent in... READ MORE