I'll be honest - I really struggled to get into it and I did not finish the book. The writing style wasn't engaging and felt disjointed, and I didn't much like the characters. Overall, it wasn't for me.

The Kellerby Code is a fun romp through a cast of abhorant characters who, whilst entertaining, are definitely not a group of people I would ever like to meet. Lively, well educated, mostly well-off, they are a pretentious group of people who make me very happy to enjoy my particular station in life!

Full of wit and dark charm, this will be perfect for any fan of witty, satirical page turning fiction.

For me this book was of two half’s. In the beginning I liked it - it was funny, the main character was flawed and there was the hint of a dark secret. It went in a direction I didn’t enjoy though and although it was ok it’s not my favourite.

Edward Jevons is a working-class young man, obsessed with his upper-class friends, Robert and Stanza. Robert's a theatre director. He's also self-obsessed, demanding, handsome and entitled and uses Edward to run errands for him. Edward has been in love with Stanza since their university days - and he's drunkenly confided how he feels to Robert. Most men in Robert's position would stay away from Stanza or tell Edward that a relationship had begun between them but he's not like most men: Edward is left to stumble upon the two of them kissing in a dark passageway.

There is darkness in Edward's past but it's not a secret. He was involved in an accident on the rugby field when he was at school and another boy died from a brain injury. Edward's not blamed for what happened but knows the intent was there. Robert has a secret in his past and he'd like it to stay there but he's being blackmailed. It's another problem he'd like Edward to sort out. He has a lever: Edward once broke into Robert's house.

I'm finding it difficult to give a balanced review of The Kellerby Code. It's darker than I was expecting and this is not to my taste. That's a personal matter and I've tried to put it to one side as far as possible. I found the plotting weak. I lost count of the number of times that I groaned as Edward did something stupid such as agreeing to become involved in a major crime in exchange for Robert's silence over something which was nothing more than a minor embarrassment. Laughter and an apology would have settled the matter. The writing, on the other hand, is overworked and occasionally tortuous. There were times when a simple statement would have more than sufficed.

I had a further problem. In addition to reading the review copy of the book sent to me by the publishers, I listened to a download which I bought myself. The narrator is Jack Davenport and he has a good range of voices and the pacing is excellent. He handles the tension of the story well but the voice he used for Robert Pepper was as close to Boris Johnson's as possible. It was difficult not to compare the two characters and it took something away from the story for me.

I'd like to thank the publishers for letting Bookbag have a review copy.

This book had such a sinister feel to it…and I loved it! Edward wants to be part of the upper class and manages to get himself in trouble in the process. He wants to please his friends - even though I didn’t like any of them! I found the story really compelling and quick to read.

How far would you go to fit in??

Edward is an unusual character. He wants to fit in, he wants to fit in with a crowd featuring his university crush Stanza. But Stanza moves in higher social circles … so Edward has to orchestrate his inclusion. The question is how far will he go?

Edward knows he is taken advantage of and I felt sorry for him in that respect but he let himself get to that position because he is blinded by lust and infatuation. For that, he lost some sympathy from this reader. But then he seemed to develop a backbone; as the blurbs suggests, his good deeds do take a sinister turn and this overly helpful home tutor started to surprise me.

I’ll admit it took a bit for me to get into this. I thought it was just me and was prepared to abandon the book but I saw a fellow reader had struggled to start so I persevered. I got to the 50% mark and the story did take a turn in the direction that hooked my attention.

All in all The Kellerby Code was a book of two halves with the second half scoring the winning goal for me. I much preferred the events, feel and pace of the second half of the book compared to the first. It wasn’t a bad read at all, but I think the phrase forewarned is forearmed is apt here. For me, perseverance was key. If I hadn’t stuck with it, I’d have missed the better half and a rather satisfying and shocking conclusion to the book.

Thank you for letting me read and review The Kellerby Code on Netgalley

How far would you go for a friend?

Edward is living in a world he can't afford and to which he doesn't belong. To camouflage himself, he has catered to his friends' needs: fetching drycleaning, sorting flowers for premieres. It's a noble effort, really - anything to keep his perfectly awful 'best pals' Robert and Stanza happy. In return, his proximity to their abundance might sponge the shame of his birth and violent past cleanly away.

But Edward has - secretly - been in love with Stanza since their Cambridge days. The shattering discovery that Stanza and Robert are an item pushes him too far. His little acts of kindness take a sinister turn, giving way to the unspeakable brutality Edward fears is at his core.

Are there limits to what he will do for his friends? Are there limits to what he will do to them?

The Kellerby Code is a rather sinister look at what one ordinary man will subject himself to in order to ingratiate himself with the upper classes. Edward gets himself deeper and deeper in trouble, trying to please his friends and keep himself in the higher social circles that his income cannot really support. I didn't like any of the characters, but I found the novel compelling.

If you enjoyed the film Saltburn, you'll enjoy The Kellerby Code.

If you liked Saltburn, and if you enjoy Wodehouse and Highsmith then this is probably going to go down a treat for you.

This book couldn’t have come out at a better time and it will certainly appeal to most people without a champagne account.

I chose to review 'The Kellerby Code' by Jonny Sweet after hearing it praised by Richard Osman on his podcast 'That's Entertainment'. With his accolade I was expecting a novel with a warm and relatable sense of humour. Sadly this was not it. Sweet professes that this book was written in angry response to the Etonian elite running this country. However, in having his main character as someone from a P.G. Woodhouse novel he misses the mark. The vocabulary of this novel is arcane, elite, and alienates rather than galvanises. There was also very little to laugh at.

The Kellerby Code by Johnny Sweet was a very pleasant surprise. A wonderfully witty story with lots of heart and plenty of twists. Chock full of unlikable and morally grey characters, it's still easy to root for the protagonist.. With respectful nods to P G Wodehouse and the golden age of crime Sweet successfully combines unhurried, intelligent and descriptive prose with a fast paced and thrilling plot. The Kellerby Code has the timeless quality of a modern classic. I would advise going in to this knowing as little as possible but if you are looking for an extremely well written, darkly funny, slow descent into madness story about Imposter syndrome and the desire to fit in, this could be the book for you.

Thanks to the author, Faber and faber and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this witty debut in exchange for an honest review.

The Kellerby Code is a Saltburn/Talented Mr Ripley-esque tale of Edward who has never quite fitted in and best friends Robert and Stanza.

Edward is in love with Stanza so when he discovers she is in a relationship with Robert things begin to unravel.

I really wanted to love this as I was so sold on the synopsis but it was so so slow, it moved at a glacial pace and with books like this I need it to be pacey else I lose interest, and time this just felt like a slog to get through. It does pick up a bit towards the end but that was too late for me, I found myself bored and skimming over huge chunks which is not how I want to read a book.

My thanks to Faber and Faber Publishers and NetGalley for a copy of “ The Kellerby Code” for an honest review.
I was interested to read this from the book blurb, and also as I’m aware of the author’s work as an actor.
Unfortunately when I tried to read this I really couldn’t connect with the book , and the style of writing just wasn’t for me .As much as I hate to do this I gave up , and did not finish the book.

An interesting novel from an author new to me.

Edward lives in a world he can't really afford to inhabit but makes himself useful to his peers by fetching and carrying for them. He desperately wants to keep his friendship with Robert and Stanza alive - he's been in love with Stanza since they were at Cambridge together. Finding out that she and Robert are romantically involved affects him badly, and things take a sinister turn!

I'm not sure what I expected from this one; there is a lot packed in between the pages and, to me, it sometimes got just a bit silly. All in all, I suspect my husband may have enjoyed it more than I did. I found myself hoping it would end a lot sooner that it did, so not my favourite read this month. 3.5* for me.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

I rooted for EDwards as I found Robert and Stanza (why call someone using the Italian word for room ?) who are spoiled and unbearable.
it's a story of dreams betrayed, social class, revenge and stupidty. Dark humour at its best.
Loved it
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Edward is a man out of place and to some extent, out his of time, too. While The Kellerby Code reminded me from the beginning of Saltburn; for a while I could not quite put my finger on what decade it was set in. Edward went to Public School on a scholarship and thereafter to Cambridge University. It was a terrific achievement for a young man from a difficult background and you’d imagine he would make the best of his opportunities. Instead, however, he seems to have settled into a life of tutoring which is neither satisfying nor especially well remunerated. A lover of the era of Jeeves and Wooster, he lives entirely in the shadow of Robert, a theatre maker and Stanza, both University classmates.

These are not nice people. Rich, entitled, they are the kind of people who laugh at you when you can’t understand the difference between Bollinger and Krug. They both treat Edward like some kind of pet slave; fetching and carrying for them – getting him to handle the distasteful parts of their lives they would rather not demean themselves to undertake. It’s a toxic relationship, but Edward longs to fit in.

Edward is a tenant in Stanza’s London home where he cleans and keeps the place as clean as a new pin. He’s had feelings for Stanza since they first met; unexpressed but longing. Robert knows of course, but that does not stop him from forming a relationship with her, much to Edward’s unhappiness.

Stanza is the heir to Kellerby House, a vast sprawling mansion which she professes to hate. Her father is drinking too much and spending what little family money there is on an immensely expensive geological collection.

Edward is not only odd and sticks out like a sore thumb in Robert and Stanza’s gatherings, but he is also quite clearly not well. Under the surface he is an angry man and full of severely repressed tension which starts to bubble over when Robert and Stanza get together.

A trip to Kellerby and an unwanted guest set some very bad things in motion, not helped by Plum Edward’s imaginary friend, who urges him forward, making suggestions that will only fuel his spiral of descent.

Sweet plots his arc really well and he does a brilliant job of making Robert and Stanza complete narcissists who think themselves so clever and who, behind Edward’s back, deride and mock him.

But as Edward heads down the rabbit hole, his behaviour becomes unpredictable, tense and violent and the worm finally turns, wreaking his revenge.

Verdict: A slow burn until you get into the meat of the plot this is a fascinating read. The Kellerby Code is dark, brutal and satirical. The character of Edward is completely compelling and so well- articulated that it kept me on edge throughout.

Edward, Robert and Stanza have been friends since university. Edward would do anything for his friends and panders to their whims.
When he realises that Robert is now involved with Stanza, who he has loved since he met her, things change.
What follows is a trail of betrayal, lies and murder.
This starts slowly and at that point I would have happily murdered all of the characters myself. Once Edward starts growing a spine things get more interesting.

Never read anything by this author before and I agree with other reviewers it takes a while to get into. I am not really sure what to make of the book. It is amusing in places but not as much as I anticipated from the synopsis. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This is the 3rd instalment from The Charity Shop Detectives, which just keep getting better and better. The charity shop ladies are back for another case, when Partial Sue, Fiona and Daisy are at a dog show when a death occurs. And it doesn’t take them long to be on the trail of clues. What can I say I’m hooked and I can’t wait until i find out what murder they’ll be solving next!!
. .

This is a book that took me quite a while to get into. I didn't seem to be able to get my head around it and did re-read the synopsis a couple of times. I almost did think about giving up on it, but something told me to hang on and try for a bit longer. I am glad I did. It took me a couple of days to read around 30%, but then one day to read the rest!!!

The story is that of Edward, as the synopsis suggests he is living in a world he cannot afford. If you think of The Talented Mr. Ripley or Saltburn, then you will be on the right track. Edward is a tutor and has very rich friends, one is Stanza who he is a little bit fixated with. The other friend is Robert, Stanza's boyfriend, this didn't sit well with Edward, but things are what they are.

Edward is one of those guys who will do anything for his friends, to the point where they actually use him like a doormat. But, while he comes across as being affable not everyone likes him that much. Some are wary that others find him annoying and others creepy. Each to their own I suppose.

The beginning of the story is a slower plod along in the life of Edward, what he does, his conversations, what he thinks, who he sees and the like. But it is a way of getting to know him and the circle he mixes with.

As the story then deepens it becomes a bit more shady, well not dodgy shady but more, nervy I suppose. The sense of things going dark and not being completely above board starts to emerge, little whisps at the beginning, of things being not said but not unsaid. Sorry, it seems I am getting very random and abstract here! But this is how I feel about the story as I write this review and don't want to give things away.

My the end of the story, (yeah I am jumping forward) I found myself wondering how on earth Edward ended up as he did. Talk about shocking! The transformation from the Edward of before to the one at the end was gradual and it was also quite cleverly done. It gave it a psychological edge as things seem to ravel and unravel and circumstances change. This is a book that I think will be a hit with some but not all, a Marmite book if you like.

I liked this one, if I could have speeded the first 30% up it would have been good, but then would I have understood Ed2ward as well? Probably not.

A mix of genres for this one, some mystery and psychological aspects especially manipulation, a contemporary fiction that is character-led and one that I would happily recommend.