Hilariously evil and scarily funny, the third novel by British thriller up-and-comer Joanna Wallace is strongly recommended to anyone looking for something fast-paced, accessible and way outside your typical ‘summery beach read’ parameters. The Art Of Getting Hammered’s inventive backstory is unlike anything I’ve read before – and it had me howling from start to finish.
The premise, in essence, is: what does a serial killer do when they lose their appetite for slaying? This is what’s befallen protagonist Claire, whose targets tend to be petty revenge attacks; if you’re anything like me, often finding yourself a bit of a hermit fed up with the little inconveniences of life, Claire gets you. The Art Of Getting Hammered induced an internal battle as to whether I love or hate her – she’s completely despicable, what with all the murdering, but wickedly comical at the same time.
For all the originality of the core premise, the actual plot is slightly predictable – and yet, driven to solve the case (alongside Claire) of who the other serial killer in town is, I couldn’t put The Art… down. That’s a testament to Wallace’s ability to spin a story, as I don’t normally read about murder by hammers right before bedtime…
