The First Casualty - Ben Elton Reviews

Ben Elton normally writes a story in a very witty way with a serious important message behind it. The First Casualty is an exception to this rule. Not that there isn't an important message behind the writing. Quite the opposite, in fact. But this time Ben Elton isn't writing for laughs. This is a serious book from start to finish - the only ...  Read the complete review

For my money, Ben Elton has a bit of a mixed record when it comes to books. Some are excellent, others readable and some really quite poor. The First Casualty definitely belongs in the first category. It centres on Inspector Kingsley, a police officer and conscientious objector, who suddenly finds himself investigating a murder in the ...  Read the complete review

The First Casualty – Ben Elton ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Firstly, a confession. I didn’t mean to buy this book; I wanted the Elton book about the reality TV show (Dead Famous) and picked this up by mistake and didn’t realise the error until I started reading the first pages. I mention this because one of the joys of ...  Read the complete review

When I think of famous people that I dislike, Ben Elton is very high on my list. Once a bastion of anti-Thatcher working class humour he has sold out so badly that he now represents everything that is wrong with New Labour's horribly false façade. You get the feeling that if you shook his hand, you may just lose your watch. No matter how much I ...  Read the complete review

Ben Elton writes topical thrillers with a message: be it the environment, oil industry, celebrity cult or legalisation of drugs, there is always some underlying theme or idea that is explored. 'First Casualty' seems to be the most ambitious and the least 'of the moment' so far. It is set during the Great War and the theme it explores, ...  Read the complete review