Attack Of The Unsinkable Rubber Ducks is no exception, which means a wild and woolly roller coaster of a whodunnit done it mixed in with wicked humour, sly satire, and an attitude problem that should be fed intravenously to any reporter who feels that reprinting a government press release and putting their byline on it counts as investigative journalism.

Unfortunately saying anything more about the plot, or even how Brookmyre has structured the narrative, would be too much spoiler information. I can say Brookmyre's writing is as astringent and dead on as usual and without the normal whining of the left. Instead of merely complaining about how "mean and nasty" conservatives are, he reveals how they manage to get away with so much on the political front.

It's not magic, it's sure not because God is on their side, but it's because they are the  masters of manipulation. They never let a debate be clouded by the facts, always ensure they speak in vague generalities about belief, faith, and country, and contrive to make the other side out to be Godless, betrayers of all that's "good and decent about what we hold dear in Scotland", which means absolute bollocks but sounds great in a sound bite.

Brookmyre doesn't spell out any hidden agendas, point out secret conspiracy theories, or any of that stuff so beloved by the loony left, because he doesn't have to. Anything he writes about is known public policy of conservative parties the world over, platforms that nobody seems to remember until after they are elected and start carrying them out.

But the best thing about Christopher Brookmyre isn't that he knows his politics, it's that he's a brilliant storyteller, creates thoroughly believable characters, has a wicked sense of humour, and in this, his eleventh book, is still as much a breath of fresh air to read as he was with his first book. Attack Of The Unsinkable Rubber Ducks is funny, intelligent, and a great read. You can take that on faith.