Knave. Joker. Queen. Lucifer Box is back
The hero of" The Vesuvius Club" and "The Devil in Amber" returns with an artistic licence to kill, an... read full description
reviews
Jun 09, 2010
Erastes
rated it: 
I’m leaving Lucifer Box’s second installment (The Devil in Amber) on The List at Speakitsname.com, but I’m not going to review it, because it’s rather too paranormal. However this is more spy-like with no paranormal aspects, so it fits the bill.
Like The Devil In Amber, this book jumps forward in time, and we meet Lucifer at the end of his career. He’s feeling a bit sorry for himself and mourning his lost youth (and he’s worked his way through quite a few of those in his life, let’s b More...
Like The Devil In Amber, this book jumps forward in time, and we meet Lucifer at the end of his career. He’s feeling a bit sorry for himself and mourning his lost youth (and he’s worked his way through quite a few of those in his life, let’s b More...
May 07, 2009
Erika
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Dec 22, 2011
mzd
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There is nothing better than starting a series of books and hating that first book, completely unaware that by the time you read the last one, you'll be sorry to have reached the end.
I really enjoyed this. It was so utterly ridiculous and enjoyable. I can't quite believe how much I've come to like this character whom I loathed in the first installment. He's still insufferably smug in this, but time has mellowed him out somewhat and the humour is more self-deprecating, making him rather endearin More...
I really enjoyed this. It was so utterly ridiculous and enjoyable. I can't quite believe how much I've come to like this character whom I loathed in the first installment. He's still insufferably smug in this, but time has mellowed him out somewhat and the humour is more self-deprecating, making him rather endearin More...
Aug 15, 2009
F.R.
rated it:
The first Lucifer Box novel was set in the 1890s, the second in the 1920s and now we find him as an old man in the 50s. This of course puts the master spy into James Bond territory, and Gatiss handles this by creating a more mundane world (there is an early dig at “the stuff hammered out on Remingtons by ex-foreign correspondents in seersucker shirts”), but one which is ultimately more fantastical.
This is a witty, ribald and scurrilous book (much like its lead character). Gatiss real More...
This is a witty, ribald and scurrilous book (much like its lead character). Gatiss real More...
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Sep 13, 2010
Kitt
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I have to confess (to my eternal shame) that I hadn't come across Lucifer Box before, but I was lucky enough to find a signed copy of Black Butterfly in a local charity shop. I think Mark Gatiss is great and I'm a big fan of his tv writing, not to mention the book ticks a goodly number of my squee list (humour, bisexual heros, glamourous James Bond types), but (and you knew there'd be a but coming, eh?) this left me strangly cold. It was as if it was trying too hard to be arch and knowing, but c
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Nov 27, 2009
Ivan
rated it:
What a lush I am. I've been waiting and waiting for this, the third Lucifer Box book by the embarrassingly talented Mark Gatiss, and wouldn't you know that instead of savoring it, I guzzled it down like a gin soaked rummy. Oh, well, as was the case with The Vesuvius Club and The Devil in Amber, I'll just have to read this again (and again).
I want to write more. However, I don't want to spoil a single surprise or revelation. Lucifer Box is indeed back; older and wiser, and yet as randy More...
I want to write more. However, I don't want to spoil a single surprise or revelation. Lucifer Box is indeed back; older and wiser, and yet as randy More...
Jan 07, 2012
Isabel
rated it: 
'Now, Now, Delilah,' I said, sipping gingerly at the brandy. 'You're sounding petulant again.'
'Well,' she drawled, 'not like the bloody old days, is it? Stuck behind desk fiddling with paper-clips. I bet you'd give a year of your life just for a nice juicy assassination!'
I shook my head. 'Time to bring down the curtain, Delilah.'
But scarcely had the words left my lips when I felt a sudden heat on mt cheek, and my smeary glass exploded as a 9mm bullet slammed not the bar.
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'Well,' she drawled, 'not like the bloody old days, is it? Stuck behind desk fiddling with paper-clips. I bet you'd give a year of your life just for a nice juicy assassination!'
I shook my head. 'Time to bring down the curtain, Delilah.'
But scarcely had the words left my lips when I felt a sudden heat on mt cheek, and my smeary glass exploded as a 9mm bullet slammed not the bar.
More...
Dec 23, 2011
Katie
rated it:
In The Black Butterfly, Queen Elizabeth II has just come to the throne and Lucifer Box is being shoved off his as he has retirement foisted upon him. In spite of this, he finds himself compelled to investigate when perfectly sensible public figures start dying in reckless accidents. Who is the mysterious Kingdom Kum? And who or what is the Black Butterfly? But someone does not want him to find out.
As each book in this trilogy is set in a different era, Lucifer Box naturally ages More...
As each book in this trilogy is set in a different era, Lucifer Box naturally ages More...
Jan 06, 2010
Karen
rated it:
BLACK BUTTERFLY is the third Secret Service novel featuring tall, dark, suave spy about town Lucifer Box. Although it will come as a bit of a shock to readers of these books to discover that Lucifer has gotten old, fast approaching retirement. Good grief! Old age comes to Lucifer Box ... who would have believed it could ever happen. Worse still, this is billed as the final of the Lucifer Box novels which is particularly sad for those readers who have come to love the overly energetic lovelif
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Aug 12, 2011
Lisa
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I can't quite put my finger on the reason I didn't love this as much as the other Lucifer Box books. Perhaps it's the quite large time shift between instalments, or just the idea that the series has apparently come to an end. In theory, I like the idea of having this large time shifts, but it does seem to make you want more, especially when Box himself offers up a great number of cryptic asides that beg to have the full story told. The other drawback that is that few characters make it from book
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Aug 29, 2011
Marie
rated it:
Whizzed through this one in an evening - it's the same mix of cheesy spy action, terrible puns & amorous escapades as in the previous two books in this series. If you enjoyed the earlier Lucifer Box novels I would recommend this final installment in the trilogy. It's a shame there probably won't be any more! Looking forward to see what Gatiss does next though.
Nov 25, 2011
Kirsty
rated it:
The last outing for Lucifer does not disappoint, but I can't imagine Mr Box ever disappoints a lady (or gentleman for that matter). Twisty and turny, this is one of the few books I was so impatient to read I bought it in hardback, and although it was terribly hard on the wrists, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Mr Gatiss, I want more please....
Jul 10, 2011
Kris
rated it:
Finishing the set, we shoot forward another twenty-or-so years into a Cold War world very different from the earlier two stories. Perhaps this shift explains why Black Butterfly is the most Bond-like of all the novels.
Lucifer has now risen to the top of the ranks of the Secret Service, and is not shy off being retired. Of course, there remains one last adventure to be had. As expected, there is a sense of mortality that hangs over this one like a black cloud, but that does not stop our More...
Lucifer has now risen to the top of the ranks of the Secret Service, and is not shy off being retired. Of course, there remains one last adventure to be had. As expected, there is a sense of mortality that hangs over this one like a black cloud, but that does not stop our More...
Mar 22, 2009
Turi
rated it:
Another Lucifer Box outing (had to finish the series), this one dealing with Boy Scouts, a drug ring, Istanbul, and, well, world domination, as usual. We'r also introduced to Box's son, who, due to some revelations at the end, may be poised to take over any sequels.
Apr 16, 2010
Janet
rated it:
A big part of the appeal to me of "The Vesuvius Club," the first Lucifer Box novel, was its unexpectedly cheeky cloak and dagger tone. Box was an utterly scandalous "hero" and the twists and turns of the story were like a roller coaster. Unfortunately, that sense of freshness simply could not be carried over into the subsequent books.
That said, "Black Butterfly" is a much more enjoyable read than the second book of the series. Lucifer Box, now at retire More...
That said, "Black Butterfly" is a much more enjoyable read than the second book of the series. Lucifer Box, now at retire More...
Jul 28, 2011
I was actually a bit disappointed by this one. It is still mildly entertaining but no where near as good as the first two books. I will read number four though if there is one.
Nov 03, 2009
Suna
rated it:
Definitely not as good as the first two, but still enjoyable enough for a lazy afternoon's read.
And I did love the final disclosure of his mysterious paramour of times past!
And I did love the final disclosure of his mysterious paramour of times past!
Jul 08, 2009
Courtney
rated it:
I liked the first one, hated te 2nd, and this was in between. it's too easy camp for my taste, which is a shame because I like mark gatiss.
Oct 21, 2011
Bettie
rated it: 
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Feb 21, 2010
Kaisha
rated it:
The third book in the Lucifer Box collection. Good, but not as excellent as the first. Set in the 1950s, Lucifer is at an older age and ready to retire but still has one last case in him. Curiosity, not assignment, is what brings him to do what the others can't once again.
Gatiss's witt and British humor make this a quick and enjoyable read for any day of the week.
Gatiss's witt and British humor make this a quick and enjoyable read for any day of the week.
May 22, 2010
Antonia
rated it:
had me grinning on most pages and left me laughing out loud after i finished, what a worthy end to the trilogy.
and that's all i want to say.
and that's all i want to say.
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Jun 03, 2009
Dave
rated it:
A fitting close to a solid trilogy of Lucifer Box novels. Though I didn't like this one quite as much as the previous two, it's still quite enjoyable in its own right.
I'll be looking forward to more of Mark Gatiss' work. He's got an interesting voice and I feel he's got plenty of stories yet to tell.
I'll be looking forward to more of Mark Gatiss' work. He's got an interesting voice and I feel he's got plenty of stories yet to tell.
Sep 22, 2011
Simon
rated it:
Just like the others in the series this is light-hearted and enjoyable fun and camper than Dale Winton in a tutu.
Jul 13, 2009
Jo
rated it:
A final hurrah for Lucifer Box. Not quite as good as the first two adventures but still funny enough. Plenty of puns and witticisms and the usual craziness
Dec 07, 2008
Eleanor
rated it:
A right rollicking read - while Lucifer may be older now, he doesn't compromise on either lechery or action. I still love the 'Sherlock Holmes' style references to improbably-named old cases.
Jan 12, 2012
Alex
rated it:
I enjoyed reading this.It's a good book, but certainly the weakest in the series
Jul 07, 2011
Gayle
rated it:
Read this over several days so it somewhat broke the flow of the story for me (which is obviously my fault, I should have just hunkered down and read it all in one go).
Not sure if I enjoyed it as much as the first two, but it was still far greater than a lot of books out there.
I don't know if we are going to be meeting Lucifer Box again (he is getting on in age) but I wouldn't mind another visit from him. Perhaps in the swinging sixties, next time round?
Not sure if I enjoyed it as much as the first two, but it was still far greater than a lot of books out there.
I don't know if we are going to be meeting Lucifer Box again (he is getting on in age) but I wouldn't mind another visit from him. Perhaps in the swinging sixties, next time round?
Aug 24, 2009
Alice
rated it:
These Lucifer Box novels make me laugh. This one is perhaps not as clever as the first two, but it was witty and enjoyable. Fluff reading rather than engaging which is surprising because The Vesuvius Club was brilliant!
