The good Mr Rankin kindly gave away a kindle version of this for free, in celebration of his 65th birthday. I couldn't remember whether I had already read it, and it wasn't until about 1/4 of the way through that I realised I had - there is something about his books that seem to mess with your memory. In short, a very fine example of far-fetched fiction. A must for fans. For newcomers, I would recommend starting with The Anti-pope, as there are quite a lot of in-jokes, and references to previous books in this one. They do not spoil the story, but I think you will find it funnier if you know what they mean.