This is a rather unthrilling thriller about a class reunion aboard an offshore oil rig that one of the schoolmates has converted into a luxury resort–well, he’s almost done so. Not quite finished. The reunion is invaded by a group of inept commandos out for loot that, it turns out, is not there.

Three elements of the novel sap the thrills: 1) endless rehashing of past lives, even in the midst of crises, with explosions imminent.2) The contrived improbability of many events which are meant to be funny, but turn out to be grotesque and stupid. Like the flying arm/fist that knocks out a retired police inspector out for an innocent walk, for example. 3) the hurried, too-neat denouement.

I did learn a number of rather nice Scottish colloquialisms (“weans” for “children,” for example.) But that just wasn’t enough.