Driving Big Davie

Driving Big Davie is the sixth novel of the Dan Starkey series by Northern Irish author, Colin Bateman, released on 5 April 2004 through Headline Publishing Group.^[1] Bateman started the novel in response to the death of Joe Strummer, lead singer of The Clash, who he stated was a "huge inspiration on [his] teenage years".^[2]

Driving Big Davie

First edition
Author	Colin Bateman
Language	English
Series	Dan Starkey novels
Genre	Crime, Dark comedy
Publisher	Headline
Publication date	5 April 2004 (2004-04-05)
Publication place	United Kingdom
Media type	Print (Hardcover)
Pages	312
ISBN	978-0-7553-0919-1
OCLC	55624240
Dewey Decimal	823.914
Preceded by	The Horse With My Name (2002)
Followed by	Belfast Confidential (2005)

Plot

Dan Starkey is invited to Florida by his old friend, "Big Davie", who has a spare honeymoon ticket after being dumped by his erstwhile fiancée. Starkey is back with his wife Patricia and feels he's gotten over the murder of his toddler son "Little Stevie" - however his wife disagrees and declares that an American road trip would do him good. When the opportunity to avenge Stevie's death presents itself, Starkey cannot refuse.

Movie

A movie adaptation of the novel was planned in 2001, with Steve Bendelack attached as director.^[3][4]

Reception

For those of you not in the know, Bateman is the funniest writer Ireland has produced since Roddy Doyle.

Martin Doyle, Irish Post^[5]

The novel received little but positive coverage in the media.

Reviewing for the Irish Post, Martin Doyle stated he found Bateman's novels to be "pitch-black comic thrillers" and called the novel "a helter-skelter of high jinks and low humour"; stating that while the novel is not "a demanding read" he found it to be "a rewarding one".^[5] Andrea Henry, in a review for the Daily Mirror stated that, at the prospect of Starkey's vengeance for his murdered son, "fast and furious murder and mayhem ensue", and called the novel "laugh-a-minute lad lit".^[6]