The Gun Seller (1996) is Hugh Laurie's first novel. It concerns former Scots Guards officer Thomas Lang and his reluctant involvement in a conspiracy involving international arms dealers, terrorists, the CIA, the MOD, beautiful women and fast motorcycles.

Wary of becoming another "celebrity author", Laurie initially submitted his manuscript pseudonymously, only revealing his identity after it had been accepted for publication and was persuaded by his publicist to publish the book under his real name for the sake of publicity.

Plot

The Gun Seller tells the story of retired Army officer Thomas Lang, who lives a somewhat hand-to-mouth existence in London, his attention focused mainly on drinking whisky and driving his motorcycle. His income stems from a variety of bodyguard, strongarm and mercenary jobs he undertakes, utilising the skills and contacts he made during his time in the army.

After being approached in Amsterdam by a man asking him to assassinate an American businessman, Lang attempts to warn the intended victim and finds himself involved in an international conspiracy: an American arms manufacturer has devised an elaborate and illegal method of marketing their new 'anti-terrorism' attack helicopter - by staging a 'terrorist attack' with which to highlight the chopper's effectiveness.

To this end, the CIA have unwittingly recruited a group of freedom fighters/terrorists, who are unaware that their funding and instructions actually come from one of the organisations they oppose.

Lang, not entirely of his own volition, infiltrates this group and tries to expose the conspiracy.

Themes

The concept of being a 'good man' is explored several times throughout the book and many of the 'bad' characters - especially those in the terrorist group Lang infiltrates - are described in a sympathetic light once their motivation is explained further.

Movie

In the back of one paperback edition of the Gun Seller, in a transcribed interview, Laurie states that he has written a screenplay of the novel for United Artists.

Influences

There were two main influences on Laurie when he wrote the Gun Seller:

• The thriller/espionage novels of authors such as Robert Ludlum, Frederick Forsyth and Alistair MacLean. The plot of The Gun Seller is very much in the mould of these authors.
• P. G. Wodehouse, specifically the Jeeves stories. The two main characters in The Gun Seller — Thomas Lang and his former colleague Solomon — are clearly an updated Bertie Wooster and Jeeves. This similarity extends as far as the narrative being told in the first person by Lang, using a chatty, jokey and flippant style similar to that of the Jeeves stories.

External links

• Excerpt from The Gun Seller: Chapter 1