The narrative itself begins when Lorimer turns up at a routine business appointment only to find the man he was to meet has hanged himself. From then on his already complicated life begins to unravel as he falls in love with Flavia Malinervo, an unhappily married actress; is assigned to investigate a case of suspected insurance fraud in which a colleague, Torquil Helvoir-Jayne, is implicated; and suffers the death of his father. Reception According to the complete review, reviews were mixed. There was "no critical consensus: some loved the writing, some thought it was terrible. The same with the meandering story. Only consensus: Boyd was not being ambitious enough, not using his talents to the fullest". Caroline Boucher in The Observer writes "In Armadillo William Boyd has not only written a gripping novel. He also pulls off the coup of making loss adjusting exciting... with good prose, a plot that draws you along and is both unsettling and at times comic". Richard Bernstein in The New York Times praises Boyd's storytelling talents in "this entertaining novel, which gives us one of the more likable, lost and perplexed central characters yet to appear in his oeuvre." In contrast though The Economist complained: "You expect an intelligent, thoughtful, and interesting thriller; unfortunately, the expectations are subverted by three inadequacies, surprising in a writer whose previous work has generally been greeted with acclaim and even delight.
The narrative itself begins when Lorimer turns up at a routine business appointment, only to find the man he was to meet has hanged himself. From then on, his already complicated life begins to unravel, as he falls in love with Flavia Malinervo, an unhappily married actress; is assigned to investigate a case of suspected insurance fraud in which a colleague, Torquil Helvoir-Jayne, is implicated; and suffers the death of his father. Reception: According to the complete review, reviews were mixed. There was "no critical consensus: some loved the writing, some thought it was terrible. The same with the meandering story. Only consensus: Boyd was not being ambitious enough, not using his talents to the fullest". Caroline Boucher in The Observer writes "In Armadillo William Boyd has not only written a gripping novel. He also pulls off the coup of making loss adjusting exciting... with good prose, a plot that draws you along and is both unsettling and at times comic". R. Bernstein, in The New York Times, praises Boyd's storytelling talents in "this entertaining novel, which gives us one of the more likable, lost and perplexed central characters yet to appear in his oeuvre." In contrast though, The Economist complained: "You expect an intelligent, thoughtful, and interesting thriller; unfortunately, the expectations are subverted by three inadequacies, surprising in a writer whose previous work has generally been greeted with acclaim and even delight.

