The Shelbourne Ultimatum

Dec 29, 2025 11:59 AM

Author:Ross O'Carroll-Kelly

After his brush with death Ross O'Carroll-Kelly - schools rugby legend, award-winning author and lover of the ladeez - is back with a renewed lust for life - all thrillingly revealed in The Shelbourne Ultimatum.

Ross wakes up from his coma to find a country that has changed beyond recognition. Shrewsbury Road has become a ghost estate. Marks and Spencer are selling microwavable coddle. And a Euro discount store is about to open in the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre. And he was only unconscious for twenty-four hours.

But never mind all that. The main thing is that whoever tried to kill him missed all his vital organs. All his vital organs. And having had such a lucky escape Ross vows not to waste another minute of his life. There are thousands of women out there and just one Ross to go around. He needs to focus.

Of course, life gets in the way. He has a daughter who hates him, a son who is growing up way too fast and a soon-to-be-ex wife who is resorting to increasingly desperate measures to stop the bank from repossessing the house. Oh, and the Gords - get this! - think he's lying to them.

Lying? Ross?

'Ross's misadventures and on-the-nose observations never fail to provoke a laugh-out-loud reaction ... bursting at the seams with spot-on parody' Irish Times

'Will leave you with pains in your cheeks from laughing' RTÉ Guide

The Shelbourne Ultimatum is the twelfth novel in Paul Howard's 'Ross O'Carroll-Kelly' series. Ross books have sold half a million copies, are annually nominated for the Popular Fiction prize at the Irish Book Awards - where they have twice won the prize - and are also critically acclaimed as satirical masterpieces. Titles include The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightdress, Should have Got off at Sydney Parade, This Champagne Mojito is the Last Thing I Own, Rhino What You Did Last Summer, NAMA Mia! and The Oh My God Delusion. The last of these was chosen asIreland's favourite book in Eason's 125th birthday poll.

Reviews

Will leave you with pains in your cheeks from laughing

—— RTÉ Guide on The Oh My God Delusion

Ross's misadventures and on-the-nose observations never fail to provoke a laugh-out-loud reaction ... bursting at the seams with spot-on parody

—— Irish Times

In Flight's slick plot and its testosterone-fuelled characters, Thorpe has found a fresh way of looking at corruption and betrayal, and the sticky web that is flung across the world, connecting drug and arms dealers, and all shades of mortals in between

—— Herald

A zingy page-turner

—— Daily Telegraph

This book is so much better written than most thrillers that it's almost ridiculous

—— Financial Times

A gripping thriller from its first sentence…. Thorpe is a craftsman as well as an artist, and the book is well put together, with respect for the genre. Like William Boyd, Thorpe is a thorough professional. Thorpe convincingly portrays a world in which the means of communication have shrunk the world and made privacy hard to secure

—— Scotsman

Flight blends an unlikely cocktail of genres with great success – think 007 as a middle-aged dad you’re halfway there

—— Metro

Keeps things fizzing along

—— Lesley McDowell , Glasgow Sunday Herald

An excellently plotted book boosted by some fine writing

—— Sunday Business Post

Thorpe’s skill is with sharply observed characters… Taut and compelling

—— James Urquhart , Financial Times

A well-written and exciting Boy’s Own tale for adults

—— Victoria Clark , The Lady

Don Tillman is one of the most endearing, charming and fascinating literary characters I have met in a long time

—— The Times

Genuinely funny; you'll laugh out loud

—— Essentials

I absolutely loved The Rosie Project -- original and clever, and perfectly written.The world is going to fall in love with Don and Rosie

—— Jill Mansell

A poignant, funny novel about how you don't find love; it finds you

—— Glamour

Don Tillman will exasperate, delight and immerse you in a world so original, in a story so compelling, I defy you not to read through the night. Glorious

—— Adriana Trigiani, author of The Shoemaker's Wife

A very funny and touching love story

—— Sunday Express

Adorable . . . Really funny and heart-warming, a gem of a book

—— Marian Keyes

If you like The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time you'll love The Rosie Project

—— Look

Written in a superbly pitch-perfect voice, The Rosie Project had me cheering for Don on every page. I'm madly in love with this book! Trust me, you will be, too

—— Lisa Genova, author of Still Alice and left Neglected

The best, most honestly told love story I've read in a long time

—— Kristin Hannah

Marvellous. Don Tillman is as awkward and confusing a narrator as he is lovable and charming

—— John Boyne, author of The Boy In the Striped Pyjamas

Prime deck-chair material

—— The Times, Our Favourite Comic Novels

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