"Halfhead" by Stuart B. Mac Bride: A Book Review

A Sci-fi thriller/mystery that claims to be an "International Bestseller."  I always wondered what nebulous criteria must be met to claim that moniker.  I think it must be sheer gall, if you have the nerve to claim it then its yours.  Nothing screamed bestseller to me but I really wasn't disappointed even if you could see the ending broadcast a mile away.  Its an imported book a first edition bound and printed in Great Britain (can't we all agree that the "Great" is long past and it should be simply Britain?).  I wonder what a first edition paperback is worth?  Not much, I'm afraid.  Set in future Glasgow I'm getting a lot of colorful colloquialisms like "sodding," "bloody," and "bollocks," but my favorite being the inscrutable "bamheid" which I believe contextually means "looney."  Its got a decent premise and setting, a truly fearsome female serial killer, and a protagonist that you don't want to kill yourself.  Its also got a very sadistic take on the future of crime and punishment with a brutally heavy focus on the punishment aspect.  It seems criminals (the worst of the worst [hate that phrase!] are subjected to "halfheading" - hence the title.  Man, nothing escapes me!  Half-heading consists of removal of the lower jaw, followed by lobotomizing and retraining to do manual labor.  In the future there are no janitors just goofy looking simple minded criminals.  Apparently this approach has done nothing to lower crime rates as there seems to be a veritable army of creepy looking felons.