Nick Belsey, from Hampstead CID, is a crooked cop, or at any rate a cop who bends the rules as far as they can be bent. Although, by hook or by crook, he normally does get results the hard way. He is a most cynical character who has already appeared in two previous gripping books in which his struggle to keep abreast of the engulfing tide and keep both his job and his liberty, and have proven compulsive joyrides across the dark side of North London. He is still living on the brink as his new travails begin, homeless and forlorn when he is asked by a desperate mother to help find her missing son who was part of the entourage of a charismatic tabloid pop star. The journey that ensues proves bloody, cynical and engrossing and makes sin and corruption a particularly inviting mirage in the eyes of a character who is greyer than grey. Strong but captivating stuff.
Ten days after the station closed, he was informed he'd been officially suspended pending a hearing over allegations of gross misconduct. No details. A few hours after that, he got a call from a man who wouldn't give his name but told him he was under surveillance...They were bracing themselves for a shit-storm. Stay safe, the caller said, and hung up.
Amber Knight is hot property - pop star, film star, front-page gossip.
DC Nick Belsey is less celebrated. He can't shake his habit of getting into serious trouble and his career at Hampstead CID is coming to a dishonourable end. He is currently of no fixed address - squatting in a disused police station round the corner from Amber's swanky Primrose Hill mansion.
But a knock on the door from a frantic and confused woman looking for her missing son is about to lead Belsey straight into the heart of Amber's glittering life. When a body is found and a twisted crime spree ensues, Belsey finds himself dangerously embroiled in a world of celebrity, obsession, glamour and desperation.
Praise for The House of Fame
'Harris has a terrific sense of place, hurtling between the wealthiest and most-run-down areas of London... The plot unfolds in a chilling and totally unexpected direction' Sunday Times
'A fast-paced thriller that is also nuanced and evocative...hats off to Harris, who has, once again, managed it with style and authority' Guardian
'Gripping, and Oliver Harris is punchy and perceptive' The Times
