Hard to say this because all his other novels have been so good, but this one has the edge for me. A wonderful lightness of touch and yet thriller-like suspense, it’s a real page turner that, to women will provide insights into men, and to men, just might enable them to understand the quirks and nuances of strong women.
Like all would-be Hollywood screenwriters, David Armitage wants to be rich and famous. But for the past eleven years, he’s tasted nothing but failure. Then, out of nowhere, big-time luck comes his way when one of his scripts is bought for television - and before you can say ‘overnight success’, he’s the new toast of Hollywood as the creator of a hit series. Suddenly a ‘player’ in Tinsel Town, he finds that he's reinventing himself at great speed - especially when it comes to walking out on his wife and daughter for a young producer who worships only at the altar of ambition.
But David’s upward mobility takes a decidedly strange turn when a billionaire film buff named Philip Fleck barges into his life, proposing a very curious collaboration. David takes the bait, and suddenly finds himself inadvertently entering into a Faustian Pact, and an express ride to the lower depths of the Hollywood jungle.
‘This is Kennedy at his brilliant best’ Daily Mirror
‘Kennedy is a clever learned writer, with a beguiling lightness of touch’ The Times
‘A racy page-turner, peppered with moral dilemmas… Kennedy has a knack of bringing his characters to life and sitting them right down next to you’ Daily Express
Author
About Douglas Kennedy
Douglas Kennedy's previous novels include the critically acclaimed bestsellers The Big Picture, The Pursuit of Happiness, A Special Relationship and The Moment. He is also the author of three highly-praised travel books. The Big Picture was filmed with Romain Duris and Catherine Deneuve; The Woman in the Fifth with Ethan Hawke and Kristen Scott Thomas.
His work has been translated into twenty-two languages. In 2007 he was awarded the French decoration of Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and in 2009 the inaugural Grand Prix de Figaro. Born in Manhattan in 1955, he has two children and currently divides his time between London, Paris, Berlin, Maine and New York..
