Julian Wells was a writer of dark non-fiction works that detailed some of the worst crimes of the 20th Century. Was it this exploration of man's inhumanity to man that caused him to take his own life? When his body is found in a boat drifting in a pond in Montauk, New York, his best friend, the literary critic Philip Anders, begins to reread his work in order to prepare a eulogy. This rereading, along with other clues, convinces the critic that his friend has committed a terrible crime, and that it was as punishment for this crime that Wells took his own life. Anders' investigation sparks an obsession with unravelling the mystery of the man he thought he knew. His journey towards understanding leads him from Paris to Budapest, spans four decades, and takes him deeper and deeper in to the heart of darkness that was Julian Wells...
'A striking example of a suspense writer working at the top of his form' Chicago Tribune
'Thomas H. Cook has long been one of my favourite writers' Harlan Coben
'Thomas H. Cook writes like a wounded angel' Peter Straub
'Thomas H Cook [...] writes with uncommon elegance, intelligence and emotional insight, scattering literary and historical references along the way' The Times
'beautifully written, interesting, instructive and ingenious' Literary Review
'a contemplative, reflective and sinister novel ... Readers cannot help but become embroiled in this dark journey into the world of a mysterious and troubled individual' We Love This Book
'Guilt and deception in all its forms haunt this lyrically mournful tale ... Cook plays deftly with the form' Metro
Author
About Thomas H. Cook
Thomas H. Cook won an Edgar award for his novel The Chatham School Affair and has been shortlisted for the award six times, most recently with Red Leaves, which was also shortlisted for the Duncan Lawrie Gold Dagger award. Cook lives with his family in Cape Cod and New York City.
