With delicious black comedy and unyielding suspense, the author of Chocolat delivers a masterful psychological thriller set in a venerable boys' grammar school on the cusp of momentous change.
At St Oswald's, a long-established boys' grammar school in the north of England, a new year has just begun. For the staff and boys of the school, a wind of unwelcome change is blowing. Suits, paperwork and Information Technology rule the world; and Roy Straitley, the eccentric veteran Latin master, is finally - reluctantly - contemplating retirement.
But beneath the little rivalries, petty disputes and everyday crises of the school, a darker undercurrent stirs. And a bitter grudge, hidden and carefully nurtured for thirteen years, is about to erupt.
Publisher: Transworld Publishers Ltd
ISBN: 9780552770026
Number of pages: 512
Weight: 345 g
Dimensions: 198 x 128 x 30 mm
[A] gripping psychological thriller... Harris is one of our most accomplished novelists and Gentlemen & Players, with its pace, wit and acute observation, shows her at the top of her form - DAILY EXPRESS
[A] delicious black comedy ... the plot is so cleverly constructed, the tension so unflagging, you'd think she'd been writing thrillers all her life - DAILY MAIL
With a lightness of touch, Harris illuminates just how resentment of privilege and exclusion can lead to violent resolutions... Marvellously mischievous - GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
[A] clever story of obsession and revenge... Ms Harris has scored another success - SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
A classic whodunnit with the characters carefully crafted and the tension at a knife edge - SUNDAY EXPRESS (TOP TEN FICTION 2005)
A complex and twisted tale set in a public school, this is a departure from what her fans are used to but a truly cracking read. I sat in my messy garden (something i try to avoid as much as possible) and could not... More
It had been a long time since I had read a Joanne Harris - really enjoyed it. Will have to catch up with some of her other books again.
This is a cleverly written and unusual story. Joanne Harris has used her experience of teaching to describe some fascinating characters. The story jumps from one point in time and one person's perspective to... More
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