The American Boy by Andrew Taylor

The American Boy by Andrew Taylor

THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER AND AWARD-WINNING RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK Murder, lies and betrayal in Regency England England 1819. Thomas Shield, a master at a school just outside London, is tutor to a young American boy and the child’s sensitive best friend, Charles Frant. Helplessly drawn to Frant’s beautiful, unhappy mother, Shield becomes entwined in their family’s affairs. When a brutal murder takes place in London’s seedy backstreets, all clues lead to the Frant family, and Shield is tangled in a web of lies, money, sex and death that threatens to tear his new life apart. Soon, it emerges that at the heart of these macabre events lies the strange American boy. What secrets is the young Edgar Allan Poe hiding?

Praise for The American Boy:

'In the end, the myriad mysteries of The American Boy are all neatly accounted for, as one would expect from a thriller writer such as TaylorBut he has transcended any limitations of genre in this novel, for it is a wonderful book, richly composed and beautifully written, an enthralling read from start to finish' The Times

'Creates an atmosphere close to Sarah Waters' Fingersmith in the convincing depiction of a sadistic underworld. Taylor's deeply absorbing and beautifully written book is a fitting tribute to the founding father of crime fiction' Independent

'A most artful and delightful book, that will both amuse and chill, and it will have you desperate to search out a quiet corner to continue your acquaintance with it' Daily Telegraph

'Taylor spins a magnificent tangential web… The book is full of sharply-etched details evoking Dickensian London and is also a love story, shot through with the pain of a penniless and despised lover. This novel has the literary values which should take it to the top of the lists' Scotland on Sunday'

'It is as if Taylor has used the great master of the bizarre as both starting- and finishing- point, but in between created a period piece with its own unique voice.The result should satisfy those drawn to the fictions of the 19th century, or Poe, or indeed to crime writing at its most creative' Spectator

‘Like Poe’s fiction,Taylor’s beguiling story and atmospheric evocation of Regency London and the winter landscapes of Gloucestershire cry out for a wingback chair by a blazing chair. Hugely entertaining' Observer

Andrew Taylor is the award-winning author of a number of crime novels, including the Dougal series, the Lydmouth books and the Roth Trilogy, which was adapted into the acclaimed ITV drama ‘Fallen Angel’. ‘The American Boy’ was a 2005 Richard & Judy Book Club choice.

He has won many awards, including the CWA John Creasey Award, an Edgar Scroll from the Mystery Writers of America and the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Daggers (the only author to win it twice). He and his wife live with their children in the Forest of Dean.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780007109616
ISBN 10	000710961X
Title	The American Boy
Author	Andrew Taylor
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	HarperCollins Publishers
Year published	2003-07-07
Number of pages	512
Prizes	Winner of CWA Ellis Peters Historical Award 2003, Winner of CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger 2003
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable