...23-year-old Cal Cunningham, who begins as a flat broke, proud, wannabe novel writer working in a bookstore. He lives in New York, in a flat, with Stewart Church, a quiet law student. Straight after Stewart tells Cal he's written a novel, Stewart is killed instantly in a bike accident. Perhaps Cal might just take credit for the novel himself, perhaps it might rocket to the top of the bestseller lists. He does, and it does, and there begin Cal's problems... and before he knows it, his happily married existence is threatened by blackmail, murder, drugs, deception, and everything else in between.

The fast-paced way the story unravelled, and particularly, the first-person perspective through which it was told. The plot-line can only be described as superb; perfect in every way.

The fact that this book is not sitting on top of the best-seller lists itself! Why, I ask you, why?!

Go immediately to sleep - because I'd stayed up till 2:15am, determined to finish it! A few minutes later though, I was so inspired, all I wanted to do was leap out of bed and start writing a novel myself

Has written articles for Vanity Fair, Esquire, Mademoiselle, US, and Rolling Stone. His first book was entitled As Nature Made Him, which was a New York Times bestseller and grabbed a Books for a Better Life Award. About the Author, though, is his first novel - I for one hope there are many more to come!

It is just one of those books you cannot put down. It is so tightly wound, and the threads so intricate and complex, that one would never believe the author could pull them back together again - but he does If you're after a brilliant plot, an incredible read, an intriguing insight into the Manhattan literary world, and an engrossing look at plagiarism in general - then this is the book for you.

Some scenes, and ideas, in the novel are quite disturbing, which is why I have rated the book as NC-17. This in no way is meant to take away from the quality of the book (indeed, it is part of what increases its quality); however, there are certain demographics this book should never be read by.

Quotes and reviews:

         "A noir thriller - gleaming, well written and exciting" - Financial Times

         "Don't miss this clever, intense story" - Marie Claire

         "Brilliant debut novel" - Time Out

         "A thriller worth of Hitchcock at his best. I wasn't able to put it down. Splendid suspense." - Stephen King

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Created Apr 25, 2003 at 5:37am • Submit your own review...