Wow! eBook
The Crime of Julian Wells
Author(s): Thomas H. Cook (Author)
- Publisher: Head of Zeus
- Publication Date: 1 Oct. 2012
- Language: English
- Print length: 304 pages
- ISBN-10: 1908800143
- ISBN-13: 9781908800145
Book Description
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…
Editorial Reviews
Review
‘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‘Thomas H Cook […] writes with uncommon elegance, intelligence and emotional insight, scattering literary and historical references along the way’ The Times.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.
About the Author
Thomas H. Cook (b. 1947) is the author of nearly two dozen critically lauded crime novels. Born in Fort Payne, Alabama, Cook published his first novel, Blood Innocents, in 1980 while serving as the book review editor of Atlanta magazine. Two years later, on the release of his second novel, The Orchids, he turned to writing full-time.
Cook published steadily through the 1980s, penning such works as the Frank Clemons trilogy, a series of mysteries starring a jaded cop. He found breakout success with The Chatham School Affair (1996), which won an Edgar Award for best novel. His work has been praised by critics for his attention to psychology and the lyrical nature of his prose. Besides mysteries, Cook has written two true-crime books, Early Graves (1992) and the Edgar-nominated Blood Echoes (1993), as well as several literary novels, including Elena (1986). He lives and works in New York City.
