Author:Richard Kidd
Do you have to be dead to be famous?
Stanley Buckle is a quiet sort of boy. Since his dad died, his closest friend has been Neville, an artist who lives in an old mill with a one-eared cat called Vincent. Then Neville mysteriously vanishes in a terrible flood. As the story of Neville's disappearance spreads, the price of his paintings rockets. Stanley is shocked to discover that Neville's work is worth more when he's dead than when he's alive. Then Stanley discovers something even more astounding - something that is to lead him into the most dangerous adventure of his life.
Set partly in rural England and partly in the Scottish isles in the 1960s, this is a very special adventure tale with an original emotional edge.
Warm-hearted, well written
—— TESA witty, contemporary adventure story
—— Financial TimesBlackman reaches reluctant readers like few others
—— Amanda Craig , The TimesMalorie Blackman is one of the most versatile and forthright of all authors for young adults. She has brought us an ambitious panorama of broken societies and depicted motive and action in searingly effective ways . . . This is a remarkable book, powerful, fearful
—— Dennis Hamley , CarouselIt is an intelligent, original and compelling novel
—— Simon Treacy , Cork Evening EchoA compelling, compulsive, atmospheric story . . . The movie is already rolling in my head
—— Niall MacMonagle , Irish TimesZips along at break-neck pace, each short, action-packed scene feeding into the next, ideal for teen readers with Playstation attention spans . . . McGann's direct, gritty style of writing certainly packs a punch
—— Sarah Webb , Irish Independent