Throw Me to the Wolves is, on the face of it, a made-for-TV procedural police drama… Scratch the surface, however, and all of Britain’s restless undercurrents are churning away… this is literary fiction as it should be: in stylish, surprising, lyrical sentences we are forced to confront the hidden power structures, public and private, that control our everyday lives. It’s reminiscent of Edward St Aubyn, not only in its pillorying of the elite, but the pleasure McGuinness takes in having his characters say clever things. It’s also a proper page-turner.

This is a writer worth knowing… [McGuinness] combines elegant prose with caustic commentary on romance, education and crime… most people can write for a lifetime and not produce so perfect a sentence.

Blisteringly effective, written with an almost hallucinogenic clarity… Throw Me to the Wolves is intensely powerful.

An extraordinary writer of great compassion, McGuinness combines a mesmerising crime novel with a forensic look at the brutalising mechanisms of the British Public School system. Stunning.

An absorbing novel… on virtually every page, there are perfectly judged descriptions that reveal something about the world.

This second novel from Man Booker-longlisted McGuinness is a compassionate, funny and ultimately moving indictment of the gutter press, social media and boarding schools.

Throw Me to the Wolves could be described as a crime novel or as a State of the Nation novel. It fits into both those categories, but it offers much more than such convenient labels would suggest. It's a book seriously concerned with, and about, people who function on the fringe of society. Patrick McGuinness is an observant and reflective storyteller of a special kind.

A big, serious, elegantly written, darkly entertaining study of what school does to us, and how life afterwards can turn into a nightmare. McGuinness is a novelist of the old school, where the best and most lasting lessons were taught.

Intelligent and troubling… [Throw Me To The Wolves] invites reflection about the state of morality today, about the lust for witch-hunts and the zeal to punish.

Brilliant.

McGuinness plays… [the plot] out beautifully, allowing each aspect of the story to resonate meaningfully with the others… [he lets] the story unspool at its own pace while he explores all its facets in clean prose polished to the point of translucence.

McGuinness is an intelligent and thoughtful writer, and his portrait of detective Ander is fully of wry observations about modern life and societal change.

Thoughtful, sometimes provocative… at the heart of [Throw Me to the Wolves] is a moving meditation on childhood and the ways in which it lives on in all of us.

A brilliantly researched, shockingly plausible thriller set in an alternative Britain

A stunningly plotted debut, that drags you at break-neck-speed through a nightmare alternative world that is eerily realistic. A must read

Perfection. Intriguing and compelling. Exceptional

I raced through this impressive, gripping and thought-provoking read

I was totally swept up - and challenged - by this dark drama and am still wrestling with the brilliantly written dilemma at its heart

Gillian McAllister isn't afraid to tread where some authors are scared to go. Intelligent. Compulsive. Heart-wrenching. Unforgettable

A smartly conceived psychological thriller

A perfectly plotted courtroom drama and an emotional roller-coaster in one book

Gripping, cleverly-constructed, and heart-wrenching. A truly original thriller you won't be able to put down

Ingeniously constructed with real flesh-and-blood characters and cliff-hanging suspense

This contemporary love story wrapped up in a thriller is a brilliant read. Compelling and intense

A gripping, compelling page-turner that kept me up half the night

The verdict - lock me up so I can read it again! Unforgettable

Addictive - I found myself wanting to pick it up at every opportunity

Smart, twisty and ingenious . . . as emotionally engaging as it is taut

Addictive, exciting and devilishly clever

Brilliant

Completely original. I was gripped

An exhilarating, hold-your-breath read!

Top domestic noir

We couldn't put this book down!

Prepare to be gripped

The Hot List

Following on from C J Tudor's successful debut, comes a novel about bullying, cruelty and deceit. . . Tudor keeps the novel moving at a fast pace

A Stephen King style thriller that will have you transfixed and submerged in the entanglement of the twisting plot. This book kept me intrigued all the way to the very end

Crime meets psychological suspense meets out-and-out horror. From the stomach-churning first chapter to the grand guignol ending that is as shocking as it is surprising, Tudor racks up the nastiness . . . Another hit.

Matches Stephen King for creepiness. A must-read for horror fans

Creepy beyond words. Just like Stephen King, the fact that Tudor's characters are so believable makes the events even creepier