Author:Julie Myerson
Flynn is a thirteen-year-old girl caught between her violent, out-of-control brother, Sam, and her mother, who is struggling to cope. And then, one impossibly hot night, a strange half-feral boy called Alex turns up at the bottom of Flynn's garden. Alex is one of three runaways; there's also Diana, who has just had a baby, and Mouse, who is only six and already an accomplished arsonist.
With Flynn and Sam in tow, the rag tag group of children venture into the deserted countryside, pursued by a terrifying and unseen man. Deep in the woods, they stumble across an abandoned cottage which seems to offer refuge but soon begins to reveal its dark and terrifying secrets...
A sweetly corrupt exploration of the childhood fantasy of running away... Myerson is a beautiful conjurer of subtly disturbing atmospheres...haunting
—— Jane Shilling , Sunday TelegraphA mythical rite-of-passage novel... mysterious and multi-layered
—— IndependentCompulsively readable and richly inventive... bittersweet, authentic and loveable
—— GuardianMyerson is a surefooted guide along the wobbly line that separates the real from the surreal ... Myerson captures [adolescence] beautifully in Flynn's compelling voice. The opening of the novel is crisp and immediate, the prose simple and direct ...More than just a coming-of-age story, Out of Breath is a timely reminder about the importance of not growing up too quickly
—— New StatesmanA truly original read, transcending many of the usual boundaries found in fiction
—— Scotland on SundayIts playful, imaginative charge is constantly undercut by the subcutaneous presence of psychological damage and the darkness that emerges as innocence gives way to experience
—— MetroA brilliant, deeply unsettling thriller which promises to be among the best reads of this year
—— Daily MailA weird, beautiful scary slice of British magic realism
—— HeraldMyerson is a master of suggestion and builds up the suspense layer by layer
—— Irish TimesFans of Julie Myerson will adore this, the latest edition to Myerson's very own sub-genre within the broader class of 'novels of the uncanny'
—— Financial TimesA beguiling story
—— Independent on SundayA sinister, beguiling tale that brilliantly evokes a childhood world
—— Woman and HomeBrilliant and nightmarish, this modern fairytale is beautifully written
—— Eve MagazinePhantom will maintain Jo Nesbo’s unstoppable momentum.
—— The IndependentThe king of Nordic crime – and his haunted protagonist Harry Hole – returns with this tightly plotted thriller which pitches Hole deep into the murky underworld of Oslo’s heroin market.
—— MetroJo Nesbo is at the top of his game... The must-read thriller of 2012.
—— BellaPhantom leaves us reeling, with a storyline and ending that hurts us almost as much as it hurts the protagonists... The twists and turns show Nesbo at his complicated, yet utterly accessible best, and Hole at his undeniably brilliant but self-destructive worst.
—— The ListJo Nesbo is a master of his craft. His latest novel, Phantom, is world-class crime writing. Phantom is a crime novel that pleases on every level.
—— Dagbladet (Norway)Harry Hole is back only to find that the case he wants to investigate is already closed
—— ObserverJo Nesbo has done it again with Phantom, his seventh gripping novel featuring Inspector Harry Hole... Tense and compulsive Phantom will have you jumping out of your seat
—— Hannah Britt , Daily ExpressKing of Scandinavian crime... A writer at the top of his game
—— Deirdre O’Brien , Sunday MirrorRiveting reading from page one
—— My Weekly