Author:Paul Southern
C was for cars which he'd nicked and crashed, R was for robbery, armed and fast, A was for arson, fire and theft, Z was for the cuts his switchblade left, E was for drugs, the Whizz and Horse, which just left murder, the hardest, of course. She was found on the tracks: burned up, tongue cut out, a finger removed. Who was she? 24 hours earlier Shazia Ahmed was leaving Manchester, but a chance meeting and a phone call and she finds herself in the underworld where life is cheap and usually very short. Jamie Farrell already knows this truth: that the drugs and crime will tip over into murder. His father's in Strangeways and he'll be joining him. But he can't give up the deadly game that is The Craze. Dru Round thought his big day had come: no more cheap drag acts and furtive sex in the backs of cars. A new dawn of TV fame beckoned. But he just needed that extra score to make things work for him-Three lives - one crime - the Craze.
It's scary, racy and gripping and tackles really important subjects
—— Jenni Murray, Radio 4: Woman's HourI read The Craze at a single sitting: fabulous piece of work. The racial overlaps are exactly right and there isn't a single character I didn't believe. The Craze culture feels likewise totally authentic.
—— Graham HurleyOutstanding. Heartening as well as richly entertaining. A stunningly good read
—— IndependentSuperbly realised. A funny as well as a sad book. Brilliant
—— GuardianA remarkable book. An impressive achievement and a rewarding read
—— Time OutA magical book. It's one of those books that makes you feel as though you have been on an emotional rollercoaster.
—— Carrie Grant, Sunday ExpressBrilliantly empathetic. Believe the hype: a brilliant, heart-warming book
—— ScotsmanIn telling a painful story in the voice of a 15-year-old boy with Asperger's, Haddon broadens ordinary minds and helps to understand how they work, too.
—— Daily TelegraphMark Haddon's portrayal of an emotionally dissociated mind is a superb achievement. He is a wise and bleakly funny writer with rare gifts of empathy
—— Ian McEwanI have never read anything quite like Mark Haddon's funny and agonizingly honest book, or encountered a narrator more vivid and memorable. I advise you to buy two copies; you won't want to lend yours out
—— Arthur Golden, author of 'Memoirs of a Geisha'Original, moving and entertaining for adults as well as for older children
—— Julia Donaldson , Daily ExpressA deservedly acclaimed read.
—— Time Out London