Author:James Lasdun
Lawrence Miller, an English expatriate in New York, tells the story of what appears to be an elaborate conspiracy to frame him for a series of brutal killings. The intricate plot entangles Miller, a teacher of Gender Studies, in the lives of a womanising colleague under investigation for sexual harassment, a lonely attorney who has developed an inexplicable passion for Miller, and a shadowy Bulgarian who adapts Kafka for the stage, is prone to acts of explosive violence, and may or may not be sleeping under Miller's office desk.
As the novel spirals to its shocking conclusion, Lawrence Miller traverses, in terror, the streets of Manhattan, tracking the lines of human connection across the city and out to the decaying suburbs beyond, in wild pursuit of his persecutors.
Bristling with precise, poetic descriptions of scene and gesture
—— GuardianLasdun's prose is crisp, clear, meticulously calibrated. His attention to detail is immaculate... A novel which locks its readers inside it, keeping them trapped even after they have reached the end
—— The TimesThe Horned Man is a marvellous novel, both compellingly readable - I literally couldn't put it down - and deeply philosophical
—— John Burnside , ScotsmanA chilling tale of urban paranoia, poetically executed
—— Time OutGoddard's ability to pull the wool repeatedly over the reader's eyes remains dazzling
—— The Sunday TimesAn astonishing talent
—— JEFFERY DEAVERIntelligent and gripping
—— JAMES PATTERSONLiza Marklund is in a league of her own
—— HENNING MANKELLAn exceptionally well-crafted and suspenseful work
—— Daily Mirror