The First Stone
On sale
19th March 2020
Price: £9.99
Genre
***Perfect for fans of Black Mirror and The Handmaid’s Tale***
America has been redeemed.
Felix Strange, veteran of a disastrous war in the Middle East, has returned to his native New York, to find his home nation changed. With a Christian extremist administration in the White House, and the Crusade of Love preparing the Untied States for the Second Coming, a new America is about to be born.
When a high-ranking preacher is found dead, Strange is tasked with bringing his murderer to justice. But what begins as a routine investigation will soon reveal the terrifying ways in which America is lurching towards totalitarianism itself.
The First Stone is the first novel in Elliott Hall’s cult hit Strange Trilogy: the eerily prescient series which foresaw the advent of new puritanism, and the rise of the American right.
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Praise for The First Stone
‘The First Stone is a knockout . . . Strange’s sardonic wit makes him the perfect guide to his troublingly familiar landscape’ – Guardian
‘Ingenious and witty’ – Daily Telegraph
‘Outstanding‘ – Independent
‘Wonderful’ – The Times
‘An ingenious twist . . . Hall’s novel combines pacy storytelling with a disturbing dystopian vision’ – Mail on Sunday
America has been redeemed.
Felix Strange, veteran of a disastrous war in the Middle East, has returned to his native New York, to find his home nation changed. With a Christian extremist administration in the White House, and the Crusade of Love preparing the Untied States for the Second Coming, a new America is about to be born.
When a high-ranking preacher is found dead, Strange is tasked with bringing his murderer to justice. But what begins as a routine investigation will soon reveal the terrifying ways in which America is lurching towards totalitarianism itself.
The First Stone is the first novel in Elliott Hall’s cult hit Strange Trilogy: the eerily prescient series which foresaw the advent of new puritanism, and the rise of the American right.
************
Praise for The First Stone
‘The First Stone is a knockout . . . Strange’s sardonic wit makes him the perfect guide to his troublingly familiar landscape’ – Guardian
‘Ingenious and witty’ – Daily Telegraph
‘Outstanding‘ – Independent
‘Wonderful’ – The Times
‘An ingenious twist . . . Hall’s novel combines pacy storytelling with a disturbing dystopian vision’ – Mail on Sunday
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Reviews
'The First Stone is a knockout debut with the confidence to establish its world gradually ... Strange's sardonic wit makes him the perfect guide to his troublingly familiar landscape'
'This debut crime novel is best read under a sweltering sun . . . against a deftly drawn backdrop, it is ingenious and witty'
'In many ways the most intriguing of new John Murray crop ... Strange is a very sympathetic hero, who does what private eyes do best by stirring the hornets' nest (and these are some pretty whacky hornets) and a fabulous sense of pace is engendered from page one. This is a very impressive first thriller indeed. More are promised; or if they're not, should be'
'The prose style is smooth and entertaining ... Hall's world-building remains excellent throughout, creating a truly unsettling future America'
'A sharp and original debut novel'
'It's a really good, traditional private eye story in its own right, coupled with a subtle and believable picture of a fundamentalist state'
'A menacing portrait of an all too plausible future ... a very readable, fast-paced thriller'
'An outstanding first novel by a new Canadian author we should hear more of'
'A debut novel of considerable quality and great imagination'
'An ingenious twist ... The first in a trilogy, Hall's novel combines pacy storytelling with a disturbing dystopian vision'