The Rapture
On sale
1st April 2010
Price: £12.99
Isaac Taylor isn’t missing. According to government records, he never existed. PI Felix Strange isn’t convinced, not least because Isaac is an old army buddy. The man saved his life in Tehran, so the least Strange can do is dig up some leads. Strange soon discovers Isaac isn’t the only one missing. All over the country, young and old, men and women, the good and the trying-to-be, are disappearing – quite literally without a trace. If Strange doesn’t figure out what’s happening fast, someone close to him will fall into a patch of thin air.
A dark and compelling thriller, The Rapture is a brilliantly realised depiction of a society all too chillingly close to our own. The second in the Strange trilogy it pays homage to the genius of Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler and James Ellroy, while offering a wholly original take on the noir genre.
A dark and compelling thriller, The Rapture is a brilliantly realised depiction of a society all too chillingly close to our own. The second in the Strange trilogy it pays homage to the genius of Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler and James Ellroy, while offering a wholly original take on the noir genre.
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Reviews
'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 debut novel of considerable quality and great imagination'
'Political satires set in chilling dystopian futures don't usually call for sequels . . . Hall's pizzazz ensures you want to know if Felix makes it'
'An ingenious twist ... The first in a trilogy, Hall's novel combines pacy storytelling with a disturbing dystopian vision'
'This debut crime novel is best read under a sweltering sun . . . against a deftly drawn backdrop, it is ingenious and witty'
'An outstanding first novel by a new Canadian author we should hear more of'
'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 menacing portrait of an all too plausible future . . . a very readable, fast-paced thriller'
'To work, satire has to be subtle . . . Elliott Hall does this wonderfully'
'A sharp and original debut novel'
Praise for The First Stone:
'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'