Larkin is a drunk, an epileptic, a drifter. And yet, as he slithers along the underbelly of Brooklyn and lower Manhattan, Larkin has an almost messianic mission, which may well bring the towers of the city crashing down. His motive? In these times, does he really need one?'When it comes to imaginative nastiness, the precociously talented Mr Bell (he's 28) could teach Martin Amis, Ian McEwan and lain Banks a thing or two. But his darkly- brilliant narrative, sidling through the mean streets, empty days, spare-time jobs and demon-worshipping sadism of present-day New York, has a sardonic edge that's all his own. Dreamy, poetic and ruthlessly realistic in delineating the process of brutalisation, the book can also be read as a pacy thriller. It's the best American novel I've come across since Machine Dreams' London StandardFront cover illustration by Barbara Lofthouse Larkin is a drunk, an epileptic, a drifter. And yet, as he slithers along the underbelly of Brooklyn and lower Manhattan, Larkin has an almost messianic mission, which may well bring the towers of the city crashing down. His motive? In these times, does he really need one?'When it comes to imaginative nastiness, the precociously talented Mr Bell (he's 28) could teach Martin Amis, Ian McEwan and lain Banks a thing or two. But his darkly- brilliant narrative, sidling through the mean streets, empty days, spare-time jobs and demon-worshipping sadism of present-day New York, has a sardonic edge that's all his own. Dreamy, poetic and ruthlessly realistic in delineating the process of brutalisation, the book can also be read as a pacy thriller. It's the best American novel I've come across since Machine Dreams' London StandardFront cover illustration by Barbara Lofthouse

Waiting for the End of the World

Literature & Fiction

Madison Smartt Bell

British & Irish

ABACUS +

Madison Smartt Bell is one of the most versatile and gifted authors of his generation, a literary stylist with few peers. Doctor Sleep, one of his best novels, is a taut and satisfying psychological thriller planned to be released as a major motion picture under the title Hypnotic. Adrian Strother is a hypnotherapist who, paradoxically, can't get to sleep. He plies his trade in a depressed section of London, doing the occasional job for Scotland Yard, which brings him into contact with an unsavory drug trafficker. As little girls become the target of a serial killer, Adrian treads the line between tortured wakefulness and surreal sleep, and the gifts of his insomnia are called upon to unlock the secrets of a man who believes he has discovered the key to immortality. Part spiritual pilgrimage, part thriller, Doctor Sleep is witty, menacing, and deeply satisfying, a bravura performance by one of today's finest writers.

The complete food handbook (A Black cat book ; B-412)

Grove Press; [Distributed by Random House

A collection of short stories, including "Mr Potatohead in Love", which focuses on the drop-outs of society, and "Holding Together", which is told through the voice of a Chinese mouse. Other work by the author includes "Dr Sleep".

Barking Man and Other Stories Brit Edition

Short Stories & Anthologies

Bloomsbury Books

In this story of romantic duplicity, drug deals, and double crosses, Tracy discovers that the film editing job in Rome offered to him by an old friend is not at all what it seems. Reprint.

Straight Cut

United States

Hard Case Crime

DEATH FOLLOWED HIM ACROSS THE OCEAN A freelance film editor, Tracy Bateman goes where the work is. So when his old partner calls with an assignment, Tracy finds himself on a plane to Rome. But there are surprises waiting for him—deadly surprises that will lead him on a desperate chase across Europe, into the hands of a pair of brutal drug smugglers, and back to New York City, where the greatest betrayal of all awaits…

Straight Cut (Hard Case Crime)

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Mystery

The Witch of Matongé by Madison Smartt Bell, Concord Free Press, 2022, 258 pages. ISBN 978-0-9835851-8-3 The first thing that will strike you about Madison Smartt Bell’s new novel, The Witch of Matongé, is the beautiful language. This is not a typical narrative. It is startling, and the depth of what is described is thrilling. In the beginning, the viewpoint appears to be omniscient. However, the witch of the novel’s title is actually narrating and her unique manner of speaking is exquisite. She uses a bowl of water to understand what is happening in order to tell the story. And what a tale! The action is as vividly described as the characters and the reader is compelled to turn page after page: Of many threads, which one to follow? They move in the beaks of bright-colored birds, darting to lace the patterns of tapestry, warp and woof, compounding an image that as yet does not come clear. In the old times there were birds who wove extraordinary fabrics, or so the old ones say – robes of emperors and courtesans – and in the cloth the figures moved and acted out their stories.

The Witch of Matonge

Concord Free Press

The definitive collection of nonfiction--from war reporting to literary criticism to the sharpest political writing--from the "legend of American letters" (Vanity Fair) Robert Stone was a singular American writer, a visionary whose award-winning novels--including Dog Soldiers, Outerbridge Reach, and Damascus Gate--earned him comparisons to literary lions ranging from Samuel Beckett to Ernest Hemingway to Graham Greene. Stone had&nbsp;an almost prophetic grasp of the spirit of his age, which he captured with crystalline clarity in each of his novels. Of course, he was also a sharp and brilliant observer of American life, and his&nbsp;nonfiction writing is&nbsp;revelatory.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;The Eye You See With--the first and only collection of Robert Stone's nonfiction--was carefully selected by award-winning novelist and&nbsp;Stone biographer Madison Smartt Bell. Divided into three sections, the collection includes the best of Stone's war reporting, his writing on social change, and his reflections on the art of fiction. This is an extraordinary volume that offers up&nbsp;a clear-eyed look at the 20th century and secures Robert Stone's&nbsp;place as one of the most original figures in all of American letters.&nbsp;

The Eye You See With: Selected Nonfiction

History

Robert Stone

Americas

HarperCollins and Blackstone Publishing

Devil's Dream (Unabridged Audio CDs)

RECORDED BOOKS^

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Books by Madison Smartt Bell