Description

From the writer whose novels inspired the BBC’s Dublin Murders TV series…

‘One of the most compulsive psychological mysteries since Donna Tartt’s The Secret History’ THE TIMES

‘An engrossing, unpredictable, beautifully written mystery’ SOPHIE HANNAH

‘Dark and twisty’ SUNDAY TIMES

‘Mesmerising’ GILLIAN FLYNN

‘I’m a big fan of Tana French’ IAN RANKIN
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WHAT DO WE HIDE INSIDE OURSELVES?

One night changes everything for Toby. He’s always led a charmed life – until a brutal attack leaves him damaged and traumatised, unsure even of the person he used to be. He seeks refuge at his family’s ancestral home, the Ivy House, filled with memories of wild-strawberry summers and teenage parties with his cousins.

But not long after Toby’s arrival, a discovery is made: a skull, tucked neatly inside the old wych elm in the garden.

As detectives begin to close in, Toby is forced to examine everything he thought he knew about his family, his past, and himself.

A spellbinding book from a novelist who takes crime writing and turns it inside out, The Wych Elm asks what we become, and what we’re capable of, if we no longer know who we are.
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‘This book confirms Tana French as [crime fiction’s] biggest contemporary star’ Guardian

‘Lyrical, suspenseful, unpredictable’ Harlan Coben

‘French offers a masterclass in unreliability’ Sunday Times

‘Terrific – terrifying, amazing, and the prose is incandescent’ Stephen King

‘Another one of her rich psychological thrillers that will work its way under your skin’ Lucy Mangan, Stylist

‘To say Tana French is one of the great thriller writers is really too limiting. Rather she’s simply this: a truly great writer’ Gillian Flynn

‘This mystery about family, memory and the cracks in both will haunt you for a long, long time’ Erin Kelly

‘The Wych Elm should cement French’s place in the first rank of great literary novelists ‘Observer

Publisher Review

A beautifully written, highly intelligent meditation on family relationships, the human mind, social politics and much more, often leavened with good jokes * Sunday Express * Tana French's best and most intricately nuanced novel yet. . . Get ready for the whiplash brought on by its final twists and turns * New York Times * A hugely satisfying door-stopper of a novel, full of ambiguity, nuance and building menace. To read French is to experience that sense of utter disorientation that comes from the ground shifting constantly beneath your feet. Totally absorbing -- Tammy Cohen Tana French is one of those rare writers whose publication date you put in your diary. Her effortless verve, insight and black wit still glimmer from every page. -- Kate Riordan, author of 'The Girl in the Photograph' A spectacularly talented writer -- Louise O'Neill, author of 'Asking for It' French is a poet of mood and a master builder of plots -- Maureen Corrigan * The Washington Post * Another one of her rich psychological thrillers that will work its way under your skin -- Lucy Mangan * Stylist * Tana French's writing is lyrical but sharp, her eye for detail exquisite, her storytelling skills incredible - I need to read her backlist right away! -- Sara Manning * Red Magazine * A darkly addictive story of family secrets -- Best Books of 2019 * i paper * A brilliant examination of male privilege and family secrets -- What to Look Forward to in the World of Books 2019 * Guardian * Inspires cultic devotion in readers...most crime fiction is diverting; French's is consuming * The New Yorker * Her best book. Really, it is not a crime novel: as ever, Tana's scope is so much broader than that. It's a book about identity, childhood, luck and family...I absolutely loved it. -- Gillian McAllister French offers a masterclass in unreliability . . . dissolving the boundaries between genre and literary fiction * Sunday Times * Gripping and suspenseful, with more twists than a rollercoaster, The Wych Elm is a magnificent novel -- John Boyne Her storytelling skills are incredible -- Sarra Manning * Red * The Wych Elm should cement French's place in the first rank of great literary novelists * Observer * One of the most compulsive psychological mysteries since Donna Tartt's The Secret History...impossible to put down * The Times * The finest crime writer around right now * Mail on Sunday * A masterpiece -- John Boyne Terrific - terrifying, amazing, and the prose is incandescent -- Stephen King My favourite novel of last year -- Sophie Hannah Lyrical, suspenseful, unpredictable The Wych Elm is her best novel yet -- Erin Kelly A truly great writer -- Gillian Flynn