Böcker av Joseph Hone

'Absolutely fascinating . . . A must-read for anyone enthralled by the value and integrity of books' Janice Hallett, author of The Alperton Angels'Hugely entertaining . . . a propulsive if unlikely thriller, whose plot hinges on typographical minutiae and sherry parties' LRBA true detective story from the age of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers: the literary crime that fooled the world - and the daring young booksellers who uncovered itLondon, 1932. Thomas James Wise is the toast of the literary establishment. A prominent collector and businessman, he is renowned on both sides of the Atlantic for unearthing the most stunning first editions and bringing them to market. Pompous and fearsome, with friends in high places, he is one of the most powerful men in the field of rare books.One night, two young booksellers - one a dishevelled former communist, the other a martini-swilling fan of detective stories - stumble upon a strange discrepancy. It will lead them to suspect Wise and his books are not all they seem. Inspired by the vogue for Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes, the pair harness the latest developments in forensic analysis to crack the case, but find its extent is greater than they ever could have imagined. By the time they are done, their investigation will have rocked the book world to its core.This is the true story of unlikely friends coming together to expose the literary crime of the century, and of a maverick bibliophile who forged not only books but an entire life, erasing his past along the way.'The perfect piece of armchair detection' Ruth Ware, author of The Woman in Cabin 10'Thrilling . . . reads like a detective story from the golden age' Roland Philipps, author of A Spy Named Orphan'A great story that is truly stranger than fiction' Martin Edwards, President of the Detection Club

London, 1932. Thomas James Wise is the toast of the literary establishment. A prominent collector and businessman, he is renowned on both sides of the Atlantic for unearthing the most stunning first editions and bringing them to market. Pompous and fearsome, with friends in high places, he is one of the most powerful men in the field of rare books.One night, two young booksellers - one a dishevelled former communist, the other a martini-swilling fan of detective stories - stumble upon a strange discrepancy. It will lead them to suspect Wise and his books are not all they seem. Inspired by the vogue for Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes, the pair harness the latest developments in forensic analysis to crack the case, but find its extent is greater than they ever could have imagined. By the time they are done, their investigation will have rocked the book world to its core.This is the true story of unlikely friends coming together to expose the literary crime of the century, and of a maverick bibliophile who forged not only books but an entire life, erasing his past along the way.

The printer was not the only villain, though, and Harley had to find the unknown writers who wished to bring the government down. Full of original research, The Paper Chase tears through the backstreets of London and its corridors of power as Edwards's allegiances waver and Harley's grasp on parliament threatens to slip.

The Flowers of the Forest (1980) was the second of Joseph Hone's quartet of 'Peter Marlow' spy novels, all now reissued as Faber Finds.It is an idyllic setting: the sunlit forest sweeping down to the valley, the heather loud with bees. But one hive stands dismantled and a man has vanished - Lindsay Phillips, section head in the Secret Service. Marlow thinks he has left the world of espionage behind, but unexpected pressures lead him to take up the search for Phillips - whereupon he is caught up in a web of violence and intrigue.'This is the best thriller I've found in years, perhaps the best I remember... The weaving of the story is so close, so tight, that no image, no hint is ever wasted.' Isabel Quigly, Financial Times'A pleasure to read.' Times Literary Supplement

The Valley of the Fox (1980) was the final entry in Joseph Hone's quartet of 'Peter Marlow' spy novels, all now reissued as Faber Finds.Marlow believes he is done with the insane world of espionage, having found a haven in the Cotswolds with his wife and step-daughter. Then gunfire shatters the night and he is forced to run for cover into the nearby woodland. Marlow finds himself in a landscape that has become suddenly, venomously hostile. And when sinister vengeance from Africa reaches deep into rural England, he must turn savage to rescue his terrified step-daughter and make good his escape. 'A beguiling yarn... that harks back to an older romantic tradition with Buchanesque notions of honour and decency.' Sunday Independent 'A carefully thought-out psychological novel . . . the writing is of such strength' Daily Telegraph

The Sixth Directorate (1975) was the second of Joseph Hone's quartet of 'Peter Marlow' spy novels, all now reissued as Faber Finds. In prison his name had been Marlow. When British Intelligence released him to impersonate a dangerous KGB agent, he became George Graham, a man with an incredible past and a highly questionable future. But even the British didn't know everything about Graham, as Marlow discovered. Then he came face-to-face with Graham's mistress and thought the game was up. But it was just beginning..."e;Intelligent, sharp and deviously plotted...Here is a new force in the field of spy stories"e;. (Daily Telegraph). "e;One of the best suspense novels of the last ten years. It has elegance, wit, sympathy, irony, surprise, action, a rueful love affair and a melancholy 'Decline of the West' mood"e;. (New York Times).

With The Private Sector (1971) Joseph Hone introduced readers to British intelligence officer Peter Marlow, who would be the protagonist of three further novels - all now reissued in Faber Finds. Cairo, May 1967: Marlow is sent from London to find his friend and fellow spy Henry Edwards, who has vanished. In the course of this fool's errand he also finds his former wife, Bridget, now deeply entangled with Edwards. Marlow moves easily between British and Egyptian intelligence branches, attaching allegiance to neither - until he becomes the unwitting victim of a failed plot to topple Nasser. "e;An absolutely terrific espionage novel"e;. (James Dickey). "e;A brilliant and calculated spy story...[Hone's] characters and the quality of the writing are so good that he has transcended the usual limitations of the genre"e;. (Times Literary Supplement).

Joseph Hone's The Paris Trap, first published in 1977, saw him step aside from his sequence of 'Peter Marlow' novels to offer a different kind of political thriller.Jim Hackett and Harry Tyson first met in Paris, in days of hope - Hackett a promising actor, Tyson a budding writer. Twenty years later, their dreams soured, they are reunited in Paris for a substantive project: Hackett, now a movie actor, has been cast in a major film derived from a spy novel authored by Tyson, who now works for British intelligence. But the plot of the film, concerning a Palestinian terrorist cell, is about to be overtaken in the dramatic stakes by real events.'A fine example of a vastly popular genre - the thinking man's thriller.' Irish Times'Through a distorting filter of betrayals, private and public, Joseph Hone conducts us to a final scene so dire that Hamlet by comparison leaves the stage tidy.' Guardian

'Joseph Hone went to Zaire for the BBC. His aim was a series of talks about crossing Africa from coast to coast, as Stanley had done. That intention began, and ended, in Kinshasha... Having fallen in love in boyhood with the idea of Africa, he had looked for 'great liberating spaces', and found himself in a city from which there was no escape without a private plane.' Guardian'For those who like to read, in comfort, about uncomfortable journeys, frightful hotels, dreadful meals, and broken-down capitals, I strongly recommend Children of the Country. The section on Kinshasha, in particular, is both alarming and hilarious.' Richard Cobb, Spectactor 'Books of the Year''A darkly coloured personal odyssey.... Hone hopes to achieve some kind of perspective on his unraveling marriage here in the landscape of his boyhood fantasies... His ability to articulate his own reactions to the landscape, combined with his precise notation of detail, lend his narrative freshness and vitality.' Michiko Kakutani, New York Times