When John Glass's billionaire father-in-law hires him to write his biography, he feels he can't refuse. Then his research assistant on the book discovers some very sensitive information about John's in-laws, and is murdered before he can tell anyone what he knows. John is on his own to find out the young man's secret, before the murderer finds him.
Starred review from May 26, 2008
In this excellent novella from Edgar-finalist Banville (Christine Falls
), John Glass, an Irish-born journalist living in New York, reluctantly accepts an offer from his father-in-law, William “Big Bill” Mulholland, to write the older man's biography for $1 million. Big Bill, a former CIA agent turned communications tycoon, is the kind of man whose secrets are matters of national security. In preparation for the project, Glass contacts Dylan Riley, a shifty researcher Glass dubs the titular lemur. Riley tries to blackmail Glass, but ends up dead before Glass can find out what “the lemur” knows. Afraid that the secret might involve his ongoing affair with fellow Irish ex-pat Alison O'Keeffe, Glass starts digging into Big Bill's past. First serialized in the New York Times Magazine
, this crime novel showcases the author's trademark dry wit, tight plotting and appealing, flawed characters. Black is the pen name of Booker Prize–winner John Banville.
Starred review from July 28, 2008
Black (aka Irish novelist John Banville) offers this stunningly dark and mysterious tale in which journalist John Glass hires a man he deems the Lemur to research his father-in-law, of whom he is writing a biography. John Keating is simply marvelous here. His strong Irish accent does wonders when combined with Black's prose, creating a dark, brooding, and occasionally funny atmosphere that will surely draw listeners into the tale. As the Lemur, Keating reads with an American dialect that bears no hint of his heritage. As a result, the characters are, in their own way, unique and captivating—as is Keating's knack for storytelling and performance. A Picador paperback (Reviews, May 26).