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‘A highly enjoyable game of cat-and-mouse with perfect period texture and some nicely wry humour’ The Guardian
‘This playful caper is equally successful as a detailed, culture-rich evocation of its period and an English reworking of Patricia Highsmith’s Ripley’ The Sunday Times
London, 1976.
In Belgravia in the heat of summer, Lee Jones, a faded and embittered rock star, is checking out a group of women through the heavy cigarette smoke in a crowded pub. He makes eye contact with one, and winks. After allowing glances to linger for a while longer, he finally moves towards her.
In that moment, his programme of terror – years in the making – has begun.
Months later, the first of the many chilling headlines to come appears: ‘Police hunting winking killer.’
Meanwhile in France.
Charles Underhill, a wealthy Englishman living in Paris, has good reason to be interested in the activities of the so-called Winking Killer. With a past to hide and his future precarious, Charles is determined to discover the Winker’s identity.
In the overheating cities of London, Oxford, Paris and Nice, a game of cat and mouse develops, and catching someone’s eye becomes increasingly perilous. But if no one dares look, a killer can hide in plain sight . . .
From ‘a master of historical crime fiction’ (The Guardian), The Winker is a gripping thriller that won’t let you look away.
‘This playful caper is equally successful as a detailed, culture-rich evocation of its period and an English reworking of Patricia Highsmith’s Ripley’ The Sunday Times
London, 1976.
In Belgravia in the heat of summer, Lee Jones, a faded and embittered rock star, is checking out a group of women through the heavy cigarette smoke in a crowded pub. He makes eye contact with one, and winks. After allowing glances to linger for a while longer, he finally moves towards her.
In that moment, his programme of terror – years in the making – has begun.
Months later, the first of the many chilling headlines to come appears: ‘Police hunting winking killer.’
Meanwhile in France.
Charles Underhill, a wealthy Englishman living in Paris, has good reason to be interested in the activities of the so-called Winking Killer. With a past to hide and his future precarious, Charles is determined to discover the Winker’s identity.
In the overheating cities of London, Oxford, Paris and Nice, a game of cat and mouse develops, and catching someone’s eye becomes increasingly perilous. But if no one dares look, a killer can hide in plain sight . . .
From ‘a master of historical crime fiction’ (The Guardian), The Winker is a gripping thriller that won’t let you look away.
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Reviews
This playful caper is equally successful as a detailed, culture-rich evocation of its period and an English reworking of Patricia Highsmith's Ripley
The summer of 1976 proves fertile territory for creating an atmosphere of sweaty unease and misanthropic menace . . . Elements of classic noir abound, while the narcissistic characters and exotic locations recall The Talented Mr Ripley.
A deliriously dark entertainment . . . The seediness and shabby elegance of 1970s London is brilliantly rendered, the murders are genuinely upsetting, which is rarely the case in the genre, and there are a lot of very funny rock music jokes. Martin also writes uncannily well about songwriting and evokes Lee's artistry in vivid, persuasive detail . . . I didn't want it to end.
A highly enjoyable game of cat-and-mouse with perfect period texture and some nicely wry humour
A well-crafted tongue-in-cheek romp that captures beautifully the hedonistic 1970's