‘They’ve found a new girl for the second floor.’

Larry Mann, lonely in his rooms on the top floor of a North London House, is delighted when Amanda, a young student, moves in below. Anxious to make her feel at home, he brings her presents, prepares meals for her, makes himself indispensable, to the point that there is nothing about Amanda that he does not know.

But Amanda is not always as grateful as she should be, and Larry frets about the visits of Francis, who only has to turn up to make Amanda forget that Larry even exists. It is a situation that no man could ever put up with, let alone Larry who knows exactly what he is owed…

Larry tells his own tale in a voice that is as eerie as it is unforgettable, building to a climax that is both dreadful and unexpected.

 

‘This is a remarkable first novel with qualities seldom found today: a strong story, characters that are alive from the first page, and brilliant authorial control over the narrative.’- Ruth Rendell

‘A very powerful study of an obsession… this is a remarkable first novel.’ – Penelope Fitzgerald

‘The escalating atmosphere of menace is brilliantly sustained… As near perfect as a psychological thriller can get.’ – The Daily Mail

‘Graham Greene would have admired this book.’ – Jane Gardam, Spectator Books of the year

Currently available as an e book here