Next of Kin: A Novel [Hardcover]

John Boyne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 19, 2008

John Boyne has been heralded as “one of the most imaginative and adventurous of the young Irish novelists working today” by the Irish Independent. He achieved bestseller status and won numerous awards worldwide for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.  Now in Next of Kin, he steps into the drawing rooms and private clubs of the prewar English aristocracy to offer an unobstructed view of a social elite driven by the conflicting desires to uphold tradition and to acquire vast wealth.

It is 1936, and London is abuzz with gossip about the affair between Edward VIII and Mrs. Simpson. But the king is not the only member of the aristocracy with a hard decision to make. Owen Montignac, the handsome and charismatic scion of a wealthy family, is anxiously awaiting the reading of his late uncle’s will, for Owen has run up huge gambling debts and casino boss Nicholas Delfy has given him a choice: Find 50,000 pounds by Christmas or find yourself six feet under. So when Owen discovers that he has been cut out of the will in favor of his cousin Stella, he finds that even a royal crisis can provide the means for profit, and for murder.

Next of Kin vividly captures the spirit of 1930s London, revealing the secrets of the upperclass, complete with gambling, murder, an art heist, and a conspiracy to unseat the new king that could change the future of the country.

 

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Set in 1936, this well-plotted thriller from Irish author Boyne (Crippen) links the fates of two flawed young Englishmen with that of their king—who's soon to give up the throne for love—in a cat's cradle of theft, blackmail and murder. Hedonistic Gareth Bentley stubbornly refuses to pursue a respectable career, to his lawyer father's dismay, while the embittered Owen Montignac, who's been cut out of his late uncle's will, must come up with £50,000 by year's end to pay off a gambling debt—or pay the consequences. When Gareth winds up framed for murder, Gareth's parents, the book's most sympathetic characters, wrestle with their consciences, fearful that the other may learn just how far he or she would compromise his or her principles to save their son. The occasional anachronism jars (plastic chairs in a prison visitors area), but fans of JacquelineWinspear and David Roberts will be well rewarded. (Feb.)
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Review

 

Praise for Thief of Time

 

“The Thief of Time is a learned and at times provocative read.”

---America magazine

 

“This lively historical saga . . . is undyingly recommended.”

---Booklist

 

“Boyne is creative and entertaining, particularly as he develops his characters.”

---Library Journal

 

 

Praise for Crippen

 

“Boyne’s fictionalization of the gruesome scandal combines the best of true crime and old-fashioned mysteries in an addictive tale.” 

---People magazine

 

“Grimly fascinating . . . a dark comedy that is supremely readable, always suspenseful, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny.”

---The Washington Post

 

“Boyne is to be commended for his ability to alternate between Wodehousian humor and Edwardian noir.” 

---Publishers Weekly (starred review)

 

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; First Edition edition (February 19, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312357974
• ISBN-13: 978-0312357979
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,697,174 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Boyne was born in Ireland in 1971 and is the author of seven novels for adults and two for children. The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas won two Irish Book Awards, was shortlisted for the British Book Award, reached no.1 on the New York Times Bestseller List and was made into an award-winning Miramax feature film. His novels are published in over 40 languages. He lives in Dublin.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Compelling Mystery, April 5, 2008

By 

John T. Farrell (Brooklyn, New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Next of Kin: A Novel (Hardcover)

John Boyne's "Next of Kin" is a unique form of mystery - neither a whodunit nor a how-did-he-do-it, but a will-he-get-away-with-it. And Boyne is just the writer to carry off such an imaginative approach. He has a good sense of place and a well-crafted style and is able to sustain an intricate and labyrinthine plot. Despite its slow start, my only complaint, I highly recommend "Next of Kin."

Part of the appeal of the book is the setting. Boyne recreates an aristocratic England of the mid-1930s of country estates, London townhouses, private clubs, and luxurious gambling dens. The people found in these venues are surrounded by impending change, although they steadfastly plod along as if nothing at all is different. Yet, Hitler is rising in Europe, and at home London is abuzz with rumors of the king's affair with an American divorcee. Society itself is permeated with ruthless people who are looking for opportunities to seize wealth and power, while the unwary refuse to admit anything is different. Into this seething cauldron come two young men: Owen Montignac is a disinherited amoral aristocrat who would do anything to pay his monumental gambling debts, and Gareth Bentley, a hapless man-about-town who would do anything to avoid work.

The two form a partnership that eventually involves an art theft, a murder (with two more to be revealed), a conspiracy to force the king to abdicate, and a sensational trial with a framed defendant. With the exception of the murder victim and Gareth's parents - especially his mother, a vapid society lady who transforms herself into a formidable lioness at the end - the characters in this book range from mildly unpleasant to truly repellent. It is to Boyne's credit that he makes them so fascinating and this novel so compelling.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thrilling!!, November 8, 2009

By 

Omega Man (West Hollywood, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Next of Kin: A Novel (Paperback)

Absolutely absorbing and thrilling. Full of rich details and fascinating characters. A well-crafted murder mystery. And in the end, a book you'll never be able to put down.

5.0 out of 5 stars So well plotted its flaws don't bring it down, August 18, 2009

By 

Janet Swanborn "virtualcleo" (Homewood, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Next of Kin: A Novel (Paperback)

The book is filled with anachronisms ("media", "drama queen") and dangling phrases. There are even Americanisms, and a misunderstanding of How Things Were that I thought was peculiar to us Americans. Boyne allows a climactic courtroom scene with a mine of dramatic potential to fall flat for lack of emphasis in the right places. Yet I still have to give it five stars for the great plotting and the subtle parallels between the characters. There is even a "character" who never makes an appearance and whose destiny we can only speculate about. That's cool. It's like life...you never know who is going to come along and skew your plans...most novels wrap everything up neatly. This one is neat in the very ambiguity of its ending. Some readers may think this ambiguity is carelessness on the author's part, but it's not; it was foreshadowed. I must search out Boyne's other books.