Next of Kin: A Novel [Paperback]

John Boyne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 3, 2009

The New York Times bestselling author of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
It is 1936, and London is abuzz with gossip about the affair between King Edward VIII and Mrs. Simpson. Owen Montignac, the handsome and charismatic scion of a wealthy family, is anxiously awaiting the reading of his late uncle’s will. He must pay £50,000 worth of gambling debts by Christmas or he’ll soon find himself six feet under. In his desperation, he discovers that the royal scandal could provide the means for profit . . . and for murder.

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.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“One of the most imaginative and adventurous of the young Irish novelists working today.” —Irish Independent

“[A] well-plotted thriller . . . fans of Jacqueline Winspear and David Roberts will be well rewarded.” —Publishers Weekly

“A narrative pace that never flags for an instant, a solid cast of characters, a vividly imagined re-creation of a particular historical moment . . . if thrillers are to work they must be thrilling. And this is where Boyne scores highest of all.” —The Irish Times

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; First Edition edition (February 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312539347
• ISBN-13: 978-0312539344
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,596,677 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

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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 (Calumet City, 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.