Red Bride [Hardcover]

Christopher Fowler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1993

Soon after his whirlwind romance with and engagement to Ixora, the beautiful woman he met on the set, theatrical and film publicist John Chapel begins to notice a darker side to his bride-to-be.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Set in contemporary London, this lackluster horror/suspense novel by the author of Bureau of Souls demonstrates that the right parts don't always form a satisfactory whole. John Chapel quits a boring corporate job to try his hand at public relations, but remains the quintessential family man--until he meets the beautiful Ixora De Corizo, a model and actress who becomes his first and only client, then expertly seduces him. Strange men warn John away from Ixora, only to turn up as victims in a bizarre and gruesome series of slayings; nevertheless, he divorces his wife to marry this woman with a mysterious past. The fragmented narrative never successfully meshes the sordid domestic drama of John and Ixora's life together with the horror of the ongoing murders. Fowler's decision to describe the killings without revealing the perpetrator's identity is meant to heighten the suspense, but it only detracts from Ixora's menace. To make matters worse, John is a wishy-washy, unsympathetic protagonist; apparently unmoved by the violent slayings taking place around them, he doubts his new wife's integrity and entertains notions of returning to suburbia. As character after character meets a savage, senseless demise, the lovers plod along toward a less than shocking climax. Though Fowler's descriptive powers are considerable, they mainly disguise the hollowness of this effort.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

John Chapel is a London insurance agent who quits his job and goes to work for a public relations firm. His first client is Ixora de Corizo, a beautiful model of mysterious background who is acting in her first film. Chapel falls in love, abandons his family, moves into the crumbling de Corizo mansion with Ixora, and finally marries her. Chapel's descent into this romantic maelstrom is paralleled by the occurrence of seven vicious murders that lead the police closer to Ixora. Fowler's fifth novel (following Rune , LJ 1/91) is a rare treat--one of those unbelievable narratives that in the hands of a lesser writer would seem excessive, if not ridiculous. Fowler manages to pull it off with good writing and swift plotting. Recommended wherever juicy crime fiction is enjoyed.
- A.J. Wright, Univ. of Alabama, Birmingham
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Roc Hardcover (January 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451452135
• ISBN-13: 978-0451452139
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,454,324 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Christopher Fowler was born in Greenwich, London. He is the multi award-winning author of thirty novels and ten short story collections, and the author of the Bryant & May mystery novels. His first bestseller was 'Roofworld'. Subsequent novels include 'Spanky', 'Disturbia', 'Psychoville' and 'Calabash'. His books have been optioned by Guillermo Del Toro ('Spanky') and Jude Law ('Psychoville'). He co-founded Creative Partnership, a company that changed the face of film marketing, and spent many years working in film. His memoir of growing up without books, entitled 'Paperboy', was highly acclaimed.

He has written comedy and drama for BBC radio, including Radio One's first broadcast drama in 2005. He writes for the FT and the Independent on Sunday, Black Static magazine and many others. His graphic novel for DC Comics was the critically acclaimed 'Menz Insana'. His short story 'The Master Builder' became a feature film entitled 'Through The Eyes Of A Killer', starring Tippi Hedren and Marg Helgenberger. In the past year he has been nominated for 8 national book awards. He is the winner of the Edge Hill prize 2008 for 'Old Devil Moon', and the Last Laugh prize 2009 for 'The Victoria Vanishes'.

Christopher has achieved several pathetic schoolboy fantasies, releasing a terrible Christmas pop single, becoming a male model, writing a stage show, posing as the villain in a Batman graphic novel, running a night club, appearing in the Pan Books of Horror, and standing in for James Bond.

His short stories have appeared in Best British Mysteries, The Time Out Book Of London Short Stories, Dark Terrors, London Noir, Inferno, Neon Lit, Cinema Macabre, the Mammoth Book of Horror and many others. After living in the USA and France he is now married and lives in King's Cross, London.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars not his best but worth a read, February 2, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (london) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Red Bride (Paperback)

if you want to read his best work then get phycoville. this book is a wonderful account of life in the suburbs. it shows how petty differences and social standing can influence your existance. the first part of this book no doubt goes on day to day in suburban life. the second chapter will have some relevance to things you would privately like to do to your neighbour!

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars [e-mail], April 25, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Red Bride (Hardcover)

I may not review this book as the best but Christopher Fowler has got better and better. Spanky was brilliant...Phsycoville was excellent and no doubt Disturbia will be even better. An author (who along with Scott Smiths - A Simple Plan) got me reading again. Thanks. Nige