Ex-journalist John Dyer (from The Dancer Upstairs and The Sandpit) must take on a dangerous political conspiracy to bring a killer to justice.
John Dyer is living a quiet life when he receives a call that changes everything: an old university friend, Lia, has been killed. Decades have passed since his last heartbreaking conversation with her, but Dyer finds himself driven to investigate.
What Dyer uncovers puts him in the path of a political conspiracy with one man at its heart. A man who forty years ago committed a crime witnessed by just four people. When another of the witnesses dies in suspicious circumstances, Dyer finds himself in danger of his life. To combat the forces arrayed against him, he needs incontrovertible proof – but will he find it in time?
As Dyer chases his leads from Tasmania to Argentina and finally to Michigan, where it all began, he unwittingly pits himself against an adversary more powerful than he could have imagined, in a race as heartstopping as tomorrow’s headlines.
“This master of the meaningful thriller has again astounded me by expanding his novel to a level of Homeric tale-telling reminiscent at the same time of the best of Graham Greene. If you want your thriller writer to be an accomplished novelist: Shakespeare’s your man. If you want your thriller writer to let things rip: Shakespeare’s your man. He is an encompassing talent.”
“Superbly written, with atmosphere, intelligence and tension, it reminds you of the best of Graham Greene. There can be no higher praise.”
“This is a terrific novel.”
“A tremendous, richly rewarding novel, written with great intelligence and narrative brio. Completely enthralling.”
“If you’re not averse to a slow-burn literary thriller, this globe-trotting saga is a first-rate example: nothing is stereotypical.”
“Frame 37 is the spellbinding story of a presidential candidate ruthlessly prepared to suppress truth.”
“Hugely evocative... compelling set pieces... an intelligent, suspenseful take on classic thriller tropes that is nonetheless rooted in the mess of the here and now... It is an intriguing blend that’s sure to see Dyer back for a third outing.”
“Frame 37 is Nicholas Shakespeare at his best. Much more than a thriller, it is a meditation on our post truth, post trust, post Trumpian world where spin and money and power can eradicate fact and erode democracy.”
“Frame 37 finds John Dyer coming into conflict with an old university classmate now running for high office. The title agreeably suggests dark tricks. Nicholas Shakespeare is a novelist who blends public and private lives persuasively in a way that is reminiscent of a master of this sort of novel, Graham Greene.”
“Frame 37 is many things. It’s a fast-paced political thriller, completely contemporary and very believable. It’s an addictive page-turner with a relatable protagonist in a race against time to evade a shadowy force of murderous intent. But it’s much more than that: it’s a beautifully-written novel about memory and youth, and loss of innocence. In that way it reminds the reader of The Secret History. It’s also a compelling narrative spanning several locations brilliantly rendered, including lesser-known spots such as Patagonia and Tasmania. This is a really thoughtful and compassionate book and one that comes highly recommended.”
“Frame 37 crackles with energy, elegance, and dismay. Stoking the perilous present with the lurid past, Nicholas Shakespeare’s political thriller races against time and wins.”
“Frame 37 is terrifyingly resonant at a time when allegations of high level corruption and sexual violence are shrugged off in Washington. With our hero in mounting danger, I was unable to put down this intelligently written thriller as I sped towards the denouement.”
“Rich in atmosphere and foreboding and menace; from Buenos Aires to Washington DC, a group of friends are being hunted down by the unburied past. A thriller with chilling contemporary resonance, exploring shifting identity and the darkness at the heart of power. Can the innocent out-run the shadow of history?”
