A new thriller from the Booker Prize-winning and Edgar-nominated author of Christine Falls and The Silver Swan.

John Glass's life in New York should be plenty comfortable. He's given up his career as a journalist to write an authorized biography of his father-in-law, communications magnate and former CIA agent Big Bill Mulholland. He works in a big office in Mulholland Tower, rent-free, and goes home (most nights) to his wealthy and well-preserved wife, Wild Bill's daughter. He misses his old life sometimes, but all in all things have turned out well.

But when his shifty young researcher — a man he calls "The Lemur" — turns up some unflattering information about the family, Glass's whole easy existence is threatened. Then the young man is murdered, and it's up to Glass to find out what The Lemur knew, and who killed him, before any secrets come out — and before any other bodies appear.

Shifting from 1950s Dublin to contemporary New York, the masterful crime writer Benjamin Black returns in this standalone thriller — a story of family secrets so deep, and so dangerous, that anyone might kill to keep them hidden.

"In this excellent novella from Edgar-finalist Banville (Christine Falls), John Glass, an Irish-born journalist living in New York, reluctantly accepts an offer from his father-in-law, William 'Big Bill' Mulholland, to write the older man's biography for $1 million. Big Bill, a former CIA agent turned communications tycoon, is the kind of man whose secrets are matters of national security. In preparation for the project, Glass contacts Dylan Riley, a shifty researcher Glass dubs the titular lemur. Riley tries to blackmail Glass, but ends up dead before Glass can find out what 'the lemur' knows. Afraid that the secret might involve his ongoing affair with fellow Irish ex-pat Alison O'Keeffe, Glass starts digging into Big Bill's past. First serialized in the New York Times Magazine, this crime novel showcases the author's trademark dry wit, tight plotting and appealing, flawed characters. Black is the pen name of Booker Prize — winner John Banville. (July)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"Black's mordant wit and profound world-weariness make for a classy, character-driven mystery." Booklist

"If the book's big secret doesn't quite live up to its press notices, Black's prose is so mesmerizing — crisp, precise, alive with telling details — that you'll enjoy every step in the trail that leads there." Kirkus Reviews

"Glass is an unsympathetic character, and the plot lacks a twist or two to make it truly surprising. Still, it's an entertaining two hours." Library Journal

An Irish journalist in New York finds himself in the center of a murder case that may lead back to his billionaire father-in-law, in the first stand-alone thriller from the Booker Prize-wining author of The Sea and Christine Falls.

Benjamin Black is the pen name of John Banville, who was born in Wexford, Ireland, in 1945. His novels have won numerous awards, most recently the Man Booker Prize in 2005 for The Sea. Under the name Benjamin Black he is also the author of Christine Falls and The Silver Swan. He lives in Dublin.