Synopses & Reviews
An Edgar(R) Award Nominee for Best Novel Jesse Kellermanthe international bestselling author of The Executor and The Geniusbrings his prodigious talent to bear on a topic he knows well in this hilarious and surprising spin on the modern blockbuster thriller novel. Missing for months after a tragic boating accident, William de Vallée, the superstar thriller writer, is pronounced dead. His oldest friend, Arthur Pfefferkorn, receives the news with an unsettling mix of grief and envy. A middle-aged college professor with long-dead literary aspirations, Pfefferkorn cant help but feel outshone by his friends successespecially since he married the woman Pfefferkorn loved. But now Bill is gone, and Pfefferkorn is there to comfort Carlotta in her time of grief. Reconnecting with de Vallées widow makes more than one of his dreams come true . . . until it plunges him into a shadowy world of intrigue and double crosses, where no one can be trustedand nothing can be taken seriously.
Review
“Seldom, if ever, have the cloak-and-dagger folk—of any stripe, ours or theirs—appeared so omniscient, so omnipotent and so perfectly awful as they do in Kellerman’s mordantly funny latest… Another brilliant performance. Kellerman has fun here, and so will his readers.”
—Kirkus (starred)
“Kellerman ruminates on the practice of writing, the experience of sudden literary success, the nature of friendship, and the contrasts between the lives of writers and spies. Potboiler is very funny – and insightful.”—Booklist
“Kellerman balances the line between thrills and satire in this unique reading experience filled with mysteries, conspiracies, double crosses and shadowy villains….Fun in completely unexpected ways. Only a great writer like Kellerman could make it work at all well.”—Romantic Times
“This satire heavy novel works well… There are truly funny observations about publishing, what merits good writing, and the excesses of the thriller genre.”—Library Journal
"A tough, funny satire of the titled genre… Kellerman wants to have fun with thrillers… creating a niche for himself by focusing on characters who are never as smart as they think they are…. a frequently hilarious Moebius strip of a novel."—Palm Beach Post
Review
andldquo;Kellerman ruminates on the practice of writing, the experience of sudden literary success, the nature of friendship, and the contrasts between the lives of writers and spies. Potboiler is very funny andndash; and insightful.andrdquo; andmdash;
Booklist andldquo;Kellerman balances the line between thrills and satire in this unique reading experience filled with mysteries, conspiracies, double crosses and shadowy villainsandhellip;.Fun in completely unexpected ways. Only a great writer like Kellerman could make it work at all well.andrdquo; andmdash;Romantic Times
andldquo;This satire heavy novel works wellandhellip; There are truly funny observations about publishing, what merits good writing, and the excesses of the thriller genre.andrdquo; andmdash;Library Journal
Review
andldquo;Seldom, if ever, have the cloak-and-dagger folkandmdash;of any stripe, ours or theirsandmdash;appeared so omniscient, so omnipotent and so perfectly awful as they do in Kellermanandrsquo;s mordantly funny latestandhellip; Another brilliant performance. Kellerman has fun here, and so will his readers.andrdquo; andnbsp;
andnbsp; andnbsp; andnbsp; andnbsp; andmdash;Kirkus (starred)
andldquo;Kellerman ruminates on the practice of writing, the experience of sudden literary success, the nature of friendship, and the contrasts between the lives of writers and spies. Potboiler is very funny andndash; and insightful.andrdquo; andmdash;Booklist
andldquo;Kellerman balances the line between thrills and satire in this unique reading experience filled with mysteries, conspiracies, double crosses and shadowy villainsandhellip;.Fun in completely unexpected ways. Only a great writer like Kellerman could make it work at all well.andrdquo; andmdash;Romantic Times
andldquo;This satire heavy novel works wellandhellip; There are truly funny observations about publishing, what merits good writing, and the excesses of the thriller genre.andrdquo; andmdash;Library Journal
andquot;A tough, funny satire of the titled genreandhellip; Kellerman wants to have fun with thrillersandhellip; creating a niche for himself by focusing on characters who are never as smart as they think they areandhellip;. a frequently hilarious Moebius strip of a novel.andquot;andmdash;Palm Beach Post
Review
“Very funny—and insightful.”—
Booklist“Truly funny observations about publishing, what merits good writing, and the excesses of the thriller genre.”—
Library JournalSynopsis
Arthur Pfefferkorn is a has-been, or perhaps a never-was: a middle-aged college professor with long-dead literary aspirations. When his oldest friend, bestselling thriller writer William de Vallèe, is lost at sea, Pfefferkorn is torn between envy and grief, for de Vallèe not only outshone Pfefferkorn professionally, but married the woman Pfefferkorn loved.
Pfefferkorn’s decision to reconnect with de Vallèe’s widow sets in motion a surreal chain of events, plunging him into a shadowy realm of double crosses and intrigue, a world where no one can be trusted--and nothing can be taken seriously.
About the Author
Jesse Kellerman is a recent graduate of Harvard and an MFA from Brandeis. His award-winning plays have been producted throughout the United States and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He received the 2003 Princess Grace Award, given to America's most promising young playwright, and has been a fellow at New Dramatists.