The Winker

Andrew Martin

'A highly enjoyable game of cat-and-mouse with perfect period texture and some nicely wry humour' The Guardian

'This playful caper is equally successful as a detailed culture-rich evocation of its period and an English reworking of Patricia Highsmith's Ripley' The Sunday Times

London 1976.

In Belgravia in the heat of summer Lee Jones a faded and embittered rock star is checking out a group of women through the heavy cigarette smoke in a crowded pub. He makes eye contact with one and winks. After allowing glances to linger for a while longer he finally moves towards her.

In that moment his programme of terror - years in the making - has begun.

Months later the first of the many chilling headlines to come appears: 'Police hunting winking killer.'

Meanwhile in France.

Charles Underhill a wealthy Englishman living in Paris has good reason to be interested in the activities of the so-called Winking Killer. With a past to hide and his future precarious Charles is determined to discover the Winker's identity.

In the overheating cities of London Oxford Paris and Nice a game of cat and mouse develops and catching someone's eye becomes increasingly perilous. But if no one dares look a killer can hide in plain sight . . .

From 'a master of historical crime fiction' (The Guardian) The Winker is a gripping thriller that won't let you look away.