Next of Kin: A Novel

From the bestselling author of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and one of the most imaginative and adventurous of the young Irish novelists working today (Irish Independent) comes John Boynes Next of Kin. Boyne steps into the drawing rooms and private clubs of the prewar English aristocracy to offer an unobstructed view of a social elite driven by the conflicting desires to uphold tradition and to acquire vast wealth. . It is 1936 and London is abuzz with gossip about the affair between Edward VIII and Mrs. Simpson. But the king is not the only member of the aristocracy with a hard decision to make. Owen Montignac the handsome and charismatic scion of a wealthy family is anxiously awaiting the reading of his late uncles will for Owen has run up huge gambling debts and casino boss Nicholas Delfy has given him a choice: Find 50000 pounds by Christmas or find yourself six feet under. So when Owen discovers that he has been cut out of the will in favor of his cousin Stella he finds that even a royal crisis can provide the means for profit and for murder. . Next of Kin vividly captures the spirit of 1930s London revealing the secrets of the upperclass complete with gambling murder an art heist and a conspiracy to unseat the new king that could change the future of the country.