Next of Kin: A Novel

John Boyne

Aug 2013 · Sold by Macmillan

About this ebook

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 Boyne's 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 uncle's will, for Owen has run up huge gambling debts and casino boss Nicholas Delfy has given him a choice: Find 50,000 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.

Ratings and reviews

I've only recently discovered John Boyne who has become a favorite author. And one of the things I like about reading his novels is how different each one is from all the others. This one reads like a skillfully constructed suspense novel, where the entire puzzle isn't clear until the very end of the book. It takes place in the late 1930s, during the reign of King Edward VIII, though the abdication crisis is really more of a backdrop to the family drama. At its heart, Boyne explores the ways in which family dysfunction can influence events across generations in surprising and unexpected ways. The nature of love and morality are also recurring themes. Although most of the action involves one generation, the beginnings of the story involve two previous generations of a British aristocratic family, the Montignacs, with extensive holdings and wealth. When Henry, the heir, falls for the wrong girl, Henry's father sets in motion events that will wind up impacting the children of both Henry and his younger brother, Peter. Their children (Andrew, Stella, and Owen) and the relationships they have with each other form the foundation of the novel, particularly between Stella and Owen. Also affected are others who come into their orbits. Stella has a fiancee. Owen takes on an employee, Gareth. And their childhood nanny Margaret remains a central part of their lives. Then, layer on top an accidental shooting, large gambling debts, shady political maneuverings, and a couple of sensational murder trials and you get the makings of this engrossing page-turner. You won't be able to put it down!

Subliem.

About the author

John Boyne is author of Crippen, The Thief of Time, and the New York Times and internationally bestselling The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Boyne won two Irish Book Awards for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, which was made into a Miramax feature film, and his novels have been translated into more than thirty languages. He lives with his partner in Dublin.