Gentlemen & Players: the first in a trilogy of gripping and twisted psychological thrillers from bestselling author Joanne Harris

Joanne Harris

Sep 2010 · Random House

About this ebook

Perfect for fans of Ann Cleeves, Susan Hill, Nicci French and Val McDermid, this is an astute and intelligent psychological thriller centring around obsession and rage from international multi-million copy seller Joanne Harris. Fast paced with unexpected twists and turns, it will get right under the skin...

'[A] gripping psychological thriller... Harris is one of our most accomplished novelists and Gentlemen & Players, with its pace, wit and acute observation, shows her at the top of her form' -- DAILY EXPRESS
'[A] delicious black comedy ... the plot is so cleverly constructed, the tension so unflagging, you'd think she'd been writing thrillers all her life' -- DAILY MAIL
'It kept me on the edge of my seat and I was thinking about it long after I turned the last page' -- ***** Reader review
'An intricate, engrossing novel' -- ***** Reader review
'Wonderfully, horribly plausible' -- ***** Reader review
'I read it in three days which is as close as I get to "couldn't put it down"' -- ***** Reader review
'Well written and enthralling' -- ***** Reader review
'A must read....' -- ***** Reader review
'Absolutely loved this book!' -- ***** Reader review

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At St Oswald's, a long-established boys' grammar school in the north of England, a new year has just begun. For the staff and boys of the school, a wind of unwelcome change is blowing. Suits, paperwork and Information Technology rule the world; and Roy Straitley, the eccentric veteran Latin master, is finally - reluctantly - contemplating retirement.

But beneath the little rivalries, petty disputes and everyday crises of the school, a darker undercurrent stirs.

And a bitter grudge, hidden and carefully nurtured for thirteen years, is about to erupt.

The trilogy continues with blueeyedboy and Different Class.

Ratings and reviews

Interesting read but I find it hard to believe that people can't work out the 'twist' in the plot from about half way through. The other, stranger, thing is the author's constant assertion throughout the novel that someone at age 64 is decrepit and 'close to death'! I wonder if Mrs Harris still feels the same now she is only 10 years off that age herself? Enjoyable book overall though.

First of JH's "murder mysteries" I've read. (Though not the first book connected with (our world!) "Malbry", or the first connected w St Oswald's (private) grammar school. That was Blue-eyed boy, a sophisticated mess!. :) ) This one is more straightforward: but not that interesting. There is a twist in the tale: a bit Ian Banks! Whether you enjoy this depends on whether you like the main character.I didn't.JH has in more recent times written a number of stories about unlikable (indeed despicable) protags.

I wasn't keen at first but became gripped. I couldn't lea 've it down and read until my eyes became blurred. This is a wonderful book full of twists and turns. The characters are so real with their fair share of faults and sensitivities. I actually became quite fond of them all......good and bad.

About the author

Joanne Harris ’s Whitbread-shortlisted Chocolat was made into an Oscar-nominated film starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp. She is the author of many other bestselling novels, including Lollipop Shoes and Peaches for Monsieur le Curé, both also featuring Vianne Rocher, as is her new novel The Strawberry Thief. She has also written acclaimed novels in such diverse genres as fantasy based on Norse myth (Runemarks, Runelight, The Gospel of Loki), and the Malbry cycle of dark psychological thrillers (Gentlemen & Players, Blueeyedboy, and Different Class). Born in Barnsley, of an English father and a French mother, she spent fifteen years as a teacher before (somewhat reluctantly) becoming a full-time writer. In 2013, she was awarded an MBE. She lives in Yorkshire, plays bass and flute in a band first formed when she was sixteen, and works in a shed in her garden.