The Sixth Lamentation

Author(s): William Brodrick

Crime

What should you do if the world has turned against you?

When Father Anselm is asked this question by an old man at Larkwood Priory, his response, to claim sanctuary, is to have greater resonance than he could ever have imagined.
For that evening the old man returns, demanding the protection of the church. His name is Eduard Schwermann and he is wanted by the police as a suspected war criminal. With her life running out, Agnes Aubret feels it is time to unburden to her granddaughter Lucy the secrets she has been carrying for so long.
Fifty years earlier, Agnes had been living in Occupied Paris, a member of a small group risking their lives to smuggle Jewish children to safety - until they were exposed by a young SS Officer: Eduard Schwermann.
As Anselm attempts to uncover Schwermann's past, and as Lucy's search into her grandmother's history continues, their investigations dovetail to reveal a remarkable story.


Product Information

'This is a remarkable novel, and puts Brodrick in the frame for prize-winning' - John Dugdale, SUNDAY TIMES 'It is a wonderful book, it has a timeless quality and really should go on to become a classic. It reminds me of the early works of John le Carre, but captures much more accurately the internal workings of ordinary people, and shows how, just by bumping into each other, they can be utterly transformed, and go on to extraordinarily brave and cowardly acts. It pointed out so well how the threads of those small day by day choices made by us, or for us, become intertwined and grow so quickly into the great net that, with hindsight, we call history...one of the most interesting writers I have come across in a long time' Paul Britton, author of THE JIGSAW MAN 'The Sixth Lamentation is a meticulously-plotted, cat's cradle of a mystery with the interwoven stories pulled as taut as a piano-wire. The setting of Paris during the war is invoked to chilling effect. William Brodrick has written the first of what I hope will be a series of especially literate thrillers' Martha Grimes 'It's indeed rare to find such a masterful blending of sharp suspense and literary resonance as we see in THE SIXTH LAMENTATION. Brodrick has produced a truly compelling novel' Jeffery Deaver, author of THE VANISHED MAN and THE STONE MONKEY 'Absorbing and unusually accomplished...The plot has a complexity worthy of le Carre at his best, ingeniously worked out, and surprising... It has the merits of a work of art, whatever its provenance: a remarkable first novel' Allan Massie, SCOTSMAN 'The characters are multi-layered and compelling, the storyline is gripping, the facts have a ring of truth to them, and more importantly, the book will remain with you after the reading is completed' HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW 'William Brodrick has written a tense, sophisticated, wholly convincing novel of suspense. This is a remarkable debut' Michael Holroyd 'Brodrick writes well about age and memory, buried pasts and the consequences of opening them up.' GUARDIAN 'The backdrop of the priory is evoked with exceptional skill and insight. He is also a dab hand at plotting. The twists and turns of this tale of betrayal and retribution are labyrinthine and never allow you to dedicate anything less than total attention to the detail...As a page-turner, THE SIXTH LAMENTATION is a triumph.' INDEPENDENT MAGAZINE 'William Brodrick's highly intelligent first novel is an original exploration of law, theology and the past.' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH 'He writes with a wisdom and poignancy that makes this a compelling novel.' SUNDAY HERALD 'This is a remarkable and deep novel, with several interweaving themes and a cast of utterly convincing characters... a haunting and compelling story which lingers in the mind long after the last page had been turned. This enthralled reader went back to the beginning to read it again.' OLDIE 'Brodrick keeps the story going at a cracking pace, flitting back and forth between its various elements, characters and eras with timing so expert that the reader is compelled to keep turning the pages... Borderick's potential as a storyteller makes his next novel something to look forward to.' TIME OUT 'Subtle, diffuse, morally convoluted and impossible to put aside, this is a wonderful thriller.' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'A tightly plotted story fo love, betrayal, conscience- and the long shadows left by war.' IRISH INDEPENDENT

William Brodrick was in religious life but left before his final vows. He worked with homeless people and then became a barrister. This is his first novel and Agnes's story is loosely based on a journal written by his mother.

General Fields

  • : 9780349121130
  • : Little, Brown Book Group Limited
  • : Abacus
  • : 0.32
  • : September 2008
  • : 198mm X 126mm
  • : United Kingdom
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : William Brodrick
  • : Paperback
  • : 811
  • : 823.92
  • : 448