{"product_id":"9781250075550","title":"Black Chalk","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eBlack Chalk\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Christopher J. Yates\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"This is the smart summer thriller you've been waiting for.\"--NPR's \u003ci\u003eAll Things Considered\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNAMED A MUST READ BY \u003ci\u003eTHE BOSTON GLOBE, \u003c\/i\u003eBBC.COM\u003ci\u003e, \u003c\/i\u003eAND \u003ci\u003eNEW YORK POST\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY \u003ci\u003eNPR \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA compulsively readable psychological thriller set in New York and at Oxford University in which a group of six students play an elaborate game of dares and consequences with tragic result\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt was only ever meant to be a game played by six best friends in their first year at Oxford University; a game of consequences, silly forfeits, and childish dares. But then the game changed: The stakes grew higher and the dares more personal and more humiliating, finally evolving into a vicious struggle with unpredictable and tragic results. Now, fourteen years later, the remaining players must meet again for the final round. Who knows better than your best friends what would break you? A gripping psychological thriller partly inspired by the author's own time at Oxford University, \u003ci\u003eBlack Chalk \u003c\/i\u003eis perfect for fans of the high tension and expert pacing of \u003ci\u003eThe Secret History\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Bellwether Revivals\u003c\/i\u003e. Christopher J. Yates' background in puzzle writing and setting can clearly be seen in the plotting of this clever, tricky book that will keep you guessing to the very end.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e“This is the smart summer thriller you've been waiting for. The black and harmful little book you want in your carry-on.The novel you should be reading tonight.” —NPR's \u003ci\u003e\"All Things Considered\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“One of the greatest surprise reveals I've witnessed. A twist that's like screwing your head on backwards. And when you see the tricky switch Yates has pulled, you just want to kiss him, because dammit if there isn't something sweet and satisfying about a plot twist pulled off with aplomb.” —NPR.org\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A circle of bright college friends who feed on one another's cleverness and trump one another's insults until the steady diet of cynicism ends in tragedy-this is the stuff of two fine first novels: Donna Tartt's \u003ci\u003eThe Secret History \u003c\/i\u003e(1992) and, now, Christopher J. Yates's \u003ci\u003eBlack Chalk\u003c\/i\u003e. Yates's characters are even wittier than Tartt's....Yates is a master of college-student psychology....[He] has achieved something new and impressive. Pick up \u003ci\u003eBlack Chalk\u003c\/i\u003e.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[A] riveting psychological thriller...Terrifying...Read it fast.” —\u003ci\u003eEntertainment Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A new Stephen King, albeit with a British accent.”—\u003ci\u003eNew York Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Christopher J. Yates' debut novel is a psychological thriller about the consequences of friendship gone awry.... The result is a story littered with twists that will keep you guessing until the final page.” —\u003ci\u003ePaste Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[A] sardonic psychological thriller... Yates, a crossword puzzle maker himself, sets clues firmly in place, moves back and forth in time and throws in surprises at every turn. \u003ci\u003eBlack Chalk\u003c\/i\u003e is an engrossing literary guessing game.” —\u003ci\u003eBBC.com\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Dark, twisty fun.” —\u003ci\u003eNew York Daily News\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Dark deeds among school cliques is a milieu that's attracted top-tier authors from Donna Tartt to Tana French, and this debut thriller is a worthy addition, with its chess-like psychological showdown.” —\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“An inventive and intricate psychological puzzle thriller that mystifies, torments, disturbs, beguiles . . . A powerfully intelligent debut.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e (London)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A compulsive page-turner that will hold your attention until the very last word.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Sun\u003c\/i\u003e (London)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLong-listed NPR Best Book of the Year (2015)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9781250075550\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Picador","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":40595359400142,"sku":"9781250075550","price":17.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/getimage_41abee5e-8a2d-4b34-8d94-df80ac18f1d3.jpg?v=1637829476","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9781250075550","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}