Celebrated for his playwriting, British author Michael Frayn has also written screenplays and several acclaimed novels. Headlong, a Booker Prize finalist, combines a heavy dose of humor with a fascinating glimpse into the world of priceless art. When Martin Clay and his art historian wife are asked to appraise the private collection of a loutish man, it is Martin, not his wife, who believes he has discovered a lost masterpiece from Dutch painter Bruegel. Keeping his thoughts closely guarded, he embarks on a fast-paced quest to confirm his suspicions. In an effort to swindle the painting away from its owner, Martin heads down a trail of lies and scams that has hilarious and unexpected results. Frayn's novel is both an entertaining, slapstick romp through one man's personal odyssey and a fascinating glimpse into the world of art history. Narrator Steven Crossley captures each moment of discovery without missing a beat through all of Martin's bumbling and scheming.
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Michael Frayn is the author of thirteen plays, including the classic comedy Noises Off, and Copenhagen, which was named Play of the Year by the Evening Standard and won the Drama Critics Circle award. Frayn has also written seven novels and three screenplays, as well as being a journalist, documentary filmmaker, and translator of Chekhov. Headlong is his first novel to appear in the United States since 1993. He lives in London.
Steven Crossley, a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, has built a career on both sides of the Atlantic as an actor and audiobook narrator, for which he has won more than a dozen AudioFile Earphones Awards and been a nominee for the prestigious Audie Award. He is a member of the internationally renowned theater company Complicite and has appeared in numerous theater, television, film, and radio dramas.