From critically acclaimed novelist Bradford Morrow, called “a mesmerizing storyteller who casts an irresistible spell” by Joyce Carol Oates and “one of America's major literary voices” by Publishers Weekly, comes The Forgers, a richly told thriller about the dark side of the rare book world. The rare book world is stunned when a reclusive collector, Adam Diehl, is found dead on the floor of his Montauk home, hands severed, surrounded by valuable inscribed books and original manuscripts that have been vandalized beyond repair. Adam's sister, Meghan, and her lover, Will—a convicted but unrepentant literary forger—struggle to come to terms with the seemingly incomprehensible murder. But when Will begins receiving threatening letters written in the handwriting of long-dead authors from someone who knows secrets about Adam's death and Will's past, he understands his own life is also on the line. The Forgers delves deeply into the passions that drive collectors to the razor's edge of morality, brilliantly confronting the hubris and mortal danger of attempting to rewrite history with a fraudulent pen.
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“In The Forgers, Bradford Morrow hits the sweet spot at the juncture of genre crime fiction and the mainstream novel with an almost mystical perfection. Readers of either form will be gratified and impressed, and those who are readers of both will be thrilled. In its deep knowledge of books and those who trade in them, and in its thousand vivid, unexpected turns of phrase—its depth of both subject and language—The Forgers could have been written only by Morrow and at only the rare and striking level of mastery he has now achieved.”
— Peter Straub, New York Times bestselling author of Ghost Story
“The Forgers is quintessential Bradford Morrow. Brilliantly written as a suspense novel, lethally enthralling to read, and filled with arcane, fascinating information—in this case, the rarified world of high-level literary forgery.”
— Joyce Carol Oates, New York Times bestselling author of The Accursed“The Forgers is remarkable. Bradford Morrow is remarkable. The Real Thing, which is rare on this earthly plane.”
— Michael Cunningham, New York Times bestselling author of The Hours“[A] consistently unnerving mystery…An ambience of old-fashioned gothic suspense that bibliophiles in particular will enjoy.”
— USA Today“Bradford Morrow illuminates the seamy side of the rare-book trade in The Forgers.”
— Vanity Fair“An excellent suspense novel…Bradford Morrow is, quite skillfully, paying homage to one of Agatha Christie’s most famous whodunits. Yet even then, he offers a few twists of his own and will keep all but the most astute mystery aficionado guessing about the truth until the end.”
— Washington Post“From its provocative opening line…Bradford Morrow’s latest novel takes on a knowing, noirish tone, like a crime movie by the Coen brothers…The pleasure of reading The Forgers comes not only from trying to figure out what happened to Diehl but also in deciding, chapter by chapter, how much trust to grant the narrator, who is our only source.”
— Miami Herald“[An] artfully limned suspense novel…The insights Morrow offers into the lure of collecting, the rush of forgery as a potentially creative act, and underlying questions of authenticity render the whodunit one of the lesser mysteries of this sly puzzler.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Bray draws you into a world of high-end forgery of literary relics and letters with perfect pacing and a learned emphasis on the importance of a manuscript or a highly valued autograph. His talent for bringing likable, interesting characters to life is fully utilized to devastating results. Listeners expecting the usual murder mystery with an ending telegraphed chapters in advance will be disappointed. You’ve been warned. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
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Bradford Morrow is the author of numerous acclaimed works of fiction and poetry, including Ariel’s Crossing and Giovanni’s Gift. He is also the founder of the literary journal Conjunctions, which he has edited since 1981. He received a Guggenheim fellowship in 2007 and is a professor of literature at Bard College.
R. C. Bray is an award-winning audiobook narrator with over 180 titles to his credit. Besides winning five AudioFile Earphones Awards, he won the prestigious Audie Award in 2015 for Best Science Fiction Narration and has been an Audie Award finalist seven times. He has been a finalist for the Voice Arts Award, and in 2014, his narration earned a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award. He is also an accomplished producer and voice-over artist, and his voice can be heard in countless TV and radio commercials.