A modern A TALE OF TWO CITIES by the bestselling author of SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN.

'Brilliantly and sympathetically drawn...this wonderfully written, clever book does not miss a single trick' DAILY MAIL

'Funny, touching and ultimately surprising' SCOTSMAN

'A brilliant, page-turning read' GRANTA

Hector Chetwode-Talbot, Eck to his friends, has left the army and is slightly at a loss as to what to do next, when he is approached by an old army pal, Bilbo Mountwilliam. Bilbo runs an investment fund company and business is booming. Bilbo persuades Eck to join the company as a 'greeter' for moneyed clients. All Eck has to do is supply the contacts with entertainment and large G&Ts and then the fund managers will do the rest.

Soon Eck is able to buy himself a luxury sports car and decadent flat. It is on a golfing trip to France that Eck first meets Charlie Summers, a fly-by-night entrepreneur whose latest scheme is to import Japanese dog food into the UK.

But one day Charlie lands on Eck's doorstep with his suitcase, intent on staying and relaunching his dog food business in the area. But with the financial crash looming, Eck begins to ask himself if they are so very different...

A modern A TALE OF TWO CITIES by the bestselling author of SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN.

About the Author
Paul Torday burst on to the literary scene in 2007 with his first novel, SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN, an immediate international bestseller that has been translated into 28 languages and has been made into a film starring Ewan McGregor, Kristin Scott Thomas and Emily Blunt. His subsequent novels, THE IRRESISTIBLE INHERITANCE OF WILBERFORCE, THE GIRL ON THE LANDING, THE HOPELESS LIFE OF CHARLIE SUMMERS, MORE THAN YOU CAN SAY, THE LEGACY OF HARTLEPOOL HALL and LIGHT SHINING IN THE FOREST, were all published to great critical acclaim. He was married with two sons by a previous marriage, had two stepsons, and lived close to the River North Tyne. He died at home in December 2013.

Reviews
One of the most outstanding authors to have emerged in recent years * DAILY EXPRESS *
Brilliantly and sympathetically drawn...this wonderfully written, clever book does not miss a single trick * DAILY MAIL *
Funny, touching and ultimately surprising * SCOTSMAN *
Charlie is a wonderful creation, at once sad and heroic, whose search for redemption attains real pathos at the end of this affecting, skilfully crafted novel * FINANCIAL TIMES *
Torday is master of blending satire with gentle humanity * PSYCHOLOGIES *
Shades of both Greene and Ambler here, both in the crispness of the exposition and the marrying of humour with something close to tragedy * SPECTATOR *
A beautifully told tale - we loved it! * BELLA *
A brilliant, page-turning read that combines the pace of Torday's THE GIRL ON THE LANDING with his trademark humour in SALMON FISHING * GRANTA *
A fine tale. Even the worst of us, according to this novel, can find redemption * DAILY EXPRESS *
His quietly compassionate portrait of Charlie has powerful echoes off Dickens's Sydney Carton in A TALE OF TWO CITIES * METRO *
The SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN author is now achieving 'must-read' status. You're in for an Eck of a good time * NEWS OF THE WORLD *



Book Information
ISBN 9780753823415
Author Paul Torday
Format Paperback
Page Count 304
Imprint Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Publisher Orion Publishing Co
Weight(grams) 268g
Dimensions(mm) 199mm * 158mm * 24mm