The Kindest use a Knife
By (Author) Vanessa Jones
HarperCollins Publishers
Flamingo
11th February 2003
United Kingdom
General
Fiction
Crime and mystery fiction
823.92
Paperback
192
Width 129mm, Height 198mm, Spine 11mm
144g
from the author of Twelve Gifted, magnetic, a virtuoso with a short temper, Lee defies his background to win a scholarship to the prestigious Cabresi academy of music. James -- richer, less gifted and less charismatic -- leeches onto the teenage prodigy to feed off his fame and genius, and to bask in Lee's reflected glory. Slowly, stealthily, James fuels Lee's increasing need for women and illicit substances, the better to pull the strings, keep him close. Watching all of this is Peter, whose conversations with Lee call into question Lee's tangled relationship with James. Peter appears uniquely placed to present a clear picture of this obsessive, increasingly destructive friendship. Gradually, he reveals the truth behind their power struggle, and the events which led to Lee's tragic, drug-fuelled death...Gripping and lean, considered and powerful, Vanessa Jones's darkly brilliant second novel confirms the arrival of a bright British talent.
Vanessa Jones clearly has a deep understanding of the generation she describes. She is a writer of genuine promise. Andrew Biswell, Daily Telegraph
vanessa jones was born in 1970 and lives in London. Her first novel, Twelve, is also available from Flamingo