DEATH OF A WRITER: A Novel

From an acclaimed Booker Prize Nominee comes a riveting and haunting tale of a novelist whose last hope for fame may be the darkest secret in his past.

For E. Robert Pendleton, a professor clinging to tenure and living in the shambles of his once-bright literary career, death seems to be the only remaining option. But his suicide attempt fails, and during his long convalescence, a novel is discovered hidden in his basement: a brilliant, semi-autobiographical story with a gruesome child-murder at its core.

The publication of Scream causes a storm of publicity, conferring the success Pendleton has always sought, but, ironically, he is no longer in a condition to appreciate it. Soon questions begin to be asked about its content: in particular about the uncanny resemblance between Pendleton's fictional crime and a real-life, unresolved local murder. Enter Jon Ryder, a world-weary detective, and the hunt for the murderer is on. A profound, darkly funny novel with a gripping thriller at its core, Death of a Writer explores the price of fame, the turmoil of academic life, and the precarious position of literature in American society.

Michael Collins is the author of six novels and two collections of short stories. His work has garnered numerous awards, including a Pushcart Award for Best American Short Stories and The Kerry Ingredients Irish Novel of the Year. His novel The Keepers of Truth was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the IMPAC Award. Collins is also an extreme athlete and is currently training for The North Pole Marathaon in 2006.