A Ladder to the Sky

It's a literary, literary thriller with Boyne unleashing his inner tea-spilling, gay, bon-vivant writer. Maurice Swift is a careerist psychopath who will stop at nothing to become a revered part of the authorial pantheon. Trading on his good looks he manages to insinuate himself in the life of aging Erich Ackermann, who's enjoying a late career resurgence after winning a prestigious literary prize. But one doesn't get to the top without stepping on others and Erich is just the first of many victims sacrificed on the altar of Swift's ambition.

Boyne is having a blast and writes sneering snark better than anyone and even channels some Gore Vidal in the middle of the book. As with any thriller you're better off not knowing too much going in, just trust you're in good hands with Boyne.

John Boyne has said he based many of the characters on people he's run into after decades in the publishing industry. A place that tends to invite some outsized personalities... https://youtu.be/a8D3tBWmtB8