A Pleasure and a Calling: A Novel by Phil Hogan (English) Paperback Book

Description: A Pleasure and a Calling by Phil Hogan "I loved A Pleasure and a Calling--gripping, sinister, original, and brilliant!"--Sophie Hannah, bestselling author of The Monogram Murders and The Orphan ChoirMr. Heming loves the leafy English village where he lives. As a local real estate agent, he knows every square inch of the town and sees himself as its protector, diligent in enforcing its quaint charm. Most people dont pay much attention to Mr. Heming--but Mr. Heming pays attention to them. You see, he has the keys to their homes. In fact, he has the keys to every home hes ever sold. Over the years, Mr. Heming has kept them all so that he can observe his neighbors, not just on the street, but behind locked doors. As details of a troubled childhood emerge, Mr. Hemings disturbing hobby begins to form a clear pattern, and the reasons behind it come into focus--and when the quiet routine of his village is disrupted by strange occurrences, including a dead body found in the backyard of a clients home, he realizes it may only be a matter of time before his own secrets are found out. A brilliant portrait of one mans obsession, A Pleasure and a Calling is a darkly funny and utterly transfixing tale that will hold you under its spell. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Author Biography PHIL HOGAN was born in a small town in northern England, and now lives in a small town in southern England. A journalist for twenty-five years, he has written for The Observer and The Guardian. He is married with four children. Review "I loved A Pleasure and a Calling--gripping, sinister, original and brilliant!" --Sophie Hannah, bestselling author of The Monogram Murders and The Orphan Choir "The word creepy (attached to descriptive adverbs like insanely and diabolically or even deliciously) immediately comes to mind after a quick dip into A Pleasure and a Calling." --Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review "A Pleasure and a Calling starts out slowly, meticulously building the first-person portrait of a sociopath. But, 70 pages in, the novel takes a sharp turn into Patricia Highsmith country, and the deliberately bland, purposely forgettable Heming stands revealed as Tom Ripley with a real estate license....This is [Phil Hogans] first book to be published in the United States. Heres hoping for more to come." --Dallas Morning News "Hogan avoids clichs as he delivers one surprise after another. Heming at first seems harmless, but Hogan shows bit by bit how Heming has been scheming and diabolical, making this complex character both a villain and a hero. A Pleasure and a Calling brims with wry wit and taut tension, and will make readers think about changing the locks on their doors, just to be cautious." --Associated Press "How mesmerizing is this book? I started it at lunch one day and finished it after dinner the same night....Reminiscent of Patricia Highsmiths Ripley books." --The Charlotte Observer "Beware, readers. Heming descends from a long line of dangerously seductive, alienated narcissists that includes Patricia Highsmiths Tom Ripley and Charles Anthony-Strangers on a Train-Bruno....Hogan is an especially agile storyteller, and he has assembled an admirably intricate back-story that explains (if not excuses) how Heming has come to be who he is. Its an exhilarating performance. Plan on having your locks changed soon after you finish reading the book." --Richmond Times-Dispatch "Engagingly written and compulsively readable...Readers will find themselves wondering just how secure their own homes are, and, at the same time, uncomfortably beguiled by the often charming Mr. Heming, whose heart is in the right place--except when it is decidedly not." --The Columbus Dispatch "Need some morbidly funny and unsettling psychological suspense? Look no further than Phil Hogans A Pleasure and a Calling." --The Seattle Times "Along with the stylistic echoes of Highsmith, Hogan also moves into the creepy-campy territory that Roman Polanski staked out, especially in The Tenant and Rosemarys Baby....Hogan deftly creates situational suspense throughout the novel." --Los Angeles Review of Books "A gripping psychological thriller that pegs out the creep-o-meter with its chilling, original plot...Hogans Mr. Heming is a monumentally diabolical character--the fact that he narrates the story further ups both the stakes and the tension. Readers wont soon forget this first-rate, white-knuckle suspense novel." --Publishers Weekly (starred review) "This is murder most droll...Phil Hogan has written a wickedly funny book." --The Washington Times "Delicious and addicting. William Heming joins the ranks of unforgettable, unreliable narrators in this gloriously creepy novel of psychological suspense." --Booklist (starred review) "A memorably creepy sociopath...Hogan skillfully builds a character that combines Mr. Goodbar, Hannibal Lector and Moriarty." --Kirkus Reviews "Channeling the socially detached and unnerving personality of Nabokovs Humbert Humbert, Phil Hogan creates a character that will inspire intrigue as well as ire....This perfectly paced psychological suspense story is a roller-coaster ride through paranoia and manipulation." --BookPage "A creepy but compelling story." --Kirkus Reviews (Eight Top-Shelf Crime Yarns to Help You Ring in 2015) "A wonderfully creepy novel, macabre and blackly comic with a deeply unsettling and original hero." --Rosamund Lupton, New York Times-bestselling author of Sister "Hugely engrossing . . . Hogan captures perfectly [Hemings] mix of rationality and madness--the sense of logical means applied to deranged ends. The result is that we sympathize with Heming, embrace his plight--which only heightens our discomfort." --The Guardian (UK) "Brilliantly creepy." --The Observer (UK) "William Heming is cut from the same cloth as Barbara Covett in Zo Hellers Notes On A Scandal, another unreliable narrator with whom we really should not be siding, but who proves so engaging that we cant help but go along for the ride . . . [A] gripping, thrilling novel." --The Independent on Sunday (UK) "The first-person portrayal of a truly cold-blooded protagonist is a hard thing to pull off, especially one whose outward appearance is so benign, but Phil Hogan has created an antihero horrifically ruthless and disquieting." --The Guardian (UK) "There is a delicious feeling of complicity in his misdemeanors. Heming gets inside your head as easily as he gets into his neighbors houses. Indeed you cannot help asking as you finish this superbly plotted and genuinely creepy novel: wouldnt we all pry into our neighbors lives like this if we could get away with it?" --Sunday Express (UK) "Youll definitely want to change your locks after reading this original and darkly funny novel... [It] will send shivers down your spine." --The Stylist (UK) Review Quote Youll definitely want to change your locks after reading this original and darkly funny novel... [It] will send shivers down your spine. Details ISBN1250081521 Author Phil Hogan Short Title PLEASURE & A CALLING Pages 288 Language English ISBN-10 1250081521 ISBN-13 9781250081520 Media Book Format Paperback DEWEY FIC Year 2016 Publication Date 2016-01-05 Subtitle A Novel Audience General UK Release Date 2016-01-05 Publisher St Martins Press Imprint St Martins Press Place of Publication New York Country of Publication United States US Release Date 2016-01-05 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:96757719;

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