Vena Cork
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First British Edition Headline (2006) |
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The Art of Dying
When it comes to murder practice makes perfect
The dead were so perfect. At ease in their flesh. Completed. Finished. Like art. You knew where you were with art and death. No messy uncertainties. No painful misunderstandings and uncomfortable negotiations.
At an exhibition of her late husband’s paintings, Rosa Thorn is delighted to meet some old friends. But she’s shocked by the wild antics of certain artists. Is the art world a place where the normal rules of behaviour don’t apply?
When she realise she’s being followed, her misgivings multiply. There is someone out there determined to invade her life, find out all her secrets, and rake up forgotten moments in her past. And that person is fully aware of her deepest needs and vulnerabilities…
Then one of the artists is found dead. The police conclude it is suicide, but Rosa discovers inconsistencies in the evidence.
And when she delves more deeply into this strange and shadowy world where appearances are seductive but don’t match reality and the past returns to haunt her, she will need every ounce of her wit and intelligence to come out of it alive…
Praise for Vena Cork’s Thorn
`This gripping, edgy novel is good, believe me. For a first novel, it is rather better than good. The portrayal of life is awfully well handled and shrewdly characterised ... she hooks her reader from the start’ Colin Dexter
`A compelling, dark-hued psychological thriller that eerily captures some of London’s more sinister undercurrents and sense of menace’ Guardian
`One of those rare and energetic books you can’t put down yet don’t want to end’ The Times
`In her atmospheric novel Thorn, Vena Cork skilfully builds a sinister feeling of menace surrounding her attractive heroine’ Sunday Telegraph
`An outstanding debut’ Time Out
`There’s more to this psychological thriller than meets the eye. Look no further for a real sense of menace’ Mirror
`You’ll be gripped as this persuasive thriller races to its grisly conclusion’ Marie Claire
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First British Edition Headline (2004) |
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Thorn
In the city's open spaces, there is time to kill...
A tragedy has changed Rosa Thorn's life for ever. Now she has to start again with a new job, a new school for her children and some empty space in her life. But strange things start to happen..
When a growing sense of unease turns into sudden violence, Rosa fears for her safety and even more so for the wellbeing of her children. For her daughter is the subject of someone's demented infatuation. But like a diseased town fox, the real threat stalks the shadows, in the night-black recesses of the undergrowth, not just of the city, but of the human mind...
Vena Cork's astonishing, thrilling debut novel is as shocking as it is unputdownable - a brilliant, menacing, psychologic thriller that takes you to the edge of darkness.
`One of those rare and energetic books you can't put down yet don't want to end' The Times
'An outstanding debut' Time Out
About The Author
Vena Cork is from Lancashire, but has lived in London all her adult life. She attended Homerton College, Cambridge, where she was a member of Cambridge Footlights. She is married to the art critic Richard Cork and lives in North West London.
Bibliography
N.B. dates and publishers in dark red indicate British First Editions. Dates and publishers in black indicate recent reprints.
The Art of Dying
(Headline,
2006)
Thorn
(Headline,
2004)
Headline Pbk Aug 05
The Art of Dying
by Vena Cork
