More Than You Can Say - Hardcover

Paul Torday

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0297858246 ISBN 13: 9780297858249

Publisher: George Weidenfeld & Nicholson, 2011

Synopsis

"Tell you what, Leader, do you want to double your money?"
"Double or quits?"
"Of course double or quits. I'm having lunch at the Randolph Hotel in Oxford tomorrow with my uncle. If you can join us by one o'clock sharp tomorrow, I'll tear up this cheque and write you another for six thousand pounds"

It is a bet Richard Gaunt cannot resist - all he has to do is walk from London to Oxford in under twelve hours. As an ex-soldier he is up to the challenge. But what starts as a harmless bet turns into something altogether different when Richard is taken hostage by a mysterious stranger, Mr Khan, who makes him a highly unusual proposal. What he offers in return could transform Richard's life. Traumatised by a tour of duty in Iraq, Richard feels he has nothing to lose. The love of his life won't speak to him, he has lost every job he ever had and his friends have vanished. He therefore decides to accept Khan's strange request - never imagining the places it will take him.

About this title

About the Author

Paul Torday burst on to the literary scene in 2007 with his first novel, SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN, an immediate international bestseller which has been translated into 28 languages and has been made into a film starring Ewan McGregor, Kristin Scott Thomas and Emily Blunt. His subsequent novels, THE IRRESISTIBLE INHERITANCE OF WILBERFORCE, THE GIRL ON THE LANDING, THE HOPELESS LIFE OF CHARLIE SUMMERS, MORE THAN YOU CAN SAY, THE LEGACY OF HARTLEPOOL HALL and LIGHT SHINING IN THE FOREST, were all published to great critical acclaim. He was married with two sons by a previous marriage, had two stepsons, and lived close to the River North Tyne. He died at home in December 2013.

Review

"A Buchan-like set-up that pitches Gaunt into thriller territory...It's a brave stylistic gamble." -- Eithne Farry DAILY MAIL "Torday has an extraordinary gift for making apparent "normality" look sinister and strange." THE TIMES "The certainties of the imperial world in which Buchan's heroes operated have long gone, but Torday shows that today's more ambivalent realities can also be pressed into service to produce intelligent and readable adventure stories." -- Nick Rennison SUNDAY TIMES "A dark thriller scenario, where unlikely events follow hot on the heels of each other to create a hectic narrative..." -- Tina Jackson METRO "Torday's prose whips along in this involving, enjoyable novel" -- Charlotte Sinclair VOGUE "A thrilling read" PRIMA "MORE THAN YOU CAN SAY is gripping. Torday's simple prose belies an elegantly woven story, full of concepts that you can't help but dwell upon" NEWS OF THE WORLD "On this showing, Torday has become an accomplished storyteller, able to develop a quirky plotline with aplomb" -- Max Davison MAIL ON SUNDAY "Torday keeps the story moving and tightly knit; he writes in detailed, engaging prose" -- Tom Adair THE SCOTSMAN "(an) entertaining book" -- Honor Clerk THE SPECTATOR "In MORE THAN YOU CAN SAY, Torday darkens things...dealing with subject matters such as terrorism, war and post-traumatic stress disorder." -- Doug Johnstone THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY "There are good reasons why Torday has found success, as this novel shows. There's real substance to the characterisation...a keenness to incorporate the dark and the serious...and to engage with contemporary politics and issues. Above all, there's his desire to entertain and to keep his readers turning those pages." -- Harry Ritchie THE GUARDIAN "Written with confidence and dry humour, it's engaging and funny" -- Doug Johnstone BIG ISSUE "Paul Torday adroitly builds tension in Gaunt's current caper and the unravelling of his life in the past." -- Justin Warshaw TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT "In part an intelligent homage to John Buchan, the book is propelled by a thrillerish plot while at the same time making room for an exploration of its unhappy progtaganist's life." -- Tom Fleming THE TABLET "Another thought-provoking and hugely entertaining novel." GOOD BOOK GUIDE

Edition details

• Publisher: George Weidenfeld & Nicholson
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0297858246
• ISBN 13: 9780297858249
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 288