The Storyteller: A Novel

He’s the most famous novelist in the country, the author of a raft of international bestsellers, the darling of New York’s publishing circles. But the more successful he becomes, the more terrifying is the predicament he finds himself in.

In the beginning, Steven (with a v) King is an aspiring writer tending bar in a small town in Maine. He works diligently on his novel, dreams of the life he and his fianceé, Tina, will share, and puts his faith in the successful power-agent (his first cousin Stuart) who represents him. Then Steve’s life takes an unexpected turn. In a stroke of unimaginable good fortune, he gets his big break—though not the kind he’d always wished for. With a momentous decision, he opens a Pandora’s box that transforms him from a failed novelist into one of the hottest authors in the world. To avoid confusion with another famous writer from Maine, Steve uses his ancestral name, and the phenomenon known as Steven Konigsberg is born.

Within weeks of his first book’s publication he is perched firmly on top of the bestseller lists. His subsequent novels only outdo each other. His face graces TV talk shows and magazine covers . But Steven Konigsberg has a very dark secret—a hidden skeleton that not only threatens his meteoric career, but may very well jeopardize the safety of his family and his own life. As a range of sinister people come out of the woodwork of the past, Steve must make an agonizing choice: confront his deepest secret . . . or lose far more than just his place on the bestseller list.

An irresistible blend of gripping suspense and black humor, THE STORYTELLER is a colorful, inside look at the vanities, glamour, and power plays of the exotic world of publishing and fame . . . with a twist.

Arthur Reid is the nom de plume of a longtime New York publishing executive who spent a career navigating the ins and outs of the business. Reid’s high-powered insider experiences made possible the writing of THE STORYTELLER.