RESULTS

Paris, 1903. Major-General Sir Hector Macdonald, one of the greatest heroes of the British Empire whose career took him from the poverty of the Scottish highlands to becoming the military governer of Ceylon, faces ruin in a shocking homosexual scandal. When he meets the notorious occultist, Aleister Crowley, he finds himself setting out into the night on a wild journey through the sinful city, and the story of his tragedy begins to unfold - with startling revelations both for the general and the aspiring magician. In a tale that ranges from the battlefields of Sudan and Afghanistan to the Boer Wars, Jake Arnott brings alive a fascinating, forgotten figure of history, and a world trembling on the brink of a brutal new era. Black magic, Kitchener and Islamic revolution are just some of the ingredients in this bold and exhilarating novel, which explores imperialism, sexuality and the very nature of belief with an immediacy that resonates into the present.

This is a gripping tale of emotional and political ferment in 1970s London from the author of the bestselling Long Firm trilogy. London, 1972, and a charismatic anarchist called O'Connell dies of an overdose, leaving his artist boyfriend, Pearson, and fellow activist Nina in shock. It also leaves a spare room in their squat, so Pearson moves in Sweet Thing, a streetwise yet vulnerable young rent boy he initially picks up but then tries to help. Pearson isn't the only one who's interested though - glam rock star Johnny Chrome is on the brink of a breakdown and is convinced that Sweet Thing is the only one who can bring him back. As Sweet Thing gets drawn further into Johnny Chrome's dangerous orbit, Pearson and Nina discover that O'Connell was not all he seemed. In this tautly paced, highly evocative novel Jake Arnott once again combines brilliant storytelling with a flawless portrait of a changing era, when the optimism of the 1960s was giving way to the anger and bombs of the early 1970s.

It's 30 years since Harry Starks and his gang kept the underworld of Soho under control, but the consequences of their brutal reign are still being felt. Moving his focus to the greedy 1980s and the 1990s rave scene, Arnott delivers another hard-edged novel.