Product Description
How long must we pay for the crimes of our youth? It has been almost ten years since Matthias graduated from the elite Blackburne School, where his roommate and best friend, Fritz, fled into the woods, never to be heard from again, in the middle of their senior year. Fritz vanished just after an argument over Matthias's breaking of the school's honor code, and Matthias has long been haunted by the idea that his betrayal led to his friend's disappearance.
Years later, after hitting the fast lane in New York as a successful novelist—then falling twice as hard—Matthias is stuck, a failure as a writer, a boyfriend, a person. When he is offered the opportunity to return to Blackburne as an English teacher, he sees it as a chance to put his life back together. But once on campus, Matthias gets swiftly drawn into the past, and is driven to find out what happened to Fritz. He partners with a curmudgeonly local retired cop and tries to solve the case, dealing with campus politics, the shocking death of a student, Fritz's complicated and powerful Washington, D.C., family, and his own place in the privileged world of Blackburne.
Years later, after hitting the fast lane in New York as a successful novelist—then falling twice as hard—Matthias is stuck, a failure as a writer, a boyfriend, a person. When he is offered the opportunity to return to Blackburne as an English teacher, he sees it as a chance to put his life back together. But once on campus, Matthias gets swiftly drawn into the past, and is driven to find out what happened to Fritz. He partners with a curmudgeonly local retired cop and tries to solve the case, dealing with campus politics, the shocking death of a student, Fritz's complicated and powerful Washington, D.C., family, and his own place in the privileged world of Blackburne.
Reviews/Praise
“A wonderful coming of age story, a taut emotional rollercoaster, and a hell of a debut." —David Liss, author of The Day of Atonement
“Both a poignant coming-of-age tale and a suspenseful mystery. . . . Shadow of the Lions illuminates the complexities of friendship, love, loyalty, and duty with remarkable wisdom and compassion.” —Ed Tarkington, author of Only Love Can Break Your Heart
“A twisty tale that surprises at every turn, Shadow of the Lions will keep you turning pages compulsively into the wee hours, cursing Christopher Swann for the inconvenience.” —Jonathan Evison, author of This Is Your Life, Harriet Chance!
“Fast-paced and full of unexpected turns, Christopher Swann’s Shadow of the Lions pulls readers into the dark underworld looming beneath a prestigious boys’ boarding school.” —Mira Jacob, author of The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing
“Swann is a gifted storyteller, a master at the twisty tale . . . Under Swann’s deft hand, ultimately, Shadow of the Lions explores the timeless complexity of deep friendship--how it shapes us, destroys us and sometimes remakes us.” —Patti Callahan Henry, author of The Idea of Love