Christopher J. Yates

*A New York Post Best Beach Read!*The author of Black Chalk, "the smart summer thriller you've been waiting for" (NPR), returns with a mesmerizing new novel about a dangerous secret society at Oxford University, and the first-year Literature student whose life begins to unravel in its shadowWhen Ali McCain, an eighteen-year-old from Los Angeles, is accepted at Oxford, it’s a chance to fulfill his dreams. To study English literature in England; to meet true intellectuals; and to glimpse the life he might have lived had his father—British rock star Gel McCain, legendary frontman of the Pale Fires—not abandoned him and his mother when he was a toddler.But not long after he arrives at the storied campus, Ali is drawn into a dark, disorienting world where events grow more and more curious by the day. Trading on his father’s name, he gains entry into one of Oxford’s oldest and most selective secret societies, the Saracens. As he immerses himself in this rarefied world, he inadvertently sets in motion a series of events that might culminate in disaster.A mind-bending literary house of mirrors, replete with bookish allusions and Easter eggs ranging from Brideshead Revisited to King Lear, The Rabbit Club is an arresting work of dark academia by the category’s finest writer.

A SLEUTHING EXPERIENCE THAT'S PERFECT FOR ALL PUZZLE AND WHODUNNIT LOVERS... The murderers have committed the crimes, now it's up to you to solve them. Using your powers of deduction, can you play detective and help put the killers behind bars? 5 Minute Murder features 100 logic and code-based murder-mystery puzzles, skillfully compiled by acclaimed psychological thriller writer Christopher J. Yates and puzzle expert Bruce Pitchers. From the dreaming spires of Oxford to the gritty streets of New York, this puzzle-meets-fiction book is split into 10 short stories, each with their own scintillating plotline to accompany the murder-based puzzles. If you're an armchair detective with a 5-minute coffee break to spare, can you crack the case? Praise for the work of Christopher J. Yates: "A new Stephen King, albeit with a British accent." - New York PostPraise from readers: This puzzle book is clever, fun, and just the right amount of challenge. A satisfying brain workout. ?????Love this mystery puzzle book! Highly recommend it for a fun, creative, entertaining holiday gift. You won't be disappointed! It'll definitely keep your mind sharp too. ?????

Christopher J. Yates’s cult hit Black Chalk introduced that rare writerly talent: a literary writer who could write a plot with the intricacy of a brilliant mental puzzle, and with characters so absorbing that readers are immediately gripped. Yates’s new book does not disappoint. Grist Mill Road is a dark, twisted, and expertly plotted Rashomon-style tale. The year is 1982; the setting, an Edenic hamlet some ninety miles north of New York City. There, among the craggy rock cliffs and glacial ponds of timeworn mountains, three friends - Patrick, Matthew, and Hannah?are bound together by a terrible and seemingly senseless crime. Twenty-six years later, in New York City, living lives their younger selves never could have predicted, the three meet again?with even more devastating results.

'Darkly, intricately layered, full of pitfalls and switchbacks, moving and merciless' Sunday Times bestseller Tana FrenchA gripping, heart-stopping and strikingly original thriller about friendship, family and revenge, perfect for fans of THE SILENT PATIENT, Lucy Foley's THE HUNTING PARTY and Peter Swanson's THE KIND WORTH KILLING.'A must-read novel . . . Spine-tingling' Hello!It all began on Grist Mill Road . . .Matthew and Hannah were just playing in the woods, a little way from home.But now he's tying Hannah to a tree. And she has never been so terrified.Patrick is there too, hidden, watching. He can't move. He can't take his eyes off Matthew's gun.Years later, in New York City, leading adult lives they never would have imagined, the three will meet again. With even more devastating consequences.'Arresting . . . Sophisticated . . . Elegant' New York Times'Dark, compelling and beautifully written, Grist Mill Road absolutely captivated me' Cass Green, author of In A Cottage In A Wood'At once disturbing and discomforting, at the same time as being excitingly un-put-down-able . . . A superbly written psychological thriller with the power and deadly ferocity of a harpoon' Shots magazine'I couldn't put Grist Mill Road down. Yates is particularly brilliant on the dark urgency of adolescence, and conjuring up a sense of place . . . I loved it' Eve Chase, author of Black Rabbit Hall and The Vanishing of Audrey Wilde'Dark, intense, and disturbing . . . A thriller with imagination to spare' Krysten Ritter'A sinister, plot-twisty tale . . . Intelligent' Oprah.com'If you like layered, psychological suspense stories then I highly recommend Grist Mill Road. 5 stars!!!' Goodreads reviewer

"This is the smart summer thriller you've been waiting for."--NPR's All Things Considered Named a Best Book of the Year by NPR, Black Chalk finally makes its American audiobook debut. A breathless psychological thriller set in New York and at Oxford University in which a group of six students play an elaborate game of dares and consequences with tragic results. It was only ever meant to be a game played by six best friends in their first year at Oxford University; a game of consequences, silly forfeits, and childish dares. But then the game changed: The stakes grew higher and the dares more personal and more humiliating, finally evolving into a vicious struggle with unpredictable and tragic results. Now, fourteen years later, the remaining players must meet again for the final round. Who knows better than your best friends what would break you? A gripping psychological thriller partly inspired by the author's own time at Oxford University, Black Chalk is perfect for fans of the high tension and expert pacing. Christopher J. Yates' background in puzzle writing and setting is clearly felt in the plotting of this clever, tricky audiobook that will keep listeners guessing till the very last track. *This program includes a bonus chapter from Christopher J. Yates' upcoming book, Grist Mill Road, set to publish in 2018*

"This is the smart summer thriller you've been waiting for."--NPR's All Things Considered NAMED A MUST READ BY THE BOSTON GLOBE, BBC.COM, AND NEW YORK POSTNAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY NPR A compulsively readable psychological thriller set in New York and at Oxford University in which a group of six students play an elaborate game of dares and consequences with tragic result It was only ever meant to be a game played by six best friends in their first year at Oxford University; a game of consequences, silly forfeits, and childish dares. But then the game changed: The stakes grew higher and the dares more personal and more humiliating, finally evolving into a vicious struggle with unpredictable and tragic results. Now, fourteen years later, the remaining players must meet again for the final round. Who knows better than your best friends what would break you? A gripping psychological thriller partly inspired by the author's own time at Oxford University, Black Chalk is perfect for fans of the high tension and expert pacing of The Secret History and The Bellwether Revivals. Christopher J. Yates' background in puzzle writing and setting can clearly be seen in the plotting of this clever, tricky book that will keep you guessing to the very end.

One game. A game of consequences, of silly forfeits, childish dares. A game to be played by six best friends in their first year at Oxford University. But then the game changed: the stakes grew higher and the dares more personal, more humiliating, finally evolving into a vicious struggle with unpredictable and tragic results.