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The Bestseller (An ePublishing murder mystery)
 
 

The Bestseller (An ePublishing murder mystery) [Kindle Edition]

Stephen Leather
3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (70 customer reviews)

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Product Description

Product Description

Would you kill to write a bestseller? Well Adrian Slater says that he’s prepared to do just that – and announces the fact in a creative writing class.

Lecturer Dudley Grose is convinced that Slater is a psychopath and means what he says. But the Dean of the university doesn’t believe him and neither do the cops.

But when a student on the course vanishes and her bathroom is awash with blood, the police wonder if Slater has actually carried out his threat, and if the book he’s writing contains the evidence that will put him away.

The Bestseller is a book about murder, but it’s also an insight into the creative writing process and how ePublishing has changed the rules for ever, creating a world where murder as entertainment might actually pay.

The Bestseller is a fast-paced novella of 53,000 words, about 200 pages, with a shocking twist in the tail.

It's already had a great five-star review from an Amazon Top 100 reviewer!

By Midnight - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)
This review is from: The Bestseller (Kindle Edition)

Wannabee author Adrian Slater attends creative writing classes and reveals to the class he intends to commit a murder so he can have a factual basis for his novel.

Stephen Leather has come up with another engrossing thriller that at around 53,000 words provides an absorbing journey to an unexpected destination. Readers may think they have worked out the ending before reaching the climax but as they read on, the story takes a final twist - but you'll have to read the story to find out what happens!

His offerings have ranged from the short very gentle Inspector Zhang locked room mysteries; the excellent Dan (Spider) Shepherd series; the Jack Nightingale occult detective series through to the hard biting novellas specifically written as ebooks 'The Basement' and 'Once Bitten'. Those who found that for them 'The Basement' was a tad on the gory side will find 'The Bestseller' does not come into the same category; nor are there any vampires - I simply found 'The Bestseller' an excellent fast-paced thriller and would heartily recommend it.

The formatting and flow of the text is excellent with noticeably absent typos - something which can be a problem with some ebooks.




Stephen Leather is one of the UK's most successful thriller writers. He was a journalist for more than ten years on newspapers such as The Times, the Daily Mail and the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. Before that, he was employed as a biochemist for ICI, shovelled limestone in a quarry, worked as a baker, a petrol pump attendant, a barman, and worked for the Inland Revenue. He began writing full time in 1992. His bestsellers have been translated into more than ten languages. He has also written for television shows such as London's Burning, The Knock and the BBC's Murder in Mind series. Two of his books, The Stretch and The Bombmaker, were made into movies.

Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 332 KB
  • Print Length: 144 pages
  • Publisher: Three Elephants (29 Sep 2011)
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language English
  • ASIN: B005R1ZH2I
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (70 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #4,262 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
46 of 55 people found the following review helpful
The Bestseller 3 Oct 2011
By S Riaz TOP 50 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Dudley Grose is a lecturer, teaching a creative writing course in New York. He is a disullusioned writer - a man who has written seven novels and received a Pullitzer nomination, but now has a new agent who does not return his calls and who suggests he self publish his latest novel. Grose wants to be teaching English literature, but instead he is ploughing through, "The mechanics of writing a bestseller" and told by those in charge to be supportive and not critical. In a way, this is what the book is about - being an author and what it means. Writers claim they want criticism, but instead they clamour for approval. Grose feels literature is about quality, the love of writing and looks down on current bestsellers. It is hard not to agree with him. When faced with creative writing courses and guidelines which are formula like, it is hard to believe in the craft of being an author and the joy of writing for the love of the written word.

In his class, Grose has two students who are important to the plot. One is Jenny, a young and naive girl he is having an affair with, and the other is Adrian Slater. We learn more about Slater as the book progresses, but Grose both despises and feels mocked by him. Slater, like all the students, has to read from his current work. This is subtly entitled "The Bestseller", about the stalking and murder of a student, told in the first person. Grose believes the book to be real, not fiction, that Slater is a psychopath outlining a future murder. Slater wants to write for fame and money, he looks down upon awards, such as the Pullitzer, as irrelevant and wants sales over approval.

As the book progresses, we follow Grose's horror at Slater's work and his fear that nobody will take him seriously. There are some great plot twists, nice characterisation and good dialogue. The author has a lot to say about publishing and you do sometimes feel he is labouring the point about self publishing and the kindle. However, as a short novel (or novella) it works very well and I thought Slater was an interesting character and enjoyed his verbal battles with those in authority. There is no doubt that publishing is changing and established authors, like the fictional Grose, must be finding the new rules difficult to work with. All in all, it was an entertaining read and, as a reader, that is what is important. Tongue in cheek, Stephen Leather has produced good writing from the current arguments in publishing and has undoubtedly given himself another success.
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
Before reading this novella I saw that it had received mixed reviews. After reading it I found it to be a very clever narrative that explores the debate of e-publishing versus conventional publishing and of how to write a novel mixed in with the intrigue and suspense of wether an author is a potential murderer. there is action right from the start and intrigue and a suspense maintained throuhout by Leather's flair for a natural dialogue that makes the characters believable and for an easy read.
There is so much in this novella that makes it feel more like a novel and that makes it excellent value. It is a great easy read- just get it.
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25 of 31 people found the following review helpful
The Bestseller 20 Nov 2011
Format:Kindle Edition
While the subject matter was interesting, the twist/s in the story were well signposted and I was able to anticipate pretty much the outcomes. Usually it takes a bit of an effort to put a my Kindle down when reading a book, unfortunately I had trouble picking the Kindle up to read this tale.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
the Bestseller
An excellent quick read. Gripping, not typical Stephen Leather but at the same time contains all the elements that makes you want to read more and reach the conclusion.
Published 1 month ago by jacqui
Does it for me!
Reviews before buying are definitely not for me! Why people explain the whole plot is beyond comprehension! Read more
Published 2 months ago by Angel Cake
A violent beginning
Whilst I can tolerate violence when it comes in the middle of a book and is relevant to the story, to pick up a book and immediately be faced with evil intent and violence was too... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Charlie Watson
Not bad
I enjoyed this and found it flowed really well. What let it down for me was the ending. I'm not going to give anything away but it seemed a little rushed. Worth a read though.
Published 3 months ago by Mr. B. M. Jenkins
A Different Leather
If you are expecting the kind of story you would get from Stephens other books like Hard Landing and characters like Spider Shepard you will be sorely dissapointed. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Andrew Scorah
Good Read
This is the first Stephan Leather book that I have read and I have to say I really enjoyed it. After the first few pages I was eager to read more and before I knew it 50 pages were... Read more
Published 3 months ago by PinkScrubs
If you want a quick thriller......
Another of Stephen Leather's fast paced thrillers. The Best Seller launches into action from the first chapter at many knots an hour, twisting and turning to maintain pace. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Julia C MacDonald
Absolute drivel
Fell hook line and sinker for the positive reviews submitted for this rubbish. The book starts off poorly and goes downhill thereafter. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mr. Hugh M. Banford
Why are reviewers hung up on Kindle references?
I originally downloaded this book as I loved (but sorry Stephen - haven't reviewed!)Once Bitten and Dreamers Cat and was interested to read his take on a murder mystery. Read more
Published 4 months ago by J. Smith
Disappointing End
Well, it was cheap and cheerful and very lightweight; perfect reading for when you're confined indoors with a rotten cold. I can't think of any other reason to read it. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Yellerbelly
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