Stag Hunt [Paperback]

'This explosively impressive first novel carries echoes of Agatha Christie, William Golding, PG Wodehouse and MR James - among others. All of it is wrapped up in a thoroughly modern, irresistibly readable narrative, propelled by a central character who is considerably more likeable than he himself believes. I loved it and can't wait fo McGowan's next.' Morning Star 'McGowan is a talent well worth following and STAG HUNT is a perfect place to begin.' -- Hampstead & Highgate Express 'A cleverly constructed tingler that will make readers want to keep the light on when they go to bed.' Scotsman 'McGowan's book is simultaneously original and traditional, with stylistic borrowings from writers as diverse as Simon Raven and Martin Amis, and enough energy and enthusiasm to keep a busy, often quite nasty plot on the boil. Once you've stepped on board you're there till the end of the ride.' - Literary Review 'McGowan's debut packs a vicious punch, turning his characters inside out en route to a finely crafted finale.' - Good Book Guide on STAG HUNT 'Articulate on the friction of class, the bonds of friendship and the power of hatred. The suspense is tantalising...an accomplished and thoughtful debut.' - Manchester Evening News

‘McGowan is a talent well worth following and STAG HUNT is a perfect place to begin.’

'McGowan’s debut packs a vicious punch, turning his characters inside out en route to a finely crafted finale.'

'McGowan's book is simultaneously original and traditional...once you've stepped on board you're there till the end of the ride.'

'A cleverly constructed tingler that will make readers want to keep the light on when they go to bed.'

The smiling one; the one who hurt; the shy one; the one who cried; the one who kissed. That is how he remembers the gang of boys who tormented him when he was a child. Now twenty years have passed and it is time to make them pay. But into the finely wrought net stumbles one man who had nothing to do with the nastiness in that minor public school. Matthew Moriarty carries demons of his own, but when Dominic Chance invites him along to a stag weekend in a remote country house, lost on a fold of the country beyond the reach of mobile telephones, he could never imagine the horror that awaits. Or the beauty.

Anthony McGowan was born in Manchester in 1965. He has worked as a nightclub bouncer, Open University philosophy tutor, journalist and civil servant. He is married to the fashion designer and novelist Rebecca Campbell, and has two children.