LONGLISTED FOR THE PEN/FAULKNER AWARD

''Dripping with menace ... brilliantly written ... compelling, shocking and beautiful'' Liz Nugent

''Brilliant ... highly recommended'' Sunday Times

An unsettling and emotional riveting thriller about fathers and sons, revenge and forgiveness and ghosts from our past. A book not to read alone in the dark...

When single father Todd Nasca is spotted on the beach by an old enemy - his high school bully Jack Gates - he is prepared for a tense encounter. But Jack, who hasn’t seen Todd in fifteen years, is radiant, and overjoyed to have run into him. Jack suggests a meal to catch up. And by the way, Jack wonders, could he spend the night?

Caught off guard by this chance interaction, Todd finds himself unable to escape Jack’s charismatic and insistent presence in his home. One night turns into days; and as Jack begins to deepen his relationship with Todd’s son, fear starts to set in. What is Jack up to?

What follows is a fast-paced story of obsession and violence, showing that love and hate can be intertwined until the very last breath...

''Habib''s debut novel is a bleak, dark adrenaline rush'' Clive Barker