The puppet show - Patrick Redmond

Michael Turner is about to make a big mistake. Having struggled for years to escape the demons of his childhood - an orphan lost in a maze of institutions and foster homes - he is finally happy. Now in his early twenties, he has a loving fiance and is taking the first steps in a promising legal career. And then he meets Max.

The father figure that Michael has always craved, Max strides into Michael's life, realising all the childhood dreams that have lain dormant for so many years. But dreams come with a price. Despite his supportive exterior, Max is plagued by his own demons and is a violently skilled manipulator when it comes to getting exactly what he wants from everyone around him. As Michael's fears and vulnerabilities begin to push everyone else away, Max sets to work . . .

A taut, sophisticated and engrossing thriller that will have you turning pages furiously into the night.