Saraband to publish the latest novel by double Booker-listed Graeme Macrae Burnet
Posted on March 7, 2024
Saraband to publish the latest novel by double Booker-listed Graeme Macrae Burnet: A Case of Matricide – clever, original, moving and guaranteed to intrigue
Saraband is set to publish the fifth novel by Graeme Macrae Burnet on 3rd October. A work of emotional depth and profound insight, in the author’s trademark playful metafictional style, A Case of Matricide revisits the world of Burnet’s Chief Inspector Gorski. Sara Hunt has acquired UK and Commonwealth (ex Canada) rights from Isobel Dixon at Blake Friedmann.
In the unremarkable French town of Saint-Louis, a mysterious stranger stalks the streets; an elderly woman believes her son is planning to do away with her; a prominent manufacturer drops dead. Between visits to the town’s hostelries, Chief Inspector Georges Gorski ponders the connections, if any, between these events, while all the time grappling with his own domestic and existential demons.
Graeme Macrae Burnet once again pierces the respectable bourgeois façade of small-town life in this, the concluding part of his trilogy of Gorski novels. He injects a wry humour into the tiniest of details and delves into the darkest recesses of his characters’ minds, but above all provides an entertaining, page-turning and entirely satisfying read.
Publisher at Saraband, Sara Hunt says, “I was confident I’d enjoy reading Graeme’s latest manuscript, but nothing prepared me for the range and depth of emotion it evoked. A Case of Matricide is insightful, clever, brilliantly original and funny, succeeding in simultaneously providing a fantastic standalone read and an ingenious tying up of the Gorski trilogy. But it’s also profound and in places desperately sad. It deserves its place alongside the classics of existentialist literature.”
Isobel Dixon says, “I read The Disappearance of Adèle Bedeau and The Accident on the A35 in quick succession and with relish some years ago, and ever since I’ve been eager to see what Inspector Gorski does next. With A Case of Matricide I found myself, gripped, surprised and moved. I’ve been a bit haunted since I reached the last page, and am so glad readers around the world will be able to appreciate Graeme’s artistry and the allure of the complete trilogy soon – but new readers can also dive straight in.”
Graeme Macrae Burnet added, “It’s a moment of huge satisfaction to bring the Georges Gorski trilogy to a conclusion with A Case of Matricide. I hope readers will enjoy this final sojourn in the streets and bars of Saint-Louis as much as I have. I’m also delighted to be working once again with Saraband Books who have seen this ten-year project through from its inception with exceptional care and sensitivity. Au revoir, Saint-Louis.”
About the author
Graeme Macrae Burnet is one of the UK’s brightest literary talents. His second novel, His Bloody Project, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2016, won the Saltire Society Fiction Book of the Year Award 2016, and was shortlisted for the LA Times Book Awards 2017. It has been published around the world and achieved bestseller status in many countries. His fourth novel, Case Study, was longlisted for the Booker Prize 2022 and was included in the New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2022. The two previous novels in Graeme’s Gorski trilogy have also received widespread critical praise and have become cult-like classics in several countries for their multilayered references and metafictional elements. A Case of Matricide is his fifth novel and completes the set. Graeme lives and works in Glasgow.
Praise for the author’s previous novels:
“A classy detective story and a stylish meditation on agency and existence. If Roland Barthes had written a detective novel, then this would be it.” Literary Review
“A page-turning blast, funny, sinister and perfectly plotted … Rarely has being constantly wrong- footed been so much fun.” The Times
“Burnet captures his characters’ voices so brilliantly that what might have been just an intellectual game feels burstingly alive and engaging.” Telegraph
“Compelling … I was hooked like a fish.” Spectator
“Sinister and cleverly done.” Daily Mail
“A riveting psychological plot … tortuous, cunning … clever.” Times Literary Supplement
“Ingenious … a mystery wrapped in a riddle with as many questions as answers.” Sunday Times
“Brilliantly depicted … intriguing … compulsive reading.” Irish Times
“A novel of mind-bending brilliance.” Hannah Kent
Press contact: Sara Hunt [email protected] / Rebecca Mortimer [email protected]
