{"title":"Malcolm Knox","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMalcolm Knox\u003c\/strong\u003e crafts compelling narratives that explore the depths of human nature through intricately plotted stories. His works often blur the lines between \u003cem\u003egeneral fiction\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003ethriller\u003c\/em\u003e, combining literary finesse with suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat tension.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders can expect richly drawn characters and thought-provoking themes woven into tales that balance emotional insight with gripping intrigue. Whether unraveling complex relationships or delving into dark secrets, Knox’s books invite reflection as much as page-turning excitement.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"bluebird-by-malcolm-knox-9781760877422","title":"Bluebird","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA house perched impossibly on a cliff overlooking the stunning, iconic Bluebird Beach. Prime real estate, yet somehow not real estate at all, The Lodge is, like those who live in it, falling apart.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eGordon Grimes has become the accidental keeper of this last relic of an endangered world. He lives in The Lodge with his wife Kelly, who is trying to leave him; their son Ben, who will do anything to save him; his goddaughter Lou, who is hiding from her own troubles; and Leonie, the family matriarch who has trapped them here for their own good.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut Gordon has no money and is running out of time to conserve his homeland. His love for this way of life will drive him and everyone around him to increasingly desperate risks. In the end, what will it cost them to hang onto their past?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAcclaimed writer Malcolm Knox has written a classic Australian novel about the myths that come to define families and communities and the lies that uphold them. It's about a certain kind of Australia that we all recognise and a certain kind of Australian whose currency is running out. Change is coming to Bluebird, whether they like it or not. And the secrets they've been keeping and the lies they've been telling can't save them now.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSavage, funny, revelatory and brilliant, \u003cem\u003eBluebird\u003c\/em\u003e exposes the hollowness of the stories told to glorify a dying culture and shows how those who seek to preserve these myths end up being crushed by them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46543136653548,"sku":"9781760877422","price":35.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/26161163482814.jpg?v=1749735122"},{"product_id":"bluebird-by-malcolm-knox-9781761066429","title":"Bluebird","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA house perched impossibly on a cliff overlooking the stunning, iconic Bluebird Beach. Prime real estate, yet somehow not real estate at all, The Lodge is, like those who live in it, falling apart.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eGordon Grimes has become the accidental keeper of this last relic of an endangered world. He lives in The Lodge with his wife Kelly, who is trying to leave him, their son Ben, who will do anything to save him, his goddaughter Lou, who is hiding from her own troubles, and Leonie, the family matriarch who has trapped them here for their own good.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut Gordon has no money and is running out of time to conserve his homeland. His love for this way of life will drive him, and everyone around him, to increasingly desperate risks. In the end, what will it cost them to hang onto their past? The secrets they've been keeping and the lies they've been telling can't save them now.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSavage, funny, revelatory and brilliant, \u003ci\u003eBluebird\u003c\/i\u003e exposes the hollowness of the stories told to glorify a dying culture and shows how those who seek to preserve these myths end up being crushed by them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'An iconically Aussie story, with characters we all relate to. Warmth, sadness, love, loss ... it's all there. Just brilliant!' Adam Gilchrist, former Test cricketer and beach-goer\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eBluebird\u003c\/i\u003e is engrossing: a sharp-witted and exact satire about our contemporary world and our contemporary families ... Malcolm Knox's writing now has such confidence and clarity that he is exhilarating to read. He's a maestro, and I didn't want \u003ci\u003eBluebird\u003c\/i\u003e to end.' Christos Tsiolkas, author of \u003ci\u003eDamascus\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Slap\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'If Winton is an aria, Knox is early Rolling Stones.' \u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46543139864812,"sku":"9781761066429","price":29.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/28051233482814.jpg?v=1749735228"},{"product_id":"the-wonder-lover-by-malcolm-knox-9781760293222","title":"The Wonder Lover","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSome books read as if they are touched by magic, so wondrous and astonishing is the experience of immersing yourself in them. That's how I feel about\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eThe Wonder Lover\u003c\/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eIt is written with confidence and daring, with a joyous freedom and a love for story and language that is only possible when an artist has truly mastered their craft. It is a compulsive and thrilling read, a dazzling achievement. There is a word that should be used very rarely but I believe is absolutely right for this book:\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eThe Wonder Lover\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eis superb\u003c\/em\u003e. — CHRISTOS TSIOLKAS, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Slap\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the story of John Wonder, a man with three families, each one kept secret from the other, each one containing two children, a boy and a girl. As he travels from family to family in different cities, he works as an Authenticator, verifying world records, confirming facts, setting things straight, while his own life is a teetering tower of breathtaking lies and betrayals.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Wonder Lover\u003c\/em\u003e is a stunning novel that again and magnificently confirms Malcolm Knox as one of our brightest stars, an imaginative tour de force that ranks alongside the best work of Nabokov, Amis, Ireland and Carey. \u003cem\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/em\u003e famously wrote of Malcolm, 'If Winton is an aria, Knox is early Rolling Stones', but this time around he's got the orchestra along as well and every single note rings deep and rich and true. This bedtime story told by children to adults is jaw-droppingly original, breathtakingly audacious and fearlessly accomplished.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'... a dazzling achievement ... \u003cem\u003eThe Wonder Lover\u003c\/em\u003e is superb.' — \u003cstrong\u003eChristos Tsiolkas\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'... a jewelled puzzle box ... by some distance his most complex novel to date.' — \u003cstrong\u003eGeorgie Williamson, \u003cem\u003eThe Australian\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'...an original, energetic work of art'. — \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Saturday Paper\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'...few authors have such a sharp eye - or stylish pen - for the secret lives of men.' — \u003cstrong\u003eJennifer Byrne, \u003cem\u003eAustralian Women's Weekly\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46846722572524,"sku":"9781760293222","price":32.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/20319163482814.jpg?v=1758919482"},{"product_id":"the-life-by-malcolm-knox-9781743310779","title":"The Life","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"He looked into the Pacific and the Pacific looked back into him.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Life\u003c\/i\u003e tells the story of former world champion Australian surfer Dennis Keith, from inside the very heart of the fame and madness that is 'The Life'. Now bloated and paranoid, Keith is holed up in his mother's retirement village, shuffling to the shop for a Pine-Lime Splice every day, barely existing behind his aviator sunglasses and crazy OCD rules, and trying not to think about the waves he'd made his own and the breaks he once ruled like a god.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eYears before, he'd been robbed of the world title that had his name on it—and then drugs, his brother, and the disappearance and murder of his girlfriend had done the rest. Out of the blue, a young would-be biographer comes knocking and stirs up memories Dennis thought he'd buried. It takes Dennis a while to realise that she's not there to write his story at all.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDaring, ambitious, dazzling, \u003ci\u003eThe Life\u003c\/i\u003e is also as real as it gets—a searing, beautiful novel about fame and ambition and the price that must sometimes be paid for reaching too high.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46998725132524,"sku":"9781743310779","price":36.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/19009473482808.jpg?v=1763228335"},{"product_id":"the-first-friend-by-malcolm-knox-9781761470431","title":"The First Friend","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eShortlisted for the ARA Historical Novel Prize\u003c\/b\u003e  \n\u003cb\u003eLonglisted for the 2025 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction\u003c\/b\u003e  \n\n\u003cb\u003eCrackling with energy, irony, wit and terror, \u003ci\u003eThe First Friend\u003c\/i\u003e is a timely and cautionary reminder of the stifling, murderous logic of strong man politics.\" - Tim Winton\u003c\/b\u003e  \n\n\u003cb\u003eRazor-sharp, wildly imaginative, bold, brilliant and often as dark as the inside of a coffin. Another triumph from a truly extraordinary writer. - Trent Dalton\u003c\/b\u003e  \n\n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe First Friend\u003c\/i\u003e is not just a cracking read, it's a masterclass in Machiavellian manoeuvres. This is a magnificent piece of gallows humour, bitingly funny and horrifyingly grim at the same time. - Kate McClymont\u003c\/b\u003e  \n\n\u003cb\u003eBleak, intelligent and fearsomely well-researched - I kept telling myself I shouldn't laugh, but couldn't help it. - Michael Robotham\u003c\/b\u003e  \n\n\u003cb\u003eShocking, distressing and, yes, discomfortingly hilarious, \u003ci\u003eThe First Friend\u003c\/i\u003e rocks and rolls through the paranoia, and the maniacal and murderous egomania, in the aftermath of the Great Terror. It is nothing less than Amisian in ambition and achievement. - Paul Daley\u003c\/b\u003e  \n\n\u003cb\u003eA witty, absorbing and at times disturbing depiction of the banalities of horror. We know what's coming but can't turn away. Malcolm Knox has hit on a great idea and delivered a wonderful book: A gripping black comedy that is both a reflection on the past and a warning for the future. - Michael Brissenden\u003c\/b\u003e  \n\nEven the worst person has a best friend.  \n\nA chilling black comedy, \u003cem\u003eThe First Friend\u003c\/em\u003e imagines a gangster mob in charge of a global superpower.  \n\nThe Soviet Union 1938: Lavrentiy Beria, 'The Boss' of the Georgian republic, nervously prepares a Black Sea resort for a visit from 'The Boss of Bosses', his fellow Georgian Josef Stalin. Under escalating pressure from enemies and allies alike, Beria slowly but surely descends into murderous paranoia.  \n\nBy his side is Vasil Murtov, Beria's closest friend since childhood. But to be a witness is dangerous; Murtov must protect his family and play his own game of survival while remaining outwardly loyal to an increasingly unstable Beria. The tension ramps up as Stalin's visit and the inevitable bloodbath approaches. Is Murtov playing Beria, or is he being played?  \n\n\u003cem\u003eThe First Friend\u003c\/em\u003e is a novel in a time of autocrats, where reality is a fiction created by those who rule. Reflecting on Putin's Russia, Trump's America, Xi's China and Murdoch's planet Earth, it is at once a satire and a thriller, a survivor's tale in which a father has to walk a tightrope every day to save his family from a monster and a monstrous society. Where safety lies in following official fictions, is a truthful life the ultimate risk?  \n\n\u003cb\u003eSydney-based Knox is a writer who is unafraid to dip his toe in uncharted waters. This historical tragicomedy about the inevitability, relentlessness and banality of evil is one of his best books yet. - Stephen Romei, \u003ci\u003eThe Australian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47072730743020,"sku":"9781761470431","price":37.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/4005463482815.jpg?v=1765128322"},{"product_id":"the-second-child-by-malcolm-knox-9781761472206","title":"The Second Child","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKnox at his most ambitious, scathing, hilarious best. CHARLOTTE WOOD\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eYou can't choose your family, but you can choose your enemies.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e1945: It's the dying days of the war. A triumphant Josef Stalin has the world's future in his hands, but leading up to the Potsdam peace conference he is restless and paranoid, increasingly suspicious that his ambitious security overlord Lavrentiy Beria is plotting against him.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBeria has a secret weapon, his best friend's daughter. A patriot and devotee of Papa Stalin, Melor Murtova has returned from a two-year exile to become Beria's adopted daughter, and his eyes and ears among the nepo babies of the Kremlin.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn this palace of intrigue and deception, Melor must play a dangerous game, outwitting treacherous power plays and the capricious whims of her frenemies, while conducting a secret mission of her own: to find out who murdered her parents before her time runs out.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAgainst a backdrop of international politics, spying and the true-history intrigue of the closing days of World War Two, \u003cem\u003eThe Second Child\u003c\/em\u003e is a chilling black comedy about survival in the court of madmen.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Second Child\u003c\/em\u003e is fast-paced, resolutely playful and resolutely serious. That Knox can create such sparkling black comedy from one of the most morally compromised moments of the tragic twentieth century speaks volumes of his terrific talents and instincts as a writer. CHRISTOS TSIOLKAS\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Second Child\u003c\/em\u003e takes us on a forensically researched, rollicking, deeply sinister and, yes, side-splitting journey through the treachery, paranoia, madness and shameless nepotism of Stalin's post-war court. LOL-ing at authoritarianism never felt quite so good or timely. PAUL DALEY\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUnsettling, intelligent, and exacting. Tender in its attention to the ways we love, and brutal in its portrayal of the damage we do to one another. It's as unsettling as it is intelligent—and impossible to put down until you get to the end. SHANKARI CHANDRAN\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrighteningly funny, darkly moving and riveting from the start. This is a story of their time, but also of ours. RICHARD GLOVER\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMalcolm Knox follows the spectacular \u003cem\u003eThe First Friend\u003c\/em\u003e with a thrilling sequel in \u003cem\u003eThe Second Child\u003c\/em\u003e—a gripping, thoroughly contemporary satire of postwar Kremlin offspring and their sadistic strongman dads. Holding up a dark mirror to our own collapsing democracies, \u003cem\u003eThe Second Child\u003c\/em\u003e glitters with intrigue and vicious wit. This is Knox at his most ambitious, scathing, hilarious best. CHARLOTTE WOOD\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48126636196076,"sku":"9781761472206","price":37.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781761472206-the-second-child.jpg?v=1785973118"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/malcolm-knox.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}