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Dry Bones
Dry Bones
Aug 2, 2025 3:17 AM

Author:Richard Beard

Dry Bones

Jay Mason is experiencing a crisis of faith.

Disillusioned with his calling as a Deacon in the Anglican Church of Geneva, and estranged from his pregnant girlfriend, he's about to fall into the murky world of celebrity grave-robbing. His church has been bought by the shadowy antiquities dealer Joseph Moholy, who arrives to claim its most interesting asset: the toe bone of Thomas Becket. Moholy has a large collection of dubiously acquired relics and is keen to add to his collection. Jay, he decides, is the man to assist him. Jay finds that grave-robbing can be both lucrative and thrilling, however morally troubling for a man of God, and in Switzerland's cemeteries he finds a rich cast to work on: James Joyce, Richard Burton, John Calvin and Charlie Chaplin all receive his midnight attentions. But Moholy is a ruthless man whose ambitions are perilously high, and as Jay assists him in his search for the holy grail of relics, he puts himself and his loved ones in serious danger.

Reviews

Excellent-Beard is a hugely playful novelist-Dry Bones is scabrous and profane, but also very human in a good way, and probably a little bit profound too

—— Independent on Sunday

A roller-coaster philosophical journey of Stoppard-like brilliance-Combining angst and farce in equal measure, Dry Bones is a very English comedy: Graham Greene meets David Lodge

—— Glasgow Herald

One of the most ingenious, resourceful and entertaining novelists in England

—— Philip Hensher

'Beard's writing can be breathtaking'

—— Daily Telegraph

'Richard Beard's prose is dry, nonchalant and fluent'

—— Times Literary Supplement

Lashings of excitement, colour and subtlety

—— The Times

Vivid, engaging, densely plotted - are almost certainly destined to be counted among the classics of popular fiction

—— New York Times

Deliciously dark

—— TOTAL Film

Last Shot by Daniel José Older was aimed to give some additional back story to the relationship between Han and Lando, but ends up giving readers so much more’

—— Fantha Tracks

A great portrayal of both Han and Lando

—— Outer Rim Reviews

A fizzy new homage... Schott burnishes the gleam.

—— New York Times

Glorious . . . undeniably an impressive, hugely enjoyable feat of ventriloquism.

—— Christmas Books , Country Life Magazine

It is hard not to warm to this hugely entertaining homage.

—— Mail on Sunday

The cast is a delight, with many characters who will be familiar to Wodehouse aficionados . . . his prose is elegant and charming and he captures the lilt and rhythms of the original . . . a warm, worthy and rollicking tribute.

—— Literary Review

This joyous and thoughtful tribute leaves you wanting more.

—— Sophie Ratcliffe , TLS

By Jove! It's a ripping old yarn... Dashed agreeably close to the master.

—— Daily Mail

A hugely enjoyable caper

—— The Week

There are laughs and admirable ingenuity in Schott’s confection

—— Irish Times

A book that is so close in spirit and style to the PG Wodehouse originals it’s like the real thing

—— The Sport

Top-notch fun.

—— S magazine

Succeeds triumphantly, both as light entertainment and as a tribute to the master

—— Country & Town House

In his first foray into PG Wodehouse homage/imitation/pastiche (whichever it may be) Schott appeared to hit the Wodehouse target dead on.

—— RTE

Jonathan Coe's Middle England is brilliantly insightful on the times we are living in

—— Mishal Husain, Books of the Year , Big Issue

Let me add to the chorus of praise for Jonathan Coe's new book Middle England. Easily my favourite of his since What a Carve Up! Which did for Thatcherism what Middle England does for Brexit

—— John Crace

An astute, enlightened and enlightening journey into the heart of our current national identity crisis. Both moving and funny. As we'd expect from Coe

—— Ben Elton

From post-industrial Birmingham to the London riots and the current political gridlock, it takes in family, literature and love in a comedy for our times

—— Guardian

Coe can make you smile, sigh, laugh; he has abundant sympathy for his characters

—— Scotsman

This book is sublimely good. State of the (Brexit) nation novel to end them all, but also funny, tender, generous, so human and intelligent about age and love as well as politics

—— India Knight

Probably the best English novelist of his generation

—— Nick Hornby

No modern novelist is better at charting the precariousness of middle-class life

—— Observer

An angry and exuberant book

—— Sunday Times on 'Number 11'

Jonathan Coe has established himself as one of the most entertaining chroniclers of our times

—— Tatler

You can't stop reading....I was haunted for days

—— Independent on 'Number 11'
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