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The Pursued
The Pursued
Apr 30, 2025 7:52 PM

Author:C.S. Forester

The Pursued

Described as a 'riveting read' by Sarah Waters and acclaimed by crime writers such as Andrew Taylor, The Pursued is a dark, gripping 1930s psychological thriller by C. S. Forester, the author of Hornblower.

The story begins when Marjorie, a young woman, arrives home one summer evening and finds her sister, dead, with her head in the oven. She looks peaceful, as if she is asleep. Their mother suspects, however, that Dot's death was far from natural - and that she knows who the killer is. So, slowly and meticulously, she plots her terrible revenge.

C. S. Forester's 1935 thriller The Pursued, lost for decades, rewrote the traditions of crime fiction to create a dark, twisted portrayal of obsession and retribution.

Reviews

C. S. Forester is a splendid storyteller

—— Guardian

I recommend Forester to every literate I know

—— Ernest Hemingway

The Pursued is a wonderful, almost miraculous discovery: a hitherto unknown crime novel by an author who is the unsung godfather of English noir

—— Andrew Taylor

Forester has a great eye and a subtle understanding of the dangerous passions lurking just beneath the surface of everyday life. A riveting read.

—— Sarah Waters

a tale of very English murder, it foreshadows the unease of metropolitan life in its near-contemporaries, George Orwell's Coming Up for Air, Patrick Hamilton's Hangover Square and Graham Greene's Brighton Rock

—— Adrian Turpin , Financial Times

A brilliant tale of twisted minds in suburban Thirties London

—— Daily Telegraph

Skilful and chilling ... a tense psychological drama

—— Sunday Times

Murder, lust, obsession, retribution, they're all here

—— Daily Mail

Exposes the passions that lurk behind the net curtains of lower-middle-class suburbia ... teeming with atmosphere

—— The Times

Fast-paced thriller

—— Big Issue in the North

Truly deserves the description "a real page-turner"

—— ROBERT GODDARD

A deservedly acclaimed read.

—— Time Out London

A fascinating, funny and memorable read

—— Melvin Burgess , Guardian

The clash between Christopher's view of the world and the way it looks to the rest of us makes this an extraordinarily moving, often blackly funny read. It is hard to think of anyone who would not be moved and delighted by this book, so the decision to publish it simultaneously for older children and adults is certainly well-founded

—— Financial Times

A wonderful first person narrative of a boy with Asperger's Syndrome; funny, sad and extraordinarily original

—— Guardian

I'm all for hearing different voices in fiction and I got my wish with this book. The story showed just how someone with Asperger's might view the world. Christopher finds a dead dog and sets about trying to find the dog's killer, but the book is much more than a mystery story... I loved the way Christopher tries to bring order to his world by using Maths which he finds far easier to understand than people

—— Malorie Blackman , Books for Keeps

So genuine...It is chillingly heartbreaking and passionately positive in equal measure

—— Julia Eccleshare , Books for Keeps

So what makes these different to any other set of classics? In a moment of inspiration Random House had the bright idea of actually asking Key stage 2 children what extra ingredients they could add to make children want to read. And does it work? Well, put it this way...my 13-year-old daughter announced that she had to read a book over the summer holiday and, without any prompting, spotted The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas...and proceeded to read it! Now, if you knew my 13-year-old daughter, you would realise that this is quite remarkable. She reads texts, blogs and tags by the thousand - but this is the first book she has read since going to high school, so all hail Vintage Classics!

—— National Association for the Teaching of English
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