{"product_id":"gentlemen-and-players-a-novel-isbn-9780060559144","title":"Gentlemen and Players: A Novel","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe New York Times bestselling author takes a riveting new direction with this richly textured, multi-layered novel of friendship, murder, revenge, and class conflict set in an upper-crust English school—as enthralling and haunting as Ian McKewan’s Atonement and Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAudere, agere, auferre.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo dare, to strive, to conquer.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor generations, elite young men have attended St. Oswald’s School for Boys, groomed for success by the likes of Roy Straitley, the eccentric classics teacher who has been a revered fixture for more than 30 years. But this year, things are different. Suits, paperwork, and Information Technology rule the world, and Straitley is reluctantly contemplating retirement. He is joined in this, his 99th, term by five new faculty members, including one who—unknown to Straitley and everyone else—holds intimate and dangerous knowledge of St. Ozzie’s ways and secrets, it’s comforts and conceits. Harboring dark ties to the school’s past, this young teacher has arrived with one terrible goal: Destroy St. Oswald’s. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\tAs the new term gets underway, a number of incidents befall students and faculty alike. Beginning as small annoyances—a lost pen, a misplaced coffee mug—they soon escalate to the life threatening. With the school unraveling, only Straitley stands in the way of St. Ozzie’s ruin. But the old man faces a formidable opponent—a master player with a strategy that has been meticulously planned to the final move.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\tA harrowing tale of cat and mouse told in alternating voices, this riveting, hypnotically atmospheric novel showcases Joanne Harris’s astonishing storytelling talent as never before.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003ccenter\u003eAudere, agere, auferre.\u003cbr\u003eTo dare, to strive, to conquer.\u003c\/center\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor generations, privileged young men have attended St. Oswald's Grammar School for Boys, groomed for success by the likes of Roy Straitley, the eccentric Classics teacher who has been a fixture there for more than thirty years. But this year the wind of unwelcome change is blowing. Suits, paperwork, and information technology are beginning to overshadow St. Oswald's tradition, and Straitley is finally, and reluctantly, contemplating retirement. He is joined this term by five new faculty members, including one who -- unbeknownst to Straitley and everyone else -- holds intimate and dangerous knowledge of St. Oswald's ways and secrets. Harboring dark ties to the school's past, this young teacher has arrived with one terrible goal: \u003cem\u003eto destroy St. Oswald's\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs the new term gets under way, a number of incidents befall students and faculty alike. Beginning as small annoyances -- a lost pen, a misplaced coffee mug -- they are initially overlooked. But as the incidents escalate in both number and consequence, it soon becomes apparent that a darker undercurrent is stirring within the school. With St. Oswald's unraveling, only Straitley stands in the way of its ruin. The veteran teacher faces a formidable opponent, however -- a master player with a bitter grudge and a strategy that has been meticulously planned to the final move, a secret game with very real, very deadly consequences.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA harrowing tale of cat and mouse, this riveting, hypnotically atmospheric novel showcases \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling author Joanne Harris's astonishing storytelling talent as never before.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e“The gold standard for this year’s best mystery...[GENTLEMEN AND PLAYERS] left me breathless...a delightful read.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSalon.com\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“With Gentlemen \u0026amp; Players Harris has tapped an unsuspected talent for writing sophisticated, absorbing suspense.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDaily News\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A dark, intense chiller that evokes comparisons with Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley. . . . Don’t start this one late in the evening, unless you plan to stay up all night. It’s that gripping.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSeattle Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[A] masterful literary thriller.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFort Myers (Fla.) News-Press\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[A] clever story of obsession and revenge . . . .[Harris] has scored another success.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDaily Telegraph (London)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Very good indeed.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBookseller (London)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Riveting . . . The checkmate is a bold stroke -- so audacious as to send readers, including this one, backtracking.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHouston Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[An] enjoyable mystery romp.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSunday Times (London)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Don’t start this one late in the evening, unless you plan to stay up all night.  It’s that gripping.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSeattle Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Irresistible . . . Constantly surprising and wickedly fun.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWashington Post Book World\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Even the talented Mr. Ripley would find himself outclassed by the twists and turns Harris serves up here.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWashington Post Book World\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[A] tense, perspective-shifting narrative ... [A] page-turning climax that ... avoids the easy out of a tidy ending.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTampa Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“One of those rare books that grips and holds you . . . [B]oth socially important and vastly entertaining.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eChicago Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“With GENTLEMEN \u0026amp; PLAYERS Harris has tapped an unsuspected talent for writing sophisticated, absorbing suspense.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDaily News\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Perfect escapist reading for deep winter.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHartford Courant\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A complex, well-crafted murder mystery, with its author’s trademark blend of wit, wisdom and magic.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTime Out London\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[Harris] turns to the literary thriller, with stunning results . . .  This is one hypnotic page-turner.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[A] disturbing yet strangely rewarding morality tale . . . Not every chess game ends with a checkmate.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Best of all is a dazzling climactic twist . . . . its last move is a winner.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A cunning, high-brow cat-and-mouse tale ... [W]ill keep even the sharpest readers off-guard.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFlorida Times-Union\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Harris pulls it all off . . . Book groups of the world, watch out.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Far darker than Chocolat author Harris’s previous books, this canny page-turner comes with a satisfying twist.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMail on Sunday\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A literary gobstopper with an aniseed heart.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eIndependent\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[A] gripping psychological thriller. . . . [Harris] cleverly keeps the reader guessing till the very last chapter. - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eExpress\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Fun with a neat twist ... it’s a bit like A.J. Wentworth squaring up to the talented Mr. Ripley.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Independent\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A strong psychological mystery.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTimes Educational Supplement\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"William Morrow","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44890527596773,"sku":"NP9780060559144","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780060559144.jpg?v=1730233498","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/gentlemen-and-players-a-novel-isbn-9780060559144","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}