The Violet Hour

'An enthrallingly intricate novel . . . impressive'
GUARDIAN

'There's something of F. Scott Fitzgerald about the way Cahill writes about the very rich'
DAILY MAIL

'A biting satire of the art world's glamour, pomp and greed . . . lucid and evocative'
DAILY TELEGRAPH

'I really loved The Violet Hour . . . On one level it functions as a highbrow whodunnit, and grippingly so, but it's much more than that, building into a meditation on mortality and the unreliable consolations of art, love and materialism'
PATRICK GALE, author of Mother's Boy

'A thrilling story told in seductive, shimmering prose. Beauty, money, power, seduction, betrayal. It's all here in this bewitching and all too often troubling backstage pass to the commercial art world'
CHLOË ASHBY, author of Wet Paint

'I'm overwhelmed by the beauty of James Cahill's writing and storytelling'
SANTANU BHATTACHARYA, author of Deviants

'Artists are slaves to their vanity. But in the end, in time, they see things as they really are.'

Thomas Haller has achieved the kind of fame that most artists only dream of: shows in London and New York, paintings sold for a fortune. The vision he presents to the world is one of an untouchable genius at the top of his game. It is also a lie.

Who is the real Thomas Haller? His oldest friend and former dealer, Lorna, might once have known - before Thomas traded their early intimacy for international fame. Between his ruthless new dealer and a property mogul obsessed with his work, the appetite for Thomas and his art is all-consuming.