• The eagerly awaited first novel from the author of Several Deceptions
• About the Author

"A tantalizing mystery . . . an evocative and witty romp through modern London." — Library Journal

"Picture English fiction without A. S. Byatt, Beryl Bainbridge, Hilary Mantel, or the late, great Penelope Fitzgerald among its ranks, and it immediately loses half its brainy fizz. To this estimable crowd, the name of Jane Stevenson should be added." — Michael Upchurch, Seattle Times

Jane Stevenson's dazzling novella collection, Several Deceptions, was one of the great discoveries of 2000, acclaimed for its wit and intelligence. With the publication of her debut novel, London Bridges (Houghton Mifflin, September), Stevenson once again offers readers a wonderfully entertaining blend of humor, history, and intrigue, this time set against the colorful backdrop of contemporary London.

Edward Lupset, a down-at-the-heels young lawyer, has discovered what he thinks could be treasure — the spoils of a long-forgotten Greek church in Southwark destroyed in the Blitz. The only thing standing in the way of his claiming the riches is the surviving trustee of the church, Vassili Eugenides, an elderly recluse. Together with a fiendish Greek lawyer, also eager to get her hands on the treasure, he devises a plan to get the old man out of the way — a plan that goes awry and leads to murder.

Meanwhile, across town in Bloomsbury, a flamboyant gay classicist named Sebastian Raphael has discovered the existence of an ancient homoerotic poem that he thinks might revive his flagging career. The only surviving copy is in the possession of Eugenides. Dilip Dhesi, a young lawyer who practices with Lupset and embodies — out of today's headlines — struggles of race and class in contemporary Britain, is drawn into Edward's web. Jeanene Malone, soon to be romantically involved with Dilip, is a recent Australian transplant whose job at a pharmacy leads to her involvement in the sinister goings-on.

Written in the style of classic English detective writers such as Dorothy Sayers and Margery Allingham, London Bridges is a lively romp through the nooks and crannies of a great city. With Stevenson as our guide, we visit gay pubs in Mayfair and law offices in Holborn, townhouses in Highgate and flower markets in Hackney, all the while drawn closer to the inevitable confrontation between the ragtag group of friends and Edward and his evil cohorts.

Lighthearted and cleverly plotted, London Bridges is "urbanely witty and evocative of place" (London Sunday Telegraph), mixing mystery, satire, and keen social observation in Stevenson's signature blend of brilliant storytelling.

Jane Stevenson was born in 1959 in London and brought up in London, Beijing, and Bonn. She teaches English and comparative literature and translation studies at the University of Aberdeen and lives with her husband in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Her collection of four novellas, Several Deceptions, was published to great acclaim in 2000. London Bridges is her first novel. She is currently at work on a historical trilogy; Houghton Mifflin will publish the first volume, Astraea, in 2002.