Felix in the Underworld - Hardcover

Be careful what you wish for--it just might come true. John Mortimer, author of more than 20 Rumpole of the Bailey books, introduces us to novelist Felix Morsom. Known as the "Chekhov of Coldsands-on-Sea," Morsom leads a very sedate and predictable life, writing genteel little novels about the middle class. His wife left him for a Welsh college professor but returned after she developed a terminal illness. His days of writing are interrupted by the occasional book tour, rather dull and unpleasant affairs where nothing really happens. Morsom longs for a little drama in his life, just a touch of spice to keep thing interesting. His wish comes true in spades when he is confronted by a blackmailer waiting in the autograph line, wielding a paternity suit. To top it off, he suddenly finds himself the prime suspect in a rather brutal murder. John Mortimer is a master of ingenious plot twists, and he leaves plenty of red herrings for us in this hilarious and clever novel.

John Mortimer is a playwright, novelist, and former practicing barrister who has written many film scripts as well as stage, radio, and television plays, the Rumpole plays, for which he received the British Academy Writer of the Year Award, and the adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited. He is the author of twelve collections of Rumpole stories and three acclaimed volumes of autobiography.