The Night Climbers

Reminiscent of Donna Tartt, a circle of friends at Cambridge form a private club that scales the university colleges by night, until one day they take their daredevil activities one step too far . . .

Lapped up The Secret History? Then this one's for you . . . Stourton can really write . . . his next move will certainly be worth watching.

An amazingly accomplished debut . . . the writing is elegant, the story decadent.

I love this book. So exhilarating, authentic and vivid. It made me want to become a Cambridge student all over again.

Stourton is a storyteller with perfect poise

Beautifully crafted...a compelling debut of youthful daring. His quietly poetic prose is charming, and there's real warmth and depth here in his explorations of friendship and guilt

Part nostalgic reverie, part taut little thriller, it makes for a promising debut

Ivo Stourton was born in 1982 and graduated from Cambridge with a double first in English. He is the son of Radio Four Today presenter Ed Stourton. He is at work on his second novel, a page-turning gothic thriller.

James, a first-year student at Cambridge, is overwhelmed by the thrill of opportunity and startled by his own hunger for friendship. He finds himself seduced by a covert and exclusive circle of friends - the 'Tudor Night Climbers' - who scale the university's turrets after dark, transforming it into a dangerous playground of spiralling heights. 
When still only a novice member of his tribe, James begins to fall for the only female in the group, the enigmatic and beautiful Jessica, and is soon at the heart of a fatal love triangle with the reckless and charismatic leader of the group, Francis. When a volatile relationship finally explodes, the Night Climbers' funding suddenly dries up, until Francis dreams up a heist that will secure them millions, but will also test their very souls. 
 
Partly inspired by the original 'Night Climbers' of the Sixties who famously made dare-devil leaps from college roofs, this passionate exploration of youth at its most vital and unstable marks the debut of a strikingly gifted new writer.

Ivo Stourton

A witty and well-observed tale of obsession and delusion, with a satirical smattering of snobbery

Artful twists and social satire enjoyably merge with cheeky literary allusions

Smart, funny, and full of literary resonance

All readers who love the book world will find stimulating amusement and argument here

He collects books: 
 
Interior designer for the rich and powerful, Matt de Voy lends his tasteful eye to the households of his wealthy female clients. He also advises on which books should adorn their shelves. His deep knowledge of literature becomes his sharpest tool of seduction. 
 
He collects women: 
 
Despite himself, Matt begins to fall in love with one of his most beautiful clients, Claudia. She is modest, clever and married. 
 
But is he a murderer? 
 
Matt's fixation on the unavailable Claudia threatens to drive him over the edge. 
 
Set at the cusp of the City of London's financial meltdown, THE BOOK LOVER'S TALE opens a door into the extravagant world of the filthy rich, the smart and the debauched. This chilling encounter between old money and new, between the real world and the imagined, is also a moving portrayal of a confused hero's battle to know himself.

The Book Lover's Tale

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Ivo Stourton

Praise for The Book Lover's Tale

A witty and well-observed tale of obsession and delusion, with a satirical smattering of snobbery

Artful twists and social satire enjoyably merge with cheeky literary allusions

Smart, funny, and full of literary resonance

A witty and well-observed tale of obsession and delusion, with a satirical smattering of snobbery

Artful twists and social satire enjoyably merge with cheeky literary allusions

Smart, funny, and full of literary resonance

A witty and well-observed tale of obsession and delusion, with a satirical smattering of snobbery

Artful twists and social satire enjoyably merge with cheeky literary allusions

Smart, funny, and full of literary resonance

Books by Ivo Stourton

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