The Heartbreaker

About this book

Deftly combining the sacred and the profanethe unmistakable hallmark of her fiction over the past decadeSusan Howatch gives us a spellbinding suspenseful and psychologically intense new novel. The financial heart of Londonthe Cityis an adrenaline-charged square mile deep in recession in the 1990s a place where sex is just another commodity to be bought and sold in the marketplace. And the City is where the life of Gavin Blake who sells sex to high flyers is finally about to unravel. In the center of the City is St. Benets a church that ministers to the casualties of this affluent but amoral society. Carta Graham the St. Benets fundraiser is at once attracted to Gavin when they meet through a mutual friend but slowly she realizes that she has entered a relationship far more complex than she could ever have imagined. Gavin is desperate to escape from his world of prostitution pornography and violence but as his involvement with Carta and St. Benets deepens the dangers that encircle him escalate until his life itself is on the line. Carta is determined to help himbut will their mysterious journey together be lifesaving or soul-destroying? All she can do is fight her hardest to help Gavin survive. Consistently surprising and powerfully moving The Heartbreaker is Susan Howatchs most gripping novel yet.