Shadow of the Lions: A Novel
Aug 2017 · Algonquin Books
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"A literary thriller and coming-of-age story set at an elite Virginia boarding school. A promising, well-crafted debut" ( The Atlanta Journal-Constitution).
Southern Living Best Books of the Year
Publishers Weekly Best Summer Books
How long must we pay for the crimes of our youth? That is just one question Christopher Swann explores in this compulsively readable debut, a literary thriller set in the elite—and sometimes dark—environs of Blackburne, a prep school in Virginia. When Matthias Glass's best friend, Fritz, vanishes without a trace in the middle of an argument during their senior year, Matthias tries to move on with his life, only to realize that until he discovers what happened to his missing friend, he will be stuck in the past—guilty, responsible, alone.
Almost ten years after Fritz's disappearance, Matthias gets his chance. Offered a job teaching English at Blackburne, he gets swiftly drawn into the mystery. In the shadowy woods of his alma mater, he stumbles into a web of surveillance, dangerous lies, and buried secrets—and discovers the troubled underbelly of a school where the future had once always seemed bright.
"Fast-paced and full of unexpected turns, Christopher Swann's Shadow of the Lions pulls readers into the dark underworld looming beneath a prestigious boys' boarding school." —Mira Jacob, author of The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing
"Comes alive with action and intrigue." — The Wall Street Journal
"Swann's tightly knit debut novel is a moving coming-of-age story with a noir twist that will appeal to readers of John Knowles's A Separate Peace, N.H. Kleinbaum's Dead Poets Society, and Donna Tartt's The Secret History." — Library Journal (starred review)
Southern Living Best Books of the Year
Publishers Weekly Best Summer Books
How long must we pay for the crimes of our youth? That is just one question Christopher Swann explores in this compulsively readable debut, a literary thriller set in the elite—and sometimes dark—environs of Blackburne, a prep school in Virginia. When Matthias Glass's best friend, Fritz, vanishes without a trace in the middle of an argument during their senior year, Matthias tries to move on with his life, only to realize that until he discovers what happened to his missing friend, he will be stuck in the past—guilty, responsible, alone.
Almost ten years after Fritz's disappearance, Matthias gets his chance. Offered a job teaching English at Blackburne, he gets swiftly drawn into the mystery. In the shadowy woods of his alma mater, he stumbles into a web of surveillance, dangerous lies, and buried secrets—and discovers the troubled underbelly of a school where the future had once always seemed bright.
"Fast-paced and full of unexpected turns, Christopher Swann's Shadow of the Lions pulls readers into the dark underworld looming beneath a prestigious boys' boarding school." —Mira Jacob, author of The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing
"Comes alive with action and intrigue." — The Wall Street Journal
"Swann's tightly knit debut novel is a moving coming-of-age story with a noir twist that will appeal to readers of John Knowles's A Separate Peace, N.H. Kleinbaum's Dead Poets Society, and Donna Tartt's The Secret History." — Library Journal (starred review)
"A literary thriller and coming-of-age story set at an elite Virginia boarding school. A promising, well-crafted debut" ( The Atlanta Journal-Constitution).
Southern Living Best Books of the Year
Publishers Weekly Best Summer Books
How long must we pay for the crimes of our youth? That is just...
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1 review
About the author
Christopher Swann is chair of the English department at Holy Innocents' Episcopal School in Atlanta,Georgia, where he has taught English for twenty-one years. He attended Woodberry Forest School, an all-male boarding school in Virginia, for all four years of high school. He has a BA with honors from Washington and Lee University, an MA in English/creative writing from the University of Missouri Columbia, and a PhD in creative writing from Georgia State University. He now lives in Sandy Springs, Georgia, with his wife and two sons.
Christopher Swann is chair of the English department at Holy Innocents' Episcopal School in Atlanta,Georgia, where he has taught English for twenty-one years. He attended Woodberry Forest School, an all-male boarding school in Virginia, for all four years of high school. He has a BA with honors f...
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