Bruised Fruit

Not content as a child with frying his pet mice, boiling his sisters goldfish, pulling the heads off fledglings or docking innocent dogs tails, the elegant, sophisticated grownup Jeremy Spiers sees himself bound for even greater - and more sinister - amusements. Flirtatious dalliances between the likes of Franchot Tone Seaton, a black artist on a meteoric rise to international acclaim all thanks to the Svengali-like Jeremy; the formation of Spiers-Seaton Fine Arts (set in a revamped undertakers premises), and the artists so-called doppelgänger the complex Sybil, Jeremys Auntie Mame-like uncle, all lead to twists and turns of increasing complexity. Enter the mysterious Mary Magdalene, the do badder Howie, his loutish colleague Nev the Rev, the dapper but devious art critic Giles and the darkest Comedy of Terrors ensues. From the glamorous galleries of London, Paris and New York to an unexpected cremation in the Australian outback there is no holding Jeremy and his hell-bent ambitions, both predatory and businesswise. Throughout the fast moving pages Jeremy strives to ensure nothing is ever truly past its sell by date, his attitude at times becoming an even more chilling one.