The Dwarves of Death

Rock ’n’ roll, murders, love, strange dreams—and even stranger reality.

This is the very Jonathan Coe we love: funny, witty, a little frightening, grotesque, with a touch of madness. A novel about music and painful youth.

William’s life is full of troubles. His rock band produces melodic songs that sound like a grotesque parody of Status Quo tunes. His mysterious lover Madeline keeps an odd inaccessibility. The band’s director is clearly more taken with mysterious crime than with musicians’ affairs. And the brilliant singer Carla doesn’t want anything to do with the poor guy. In short, William thinks his affairs are hopeless—until he becomes a witness to a terrible murder committed by strange little men. And soon, from witness, he turns into the main suspect…