Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published May 2015
624 pages
Genre: Mysteries
Publication Information
Orient is an isolated town on the north fork of Long Island, its future as a historic village newly threatened by the arrival of wealthy transplants from Manhattan - many of them artists. One late summer morning, the body of a local caretaker is found in the open water; the same day, a monstrous animal corpse is found on the beach, presumed a casualty from a nearby research lab. With rumors flying, eyes turn to Mills Chevern - a tumbleweed orphan newly arrived in town from the west with no ties and a hazy history. As the deaths continue and fear in town escalates, Mills is enlisted by Beth, an Orient native in retreat from Manhattan, to help her uncover the truth. With the clock ticking, Mills and Beth struggle to find answers, faced with a killer they may not be able to outsmart.
Rich with character and incident, yet deeply suspenseful, Orient marks the emergence of a novelist of enormous talent.
"Starred Review. Skillfully written, with delightful malice aforethought." - Kirkus
"Though packed with plot, this expansive novel falls a bit flat when all's said and done." - Publishers Weekly
"After a slow start, this debut novel ramps up to a breathless, well-crafted thriller with a thoughtfully drawn setting and a believable cast of characters who work their way to a shocking ending." - Library Journal
"The quaint seaside village of Orient is not as pleasant as it seems, and Christopher Bollen will hold you spellbound as he reveals its secrets. A truly well-crafted and literate murder mystery that recalls the worlds of both P.D. James and Twin Peaks." - Nelson DeMille
"Orient is a compelling novel of tragic suspense. Bollen has a gift for tightly drawn characters and an ominous sense of place." - A. M. Homes
"Orient is a taut and elegant suspense novel about strangers and strangeness, suspicion and forgiveness, reinvention and confession." - Joshua Ferris, author of To Rise Again At A Decent Hour
"The Great Gatsby meets Donna Tartt. Suspenseful, beautifully written, and wonderfully atmospheric, Orient is that rare treat that is both a page-turner and a book you will want to savor." - Philipp Meyer
This information about Orient was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Christopher Bollen is an editor at large for Interview magazine. He is the author of the novel Lightning People, and his work has appeared in GQ, the New York Times, the Believer, and Artforum, among other publications. He lives in New York.
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