Martin Amis

A writer cannot seriously damage a rival. This is the conclusion reached by Richard Tull, failed novelist, when he contemplates the success of his best friend - and worst enemy - Gwyn Barry. A scathing review, a scurrilous profile? No, Richard is obliged to look elsewhere. And, finally, he finds what he is looking for: a true professional - someone who will hurt people in exchange for cash. X rated, contains graphic violence.

His most intimate and epic work to date, Inside Story is the portrait of Martin Amis' extraordinary life, as a man and a writer. This novel had its birth in a death - that of the author's closest friend, Christopher Hitchens. We also encounter the vibrant characters who have helped define Martin Amis, from his father Kingsley, to his hero Saul Bellow, from Philip Larkin to Iris Murdoch and Elizabeth Jane Howard, and to the person who captivated his twenties, the alluringly amoral Phoebe Phelps.

What begins as a thrilling tale of romantic entanglements, family and friendship, evolves into a tender, witty exploration of the hardest questions: how to live, how to grieve, and how to die? In his search for answers, Amis surveys the great horrors of the twentieth century, and the still unfolding impact of the 9/11 attacks on the twenty-first - and shares all he has learned on how to write. The result is one of Amis' greatest achievements: a love letter to life that is at once exuberant, meditative, heartbreaking and ebullient, to be savoured and cherished for many years to come.

Lionel Asbo - a very violent but not very successful young criminal - is going about his morning duties in a London prison when he learns that he has just won a fortune on the National Lottery. This is not necessarily good news for his ward and nephew, the orphaned Des Pepperdine, who still has reason to fear his uncle's implacable vengeance.

This is the story of John Self, consumer extraordinaire. Rolling around New York and London, he makes deals, spends wildly and does reckless movie-world business, while grabbing everything he can to sate his massive appetites: alcohol, tobacco, pills, pornography, a mountain of junk food and more. Ceaselessly inventive and thrillingly savage, this is a tale of life lived without restraint; of money, the terrible things it can do and the disasters it can precipitate.

There was an old story about a king who asked his favourite wizard to create a magic mirror. This mirror didn't show your reflection. Instead, it showed your soul - it showed who you really were, but the king couldn't look into the mirror without turning away. What happens when we discover who we really are? And how do we come to terms with it?