A Song of Isolation

In this breathtakingly brutal and intensely topical psychological thriller, a man is accused of child sexual abuse, and his life and that of his actress girlfriend are thrown into turmoil. Film star Amelie Hart is the darling of the silver screen, appearing on the front pages of every newspaper. But at the peak of her fame she throws it all away for a regular guy with an ordinary job. The gossip columns are aghast: what happened to the woman who turned heads wherever she went? Any hope the furor will die down are crushed when Amelie’s boyfriend Dave is arrested on charges of child sexual abuse. Dave strongly asserts his innocence, and when Amelie refuses to denounce him, the press witch hunt quickly turns into physical violence, and she has to flee the country. While Dave is locked up with the most depraved men in the country and Amelie is hiding on the continent, Damaris, the victim at the center of the story, is isolated—a child trying to make sense of an adult world. Breathtakingly brutal, dark, and immensely moving, A Song of Isolation looks beneath the magpie glimmer of celebrity to uncover a sinister world dominated by greed and lies, and the unfathomable destruction of innocent lives . . . in an instant.

"A tense, immersive thriller that kept me guessing." —Ian Rankin, author, In a House of Lies

"A beautifully written tale, original, engrossing and scary . . . a dark joy." —Times

"Malone is a massive talent . . . get on board now so you can brag you were reading his books long before the rest of the world." —Luca Veste, author, The Bone Keeper

"A complex and multi-layered story—perfect for a wintry night." —Sunday Express

"In his previous work, A Suitable Lie, Michael J. Malone surprised readers with a series of punch-in-the-gut twists and he achieves this again here." —Scotsman

"Malone is the master of twists, turns and the unexpected, with the skill to keep things grounded . . . Superb storytelling from a master of his craft." —Herald Scotland

Michael Malone is a prize-winning poet and author who was born and brought up in the heart of Burns’ country. He has published more than 200 poems in literary magazines throughout the UK, including New Writing Scotland, Poetry Scotland, and Markings. Blood Tears, his bestselling debut novel won the Pitlochry Prize from the Scottish Association of Writers. His psychological thriller, A Suitable Lie, was a number-one bestseller, and the critically acclaimed House of Spines, After He Died and In the Absence of Miracles soon followed suit. A former Regional Sales Manager (Faber & Faber) he has also worked as an IFA and a bookseller. Michael lives in Ayr.