'54

Description

The new novel by the authors of Q. Another international cult success, as extraordinary and bizarre a Cold War/Mafia thriller as that book was a historical novel. The year- 1954, the height of the Cold War. The world is divided into East and West. In Naples, mafioso Lucky Luciano and his Mafia minions are busy fixing horse-races, and overseeing the creation of the global heroin trade. In Hollywood, some members of Her Majesty's Secret Service have a dangerous mission for the supremely elegant actor Cary Grant. And in Bologna, Pierre Capponi, a lovelorn young barman, is about to embark on a painful odyssey in search of his missing father, one that will end up taking him half-way around the world. And bringing together all these strands and more is a missing television set, a McGuffin Electric, an appliance with a very special secret...

Wu Ming means 'no name' - and therefore 'anonymous' - in Mandarin Chinese. The five members of the Wu Ming Foundation live in Bologna. Writing as Luther Blissett, their first novel, Q, was longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award and shortlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize.

"Perfect holiday reading... Daft and...delicious... the Wu Ming clan have pulled off [a] coup... Their blend of outrageous burlesque and offbeat satire sparkles like a bottle of the best prosecco from a worker's-co-op vineyard...as many contented readers will notice this summer" -- Boyd Tonkin Independent "A sprawling epic... A formidable feat of imagination that moves restlessly between Bologna, Naples, California, Moscow, Dubrovnik and Marseilles... Utterly convincing'" The Times "A stupendous, charming, provocative and profound novel. It makes most modern books seem paltry in comparison" Scotland on Sunday "A kaleidoscopic epic...beautifully handled" Independent on Sunday "54 is a huge slab of sheer pleasure: a thriller with laughs, a crime comedy, a surreal romance, a ripping adventure. Real-life stars drop into the books global plot that draws in a cast of thousands. Ace" Sunday Sport