The Destroyers: A Novel

Bollen takes his time unraveling the seeds of deceit, obsession and secrets, building suspense with each page.” (BookPage)“As a masterful example of the form, it comes as no surprise that Christopher Bollen’s The Destroyers not only knows exactly what it is—a slow-burning literary thriller—but also revels in it. The Destroyers is built of a tension almost sexual in its luxuriousness.” (Paste Magazine)

s.s. said Good news and bad.news. This latest adventure from Bollen is a thrilling, character driven mystery set on a small Greek island. The atmosphere is pitch perfect and plays a central role as the complex plot unfolds at a leisurely pace. So while DESTROYERS certainly qualifies as a page turner, it could have benefited from a few less pages... Rascally Rabbit said Over the top. Well written but perhaps too well written. Overly long, too clever but still a good read. Will try my chances on another book by this author. I gave up half-way It is rare that I do not finish a book, but I gave up half-way through this one. As another reviewer noted, the story starts well but then just meanders in the middle, including endless scenes of drunken dinner conversations that do not seem much related to the plot. It's as if the author tried to graft together a comedy of manners of the behavior of eurotrash on Greek islands with a mystery/suspense story. The plot seemed flimsy. After the second quarter of the book didn't go much of anywhere, I quit. I thought the writi

He lives in New York.. 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

When Charlie suddenly vanishes, Ian finds himself caught up in deception after deception. It just isn’t summer without this kind of globe-trotting glamour to read about, especially when most of it is set in the Aegean. Scott Fitzgerald, The Destroyers is at once lyrical and suspenseful, thoughtful and riveting." —Garth Greenwell, author of What Belongs to You“The Destroyers is one superb novel, a tightly woven and fast-moving narrative set in beautifully crafted prose. His childhood friend Charlie—rich, exuberant, and basking in the success of his new venture on the island—could be his last hope.At first Patmos appears to be a dream—long sun-soaked days on Charlie’s yacht and the reappearance of a girlfriend from Ian’s past—and Charlie readily offers Ian the lifeline he so desperately needs. Escapism, as calculating as it gets.”  —Janet Maslin, New York Times"Equal parts Graham Greene, Patricia Highsmith, and F. A read-all-night of a book.” —Alan Furst, author of A Hero of FranceWhen Charlie and I were young, we played a game called  Destroyers. We were sharpening our instincts, jettisoning attachments. As he grapples with the tur