Bruised Fruit — Robin Anderson

Not content as a child with frying his pet mice, boiling his sister's goldfish, pulling the heads off fledglings or docking innocent dogs' tails, the elegant, sophisticated grownup Jeremy Spiers sees himself bound for even greater - and more sinister - amusements. Flirtatious dalliances between the likes of Franchot 'Tone' Seaton, a black artist on a meteoric rise to international acclaim all thanks to the Svengali-like Jeremy; the formation of Spiers-Seaton Fine Arts (set in a revamped undertaker's premises), and the artist's so-called 'doppelganger' the complex Sybil, Jeremy's Auntie Mame-like uncle, all lead to twists and turns of increasing complexity. Enter the mysterious Mary Magdalene, the 'do badder' Howie, his loutish colleague Nev the Rev, the dapper but devious art critic Giles and the darkest 'Comedy of Terrors' ensues. From the glamorous galleries of London, Paris and New York to an unexpected cremation in the Australian outback there is no holding Jeremy and his hell-bent ambitions, both predatory and businesswise. Throughout the fast moving pages Jeremy strives to ensure nothing is ever truly past its 'sell by' date, his attitude at times becoming an even more chilling one."