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The Shards

The Novel Behind the Disney+ Drama of Suspense, Seduction and Obsession

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The Shards

By: Bret Easton Ellis
Narrated by: Bret Easton Ellis
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A sensational new novel from the bestselling author of Less Than Zero and American Psycho that tracks a group of privileged Los Angeles high school friends as a serial killer strikes across the city. His first novel in 13 years, The Shards is Bret Easton Ellis at his inimitable best.

Los Angeles, 1981 –17-year-old Bret is a senior at the exclusive Buckley prep school when a new student arrives with a mysterious past. Robert Mallory is bright, handsome, charismatic, and shielding a secret from Bret and his friends, even as he becomes a part of their tightly knit circle. Bret’s obsession with Mallory is equalled only by his increasingly unsettling preoccupation with The Trawler, a serial killer on the loose who seems to be drawing ever closer to Bret and his friends, taunting them with grotesque threats and horrific, sharply local acts of violence.

Can he trust his friends – or his own mind – to make sense of the danger they appear to be in? Thwarted by the world and by his own innate desires, buffeted by unhealthy fixations, Bret spirals into paranoia and isolation as the relationship between The Trawler and Robert Mallory hurtles inexorably toward a collision.

Gripping, sly, suspenseful, deeply haunting and often darkly funny, The Shards is a mesmerizing fusing of fact and fiction that brilliantly explores the emotional fabric of Bret’s life at 17 – sex and jealousy, obsession and murderous rage.©2023 Bret Easton Ellis (P)2023 Random House Audio Coming of Age Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Exciting Scary
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I could probably listen to Bret reading for months on end, what a treat. The narration is brilliant, the story is captivating and moreish, if you enjoy a classic 'unreliable narrator' that keeps you guessing, this is for you. I just adore Bret's psycho yuppie literary universes.

Masterful

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I have a fan of Ellis’ since Less than Zero, which is a seminal novel and one of my all time favourite books. While I have stayed with through other books for me Zero has never been surpassed. This felt like two conflicting stories, which both out stayed there welcome to the point that I began not to care. I enjoyed the author’s reading and would like to hear more but this sadly like so many of the characters left me feeling numb.

Sadly disappointed

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Listened almost non stop (had to sleep) thought about it when in slept. Very much recommended

Gripping

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Absolutely loved this; it was gripping, unpredictable, dark and vivid. A brilliant reading by the author.

Brilliant

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Sometimes if feels repetitiv och rambeling. But it have such details in scenery and dialog that it really capture you emotionally.
Overall for me is between 3 and 4 stars.

Gripping book

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