Media Center: ‘Fall of Man in Wilmslow’ by David Lagercrantz

Media Center: ‘Fall of Man in Wilmslow’ by David Lagercrantz


WHO: David Lagercrantz

WHAT: FALL OF MAN IN WILMSLOW, a novel

WHEN: Published by Knopf May 4, 2016

WHERE: The story is set near Manchester, England.

WHY: “An unsettling story
of state secrets and sexual hypocrisy.”

—Nick Rennison, London Sunday Times


“Absorbing…Gets the synapses sparking. Lagercrantz is at home
with a damaged hero who has more of an affinity with computers than humans.”
—Jake Kerridge, London Sunday Telegraph

“A multifaceted look at the death of British mathematician Alan Turing.
“Lagercrantz proves that he can succeed with wholly original work in this look at the death of Turing in 1954.
“Det. Constable Leonard Corell welcomes the assignment of looking into Turing’s apparent suicide as a break from the boredom of working in the quiet backwater of Wilmslow. Corell, who as a boy had a head for numbers, feels a connection with the dead man, a sentiment that deepens when the policeman learns that Turing was arrested for indecency and subject to some horrific treatments intended to ‘cure’ him of his homosexuality. Turing’s experience revives painful memories of Corell’s own boarding school days, even as his investigation attracts the attention of higher-ups who want things handled discreetly.
“Corell’s identification with Turing threatens his own professional standing when he bridles at speculation at the inquest as to Turing’s motives for committing suicide.”
—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Translated from the Swedish by George Goulding.

Jacket photo

Media Resources:
About the book and author | Read and excerpt | Download the jacket | Download the author photo

Publicist for this title:
Helen Tobin | 212-572-2018 | htobin@penguinrandomhouse.com