Sometimes the bad notes resonate longest

For a while Lawrence Martin had everything. He was the keyboard player in a successful rock band; he had money, his choice of women. It was all a long way from the British boarding school where he met Roly, the charismatic front man who lured him to Australia in the first place, and with whom he shared the song-writing. Only after it all went wrong did Lawrence learn they'd been sharing other things as well.

Two decades on, living in the highlands of Scotland, he's again confronted with those turbulent years, and with the accident that changed everything . . .

Wry, insightful, intelligent, 88 Lines About 44 Women traces the boundaries of shame and how it obstructs the capacity for love. Are all men emotionally disconnected? Does true intimacy bring redemption, or is it the other way round?

'An excellent novel; a finely calibrated blend of a carefully paced thriller and a literary exploration of masculinity.' Jo Case, Australian Book Review

'Be prepared to be surprised.' Liam Davison, Weekend Australian

'A brilliantly humane novel.' Tim Kennedy Hanna, Australian Literary Review

'This fluently written novel is an elegant expression of how the complex dynamics of male and female versions of friendship, love and sex can be corroded by unresolved guilt.' Ian McFarlane, Canberra Times

'A wry, wise and affecting study of shame, particularly as it relates to men ... An insightful and authentic tale steeped in matters of the human mind and heart.' Michael Jacobson, Weekend Gold Coast Bulletin

'A thoughtful and well-written tale of a man trying to make sense of his life.' Sun Herald