John Buell
With an introduction by Sean Kelly
When heroin-addicted call girl Elizabeth Lucy dies in a fall from a swanky penthouse terrace, homicide detective Henderson is assigned to the case. Was it murder? Suicide? Through his investigation, Henderson uncovers a frightening underworld that is far more dark and dangerous than those of prostitution and the drug trade. But more than anything, this is Elizabeth’s story. Told through flashbacks and those who knew her, revelations unfold, revealing a life that ends with a struggle unlike any other.
A masterful debut, The Pyx has earned considerable praise in Canada and abroad. It served as the basis of the feature film of the same name starring Karen Black and Christopher Plummer.
The Pyx was first published by in 1959 by Farrar, Straus & Cudahy. For three decades, it enjoyed numerous translations and editions before going out of print in the early ‘nineties. This Ricochet Books edition marks the first in a quarter-century.
“Mr. Buell proves he has real talent…. The author’s choice of a mystery or suspense story format to serve his serious purpose reminds one of Graham Greene’s novels, but The Pyx is not just another in a long line of imitations.” --The Critic
“One of the most unusual novels of the year.” -- The Los Angeles Times
“Shockingly powerful.” -- The New York Times Book Review
Sean Kelly was one of John Buell’s students. Originally from Montreal, he is a former editor at National Lampoon, and is the co-author of more than a dozen books, including Slightly Higher in Canada (1978) and Saints Preserve Us! (1993). His television work includes The Magic School Bus, Shining Time Station (and Between the Lions ). Kelly lives in Brooklyn and teaches in the Pratt Institute’s Humanities and Media Studies department.
Other books by John Buell: Four Days: A Novel
160 pp 7" x 4.25"
ISBN13: 9781550654653
CDN $14.95 US & International
US $11.95
Ebook
ISBN13: 9781550654721
CDN $14.95
Whispering City
Waste No Tears
The Ricochet Bundle: Books 1-12
The Ravine
The Mayor of Côte St. Paul
The Long November
The Keys Of My Prison
The Damned and The Destroyed
Sugar-Puss on Dorchester Street
Ricochet Bundle #2: Books 13 – 18
Perilous Passage
Murder Over Dorval
I Am Not Guilty
Hot Freeze
Gambling with Fire
Four Days: A Novel
The Crime on Cote des Neiges
The Body on Mount Royal
Blondes Are My Trouble