The Cut

A Novel

Richard Armitage

The stunning new psychological thriller from novelist and multi-award winning film actor Richard Armitage.

You can’t escape your past. The cut always reopens.

In the sleepy village of Barton Mallet, the old ruins of Blackstone Mill watch over the residents and their quiet lives. Ben Knot and his friends are looking forward to a summer of fun and freedom once their last year of high school is over. The class of 1994 have been through a lot together, but teasing turns to bullying when the Knot gang targets young Mark Cherry. As violence escalates, the group fractures and tragedy strikes. Before the summer is over, one of them will be killed. Murdered by someone they called a friend.

Thirty years later, Ben is an award-winning architect who has moved his family back to Barton Mallet. His girlfriend, Dani, is a lovely stepmother to his children—budding actor Nate and star athlete Lily—but even though the family is happy, Ben has never been able to forget the tragedy of the past. And it’s a past that is quickly coming back to haunt him, with the murderer’s imminent release from prison. Ben’s glittering career is also starting to tarnish as some shady business deals have put him on the path to bankruptcy. With the killer’s parole date approaching—and the banks calling in their loans—Ben struggles to keep a grip on his perfect life.

When Nate lands the leading role in a new horror film, Dani jumps at the chance to propel him towards stardom. But when the film crew descends on the village, the dream starts to turn into a nightmare. The film is not quite what it seems. Ben’s children are being pushed to the limit, and his paranoia makes him question the film makers’ motives. Ben is desperate for answers and will stop at nothing to keep his family safe.

If the first cut is the deepest, then the last cut is going to end it all.

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Endorsements & Reviews

Praise for Geneva:

"[A] propulsive debut. Armitage speeds his thriller around a twisty plot as hair-raising as an Olympic luge run. This promising performance demands an encore.” Publishers Weekly

"An outstanding debut—ingenious, fast-paced, and unpredictable.” Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Geneva is one of the best thrillers I've ever read. And I've read quite a few.” A. J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window

"Tense, pacy and full of pathos, this evocative, cinematic thriller has it all!” L. J. Ross internationally bestselling author of Holy Island

"A gripping, original, and highly addictive thriller. Filled with clever twists, I was hooked from the first page.” Alice Feeney, New York Times bestselling author of Rock, Paper, Scissors and Good Bad Girl

"A breath-taking debut with a chilling mystery at its heart. Transportive, heart-pounding and propulsive—this is a read-in-one-sitting thriller that's not to be missed!” Lucy Clarke, Sunday Times bestselling author of One of the Girls

"An atmospheric, icily tense thriller.” The Telegraph (London)