簡介
亞當(dāng)•朗是20世紀(jì)下半葉英國在位時(shí)間最長也最有爭議的首相。如今他已離開公職，接受了史上金額最高的一筆預(yù)付金，撰寫關(guān)于自己的生活和權(quán)力生涯的回憶錄。要寫出這樣一部著作，對(duì)朗來說壓力巨大，因此他雇用了一個(gè)職業(yè)影子寫手（ghostwriter）來完成這本書。這個(gè)寫手開始工作后，發(fā)現(xiàn)了朗的更多秘密，這些秘密有關(guān)改變世界政治格局的權(quán)力，有關(guān)生殺予奪的權(quán)力……知曉了這些不該知道的秘密后，影子寫手將做出何種抉擇，又將面臨怎樣的命運(yùn)安排？
《影子寫手》出版后，在英國引起極大轟動(dòng)，小說中的卸任英國首相是否在影射某位政要？書中描寫的政壇陰謀是真事，還是虛構(gòu)？眾說紛紜，答案都在書中。根據(jù)小說改編的電影中，影子寫手將由尼古拉斯•凱奇飾演，前“007”皮爾斯•布魯斯南將出演亞當(dāng)•朗一角。
作者簡介
羅伯特•哈里斯（Robert Harris） 英國最重量級(jí)暢銷小說家。1957年出生于英國諾丁漢，就讀于劍橋大學(xué)塞爾文學(xué)院時(shí)已展露出過人才華，曾任劍橋辯論協(xié)會(huì)主席。畢業(yè)后先后于英國廣播公司、《觀察家報(bào)》工作，并擔(dān)任《星期日泰晤士報(bào)》和《每日電訊報(bào)》專欄作家。2003年榮獲英國新聞獎(jiǎng)之年度最佳專欄作家殊榮。1993年，他出版了小說處女作《祖國》（Fatherland），一夜成名，從而轉(zhuǎn)向成為一名小說家。此后的《密碼迷情》（Enigma）、《大天使》（Archangel）、《龐貝》（Pompeii）都是風(fēng)靡歐美的暢銷小說。因?yàn)轭}材新穎，情節(jié)構(gòu)思精巧，其作品常常被拍攝成影視作品，由國際大導(dǎo)演羅曼•波蘭斯基指導(dǎo)的電影《龐貝》將于2009年上映。對(duì)羅伯特•哈里斯的小說推崇備至的波蘭斯基也已接下《影子寫手》的改編與導(dǎo)演工作，將其搬上大銀幕。
Displaying enviable versatility, Harris, who first achieved acclaim with his alternative history, Fatherland, and who more recently showed his mastery of the historical novel in Pompeii, hits one out of the park with this dark paranoid thriller. Former British prime minister Adam Lang (clearly modelled on Tony Blair) is up against a firm deadline to submit his memoirs to his publisher, and the project is dangerously derailed when his aide and collaborator, Michael McAra, perishes in a ferry accident off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. To salvage the book, a professional ghostwriter is hired to whip the manuscript into shape, but the unnamed writer soon finds that separating truth from fiction in Lang’s recollections a challenge. The stakes rise when Lang is accused of war crimes for authorizing the abduction of suspected al-Qaeda terrorists in Pakistan, who then ended up in the CIA’s merciless hands. As the new writer probes deeper, he uncovers evidence that his predecessor’s death may have been a homicide. Harris nicely leavens his cynical tale with gallows humor, and even readers who anticipate the plot’s final twist will admire the author’s artistry in creating an intelligent page-turner that tackles serious issues.