Different Class

A magnificently plotted and twisty journey to the heart of a 24-year-old crime…darkly humorous…constantly wrongfoots and misdirects…up to a satisfyingly eccentric conclusion. * Observer *
Slowly, Harris reveals tiny clues, withholding full explanations until the startling denouement. Classy writing, sensitive and moving. * The Times *
Harris pulls off an impeccable thriller denouement…consistently entertaining. – John Dugdale * Sunday Times *
It’s Goodbye, Mr Chips meets The Bad Seed. Joanne Harris’ latest has a killer elevator pitch and, what’s more, it delivers on its intriguing premise…a rich, dramatic tale that builds to a surprising conclusion. * Washington Post *
A masterpiece of misdirection. – Val McDermid
Harris magnificently manages every minute thread of the story, and even makes us laugh along the way … exquisitely sinister… Part black comedy, part thriller, and totally enjoyable. * Daily Mail *
Tackles big subjects, including teacher-pupil romances, sexual assault, homophobia and murder.You’ll love it if…you enjoyed The Girl on the Train so crave another intelligent thriller. * Sunday Telegraph *
Deftly orchestrated and beautifully written tale of abuse, loyalty and regret. * Guardian *
Her real metier is psychological suspense, and her accomplished new book, Different Class, is a prime example of her skills in this area … Crime novel or literary novel? Categories really don’t matter; readers will find themselves comprehensively gripped. * Independent *
A long way from Chocolat, Joanne Harris’s reinvention as a writer of psychological thrillers continues apace…delivers it beautifully. * Mail on Sunday *

Joanne Harris is the internationally renowned and award-winning author of over twenty novels. Her Whitbread-shortlisted novel Chocolat was adapted to the screen, starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp. She is the author of several other bestsellers, including The Lollipop Shoes, Peaches for Monsieur Le Cure and The Strawberry Thief. She has also written acclaimed novels in such diverse genres as fantasy based on Norse myth (Runemarks, Runelight, The Gospel of Loki), and the Malbry cycle of dark psychological thrillers (Gentlemen & Players, Blueeyedboy, and Different Class).

Born in Barnsley, of an English father and a French mother, she spent fifteen years as a teacher before (somewhat reluctantly) becoming a full-time writer. In 2013, she was awarded an MBE, and in 2022 an OBE. She lives in Yorkshire, plays bass and flute in a band first formed when she was sixteen, and works in a shed in her garden. She is an honorary Fellow of St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, and served for four years as Chair of the Society of Authors. She also has a form of synaesthesia which enables her to smell colours. Red, she says, smells of chocolate.

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