Notes on an Obsession

Deliciously dark and beautifully written, a gripping thriller that will keep you guessing until the end – Alice Feeney
A dazzlingly clever book where nothing is quite as it seems. A tour-de-force from C. L. Taylor – Elly Griffiths
A wonderfully satisfying treasure-hunt of a novel; secret keys, mysterious torn pages, shadowy professors, echoing bell towers and lyrical prose provide lashings of atmosphere and intrigue – Erin Kelly
C. L. Taylor’s foray into the world of dark academia is addictive, haunting and beautifully drawn - confounds to the very last page – Clare Leslie Hall
Chilling, clever and utterly compelling. Notes on an Obsession draws you deep into the shadowy world of 1990s Oxford university where secrets linger and the past refuses to stay buried. Atmospheric, twisty and full of emotional depth this is a masterclass in dark academia with an unforgettable protagonist at its heart. Exceptional! – Claire Douglas
C. L. Taylor’s foray into dark academia - disquieting, convincing and emotionally wrenching – Ruth Ware
It’s just so damn good you’ll want to read it twice. A delicious, slow burn that ignites into a firecracker of a story – John Marrs
Intense, vivid, and original, Notes on an Obsession takes psychological suspense to a new level. Utterly addictive, I couldn’t put it down and raced through to find out what was going on – Andrea Mara
Mindbendingly good – M. J. Arlidge
Notes on an Obsession is absolutely superb (and a perfect bookclub read). Dark Academia at its most addictive. Loved the 80s and 90s atmosphere, and the fascinating psychology details. Utterly absorbing - it grips like a steel trap – Will Dean
Strap yourself in for a wild ride! C. L Taylor has written a clever and classy campus crime thriller with all the panache you’re expecting… and all the twists and turns you’re not. Top marks for style and ingenuity – Janice Hallett
C. L. Taylor slips to the dark side in this twisted mystery that grips and confounds to the very last page. Notes on an Obsession is an intricate spider’s web of a novel, shadowy, hypnotic and constantly surprising, delivered by an author in full flight of her powers – Emma Stonex
Steeped in 90s nostalgia and with an intriguing and complex mystery at its heart, this book is about to become your next obsession. A smart, unputdownable thriller that will have you questioning everything you thought you knew – Fiona Cummins
Notes on an Obsession is sophisticated, stylish and wholly distinctive: part literary suspense, part out-of-the-past mystery, and – this being Taylor – altogether spellbinding. It has the elegance and clarity of a fair-play puzzle, sharp and disciplined, clean and classic, but it moves forward at a breathless pace. Most of today’s thrillers wear training wheels. C. L. Taylor writes suspense for grown-ups – A. J. Finn
From its visceral opening to its gut-punch of a finale, Notes on an Obsession is a compulsive psychological thriller by a writer at the top of her game. Darkly gripping and expertly plotted – Lucy Clarke
C. L. Taylor never disappoints … a twisty labyrinth of a book, a psychological maze filled with shadows and deception. Nothing is what it seems, and the gasp out loud ending is a banger – C. J. Tudor
A powerful novel, dripping with intrigue, character and written with so much heart. I absolutely devoured it – Ed James
Twisted my mind into knots. Addictive and brilliant – Cressida McLaughlin
A riveting blend of psychological thriller and dark academia with a twist that everyone is going to be obsessing over – Mark Edwards
Haunting, atmospheric, and darkly disturbing, Notes on an Obsession brings CL Taylor to new heights of psychological intrigue… an unforgettable, twisted tale – Sam Blake
Ned is a wonderful character, fully realised and relatable… a brilliant book – Sarah Hilary
Blending together page-turning psychological suspense with a sumptuously realised dark academia mystery, this is an extraordinary thriller that shows C. L. Taylor at the absolute height of her powers. Truly unputdownable – B P Walter
A twisty page-turner and a whole new take on dark academia. Try as you might, you won’t guess the ending of this psychological mindbender – Nita Prose
A magisterially ambitious thriller that singlehandedly propels C.L. Taylor into the very highest echelons of global thriller writers. I am a lifelong fan, but this book is truly on another level. Prepare to be amazed! – Matthew Blake

C. L. Taylor is the author of twelve adult thrillers and has had nine Sunday Times bestsellers during her stellar career. She is the recipient of four Nielsen Silver Bestseller Awards, and her books have been translated into 30 languages.

Fascinated by human behaviour, C. L. Taylor studied a BSc Psychology at Northumbria University. After she graduated she sat at an electric typewriter and tried - and failed - to write a novel about loneliness, inspired by what she’d learned. Thirty years - and many books - later, she was awarded an honorary doctorate from her alma mater in recognition of her literary career. But the themes of that abandoned first novel had never left her. She sat down at a laptop and told the story she’d always wanted to write.

She lives in Bristol with her partner and son.

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