Bright Lights, Dead City

'A comedy about tragedy. Séamas O'Reilly has written a brutal, profound, and very funny novel' NINA STIBBE

'Sparkling with heartache and wit. I'm in love with every character in this novel' CAROLINE O'DONOGHUE

'Prestige Drama is bristlingly funny, richly humane . . . Séamas O'Reilly is a writer with a rare and vital comic gift' MARK O'CONNELL

Derry is already abuzz with news that famous American actor, Monica Logue, has flown to the city and will be starring in a new series set during the Troubles. And then she goes missing . . .

All eyes are on Diarmuid, the flaky scriptwriter who was the last to see Monica alive. From budding young actors hoping for a role to grieving parent whose story forms the backbone of the narrative; newspaper editors covering the mystery to taxi drivers hearing all the news from their clients, Prestige Drama follows the city's cast as they all try to locate themselves in Monica's disappearance.

Séamas O'Reilly's debut novel is a comedy about dramatising tragedy, and the responsibilities of a teller to a tale. It brings to life the voices of a city, the people, families and communities who find themselves obsessed with, and terrified of, interrogating their past.

'Séamas is one of my favourite living writers. Honestly - there is nobody else who could write a book like this about tragedy, loss and who gets to tell a story, with such deft and moving wit' EVA WISEMAN

'Prestige Drama is a hilarious and profound novel. Seamas O'Reilly has an acute ear for the rhythms of real speech, and for the lies we tell ourselves' ED CAESAR