A Case of Knives (by Peter Rose)

This is a striking first novel from the award-winning Australian poet, editor and author of Rose Boys. "Valhalla" is the home of  Julia Collis, a brilliant but unconventional publisher, and the setting for an  incestuous household of steely alliances, lopsided infatuations, and dark impulses.  Her daughter Candy is an opera singer with a bright future. Matthew Light is an actor, taken under Julia's wing as a teenage boy. And then there is Roman Anthem, the 21-year-old grandson of a legendary Australian prime minister, renowned for his good looks. Matthew is obsessively in love with Roman - but then Roman goes missing and no one know why. Witty, satirical and full of intrigue, and set against a backdrop of opera, publishing and politics, this is a great read. Also check out the follow-up (with totally different, but connected characters), Roddy Parr.

Paperback, 352 Pages, published 2005