'The centrality of The Last Thing He Wanted is not a person, nor even an event, but the tone of the US in 1984. The technique of writing is, as usual, unique, an incantation with repetitions and rhythms to entrance the reader, meant to restore full weight to a language made weightless by misuse... I should perhaps also mention that I read it twice for pure delight before reading it for review.' Veronica Horwell, Guardian. 'Fast-paced, witty, inventive... The Last Thing He Wanted is a creation of high seriousness, a thriller composed with all the resources of a unique gift for imaginative literature.' Elizabeth Hardwick, New York Review of Books 'An impressive, fast-talking, hard-boiled, wise-cracking, tough-guy of a novel.' Philip Hensher, Mail on Sunday