Children of Wolves

An unsettling, hypnotic meditation on violence and privilege. Osborne is an unsung master of the literate, thought-provoking thriller – Charles Cumming
Children of Wolves is the most arresting book yet by a master of contemporary fiction. An entirely original voice, Lawrence Osborne has perfected a new genre: the novel of suspense that illuminates our current condition. Revealing the feral creature that lies beneath civilized humanity, he shows how uncertainty and suspicion have become part of the way we live. Read the first page, and you will be hooked to the end. – John Gray, author of Straw Dogs
The inimitable genius of a Lawrence Osborne novel is that underneath the gripping plot and the dazzling, cut-crystal prose, there’s always a dark truth about the world laid bare that we didn’t expect to face. In Children of Wolves, perhaps Osborne’s most menacing novel yet, that truth involves the privileged, cushioned lives of the children of the rich. Who has the sharper teeth, the billionaire titans of the world or their aimless, attractive offspring? Osborne paints such a gorgeous picture of louche, jet-set Istanbul, you almost forget to watch your back – Christopher Bollen, author of Havoc
Osborne continues to push his brand of haunted escapism into strange, new places — even if for many of his characters, escape itself proves impossible. A pack of idle rich kids, desperate to give their lives meaning through a senseless act of violence. And Tyler, the older, unmoored private detective at their heels, who realises too late that this generation gap might be unbridgeable. Just don’t go confusing him with the novel’s author. In Children of Wolves, Osborne stays a comfortable step ahead of writers half his age. – Joseph Knox, author of Imposter Syndrome
Children of Wolves confirms Lawrence Osborne as one of the most intelligently entertaining writers around. You don’t so much read his dark idylls as dream your way through them, and this tale of beautiful danger in the form of four young renegades at large in Turkey is a superb addition to his canon – James Lasdun
What begins with a Ripley-esque premise—an American sent abroad in search of the badly-behaved scion to a wealthy family—soon turns into a seductive cat and mouse, with the roles ever-changing. Children of Wolves is at once a labyrinthine thriller, set on dusky back streets and the terraces of five-star hotels, and an interrogation of privilege and (the performance of) politics in America’s imperial shadow – Rob Franklin, author of Great Black Hope
A quietly gripping novel that begs for a sequel * Kirkus, starred review *
A dual homage to Patricia Highsmith and Graham Greene * Booklist *

Lawrence Osborne is a critically acclaimed novelist, journalist, and screenwriter. He is the author of eight novels, including Ballad of a Small Player, Beautiful Animals, and The Forgiven. His non-fiction work spans memoir, travelogue, and essays, with titles such as Bangkok Days, The Naked Tourist, and The Wet and the Dry.

His novels have been selected as Books of the Year by numerous publications, including The Guardian, The Observer, The Daily Telegraph, The New Statesman, The Daily Mail, The Economist, The New Yorker, and The New York Times.

The Forgiven was adapted into a film in 2022, starring Jessica Chastain and Ralph Fiennes. Ballad of a Small Player, starring Colin Farrell and Tilda Swinton, was released on Netflix in 2025.

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