The Hamilton Case

Author: Michelle de Kretser

Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945)

Published on 2 July 2026 by SORT OF BOOKS in the United Kingdom.

Paperback | 368 pages
129 x 198 x 24 | 290g

'That rare treasure, a perfect novel' TIMEA name is the first story that attaches itself to a life. Consider mine: Stanley Alban Marriott Obeysekere. It tells of geography, history, love and uncertainty.

Stanley Obeysekere, a wealthy lawyer in colonial Ceylon, is a staunch believer in British justice. When the murder of a tea planter baffles the island, he seizes the chance to solve the case, securing fame as 'our Sherlock Holmes'. But his triumph comes at a price. With devastating precision, Michelle de Kretser traces the disintegration of a man, a family and a society as change arrives and the empire crumbles. A dazzling and savage novel.