The Sexual Language of Strangers: Gripping New Romantic Suspense Fiction - Recommended Read 2023

“A clever, dark drama”ESQUIRE“A brilliant piece of literature — inspirational, flawless”LAURENCE FISHBURNEEccentric millionaire Dennison Carr invents a bizarre game in which he pays a group of four hand-picked men to seduce a series of women he selects at random from the streets, bars and clubs of London. The men have to use their looks, charm and banter to persuade the unassuming women to sleep with them, just hours, sometimes minutes after first meeting them. Most of all, the men must be good at sex.One of the seducers, a down-and-out graphic designer named Erskine, is recovering from a recent trauma that has made him averse to relationships.The women who succumb to the challenge are diverse — young, old, black, white, married, single. But what they all have in common is the same secret desire for the thrill of no strings sex with a total stranger.There are other secrets too, both within Dennison’s dark past, and amongst the men he has hired. Things begin to unravel when, against the rules of the game, Erskine begins to develop strong feelings for one of the women he is initially paid to seduce — a commitment-phobic jazz singer called Natascha. As they both battle against their feelings, neither is prepared for the shocking conclusion that Dennison has planned for them.ABOUT THE AUTHORBen Arogundade is a London-based author and creative director of illustrated books. He originally trained as an architect before diversifying into graphic design and print journalism. In 1996 he launched, designed and edited ‘Extract’, a cult style magazine about the lives of non-celebrities. In 2000 he wrote his first book, ‘Black Beauty’ — an exploration of society's historical perceptions of the black image — which later became the subject of a three-part BBC documentary. Following this he worked as a voice-over artist before becoming creative director at Gloria books, publishers of luxury collectables. In 2010 he launched his own publishing imprint, Arogundade Books. ‘The Sexual Language of Strangers’ is his debut novel.