The Island of the Last Truth

“I don’t remember who introduced me to Dr. Prendel. However, I do know that it was at the home of Martin Fleming, the psychiatrist, during a get-together of the faculty professors to celebrate his promotion from Assistant Dean to Dean, and I was immediately captivated by his reserved, taciturn attitude and the indifference with which he looked around him, as if he knew exactly what would happen and what would be said…”

So begins The Island of Last Truth, a story of many mysteries, principal among them, the true identity of the enigmatic Dr. Matthew Prendel. Legend has is that Prendel, an expert sailor, had been shipwrecked years before the story opens in contemporary New York. His boat was attacked by pirates. He survived thanks to an incredible stroke of luck, while his entire crew perished. But then found himself embroiled in a ferocious fight for survival between two castaways on a desert island. There, too, he was lucky and came out the victor. Or perhaps luck played no part in it. Perhaps something darker was at play. And at stake. The only thing sure is that Matthew Prendel disappeared for five whole years. He has been back in New York now for a couple of years. That’s what they say at least. Though one should never rely entirely on hearsay…

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The Island of Last Truth is part adventure story, part noir, and party mystery. Company has written a great page-turner that, like many novels belonging to the adventure genre, doesn’t shy away from incisive observations about the nature of human relations.

Flavia Company was born in Buenos Aires in 1963 and has lived in Barcelona since the 1973. She is the author of twelve novels. Her fiction has been translated and published in more than six languages. She teaches writing at the Ateneo Barcelones.