description: An unlikely con man wagers wife, wealth, and sanity in pursuit of an elusive old master. Invited to dinner by the boorish local landowner, Martin Clay, an easily distracted philosopher, and his art-historian wife are asked to assess three sooty paintings languishing in a damp corner. But hiding beneath the dirt is nothing less -- Martin believes -- than a priceless, lost old master. So begins a hilarious trail of lies and concealments, desperate schemes and soaring hopes as Martin, betting all that he owns and much that he doesn't, embarks on a quest to prove his hunch, win his wife over, and separate the painting from its owner.
language: English
title: Headlong
titlecomplete: Headlong
characters: Laura Churt, Martin Clay, Georgie Churt, Kate Clay, Tony Churt, John Quiss
genres: Fiction, Mystery, British Literature, Humor, Literature, Novels, Contemporary, Art, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
ratings_count: 4823
places: England
awards: awardedAt: 915177600000
name: Booker Prize, awardedAt: 915177600000
name: James Tait Black Memorial Prize
category: Fiction, awardedAt: 915177600000
name: Whitbread Award
category: Novel, awardedAt: 757411200000
name: Tähtivaeltaja Award
publisher: Henry Holt & Company