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From a young age, Joseph Malderoyce is drawn to painting—until he encounters Mondrian’s work and, convinced he can never equal such mastery, abandons art entirely for a career in law. Years later, after inheriting a fortune, he retreats to a lonely house in the far north. There, his quiet existence is disrupted when he finds a battered child asleep on his porch. Abel, abandoned and vulnerable, quickly becomes Joseph’s ward and closest companion. But as their bond deepens, the boy’s cunning intelligence takes a disturbing turn, forcing Joseph to confront the menace he has unwittingly harboured under his own roof. A masterfully haunting exploration of the dark recesses of human connection, The King’s Evil unfolds its quiet unease not just between characters, but within the reader.
From a young age, Joseph Malderoyce is drawn to painting—until he encounters Mondrian’s work and, convinced he can never equal such mastery, abandons art entirely for a career in law. Years later, after inheriting a fortune, he retreats to a lonely house in the far north. There, his quiet existence is disrupted when he finds a battered child asleep on his porch. Abel, abandoned and vulnerable, quickly becomes Joseph’s ward and closest companion. But as their bond deepens, the boy’s cunning intelligence takes a disturbing turn, forcing Joseph to confront the menace he has unwittingly harboured under his own roof. A masterfully haunting exploration of the dark recesses of human connection, The King’s Evil unfolds its quiet unease not just between characters, but within the reader.