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St. Benet's #3
The Heartbreaker
Deftly combining the sacred and the profane—the unmistakable hallmark of her fiction over the past decade—Susan Howatch gives us a spellbinding, suspenseful and psychologically intense new novel.
The financial heart of London—the City—is an adrenaline-charged square mile deep in recession in the 1990s, a place where sex is just another commodity to be bought and sold in the marketplace. And the City is where the life of Gavin Blake, who sells sex to high flyers, is finally about to unravel.
In the center of the City is St. Benet’s, a church that ministers to the casualties of this affluent but amoral society. Carta Graham, the St. Benet’s fundraiser, is at once attracted to Gavin when they meet through a mutual friend, but slowly she realizes that she has entered a relationship far more complex than she could ever have imagined.
Gavin is desperate to escape from his world of prostitution, pornography and violence, but as his involvement with Carta and St. Benet’s deepens, the dangers that encircle him escalate until his life itself is on the line. Carta is determined to help him—but will their mysterious journey together be lifesaving or soul-destroying? All she can do is fight her hardest to help Gavin survive.
Consistently surprising and powerfully moving, The Heartbreaker is Susan Howatch’s most gripping novel yet.
The financial heart of London—the City—is an adrenaline-charged square mile deep in recession in the 1990s, a place where sex is just another commodity to be bought and sold in the marketplace. And the City is where the life of Gavin Blake, who sells sex to high flyers, is finally about to unravel.
In the center of the City is St. Benet’s, a church that ministers to the casualties of this affluent but amoral society. Carta Graham, the St. Benet’s fundraiser, is at once attracted to Gavin when they meet through a mutual friend, but slowly she realizes that she has entered a relationship far more complex than she could ever have imagined.
Gavin is desperate to escape from his world of prostitution, pornography and violence, but as his involvement with Carta and St. Benet’s deepens, the dangers that encircle him escalate until his life itself is on the line. Carta is determined to help him—but will their mysterious journey together be lifesaving or soul-destroying? All she can do is fight her hardest to help Gavin survive.
Consistently surprising and powerfully moving, The Heartbreaker is Susan Howatch’s most gripping novel yet.
528 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
58 people are currently reading
367 people want to read
About the author
Susan Howatch
94 books561 followersSusan Howatch (b. 1940) is a British novelist who has penned bestselling mysteries, family sagas, and other novels. Howatch was born in Surrey, England. She began writing as a teen and published her first book when she moved to the United States in 1964. Howatch found global success first with her five sagas and then with her novels about the Church of England in the twentieth century. She has now returned to live in Surrey.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
October 19, 2011
Once again Susan Howatch enthralled me with her storytelling, in this unflinching account of evil and redemption. I've read all the Starbridge & the other St Benets novels and this third in the St Benets trilogy was just as compelling. The one thing I found most difficult was reading so many extended scenes told from the unsympathetic viewpoint of Gavin, the "leisure-worker"; hanging in there with his over-sexualised language and the detailed account of his lifestyle was hardgoing. And yet I came to care for Gavin; and I knew the author was going to deliver later on, as she did... I love her Christian characters, Nick and Lewis, and find them utterly convincing. Susan Howatch is amongst my all-time favourite authors.
March 30, 2013
Even though the setting for this novel was out of my comfort zone, the power of the gospel was even more discomforting...which is good.
December 31, 2024
I have read and re-read this book and the series to which it belongs several times over the years. I have just re-read it because I needed something engrossing to help me through a difficult time and an illness. Did it live up to expectations? Yes.
'The Heartbreaker' can be read as a standalone, but I guarantee you will want to read the other two in the series. That said, this one isn't for everyone. There is depravity and indecency, but the author takes care with her descriptions. It's necessary, because the entire theme of the book demands that the reader follows her lead character Gavin through from rock bottom to redemption. I always find his journey harrowing but utterly gripping and equally moving. I always end up wishing for a St Benet's in my own neighbourhood.
Five stars. Would I read it again? Of course I will!
'The Heartbreaker' can be read as a standalone, but I guarantee you will want to read the other two in the series. That said, this one isn't for everyone. There is depravity and indecency, but the author takes care with her descriptions. It's necessary, because the entire theme of the book demands that the reader follows her lead character Gavin through from rock bottom to redemption. I always find his journey harrowing but utterly gripping and equally moving. I always end up wishing for a St Benet's in my own neighbourhood.
Five stars. Would I read it again? Of course I will!
September 25, 2024
This is on my bookshelf and I have read it. Read indeed the complete series. Have forgotten it now, but it is a series I’d like to reread. Especially the St Benet’s part.
August 14, 2019
Summary: Conclusion of the trilogy of related stories loosely connected to downtown London parish healing center.
Susan Howatch is one of my favorite authors. She is not well known. Her books tend to be a bit melodramatic. And she has two distinct writing periods. Her early period was as a literary fiction author, based in NYC, working on books of historical fiction, usually long family dramas. I have read some, but not all of the books of this period.
The second writing period is after a divorce and after she moved back to England and eventually rediscovered faith. There are nine books in this period that are all narratively linked and should probably be read in order. They play out over about 65 years and involve many characters, but with a similar style and focus on living out or finding Christian faith.
Because this is really the last in a loosely connected series of nine, I am not going to try to relate all of the books together. But in the 7th book, the main character, Carter or Carta, is now the supporting character for the Heartbreaker. As is common in this series, the focus on the ongoing nature of Christian growth and maturity means that there is always more growth that is required. So part of the growth that Carta now needs is to be able to help the main character, Gavin.
Part of what I like about Howatch is that while she is writing about Christianity, she could never be published in the US evangelical world. Gavin is a high-end male prostitute. The sex here is not graphic, but there is sex. And there is a decent amount of language. Howatch is not glossing over the reality of prostitution and pornography; it is not really possible to have a fiction book about a prostitute without getting a bit gritty at times.
This is the last of Howatch’s books. At the end of the book, there is an interview with her where she says she is working on another book. But that was 16 years ago, and I assume that there are not any more books coming. This series was very influential in my life. It really moved me to think more clearly about Christianity as discipleship and spiritual formation over time. The early books in this series gave me a category of Spiritual Direction, and I eventually found a spiritual director, and I start my first class to become a spiritual director this weekend.
The Heartbreaker is probably the most traditional ‘Christian fiction’ book in the series in that it is really a salvation book. Gavin eventually is saved and finds healing. But his life will not be perfect from that point. You can see the weaknesses and sin of the other mature Christians around him all the time. Christianity is not about perfection or strength, but about weakness, submission to God and the ongoing process of becoming who you were created to be.
Susan Howatch is one of my favorite authors. She is not well known. Her books tend to be a bit melodramatic. And she has two distinct writing periods. Her early period was as a literary fiction author, based in NYC, working on books of historical fiction, usually long family dramas. I have read some, but not all of the books of this period.
The second writing period is after a divorce and after she moved back to England and eventually rediscovered faith. There are nine books in this period that are all narratively linked and should probably be read in order. They play out over about 65 years and involve many characters, but with a similar style and focus on living out or finding Christian faith.
Because this is really the last in a loosely connected series of nine, I am not going to try to relate all of the books together. But in the 7th book, the main character, Carter or Carta, is now the supporting character for the Heartbreaker. As is common in this series, the focus on the ongoing nature of Christian growth and maturity means that there is always more growth that is required. So part of the growth that Carta now needs is to be able to help the main character, Gavin.
Part of what I like about Howatch is that while she is writing about Christianity, she could never be published in the US evangelical world. Gavin is a high-end male prostitute. The sex here is not graphic, but there is sex. And there is a decent amount of language. Howatch is not glossing over the reality of prostitution and pornography; it is not really possible to have a fiction book about a prostitute without getting a bit gritty at times.
This is the last of Howatch’s books. At the end of the book, there is an interview with her where she says she is working on another book. But that was 16 years ago, and I assume that there are not any more books coming. This series was very influential in my life. It really moved me to think more clearly about Christianity as discipleship and spiritual formation over time. The early books in this series gave me a category of Spiritual Direction, and I eventually found a spiritual director, and I start my first class to become a spiritual director this weekend.
The Heartbreaker is probably the most traditional ‘Christian fiction’ book in the series in that it is really a salvation book. Gavin eventually is saved and finds healing. But his life will not be perfect from that point. You can see the weaknesses and sin of the other mature Christians around him all the time. Christianity is not about perfection or strength, but about weakness, submission to God and the ongoing process of becoming who you were created to be.
June 2, 2023
Susan Howatch’s books have the most fascinating combination of spiritual truths and salacious storylines. I always hit a point midway through a book of hers where I think, is this really what I want to be reading? It’s so seedy, sometimes. But by then, I’m hooked on the story, and I have never failed to be glad I stuck with it at the end.
And this one. Well, this one absolutely wrecked me. All of her Starbridge and St. Benet’s books are about the redemption and wholeness that can only come from God. And her characters are always exasperating and obnoxious and authentic and relatable and I just want to smack them and hug them at the same time. This book was no different. But Gavin. Holy crap, Gavin. His journey’s got to be my favorite, despite his narrative voice driving me absolutely nuts for the first half of the book. I got to that last sentence and I just put the book down and cried. This book is such a BEAUTIFUL picture of God’s love.
And this one. Well, this one absolutely wrecked me. All of her Starbridge and St. Benet’s books are about the redemption and wholeness that can only come from God. And her characters are always exasperating and obnoxious and authentic and relatable and I just want to smack them and hug them at the same time. This book was no different. But Gavin. Holy crap, Gavin. His journey’s got to be my favorite, despite his narrative voice driving me absolutely nuts for the first half of the book. I got to that last sentence and I just put the book down and cried. This book is such a BEAUTIFUL picture of God’s love.
September 20, 2021
If you were to write a book dealing with ministry to "the least, the last and the lost", who would be the protagonist? So how do you make someone totally living on the edges of society sympathetic? How could that character be redeemed? Could you tell a story that illustrates the grace and love of Jesus Christ in a suspenseful, deliberate, and incredibly beautiful way? I know I certainly could not, but Susan Howatch is a master of her craft. I love this book. I've mentioned before that I get so much from the Starbridge series I reread it every year. The follow up series--the St. Benet Trilogy is even richer and equally insightful. When I finish rereading these stories I feel blessed--and that there is hope for even me!
August 21, 2012
Loved it! Howatch is a fantastic story teller. Enjoyed the combination of wordly and spiritual reflexion, all encompassed in a psychological thriller.
November 9, 2021
The last book in the Saint Benet’s trilogy. I found this one to be surprisingly moving despite large swathes of awful dialog and ‘90s slang much of which I suspect was made up. This trilogy is quite different in its tone from the Starbridge series in that it takes the influence of evil in the world quite seriously.
There is a carry over of most of the characters from the second book, particularly Carter/Carta Graham plays a large role here. But the heartbreaker of the title is new. Gavin is a male prostitute who, while straight himself, caters to upper class gay men of London. He makes a lot of money and enjoys the lifestyle it affords him when he is not working. However, when one of Gavin’s clients dies, Gavin’s genuine grief for a man he admired starts to make cracks in the shell he has built up around him, which protects him from the sordidness of the life he leads.
The frank look at the world of pornography and sex work makes this book difficult to read at times. But like all of Howatch’s novels that I’ve read so far, it was an absolutely compelling story of redemption. In the Q&A section at the back of the edition that I read, Howatch stated, “I consider myself to be a writer who writes on Christian themes. That’s different than a Christian writer.” For my that really comes across. She makes her characters all very real in that they are not perfect, they don’t have all the answers. They struggle just as non-Christians struggle. I think that is why I really enjoy her books even when I don’t believe in the theology represented in them.
There is a carry over of most of the characters from the second book, particularly Carter/Carta Graham plays a large role here. But the heartbreaker of the title is new. Gavin is a male prostitute who, while straight himself, caters to upper class gay men of London. He makes a lot of money and enjoys the lifestyle it affords him when he is not working. However, when one of Gavin’s clients dies, Gavin’s genuine grief for a man he admired starts to make cracks in the shell he has built up around him, which protects him from the sordidness of the life he leads.
The frank look at the world of pornography and sex work makes this book difficult to read at times. But like all of Howatch’s novels that I’ve read so far, it was an absolutely compelling story of redemption. In the Q&A section at the back of the edition that I read, Howatch stated, “I consider myself to be a writer who writes on Christian themes. That’s different than a Christian writer.” For my that really comes across. She makes her characters all very real in that they are not perfect, they don’t have all the answers. They struggle just as non-Christians struggle. I think that is why I really enjoy her books even when I don’t believe in the theology represented in them.
December 1, 2024
Extraordinary. Stunning.
September 5, 2008
I had to create a new shelf for this one: strangely uncategorizable.
The reason I bought this book of the bargain rack at B&N was because it was written by Susan Howatch, who had written several of the Gothic romances my sister and I ripped through back in the late seventies and early eighties. This one was, um...different.
This book grew to be about a spiritual reawakening and healing of a very broken man. On the way to that, we're treating to some borderline explicit hetero-acting-as-gay-in-a-prostitution-setting sex. A little beyond the pale for a book that has a lot to say about God and love. Apparently, Howatch wrote this book as part of a trilogy explicating healing practices that were popular in England in the 1990's. There was a lot more time devoted to the sickening than the healing.
I can't imagine who'd I recommend this book to, but I was oddly drawn to it. I liked the part about love and everything, but it was off-putting that the hetero-acting-as-gay-male-prostitute referred to Jesus as "The Bloke." I kept thinking of the Mass in Spanish and "El Senor," which always makes me have a little 7th-grade in my head giggle.
My remaining question is, did the author think that healing was not applicable to the run-of-the-mill hoi polloi, so she had to invent an unbelievably broken character? To me, it made the message slightly weaker. But then again, maybe she wasn't try to send a message.
The reason I bought this book of the bargain rack at B&N was because it was written by Susan Howatch, who had written several of the Gothic romances my sister and I ripped through back in the late seventies and early eighties. This one was, um...different.
This book grew to be about a spiritual reawakening and healing of a very broken man. On the way to that, we're treating to some borderline explicit hetero-acting-as-gay-in-a-prostitution-setting sex. A little beyond the pale for a book that has a lot to say about God and love. Apparently, Howatch wrote this book as part of a trilogy explicating healing practices that were popular in England in the 1990's. There was a lot more time devoted to the sickening than the healing.
I can't imagine who'd I recommend this book to, but I was oddly drawn to it. I liked the part about love and everything, but it was off-putting that the hetero-acting-as-gay-male-prostitute referred to Jesus as "The Bloke." I kept thinking of the Mass in Spanish and "El Senor," which always makes me have a little 7th-grade in my head giggle.
My remaining question is, did the author think that healing was not applicable to the run-of-the-mill hoi polloi, so she had to invent an unbelievably broken character? To me, it made the message slightly weaker. But then again, maybe she wasn't try to send a message.
October 10, 2010
This is part three in a trilogy set around a Christian healing centre.
Gavin tells himself that's he's happy with his life as a high-class leisure worker (prostitute) but when he meets City lawyer Carta his life starts to change.
It's a story about Christian redemption and for that reason I didn't entirely get on with it.
*Spoilers*
The first and second parts of the book have some exciting moments, as Gavin realises that his situation is a trap that puts him physically at risk, not just from the sex, and he lays his plans to escape. The main plot (for me) reached its climax at the end of part two when Gavin finds out the extent of the danger he is in and makes a risky escape. There were some very tense moments which were all resolved at the end of this section.
Part three was entirely centred around Gavin's emotional and spiritual redemption following his escape. As I don't share the author's views on human psychology or spirituality, this fell rather flat for me. Personally, I would have cut the book by a third.
Gavin tells himself that's he's happy with his life as a high-class leisure worker (prostitute) but when he meets City lawyer Carta his life starts to change.
It's a story about Christian redemption and for that reason I didn't entirely get on with it.
*Spoilers*
The first and second parts of the book have some exciting moments, as Gavin realises that his situation is a trap that puts him physically at risk, not just from the sex, and he lays his plans to escape. The main plot (for me) reached its climax at the end of part two when Gavin finds out the extent of the danger he is in and makes a risky escape. There were some very tense moments which were all resolved at the end of this section.
Part three was entirely centred around Gavin's emotional and spiritual redemption following his escape. As I don't share the author's views on human psychology or spirituality, this fell rather flat for me. Personally, I would have cut the book by a third.
February 7, 2012
I am in love with all of Susan Howatch's books - so far. I read the Starbridge Series of six books and loved every one of them, and also the trilogy that includes this book, The Heartbreaker. Her knowledge of theology and the Anglican church and the wave she weaves it all together fascinates me. A gifted writer who has a message of redemptive healing in every book but not in a way that puts the reader off. All her books are in a highly religious setting but a beautifully non-religious books.
But THIS book was the pies de resistance. I don't want to give the story away but the topic of this book is pretty raw and honestly offensive in parts. Very graphic too. But the story of redemption is worth all the cringing you'll go through if you are a person of deep conviction and faith. Still I recommend it without qualms.
Susan Howatch is an amazing writer who will tantalize you to the end with a curiosity that keeps you turning those pages.
But THIS book was the pies de resistance. I don't want to give the story away but the topic of this book is pretty raw and honestly offensive in parts. Very graphic too. But the story of redemption is worth all the cringing you'll go through if you are a person of deep conviction and faith. Still I recommend it without qualms.
Susan Howatch is an amazing writer who will tantalize you to the end with a curiosity that keeps you turning those pages.
October 23, 2016
In my teenage years, Susan Howatch was an author of the sort of family sagas that my mother liked to read; she also wrote mysteries. During that time, she must have been honing her writing skills in preparation for the Starbridge series on the Church of England, her best work. The Heartbreaker is the third in the St. Benet's trilogy, which followed the Starbridge series and has some overlap with it. These three are more influenced by what I might call supernatural spirituality -- definitely Christian, but some readers, whether Christian or not, might be uncomfortable with talk of demons and such. If you can handle that, you may enjoy this trilogy as much as I did. It would probably be better to read the books in order.
July 4, 2010
It's some time since I read one of Susan Howatch's novels so I was looking forward to this one - and I was not disappointed. Oh how I wish I could write like her! The Heartbreaker is so gripping, I could not put it down. She deals with the seedy underworld of sex and sleaze. Throughout the novel there is the brittleness of life-crisis mixed in with religion and healing, power in the City and a time to reckon. Brilliant, mesmirising a real high moral drama.
Read
September 17, 2009Good characters though it gets a little pedantic at the end.
December 12, 2012
A bit raunchy in parts but as ever a fascinating tale around the complexities of holistic health and healing from a Christian and psychological perspective
March 8, 2016
This is my least favorite of Susan Howatch's series. This one delves deep into some very dark, disturbing sexual sin.
October 17, 2017
Self deception and sexual sin are ongoing themes in all of Susan Howatch's books. And in none of them are they combined as explicitly are they are in the story of Gavin; a male prostitute living in a gilded cage, waiting for affluent men to come and be serviced. This is the last of the St Benets series of Christian novels and Howatch allows her imagination to take them out with a bang. There's a whole evil network at play here with the malign Mrs Mayfield making a disconcerting (but welcome) reappearence. The other major theme in her books is the rescue ; and in the Heartbreaker this comes in the form of Carter Graham from "The High Flyer", curmudgeonly homophobic Rev Lewis Hall and to a lesser extent charismatic psychic Nick Darrow. As entertaining as these books are they remain the author's outre dissertation on the redemption that comes when we align ourselves with Gods plan. Dastardly plots and theological sidepaths abound but this series is addictive and I recommend them to Christians, or anyone else who enjoys exciting morality tales and engaging writing.
April 9, 2024
This is one of the St. Benet's trilogy series. I have read all of Howatch's Starbridge novels and enjoyed them all on both the plot level and on the theological issues which she explores in detail in each of these , now, 8 novels.
Her sensitive and knowledgeable handling of deep and mysterious issues of faith, human suffering and Christianity have had a deep impact on my life.
This novel brings the Church of England and the main protagonist, Rev. Nicholas Darrow, up to the 1960's and deals with themes of sexual abuse, sexuality, prostitution, infidelity, divorce, repentance, forgiveness, healing and wholeness.
Her sensitive and knowledgeable handling of deep and mysterious issues of faith, human suffering and Christianity have had a deep impact on my life.
This novel brings the Church of England and the main protagonist, Rev. Nicholas Darrow, up to the 1960's and deals with themes of sexual abuse, sexuality, prostitution, infidelity, divorce, repentance, forgiveness, healing and wholeness.
May 23, 2019
I was feeling uncertain about Gavin 'Mr Sleazeball'. His manner, attitude and sick making Charisma disheartened me. However he, like the book grew on me and changed my opinion from rating this book a three star rating to a four!
Carta, his love or lust has problems too and through healing or Christ you choose? They end up loving one another.
Gavin has courage and that's what makes this book so good.
He needs to escape the world he lives in, Prostitution and Pornography and although at times he is completely lost he changes his life round what happens and why is for you to decide
Carta, his love or lust has problems too and through healing or Christ you choose? They end up loving one another.
Gavin has courage and that's what makes this book so good.
He needs to escape the world he lives in, Prostitution and Pornography and although at times he is completely lost he changes his life round what happens and why is for you to decide
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 11, 2020
(reread) The last of Howatch's clerical bonkbusters (tm), a relentless machine dealing out lurid turns and shocks, with its two strongest aspects being a relentless focus on character and a deep seriousness around the spiritual/psychological/philosophical themes at play. Brings things to a close quite nicely - sometimes the tone is a bit hit and miss, especially right at the beginning, but once it hits its stride it just motors on relentlessly.
February 17, 2017
I have some parts/attributes I loved and some I didn't. but an interesting book.
October 19, 2022
I went on a second Susan Howatch binge and read this whole series also.
Read
June 16, 2024Stopping at pg. 74. Realized at pg. 64 that this was probably not going to hold my interest. This is the last book in a series and I didn't read the earlier books.
August 28, 2024
I read this book about 25 years ago. I think the last couple of chapters made me cry then, as they did at this reading.
December 30, 2025
Excellent character driven suspense novel. Read this one back in 2003, Howatch’s last novel was amazing then and still holds true today.
December 24, 2017
This story contains triggers. More than once I was anxious... I did something I never do - read ahead to make sure I could deal w/the outcome. But it was hard to go through it.
June 13, 2021
I love Howatch's books. As someone who is involved with the type of ministry depicted in this cycle of nine novels, I find her depictions of the work and the way it affects people insightful and enjoyable to read.
May 7, 2017
I love these books. There are times in my life when I pick them up and read them all over again.
This one is the last in the entire series which began with the 'Starbridge' collection and ended with the final three set in London. In some ways it has to be the last one, or the author would have been in danger of overworking her theme - but I regret it nonetheless, as I never wanted it to end!
I think this one is the grittiest, possibly the darkest of all her books (I am open to debate on this), and the most intense in its examination of the characters' recovery. I have seen criticism that it is protracted, but I found the protraction necessary.
I will always find the character of Carta Graham annoying. I can't help it, and perhaps it is a tribute to the author's incredible ability to build her characters. She deals with their problems and obsessions with great sensitivity, and tackles the most difficult of human traits with accomplished ease.
Will I read it again? Of course I will!
This one is the last in the entire series which began with the 'Starbridge' collection and ended with the final three set in London. In some ways it has to be the last one, or the author would have been in danger of overworking her theme - but I regret it nonetheless, as I never wanted it to end!
I think this one is the grittiest, possibly the darkest of all her books (I am open to debate on this), and the most intense in its examination of the characters' recovery. I have seen criticism that it is protracted, but I found the protraction necessary.
I will always find the character of Carta Graham annoying. I can't help it, and perhaps it is a tribute to the author's incredible ability to build her characters. She deals with their problems and obsessions with great sensitivity, and tackles the most difficult of human traits with accomplished ease.
Will I read it again? Of course I will!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews