Children of Wolves

by Lawrence Osborne

A tense, Ripley-esque, cat-and-mouse thriller set in glittering Istanbul for readers of John le Carré and Patricia Highsmith

At the Mexican border, Diana ditches her car and jumps on a bus. Adam walks out of his Athens hotel with just his passport and credit cards. Marco abandons his life in London, leaving no note. At an idyllic spot on the Turkish Riviera, their comrade Chana waits for them.

Also waiting there is Tyler, a private investigator hired by an American billionaire to find his wayward, troubled daughter.

Once the five meet, a train of events is set in motion that will play out along this glittering coast, in the backstreets and renovated palaces of Istanbul and all the way to Cairo. A clash of generations, civilisations and ideologies that will test the young friends’ theory that a handful of collaborators can tilt the axis of the world through a single, striking act.

Praise for Lawrence Osborne

‘A modern Graham Greene’ SUNDAY TIMES
‘Arresting and compelling’ JOHN GRAY
‘Osborne goes from strength to strength’ LIONEL SHRIVER
‘Osborne handles surface and depth with immense skill, as only great writers can’ DEBORAH LEVY
‘If the purpose of a novel is to take you away from the everyday and show you something different, then Osborne is succeeding, and handsomely’ LEE CHILD

Kindle Edition

Expected publication August 6, 2026

About the author

Lawrence Osborne is the author of seven critically acclaimed novels, including The Forgiven (now a major motion picture starring Ralph Fiennes and Jessica Chastain), and Only to Sleep: A Philip Marlowe Novel, a New York Times Notable Book and nominated for an Edgar Award, as well as six books of nonfiction, including Bangkok Days. He has led a nomadic life, living in Paris, New York, Mexico, and Istanbul, and he currently resides in Bangkok.

Reviews

[Mackenzi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was... boring to say the least. For most of the book, you really don't see a point, and the last half its like "oh, so this is what's happening?" And I really hated that, I needed more to happen throughout the story. To make matters worse, I didn't really like any of the characters either.
Maybe it just wasn't my type of thriller and thats okay!
Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster | S&S/Summit Books for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

[carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly, I don't have much to say about this book. It is a story about the adventures of 4 privileged rich kids and a private investigator trying to uncover one of their secrets. Ironically, it felt mundane to me - but perhaps I am missing some critical component. 

80% of the novel felt slow, then suddenly we are given insight as to what is actually going on between the four of them. It felt underwhelming, and I feel as though the author wants us to root for them. I didn't, but perhaps I couldn't relate to them at all. 

To note to fellow thriller lovers out there, this isn't a typical thriller but more so an analysis of who each character is. This didn't land for me, but perhaps another may enjoy this more!

Thank you to Netgalley, Simon & Schuster, and Lawrence Osborne for sending over this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Shannon A · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well crafted twisting tale of a man hired to track down a rich man’s daughter that has all the glitz and glamour of traveling the world to escape something or someone…once the daughter is located; the job complete, you’d think it would be all over…
A book I read in a day.

[Lewis Cain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this, an excellent novel.