Announcing THE CONTORTIONIST’S HANDBOOK by Craig Clevenger

Acquisition Announcement and Cover Reveal – The Contortionist’s Handbook by Craig Clevenger

Cover designed by Sarah O’Flaherty.

We are very pleased to announce the acquisition of The Contortionist’s Handbook – the 2002 cult classic debut from Craig Clevenger – North American re-issue with a new foreword from bestselling and Edgar award-winning author Jordan Harper.

Publication date: 14th January 2025

A darkly hypnotic and stunningly original debut, The Contortionist’s Handbook follows a talented forger who continually reinvents himself to escape the authorities as Clevenger evokes the boulevards and strip bars of 1980s LA with cinematic intensity. Acclaimed by Chuck Palahinuk who wrote: ‘I swear to god, this is the best book I have read in years.’, The Contortionist’s Handbook was praised by Irvine Welsh and Richard Kelly (Donnie Darko), and was optioned for a movie. 

This acquisition follows the June 2023 publication of Mother Howl, Clevenger’s long-awaited, and greatly received, dark literary crime novel.

In anticipation of this re-issue, Clevenger had the following to say: “The longevity of this book continues to surprise me, and I’m forever indebted to the readers who’ve kept it alive. My deepest thanks to Sam Chidley for his perseverance and to the good folks at Datura for giving ‘the Handbook’ a second life.”.

Clevenger’s agent Sam Chidley also demonstrated his excitement at putting a classic back on the bookshelves: “Following their release last year of Craig Clevenger’s latest novel, Mother Howl, we’re thrilled to team up with Datura again to put Clevenger’s beloved first novel back in stores where it belongs. For long-time fans, it’s cause for celebration. But I also can’t wait to see a whole new generation of readers discover what they’ve been missing.”.

Finally, editor Daniel Culver also expressed his passion for the original story and excitement over its re-issue: “I first read The Contortionist’s Handbook over a decade ago and can still remember punching the air as I turned the last page. For me, this book is up there with other cult classics, and sits alongside – and somewhere between – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Talented Mr Ripley. To get the chance to republish one of my favourite novels is both an honour and a privilege. I’m deeply grateful to Craig, and to his agent Sam, for allowing Datura to release this newly revised and updated edition.”.

Read on for the full blurb of The Contortionist’s Handbook!

Following a near fatal overdose of painkillers, Daniel Fletcher is resuscitated in a Los Angeles emergency room and detained for psychiatric evaluation. Through a series of questions and tests, the psychiatrist must ascertain whether the patient intended to kill himself, or whether he can walk free. What the psychiatrist doesn’t know is that ‘Daniel Fletcher’ is actually John – Johnny – Dolan Vincent, a brilliant young forger who continually changes his identity to save himself from a lifetime of incarceration. Johnny has done such assessments before – many, many times.

As he creates an elaborate bluff for the evaluator, Johnny reveals the true story of his traumatic past – a broken family, descent into the sinister world of forgers and criminals, and his one chance of salvation in the beautiful and elusive Molly. But time is running out; as his underworld clients lose patience and the psychiatrist’s net closes around him, Johnny has to negotiate the escape act of his life.

We are excited to share this re-vamped cult classic with you!

The Datura Team