The Dwarves of Death" is a hilarious black comedy by Jonathan Coe. William has a lot on his mind. Firstly theres The Alaska Factory the band he plays in. Theyre no good & they make his songs sound about as groovy as an unimpressed record. In fact theyre so bad hes seriously thinking of leaving to join a group called The Unfortunates. Secondly theres Madeline his high-maintenance girlfriend whose idea of a night of passion is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical followed by a doorstep peck on the cheek. Maybe theyre not soulmates after all? Lastly theres the bizarre murder hes just witnessed. The guiding force behind The Unfortunates lies bludgeoned to death at his feet & unfortunately for William there arent too many other suspects standing nearby..." Its about being young poor confused & in love. Its also very funny.. .sharp lucid & witty". (" Guardian"). " Notable for its fresh contemporary flavour & its bristling intellectual energy. Coe has huge powers of observation & enormous literary panache". (" Sunday Times"). Jonathan Coes novels are filled with biting political satire moving & astute observations of life & hilarious set pieces that have made him one of the most popular writers of his generation. His other titles " The Accidental Woman" " The Closed Circle" " The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim" " The House of Sleep" (winner of the 1998 Prix Medicis Etranger) "A Touch of Love" & " The Rain Before it Falls" are all available in Penguin paperback."