Book of the week: Perversion of Justice by Julie K. Brown
Brown’s account of Jeffrey Epstein’s undoing is a ‘searing indictment of a society in thrall to money and power’

On one level this ingenious book is “a pretty straightforward mystery yarn”, said Andrew Motion in The Guardian.
Lena Knecht, a Manhattan-based artist of German-Irish parentage, has inherited a first edition of Joseph Roth’s 1924 novel Rebellion. At the back of it is a hand-drawn diagram: is it a vital clue in a treasure hunt? There’s only one way to find out – by travelling to Berlin, where the book narrowly escaped a Nazi bonfire. But here’s the twist: the story is narrated by the book itself.
The book’s narration intertwines Lena’s family history with episodes from Roth’s own tragic life and encounters with present-day refugees, said Boyd Tonkin in the FT. It teems with ideas about memory and legacy, but never gets bogged down, thanks to its “brisk and swift” narrative.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Hamilton has great fun with the central conceit, said Michael Arditti in The Spectator, but his underlying purpose is “deeply serious”, and there is considerable subtlety in the way he shows modern-day horrors mirroring those of the past. The Pages is a “remarkable” novel, worthy of Roth’s own great works.
Fourth Estate 304pp £14.99; The Week Bookshop £11.99
The Week Bookshop
To order this title or any other book in print, visit theweekbookshop.co.uk, or speak to a bookseller on 020-3176 3835. Opening times: Monday to Saturday 9am-5.30pm and Sunday 10am-4pm.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
September 6 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include profiting from authoritarianism, and the National Guard entering the CDC
-
Should Britain withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights?
Talking Point With calls now coming from Labour grandees as well as Nigel Farage and the Tories, departure from the ECHR 'is starting to feel inevitable'
-
5 outspoken cartoons about Epstein survivors taking center stage
Cartoons Artists take on cover-ups, Trump surrounded, and more
-
Rigatoni with 'no-vodka sauce' recipe
The Week Recommends Comfort food meets a clever alcohol-free twist on a classic
-
6 blooming homes for gardeners
Feature Featuring a greenhouse in Illinois and 13 raised garden beds in New Mexico
-
The Roses: Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch star in black comedy reboot
The Week Recommends 'Acidly enjoyable' remake of the 1980s classic features a warring couple and toxic love
-
Film reviews: The Roses, Splitsville, and Twinless
Feature A happy union devolves into domestic warfare, a couple's open marriage reaps chaos, and an unlikely friendship takes surprising turns
-
Music reviews: Laufey, Deftones, and Earl Sweatshirt
Feature "A Matter of Time," "Private Music," and "Live Laugh Love"
-
Woof! Britain's love affair with dogs
The Explainer The UK's canine population is booming. What does that mean for man's best friend?
-
Millet: Life on the Land – an 'absorbing' exhibition
The Week Recommends Free exhibition at the National Gallery showcases the French artist's moving paintings of rural life
-
Thomasina Miers picks her favourite books
The Week Recommends The food writer shares works by Arundhati Roy, Claire Keegan and Charles Dickens