Featuring nine in-depth interviews with Mike Murphy and three round-table discussions with fellow Irish writers and critics, Reading the Future creates a unique freeze-frame portrait of Ireland's literary culture at the turn of the century - and provides fascinating insights into the shaping influences on the lives, creative minds and working methods of twelve great writers. Including a challenging introduction by Declan Kiberd, consulting editor to the series and chairman of the selection panel, Reading the Future is an indispensable source for any serious reader of Irish literature.

Ronnie Sidney is a perfect child. The illegitimate son of a wartime romance, he gives his mother the unconditional love she so craves. In his mother's eyes Ronnie is faultless: a ray of sunshine in her grey life. But as cracks begin to creep into Ronnie's facade of youthful charm, a very different character starts to emerge. For Susan Ramsey, life is easy. Cherished by her parents, she knows nothing of hardship or misery. Until a sudden tragedy thrusts her into a dark and disturbing world. When Susan and Ronnie meet, the attraction is instant. Each recognises in the other a long-awaited soul mate. Finally, Ronnie feels able to remove his mask of perfection - with consequences more dreadful than either could possibly have foreseen . . . With its compelling exploration of psychological power games and emotional violence, Apple of My Eye is the mesmerising third novel from the bestselling author of The Wishing Game and The Puppet Show.

For Tina Ryan, falling in love is the worst thing that could ever happen to her. Love is a refuge for the weak, lonely and needy. Once she was like that herself - but no longer. Recovering from a turbulent, tormented childhood, she has reinvented herself as Chrissie: strong, self-reliant and firmly in control. She is everything she ever wanted to be and nothing will ever be allowed to threaten that. But she is also human. So when love does force its way into her life, leaving her utterly shocked and exposed, her new and carefully constructed personality is in peril. And nothing can ever be allowed to do that. Control must be maintained and feelings must be on her terms. No matter how dreadful those terms might be.

Michael Turner is about to make a big mistake. Having struggled for years to escape the demons of his childhood - an orphan lost in a maze of institutions and foster homes - he is finally happy. Now in his early twenties, he has a loving fiancee and is taking the first steps in a promising legal career. And then he meets Max. The father figure that Michael has always craved, Max strides into Michael's life, realising all the childhood dreams that have lain dormant for so many years. But dreams come with a price. Despite his supportive exterior, Max is plagued by his own demons and is a violently skilled manipulator when it comes to getting exactly what he wants from everyone around him. As Michael's fears and vulnerabilities begin to push everyone else away, Max sets to work . . . A taut, sophisticated and engrossing thriller that will have you turning pages furiously into the night.