Crescendo
Jun 2026 · Random House
Ebook
232
Pages
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Eligible
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infoThis book will become available on June 4, 2026. You will not be charged until it is released.
About this ebook
CRESCENDO is a taut, sultry novel about rivalry, obsession, and how far we are willing to go to get what we really desire.
Max is a piano prodigy, and his beautiful twin sister, Natasha, serves as his manager and minder. While Max basks in the spotlight of his talents, it is truly Natasha—meticulously tracking his every move—who has ensured his renown.
It’s the summer of 1958 and Max is on a sold-out concert tour, performing in 100 venues around the world. But despite Natasha’s careful planning, he begins, for the first time in his career, to make mistakes on stage. Upending his schedule to seek a cure in Paris, Max sets the pair up in the sprawling chateau of a handsome and wealthy count. But Henri is more than just a patron of the arts, he has also been – unknown to her brother – Natasha’s lover.
Freed from the familiar dynamic of talent and manager, Natasha’s simmering resentment and Max’s deep insecurity turns into a rivalry, as the two vie for Henri’s attention. While Henri woos Natasha in galleries and cafes during the day, it is Max’s playing that draws him from bed each night.
As the twins compete, the fractures in their already vulnerable relationship start to show, to crack, to break, with devastating consequences for them both.
Max is a piano prodigy, and his beautiful twin sister, Natasha, serves as his manager and minder. While Max basks in the spotlight of his talents, it is truly Natasha—meticulously tracking his every move—who has ensured his renown.
It’s the summer of 1958 and Max is on a sold-out concert tour, performing in 100 venues around the world. But despite Natasha’s careful planning, he begins, for the first time in his career, to make mistakes on stage. Upending his schedule to seek a cure in Paris, Max sets the pair up in the sprawling chateau of a handsome and wealthy count. But Henri is more than just a patron of the arts, he has also been – unknown to her brother – Natasha’s lover.
Freed from the familiar dynamic of talent and manager, Natasha’s simmering resentment and Max’s deep insecurity turns into a rivalry, as the two vie for Henri’s attention. While Henri woos Natasha in galleries and cafes during the day, it is Max’s playing that draws him from bed each night.
As the twins compete, the fractures in their already vulnerable relationship start to show, to crack, to break, with devastating consequences for them both.
About the author
Jane Healey has a BA (Hons) from Warwick University, an MSc in Literature & Modernity from Edinburgh University, and studied on the MFA Fiction course at CUNY Brooklyn College. Her short stories have been shortlisted for the Costa Short Story Award, the Bristol Prize, and the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. She is the author of the Historical Writers’ Association Debut Crown Award winner The Animals at Lockwood Manor and The Ophelia Girls. She lives in London.
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