A stunning historical novel by the bestselling author of THE LONG FIRM.

'A consummate performance...virtuoso' Guardian

A fascinating, unusual and seductive historical novel by the bestselling author of The Long Firm.

In a Parisian restaurant, Aleister Crowley, the notorious occultist, chances on Major-General Sir Hector Macdonald: once one of the greatest heroes of the British Empire, now facing ruin in a shocking scandal - and vulnerable to Crowley's curious offer of help. An extraordinary night of transgression and revelation ensues . . .

Probing beneath the surface of Victorian conformity, this is an enthralling tale of imperialism, sexuality and the nature of belief, which captures a world on the brink of a brutal new era.

"Brilliantly expansive and original" - Daily Mirror

"A consummate performance...a virtuoso work of near history, with the occasional in-joke thrown in for good measure...immensely enjoyable" - Guardian

"One of the many pleasures of this skilful book is the maintenance of suspense...Arnott does not ask us to choose between [Crowley and Macdonald] - but much of the moral force of this excellent book lies in his demonstration that there is, nonetheless, a choice to be made." - Independent

"A great read, full of compassion, humour and riveting detail." - Sunday Express

"Arnott's great leap forward...Macdonald's predicament is sympathetically examined and Crowley's monstrous drive is brilliantly rendered...it is his best [novel]" - The Herald

"Arnott is clearly having fun here...So to combine that with how the necessity to be good - to be a hero - can be as suffocating a pressure as battling with occultist demons makes The Devil's Paintbrush a fine book" - Metro