One year. One list. Five bodies. Edward J Banger is a man obsessed. The drudgery of a nine-to-five job, the pressures of maintaining a healthy marriage and raising teenage girls are unwelcome inconveniences. The real challenge is ticking boxes. He is determined to win the annual bird race, a competition steeped in history and glory. All he has to do is see more species of birds in the British Isles than anyone else, all within a single calendar year – and he is willing to do anything to win. Anything. The Twitch is a viciously funny black comedy with an obnoxious sod as its central character. After accidentally wiping out one element of the competition, Edward Banger begins to see opportunities to get ahead by using the most unlikely tactics. His steady descent into darkness may not be the ideal bedtime story, but you'll never look at a twitcher the same way again.
Kevin Parr has written for many years as Angling Correspondent to The Idler, for BBC One's Countryfile and the Caught by the River website. He lives in West Compton, Dorset, with his wife. The Twitch is his first novel.