Poisonously funny. - The New York Times The Company of Knaves is a hilarious, satirical and very black novel from highly acclaimed author Simon Shaw. Philip Fletcher, actor-murderer, is thrown into a jealous rage when he hears that his most hated rival is up for a knighthood. Fletcher desperately wants one too but can't immediately see how to go about it. The death of a gossipy fellow actor and the subsequent threat of scandal to his family and colleagues opens up a tantalising possibility for Fletcher: he could always blackmail his way to a knighthood. Such a course, though, is perilous, involving undercover penetration of an S & M night-club. Is Fletcher up to the job? To what lengths will ambition take him? And is murder on the agenda - yet again?