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In this collection of Greek fiction written between the first and fourth centuries AD, 'Callirhoe' is the stirring tale of star-crossed lovers Chaereas and Callirhoe, torn apart when she is kidnapped and sold as a slave, while 'Daphnis and Chloe' tells of a boy and girl abandoned at birth, who grow up to fall in love and battle pirates. Greek Fiction - also containing 'Letters of Chion', an early thriller about tyranny and a political assassination - is a fascinating glimpse into an alternative view of Ancient Greece's literary culture.

Daizy can't believe that primary school is nearly over and when Miss Moon surprises Year Six with a trip to France Daizy wants it to be perfect... Paris might be the city of poets, painters and chocolate croissants, but so far Daizy's no closer to finding her own star quality. And with Willow and Beth acting weirdly (not to mention Ethan Miller) will Daizy's dream trip turn into a nightmare?

Mary Burton's Before She Dies is a masterpiece of suspense and psychological thrills. He Is Their Judge . . . In death, they are purified. Holding his victims under water, he washes away their sins as they struggle for their last breath. Then he stakes their bodies to the ground, exposing them for what they really are. Witches, sent to tempt and to corrupt . . . Jury . . . No one knows about defence attorney Charlotte Wellington's murdered sister, or about her childhood spent with the carnival that's just arrived in town. For Charlotte, what's past is past. But others don't agree. And as a madman's body count rises, she and Detective Daniel Rokov are drawn into a mission that's become terrifyingly personal . . . And ExecutionerAt last, she is within his reach. All his victims deserve their fate, but her guilt is greatest. And with every scream, he will make her see what it means to suffer and repent . . .Before She Dies will keep you guessing until the very end and leave you longing for more. Heroine Charlotte Wellington, who appeared in Senseless and Merciless, gets her own amazing story to tell and a hero at her side, Detective Daniel Rokov, who is willing to go toe-to-toe with the irascible Charlotte. Mary Burton's slick, pacy serial killer thriller Before She Dies is guaranteed to send a chill down your spine - a perfect read for fans of Tess Gerritsen, Kathy Reichs, and Karin Slaughter. Praise for Mary Burton:'A twisted tale . . . I couldn't put it down!' Lisa Jackson 'Stieg Larsson fans will find a lot to like in Burton's taut, well-paced novel' Publishers Weekly Mary Burton is the critically acclaimed author of I'm Watching You, Dead Ringer, Dying Scream, Merciless and Senseless - all set in Virginia, USA, where Mary lives with her family.

Dusk by Eve Edwards is a beautiful love story set against the brutal back drop of WWI.For all fans of Sebastian Faulks and historical fiction - this is Bird Song for young adult readers.A love worth fighting for.When Helen, a young hard-working nurse, meets aristocratic artist Sebastian, she doesn't expect to even like him, let alone fall in love. But against the troubled backdrop of wartime London, an unlikely but intense romance blossoms. And even the bloody trenches of the Somme, where they are both posted, cannot diminish their feelings for each other.But Helen is concealing a secret and when a terrible crime is committed there are devastating consequences for them both.When lives are being lost, can true love survive?Eve Edwards is an award-winning author. She lives in Oxford and is married with three children.www.eve-edwards.com

Merciless follows Senseless as the second in Mary Burton's thrilling two-part series. First you beg. Then you die . . . No PityEach skeleton is flawless - gleaming white and perfectly preserved, a testament to his skill. Every scrap of flesh has been removed to reveal the glistening bone beneath. And the collection is growing . . .No CompassionWhen bleached human bones are identified as belonging to a former patient of Dr James Dixon, Detective Malcolm Kier suspects the worst. Dixon was recently acquitted of attempted murder, thanks to defense attorney Angie Carlson. But as the body count rises, Kier is convinced that Angie is now the target of a brutal, brilliant psychopath.No Escape Angie is no stranger to the dark side of human nature. But nothing has prepared her for the decades-long legacy of madness and murder about to be revealed - or a killer ready to claim her as his ultimate trophy . . .Merciless follows on from Mary Burton's fantastic Senseless. Will Malcom Kier be able to piece together the clues that Deacon Garrison previously uncovered?Praise for Mary Burton:'A twisted tale . . . I couldn't put it down!' Lisa Jackson 'Stieg Larsson fans will find a lot to like in Burton's taut, well-paced novel' Publishers WeeklyMary Burton is the critically acclaimed author of I'm Watching You, Dead Ringer, Dying Scream, Merciless and Senseless - all set in Virginia, USA, where Mary lives with her family.

Dawn is the sequel to Dusk, the epic wartime romance by Eve EdwardsLondonPaddington Station22 October 1916Sebastian reached in his pocket for the portrait of Helen he had drawn only last year. 'I'm looking for a young lady who came through here late last night.'Sebastian Trewby doesn't have long before he will be called back to the front line, and Helen has disappeared. He must find her and make her realise that he will protect her before it's too late.Helen knows that if Sebastian discovers her it could ruin him. But threatened by a society that wants to persecute her at every turn, her only hope lies with those that love her. And the authorities are closing in...[praise for DUSK] 'This is a book that is heartbreaking and romantic, a book that will tug at your heartstrings and make you think about it long after you close the last page.' Goodreads reviewer'I could say so much more in praise of this novel, but really, I think it would be better if I just said this: Read 'Dusk', I don't think you will be disappointed.' Amazon reviewer

TLS BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2016'Gray must be one of the best read of contemporary philosophers, trawling insouciantly through high-, middle- and low-brow literature with the sharp-eyed eclecticism of a magpie of genius' John Banville, Guardian'Like Isaiah Berlin with a thing for sci-fi' Tibor Fischer, SpectatorEveryone thinks they want to be free - or do they? John Gray's thought-stirring new book on freedom draws together insights from Gnosticism, science fiction, ancient sacrifice and the occult to show that freedom is an illusion and that, like fairground puppets, humans dream of escaping the burden of choice altogether.

In 1930 the great economist Keynes predicted that, over the next century, income would rise steadily, people's basic needs would be met and no one would have to work more than fifteen hours a week. Why was he wrong?Robert and Edward Skidelsky argue that wealth is not - or should not be - an end in itself, but a means to 'the good life'. Tracing the concept from Aristotle to the present, they show how far modern life has strayed from that ideal. They reject the idea that there is any single measure of human progress, whether GDP or 'happiness', and instead describe the seven elements which, they argue, make up the good life, and the policies that could realize them.ROBERT SKIDELSKY is Emeritus Professor of Political Economy at the University of Warwick. His biography of Keynes received numerous prizes, including the Lionel Gelber Prize and the Council on Foreign Relations Prize for International Relations. He was made a life peer in 1991, and a Fellow of the British Academy in 1994.EDWARD SKIDELSKY is a lecturer in the Philosophy Department of the University of Exeter. He contributes regularly to the New Statesman, Spectator and Prospect. His previous books include The Conditions of Goodness and Ernst Cassirer: The Last Philosopher of Culture.

Could there be another way of life? Can I survive with less stuff? Should I run for the hills?These are all good questions that people have asked before, throughout history, and which have inspired people to set up camp. But now camping is part of the drive for self-sufficiency, a reaction against mass tourism, a chance to connect with the land, to experience a community, to leave no trace . . . From packing to pitching, with hikes into the deep history of the subject and encounters with the great campers and camping movements of the past, this is the only book you'll need to pack when you next head off to sleep under the stars.IF THERE IS ONE THING THAT CAMPERS LIKE MORE THAN CAMPING, IT'S DREAMING ABOUT THEIR NEXT TRIP

Can We Still Be Friends is the debut novel by Alexandra Shulman, editor of British Vogue.It's the summer of 1983 and best friends, Salome, Annie and Kendra have left university to embark on adulthood. Three very different girls with very different paths ahead.- Sal, the aspiring journalist whose personal demons threaten to destroy everything she has achieved.- Annie, the capable domestic beauty, convinced that marriage will give her everything she wants.- Kendra, the daughter of chic, liberal parents who, searching for her own identity, encounters a life she never expected.As they navigate the decade of ra-ra skirts and shoulder pads, Duran Duran and Margaret Thatcher, they discover that the future is what happens to you, not what you plan.Their interwoven tale captures brilliantly what it is to learn the exhilarating and painful truths about love, work, family and the ties of friendship.'Wonderfully evokes that ping-pong between trivial and tremendous so characteristic of the Eighties . . . great on atmosphere . . . An engaging debut, alive with human sympathy' Wendy Holden, Daily Mail'Warm and entertaining . . . captures the excitement of being young and glamorous at a time when the sky really did seem to be the limit' Kate Saunders, The Times'Shulman has a terrific eye for the small yet telling detail' Observer Magazine Alexandra Shulman has edited British Vogue since 1992. She is a contributor to The Times, Daily Mail, Guardian and Daily Telegraph and lives in London. Can We Still Be Friends is her first novel.

A respected literary biographer, Mark is working on the life of Gilbert Strong - a writer about whom he thinks he knows everything. Happily married, and apparently dedicated to a life of letters, he nevertheless falls in love with Strong's granddaughter Carrie, a vague and unsophisticated young woman more interested in bedding plants than books or passion. As Mark's obsessions develop over a hot, complicated summer, he begins to understand that nothing is ever what it seems; not Gilbert Strong, and certainly not himself.According to Mark is a witty and moving look at love, literature and the dangers of middle-aged folly.

Welcome to Rome. It is the summer of 1978, and the Krasnansky family, bickering, tired and confused, are supposed to be passing through. Alongside thousands of other Soviet Jewish refugees - among them criminals, dissidents and refuseniks - they await passage to their new homes in the West. But escaping Communism is not so easy, especially when some of the Krasnanskys insist on bringing it with them, and even more so when their sponsor in the USA lets them down and they find that they're no longer passing through at all. On the contrary, they're stuck.Welcome, then, to the waiting room of your life, and to a tragic yet comic tale of reckless brothers and long-suffering sisters, ailing parents and innocent children, of love affairs and criminal liaisons, of a wonderfully troubled family and a perpetually wandering people, and their epic search for a home: somewhere, anywhere - or Canada, as it turns out.

Five unforgettable women. One beloved yoga studio. A million tales to tell.Yoga teacher Lee is facing a tough decision. Struggling to make ends meet at her treasured studio she's given a helping hand in the form of an invitation to participate in the biggest yoga event of the year . . . but to do so means going against everything she believes in. Masseuse Katherine is being evicted from the only home she's ever known, while actress Imani fights to make her film comeback. And as Graciela plays with fire - or rather a famous baseball player - right under the nose of her volatile boyfriend, Stephanie finds herself in a very unexpected relationship.Yoga may be all about the glamorous celebrity teachers these days, but for five women the small humble Edendale studio remains a place for true friendship - and right now that's exactly what these women need . . .

Yoga. A spiritual journey. A way of life. A chance to meet the friends you've been waiting for.At the beginning, it's all about the exercise. But for five of the women who take yoga classes at Edendale Studio it's soon about more than sharing tips for the perfect Downward Dog. It's about their hopes, fears and dreams.Katherine is falling in love, but terrified of screwing it up again and Graciela is determined to prove her critical mother wrong - although she'll have to prove herself right first. Imani's life has been shattered by a heartbreaking truth, while yoga teacher Lee loves to help everyone else, but is she truly happy? And they're all worried about Stephanie, who seems to have disappeared ...So it comes as a shock to the women when Lee announces the studio is closing. Is it really namaste for Edendale - or can these now close-knit friends find a way to keep their beloved yoga class alive?

Inspired by The Great British Bake Off? Learn how to bake over 120 delicious recipes in this ultimate baking book and official tie-in to the first BBC series. This book takes us on a tour of the very best in baking our nation has to offer - from Eccles cakes to Cornish pasties, Chelsea buns to Scottish gingerbread. Over 120 classic recipes, as well as numerous adaptations and suggestions, cover the whole range of baking skills from sweet jam tarts to savoury game pie. These are recipes that have been passed through the generations, as well as those from the Bake Off contestants. With trips to notable landmarks from baking history - Melton Mowbray and Sandwich among the more famous, as well as locally loved secrets from towns and villages around the country - the book highlights the importance of baking as part of our national heritage.Whether you want to try your hand at the delicate art of petticoat tails shortbread or dish up a hearty steak pie to a hungry family, you will be looking between the pages of The Great British Book of Baking time and time again, packed full of the very best recipes from around the British Isles.Chapters include: - Biscuits and Teatime Treats- Bread- Tarts and Flans- Pies- Cakes- Puddings- Fancy Pastries - PLUS invaluable tips from the judges and an introduction from Mel and Sue! Get your wooden spoons at the ready!

Isaac Bashevis Singer's work explores humanity in all of its guises. This collection of forty-seven short stories, selected by Singer himself from across the whole of his career, brings together the best of his writing. From the supernatural 'Taibele and Her Demon' to the poignant 'The Unseen', and from gentle humour in 'Gimpel the Fool' to tragedy with 'Yentl the Yeshiva Boy', these tales explore good and evil, passion and restraint, religious fervour and personal failings, within the traditional shtetls of pre-war Eastern Europe and post-war America.

They are not like other rats. They work at night, in secret . . .Time is running out for Mrs Frisby. She must move her family of mice before the farmer destroys their home. But her youngest son, Timothy, is too ill to survive the move. Help comes in the unexpected form of a group of mysterious, super-intelligent rats. But the rats are in danger too, and little by little Mrs Frisby discovers their extraordinary past . . .

'David Carpenter deserves to replace Sir James Holt as the standard authority, and an unfailingly readable one too.' Ferdinand Mount, TLS 'An invaluable new commentary' Jill Leopore, New Yorker With a new commentary by David Carpenter"e;No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgment of his equals or by the law of the land."e;Magna Carta, forced on King John in 1215 by rebellion, is one of the most famous documents in world history. It asserts a fundamental principle: that the ruler is subject to the law. Alongside a new text and translation of the Charter, David Carpenter's commentary draws on new discoveries to give an entirely fresh account of Magna Carta's text, origins, survival and enforcement, showing how it quickly gained a central place in English political life. It also uses Magna Carta as a lens through which to view thirteenth-century society, focusing on women and peasants as well as barons and knights. The book is a landmark in Magna Carta studies. 2015 is the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta's creation - an event which will be marked with exhibitions, commemorations and debates in all the countries over whose constitutions and legal assumptions the shadow of Magna Carta hangs.

Sharp-eyed Marianne lives in a white tower made of steel and concrete with her father and the other Professors. Outside, where the land is thickly wooded and wild beasts roam, live the Barbarians, who raid and pillage in order to survive. Marianne is strictly forbidden to leave her civilized world but, fascinated by these savage outsiders, decides to escape. There, beyond the wire fences, she will discover a decaying paradise, encounter the tattooed Barbarian boy Jewel and go beyond the darkest limits of her imagination.Playful, sensuous, violent and gripping, Heroes and Villains is an ambiguous and deliriously rich blend of post-apocalyptic fiction, gothic fantasy, literary allusion and twisted romance.

In this ground-breaking book Chris Stringer sets out to answer all the big questions in the debate about our origins. How can we define modern humans, and how can we recognise our beginnings in the fossil and archaeological record? How can we accurately date fossils, including ones beyond the range of radiocarbon dating? What do the genetic data really tell us? Were our origins solely in Africa? Are modern humans a distinct species from ancient people such as the Neanderthals? And what contact did our ancestors have with them? How can we recognise modern humans behaviourally, and were traits such as complex language and art unique to modern humans? What forces shaped the origins of modern humans - were they climatic, dietary, social, or even volcanic? What drove the dispersals of modern humans from Africa, and how did our species spread over the globe? How did regional features evolve, and how significant are they? What exactly was the 'Hobbit' of the island of Flores, and how was it related to us? Has human evolution stopped, or are we still evolving? What can we expect from future research on our origins? This book will make every reader think about what it means to be human.

For many years, scientists thought that the human brain simply decayed over time and its dying cells led to memory slips, fuzzy logic, negative thinking, and even depression. But new research from neuroscien tists and psychologists suggests that, in fact, the brain reorganizes, improves in important functions, and even helps us adopt a more optimistic outlook in middle age. Growth of white matter and brain connectors allow us to recognize patterns faster, make better judgments, and find unique solutions to problems. Scientists call these traits cognitive expertise and they reach their highest levels in middle age.In her impeccably researched book, science writer Barbara Strauch explores the latest findings that demonstrate, through the use of technology such as brain scans, that the middle-aged brain is more flexible and more capable than previously thought. For the first time, long-term studies show that our view of middle age has been misleading and incomplete. By detailing exactly the normal, healthy brain functions over time, Strauch also explains how its optimal processes can be maintained. Part scientific survey, part how-to guide,The Secret Life of the Grown-Up Brainis a fascinating glimpse at our surprisingly talented middle-aged minds.

Sometimes you fall in love when you least expect it . . .Charley has worked hard to create a perfect life - she has The Flat. The Job. The Wardrobe.Best of all, her boss has asked her out after seven years' hard flirting and a covert fumble in a mop cupboard. But then she breaks her leg in three places, watches her boss propose to someone else and is forced to hand over her job to her nasty deputy. Workaholic Charley thinks she will soon go mad. Dangerously bored and desperate for something to do, she discovers a talent for helping people who are talentless at internet dating.Then William arrives in her inbox and rocks her world. Helpless, she watches herself fall in love with him and discovers that perhaps she't not exactly who she thought she was. But is she brave enough to turn her back on her old life? And for a total stranger?Fans of Marian Keyes, Rosie Walsh and Sophie Kinsella will love this hilariously funny and gorgeously romantic story. Praise for Lucy Robinson'The new Marian Keyes . . . romantic and laugh-out-loud hilarious' Cosmopolitan'We laughed, we cried, we fell in love' Heat'Fans of Marian Keyes will love Lucy Robinson's giggle-inducing humour and relatable characters' Glamour'You'll be laughing one minute and crying the next' Lucy Diamond

'The new Marian Keyes . . . romantic and laugh-out-loud hilarious' CosmopolitanFran's turning 30 and life is good. She's somehow bagged herself a Very Posh Job and her outlandishly handsome and talented boyfriend Michael is taking her to the Ritz, with something that looks suspiciously like a ring box in his pocket. But by the end of the evening Fran is sobbing in bed with a bottle of cheap brandy and one of Michael's old socks. EVERYTHING has gone wrong and she doesn't know what to do. But then her friends come up with a plan, and so begins the greatest love story of all time . . . Fans of Sophie Kinsella, Rosie Walsh and Mhairi McFarlane will love this heartwarming, romantic and funny novel filled with twists and turns. 'An absolute must-read' Huffington Post'Refreshingly playful' Red'Many novels claim to be laugh-out-loud funny, but this debut actually is . . . Prepare for public-transport belly laughs' Glamour

Look up into the night sky and gaze in wonder...The moon and the light it casts have been a muse for writers, artists, composers and visionaries throughout history. But today, in our increasingly urbanised world, the spread of artificial lighting seems set to rob the moon of its power.Now James Attlee invites us to turn our faces once more toward the night sky and contemplate the moon's many moods. He takes us with him on a journey in search of moonlight and its meanings, from the kitsch to the sublime - in the modern world, the ancient world, in art, books, music, and in science. And from his front door he travels to Normandy, Naples, Arizona, Wales, Las Vegas and Japan.Here, then, is a strangely illuminating traveller's tale about a search for the all-but-vanished light of the moon - and a passionate plea to turn off the lights and repossess the stolen night.

Twenty years ago, Anthony Galton vanished, along with his streetwise bride and several thousand dollars of the Galton fortune. Now his dying mother wants him found, and Lew Archer is on the case: is Anthony hiding somewhere, happy and eager not to be discovered? But what Archer finds - a headless skeleton, a clever con and a terrified blonde - reveals a game whose stakes are so high that someone is willing to kill.The Galton Case is a wonderfully devious and poetic look at poverty, greed, murder and identity.Ross Macdonald's Lew Archer mysteries rewrote the conventions of the detective novel with their credible, humane hero, and with Macdonald's insight and moral complexity won new literary respectability for the hardboiled genre previously pioneered by Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. They have also received praise from such celebrated writers as William Goldman, Jonathan Kellerman, Eudora Welty and Elmore Leonard.

When Maude Slocum - beautiful, frightened and angry - comes to Lew Archer's office with a poison pen letter intended for her husband, he reluctantly agrees to help her. As he follows the Slocums around, Archer finds that Mrs Slocum might have the least of the family's troubles: her teenage daughter is desolate, her husband is in the closet and her mother-in-law has just come to an unpleasant end in the swimming pool. But why is their handsome ex-chauffeur still hanging around? And what does the sinister Pacific Refinery Company have to do with the all the bloodshed? The Drowning Pool is Ross Macdonald's gripping tale of adultery, jealousy, murder and lies.Ross Macdonald's Lew Archer mysteries rewrote the conventions of the detective novel with their credible, humane hero, and with Macdonald's insight and moral complexity won new literary respectability for the hardboiled genre previously pioneered by Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. They have also received praise from such celebrated writers as William Goldman, Jonathan Kellerman, Eudora Welty and Elmore Leonard.

Private detective Lew Archer has better things to do than take on an investigation for Alex Kincaid, a young man claiming that his new bride, Dolly, has gone missing. Snapped by a hotel photographer on the day of their wedding, the beautiful girl vanished only hours after and Alex has heard nothing since. But when Archer begins digging, he finds evidence that links Dolly to brutal murders that span two decades, and a terrible secret. In this byzantine and compelling tale, Ross Macdonald explores the darkest experiences that can bind a family together - and tear it apart.Ross Macdonald's Lew Archer mysteries rewrote the conventions of the detective novel with their credible, humane hero, and with Macdonald's insight and moral complexity won new literary respectability for the hardboiled genre previously pioneered by Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. They have also received praise from such celebrated writers as William Goldman, Jonathan Kellerman, Eudora Welty and Elmore Leonard.

Lew Archer, world-weary private investigator, is hired by Larry and Irene Chalmers when they suspect that their troubled son Nick is involved in their own burglary. But when a fellow investigator - one who's been working with Nick - turns up dead, Archer soon realizes this isn't simply about some stolen loot. To help their son, Archer must uncover the truth about a kidnap years ago, and discover why the handgun from a decades-old killing apparently turns up at every new and terrible murder. In The Goodbye Look, Ross Macdonald exposes the damage families can cause one another in the name of love, lies and greed.Ross Macdonald's Lew Archer mysteries rewrote the conventions of the detective novel with their credible, humane hero, and with Macdonald's insight and moral complexity won new literary respectability for the hardboiled genre previously pioneered by Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. They have also received praise from such celebrated writers as William Goldman, Jonathan Kellerman, Eudora Welty and Elmore Leonard.

A powerful 1931 portrayal of a German town on the brink of chaos, from bestselling author Hans Fallada (writer of Alone in Berlin)It is summer, 1929, and in a small German town a storm is brewing. The shabby reporter Tredup leads a precarious existence working for the Pomeranian Chronicle - until he takes some photographs that offer the chance to make a fortune. In Kr ger's bar, the farmers are plotting their revenge on greedy officials. A mysterious travelling salesman from Berlin , Henning, is stirring up trouble - but no one knows why. Meanwhile the Nazis grow stronger and the Communists fight them in the streets. And at the centre of it all, the Mayor, 'Fatty' Gareis, seeks the easy life even as events spiral beyond his control.As tensions erupt between workers and bosses, town and country, Left and Right, alliances are broken, bribes are taken and plots are hatched, until the tension spills over into violence.'Uncommonly vivid and original' Robert Musil'Real love and real humanity' Hermann Hesse'The best account of small-town Germany ... so terribly genuine, it is frightening' Kurt Tucholsky'This novel's genius ... lies in Fallada's ability to reveal ... as well as to analyse the macabre game of musical chairs that was the Weimar Republic. Fallada gives us front-row seats to Germany's decade-long quest for a sacrificial scapegoat that culminated in the Nazi takeover ... Two years after Alone in Berlin's runaway success, A Small Circus continues the Fallada revival that owes so much to the efforts of its translator, the poet Michael Hofmann' Andr Naffis-Sahely, Independent'Fallada creates characters with Dickensian prodigality, each yokel, hack, pig and pen-pusher brought to life in Michael Hofmann's beautifully judged translation ... a generous, life-affirming treat' Jake Kerridge, Telegraph'Michael Hofmann ... comes as close as possible to giving us Fallada's work in all its coarse, humorous, immediate, tragic glory' Charlotte Moore, Spectator'Not for the first time, all praise is due to Michael Hofmann's art and feel for nuance. His translation catches the many voices - some exasperated, others bewildered, a few downright angry - that make this bold, exuberant and candid narrative sizzle with life and the relentlessly shocking reality of it all' Irish Times'Fallada's own experiences as a regional journalist in north Germany underlie the action, and it is this sense of realism, combined with an ear for dialogue and an acute understanding of human frailty, that make the novel such an authentic portrayal of an imploding era' Ben Hutchinson, Observer

When a chance encounter makes him a witness to the abduction of a child, private detective Lew Archer can't help but be drawn into the case, pursuing a trail that leads all too quickly to murder. While forest fires rage in the hills around Los Angeles, threatening the homes of some of the city's wealthiest families, Archer unearths a hidden history of failed marriages, runaway children, and a man's life consumed by a search for the father who abandoned him.Ross Macdonald's Lew Archer mysteries rewrote the conventions of the detective novel with their credible, humane hero, and with Macdonald's insight and moral complexity won new literary respectability for the hardboiled genre previously pioneered by Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. They have also received praise from such celebrated writers as William Goldman, Jonathan Kellerman, Eudora Welty and Elmore Leonard.