Paperback edition of the rediscovered classic novel from the late Wright, which was first published in 1993. Blending psychological crime with literary fiction, its publication in hardback in 2010 caused an international sensation, with rights auctions resulting in sales to 15 territories. 'Marvellously written, the last thing you would expect in a story of blood and revenge. Beautiful.' Saul Bellow

Austin M. Wright was born in New York in 1922. He was a novelist and academic. He lived with his wife and daughters in Cincinnati, and died in 2003 at the age of eighty.

'Absorbing, terrifying, beautiful and appalling. I loved it... Unforgettable.' Ruth Rendell 'Impressive, enigmatic, multi-layered... I want to read it all over again' Sarah Waters 'Marvellously written - the last thing you would expect in a story of blood and revenge. Beautiful.' Saul Bellow 'A masterful study of marriage, regret and the reader's role.' Adrian Turpin, Financial Times 'My favourite novel of 2010 would have been my favourite novel of 1993 - if only I had known about it.' The Times