To take the same subject as Conrad in Typhoon would be foolhardy if it were not so triumphantly justified

As a jockey, Dick Francis was unbeatable when he got into his stride. The same is true of his crime writing

With immaculate control, Ruth Rendell builds a menacing crescendo of tension and horror that keeps you guessing right up to the brilliantly paced finale

Without doubt the most distinguished living writer of crime stories... Ruth Rendell really makes the most of this beautifully-imagined plot

There are quite a few Ruth Rendells: the doyenne of the traditional English detective novel; the queen of the psychological thriller; the celebrated author of the literary thriller

Brilliant and compulsive

A haunting, compelling, and brilliant piece of fiction ... Packed with literary allusion and told with a sophistication and texture that owes much more to the nineteenth century than to the twentieth