This first collection of stories by Lawrence Osborne perfectly showcases his talent for tension
atmosphere - and characters out of their depth A naïve young linguist sent to the forests of
Irian Jaya is manipulated into betraying her mission by a ruthless and disturbed pastor. A deaf
girl hired as a maid by a wealthy New York couple turns the tables on her obliviously abusive
employers and answers blackmail with blackmail. A psychiatrist treating a girl in rural England
becomes ensnared in a love affair that threatens to destroy her career while a young couple on
holiday in Oman accidentally witness a killing which leads to their being hunted as well. An
entomologist at a remote hotel in the Andamans survives a tsunami and uses a dead body to
further her study of ants. Collected here for the first time Lawrence Osborne's stories like
his novels - 'elaborate and intricately plotted dances macabres' (The Times) - feel like
nightmares set against calmly and meticulously observed backgrounds. With their nods to Daphne
du Maurier and Roald Dahl these nine long-form stories explore characters lost in the shadowed
borders between the mundane the fantastical and the violence of the natural world. PRAISE FOR
LAWRENCE OSBORNE 'Osborne handles surface and depth with immense skill as only great writers
can' Deborah Levy Financial Times 'Utterly compelling' Observer 'Menacing and engrossing'
Sunday Times
