The chilling, sophisticated new historical thriller from the acclaimed writer of THE CHILD THIEF.

[a] gripping thriller with real depth of character SUNDAY TIMES a superbly shivery atmosphere -- Marcel Berlins THE TIMES Once again Dan Smith has produced a first class historical thriller that will satisfy the most demanding of crime fans, while exploring the consequences of unchecked military might and the persistence of the human spirit. Smith's prose is crisp, his sense of pace flawless and his appreciation of the mundane terrors of warfare nothing short of masterly CRIMEFICTIONLOVER (blog) Showing the same skills that he exercised in his previous novel, Smith has fashioned a story of page-turning intensity that simultaneously possesses real depth of characterisation SUNDAY TIMES

Dan Smith grew up following his parents across the world. He has been writing short stories for as long as he can remember and has been published in the anthology MATTER 4, shortlisted for the Royal Literary Fund mentor scheme, the NORTHERN WRITERS AWARD, the 2010 BRIT WRITERS PUBLISHED AUTHOR OF THE YEAR AWARD and the BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD. He lives in Newcastle with his family.