From the bestselling author of the Richard & Judy Book Club selection A QUIET BELIEF IN ANGELS. R.J. Ellory is now being critically recognised as one of the genre's up-and-coming stars. He has received brilliant reviews for all his novels: 'Ellory is a powerful talent, and this, his fourth novel, seems set to launch him into the stratosphere of crime writers' Independent on Sunday. 'R.J. Ellory has a keen understanding of rhythm and pace, knowing how to let a story unfold without too much interference. So there is a natural feel to the way the reader is drawn inextricably into the world he creates... Excellent' Guardian. 'Another fine book from Ellory' Daily Telegraph. 'With exquisite pace and perfect timing, Ellory has given us a piercing assessment of the nature of love, loyalty and obsessive revenge' Guardian. 'This compelling novel, with its shock denouement, is both beautifully written and skilfully crafted and confirms Ellory as one of crime fiction's new stars' Sunday Telegraph.

Winner of Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2010.

"An awesome achievement - a thriller of such power, scope and accomplishment that fanfares should herald its arrival." GUARDIAN "So skilful is his use of dialogue and the Washington location, in a thriller that propels the reader along and offers shocks and suspense in equal measure, that one never doubts the authenticity of his American credentials... At 500 pages, this is a long, substantial novel. Yet had it been twice as long this reviewer would still have wanted more." WATERSTONES BOOKS QUARTERLY "A very cunningly constructed serial killer thriller" BOOKSELLER PAPERBACK PREVIEW 'grips with an iron fist until the bitter end' SHORTLIST "This is a book with everything that a fan of modern mystery fiction could hope for: a labyrinthine plot, unbearable tension, controversy and a social conscience." CRIMESQUAD "Ellory brings a new psychological and moral tension to the genre, mixing Washington politics with serial killings." SAGA

R.J. Ellory is the author of five previous novels including the bestselling A QUIET BELIEF IN ANGELS which was a Richard & Judy Book Club selection 2008. His novels have been translated into Italian, German and Dutch and he has been twice shortlisted for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger. He is married with one son, and currently resides in England.