“Very entertaining, cleverly constructed and expertly paced. I thoroughly enjoyed it.” Sir Derek Jacobi Her face was thinner than it used to be, tauter somehow, almost gaunt, and the eyes seemed troubled. The hair, once long and flowing, was cut roughly short. Almost hacked, he thought. Yet it was surely her… When Colin Mallory sees a sketch of a young actress he once knew on display in the local market, memories of their past together are brought back sharply to the surface. Alarmed by her distressed appearance, Colin is propelled on a search that draws him into the nightmare world of ‘the group’ and the sinister influence that threatens to control him too. This is an engrossing story of artifice and hidden secrets, rich with theatrical detail and a cast of compelling characters. Christopher Bowden lives in south London. His two previous novels are The Blue Book and The Yellow Room.