Cirrus@Austlit

'A chef, a portraitist and a barber are taken hostage in a coup to overthrow their boss, the president of a nameless country. They are held captive in a palatial retreat in the mountains high above the capital city. Meanwhile, the chef's daughter, the portraitist's pregnant wife and the barber's lover watch their men from the shadows – for in such precarious times, intimate relationships are as dangerous as political ones. As the old order falls, so does the veil that hides the truth about the secret passions of these men and women.

'Drawing her readers masterfully towards the novel's devastating climax, Ceridwen Dovey reveals how humanity's most atavistic impulses – vanity, vengeance and greed – seethe, relentlessly, just beneath the surface of everyday life. '

'While investigating the drug overdose of a teenage girl, pathologist and forensic physician, Dr Anya Crichton, discovers striking similarities between the case and a number of apparent suicides. All of the victims disappeared for a period of time before taking their lives in desperate circumstances.

'As Anya delves deeper, the pathological findings point to the frightening possibility that the deaths are not only linked, but part of a sinister game. Nothing can prepare her for the role she is forced to take in the deadliest play of all...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Raymond Maillot is a lustful young notary who prefers wine, women and song to the pursuit of professional renown. But when he's employed by Father Amiel, a sober Dominican monk charged with investigating a particularly shocking murder, his life begins to change. Now Raymond is torn between his taste for irresponsible pleasures and his desire to find refuge in the Church. His journey of self-discovery, however, begins with a severed penis.' (Source: Libraries Australia)