About the Author

Piers Paul Read studied history at Cambridge University and has authored twelve acclaimed novels and three works of non-fiction, including the international bestseller "Alive." His novels have won the Hawthornden Prize and the Geoffrey Faber, Somerset Maugham, and James Tait Black Awards. He is married with four children and lives in London.

Reviews

"Read discredits legends...with tact and good sense...An unblinking account." --"Financial Times"
"The careful build-up pays off by giving depth to a subject astonishing enough without fantasies." --"The Sunday Telegraph"
"Lucid and accessible."--"Literary Review"
"[Read] is judicious...and his book is a pleasure to read." --"The Spectato"r