William Boyd

Gabriel Dax is a young man haunted by the memories of a fire that took his mother's life. Every night, when sleep finally comes, he dreams about his childhood home in flames. His days are spent on the move as an acclaimed travel writer, capturing the changing landscapes of Europe in the grip of the Cold War. When he is offered the chance to interview Patrice Lumumba, newly elected president of the People's Republic of the Congo, he finds himself drawn...

"From the award-winning, best-selling author comes a rollicking novel with a dark undertow, set around three unforgettable individuals and a doomed movie set. A producer. A novelist. An actress. It's summer 1968--a time of war and assassinations, protests and riots. While the world is reeling, our trio is involved in making a disaster-plagued, Swingin' Sixties British movie in sunny Brighton. All are leading secret lives. As the movie shoot zigs and...

In the vein of 1917, this epic drama is set against the ill-fated WWI backdrop where a restless platoon receives word that they will soon join the first wave of an attack. Led by a war-hardened Sargent, these young men, confined to a trench on the front lines and the dark abyss, face their destiny on the day the British Army lost the greatest number of soldiers in a single day in history.