'Audere, agere, auferre'. To dare, to strive, to conquer

For generations, privileged young men have attended St. Oswald s Grammar School for Boys, groomed for success by the likes of Roy Straitley, the eccentric Classics teacher who has been a fixture there for more than thirty years. But this year the wind of unwelcome change is blowing, and Straitley is finally contemplating retirement. He is joined this term by five new faculty members, including one who holds intimate and dangerous knowledge of St. Oswald's ways and secrets. Harboring dark ties to the school's past, this young teacher has arrived with one terrible goal: to destroy St. Oswald's.

As the new term gets under way, a number of incidents befall students and faculty alike. Beginning as small annoyances, they are initially overlooked. But as the incidents escalate, it soon becomes apparent that a darker undercurrent is stirring within the school. With St. Oswald's unraveling, only Straitley stands in the way of its ruin. The veteran teacher faces a formidable opponent, however—a master player with a bitter grudge and a strategy that has been meticulously planned to the final move, a secret game with very real, very deadly consecquences.

A harrowing tale of cat and mouse, this riveting, hypnotically atmospheric novel showcases New York Times bestselling author Joanne Harris's astonishing storytelling talent as never before.

Joanne Harris is the author of six other critically acclaimed novels, a collection of short fiction, and two cookbook-memoirs. Half French and half British, she lives in England.

Steven Pacey's extensive work in the West End includes The Birthday Party, Things We Do Tor love, By Jeeves (Olivier Award nomination) and being directed by Harold Pinter in his successful productions of Celebration and The Room. Steven has appeared in numerous TV roles and has made over 300 radio broadcasts.