'Brilliant' SUNDAY TIMES
'Compelling and unnerving' SPECTATOR

This first collection of stories by Lawrence Osborne perfectly showcases his talent for tension, atmosphere - and characters out of their depth

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A deaf girl hired as a maid by a wealthy New York couple turns the tables on her obliviously abusive employers and answers blackmail with blackmail. A psychiatrist treating a girl in rural England becomes ensnared in a love affair that threatens to destroy her career. A naïve young linguist sent to the forests of Irian Jaya is manipulated into betraying her mission by a ruthless and disturbed pastor.

Lawrence Osborne’s stories explore characters lost in the shadowed borders between the mundane, the fantastical and the violence of the natural world.

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‘This is stylish, subversive fiction from a writer at the top of his game’ New Statesman, Books of the Year

‘If you appreciate stories with stings in the tail, you will enjoy this fiendishly cunning new collection’ Mail on Sunday

Brilliant... clear but strong, full of mood and meaning -- Bryan Appleyard * SUNDAY TIMES *
Compelling and unnerving -- Emily Rhodes * SPECTATOR *
If you appreciate stories with stings in the tail, you will enjoy this fiendishly cunning new collection... Osborne not only has the knack of keeping readers guessing, but the rarer gift of drawing them into the interior world of his characters * Mail on Sunday *
This is stylish, subversive fiction from a writer at the top of his game * NEW STATESMAN, *Books of the Year* *
Shewdly manipulated tension thrums throughout this latest collection from the prolific Osborne. These globe-trotting tales are perfect for the season * OBSERVER *

Lawrence Osborne is a critically acclaimed novelist, journalist, and screenwriter based in Bangkok. He is the author of eight novels, including Ballad of a Small Player, Beautiful Animals, and The Forgiven. His non-fiction ranges from memoir through travelogue to essays, including Bangkok Days, The Naked Tourist and The Wet and the Dry. His novels have been chosen as Books of the Year by the Guardian, the Observer, the Daily Telegraph, the New Statesman, the Daily Mail, The Economist, The New Yorker and the New York Times. The Forgiven was made into a film in 2022 starring Jessica Chastain and Ralph Fiennes and Ballad of a Small Player starring Colin Farrell and Tilda Swinton was released on Netflix in 2025.