A gritty, terse glimpse at life through the indomitable lens of a crime classic master. Portraying the oddities and kinks of human behaviour as well as the prejudices inherent in nations, Freeling casts a loving and sometimes scathing eye on humanity in this accomplished novel. Henri Castang is exposed as a raw, vulnerable man when faced with the cruel truth that he had a part, a share and even responsibility in the deaths of others throughout Europe.