At his best when freezing the very blood of his readers by spinning his web of intrigue, mystery and ghostly gravity, Robert Westall is able to reach out and touch the very soul, sneaking up on the mind with his startling ability to lull and shock in the same sentence.

Demons and Shadows pulls together 11 of the very best of Westall's stories. From the eery and disquieting "Rachel and the Angel", through to the final, chilling yet sweetly romantic "The Last Day of Miss Dorinda Molyneux", this superb collection from the master storyteller neatly sums up the talent and character of an author who, before his death in 1993, boasted a writing career that spanned nearly 20 years. The haunting "Walk on the Wildside" and the darkly comical "The Woolworth's Spectacles" are the highlights of this collection, but every story in this powerful volume will squeeze an unsuspecting nerve. --Susan Harrison