by Muriel Spark
First published 1961
In 1960s London, a coterie of affluent bachelors enjoy their cozy routines - until the enigmatic medium Patrick Seton insinuates himself into their lives. Soon, the men are beset by a flurry of misfortunes: forgeries, blackmail, and even murder. As the bachelors are drawn into a tangled lawsuit, the secrets and sins of the past threaten to unravel their comfortable existence. At the heart of the chaos stands Patrick, a mesmerizing charlatan whose machinations have put the whole group in peril. Muriel Spark's darkly comedic tale exposes the veneer of respectability that masks the chaos bubbling beneath the surface of these privileged lives.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, 20th-century, mystery, crime, contemporary
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: deception, secrets
Setting: England, London, London (England)
Period: 1960s
215 pages · Paperback · Penguin
Content warnings: murder