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‘My God, it is beautifully done, probably the best book of its kind since . . . The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.’

— The Observer

‘A brilliantly written account of what happens to a family after a child goes missing . . . heartbreaking and funny . . . In a word: wonderful.’

— Herald Sun, Australia

‘A compelling, oddly enjoyable, emotionally raw debut.’

— San Francisco Chronicle

‘The thrill and chaos and casual brutality of childhood are gorgeously accurate. . . Touching, sad and very funny.’

— Independent

‘Taut, suspenseful . . . a nuanced take on a nightmare.’

— Publishers Weekly

One of the most convincing portraits of a childhood I have ever read.'

— Suzie Doore, Waterstone’s

'This book will be compared to The Lovely Bones. It is better than that.'

— Kes Neilsen, Amazon

'Really, really good, one of those books that slowly grips your heart . . .
A truly evocative and affecting novel.'

— Marcus Greville, Waterstone’s

'Evocative and haunting.'

— Julian King, Alpha Retail

'As tragic a tale of loss, anguish, but also resilience as you’re likely to read this year.'

— Ged Convey, Borders/Books Etc

'An emotional rollercoaster...compulsive, intriguing and unusual.'

—  Juliet Swann, Ottakar’s

‘A brilliantly written account of what happens to a family after a child goes missing . . . heartbreaking and funny . . . In a word: wonderful.’

— Herald Sun, Australia

Missing

How three disappearances grew into Hide & Seek

13 june 2005, big issue

We didn’t have the term ‘stranger danger’ when I was a kid, just strict rules and prohibitions so dumb that their constant repetition baffled me. Never get into a car with a stranger. Why should I? I ran everywhere. Beware of men inviting you to see their puppies. I hated puppies; they nipped. Never take sweets from a stranger. I didn’t like sweets, only chocolate. Whatever strangers did to children — and that was never explained — it wasn’t going to happen to me.

The Prince and I

Letting the riffraff into Cambridge

23 october 2004, guardian

I was a fabulously naive 17 year old but even I could guess that when the Cambridge admissions tutor asks, ‘Does your school realise this university has rather high standards?’ the interview is not going well.

Sex, drugs and knee replacements

The stench that hangs on the Olympics

27 july 2000, guardian

Manfred Ewald, once East Germany's most powerful sports official, left a Berlin court last week with a smile on his face and a suspended sentence for feeding male hormones to women athletes without their consent. ‘A relentless fuhrer’, the judge called Ewald, who ruled his country's dope programme through four Olympics.

Betting our lives

Labour’s love affair with the gambling industry

3 june 1999, guardian

Thank God for the tobacco industry, gambling's front man in the United States, Frank Fahrenkopf, tells his friends. ‘I say my thanks every morning when I say my prayers.’ Fahrenkopf, who is a former Republican party chairman, heads the American Gaming Association, and he has good cause to praise the Lord.

How to lose money and influence people

The lottery regulator’s catastrophic career

24 february 1997, guardian

Peter Davis’s career peaked three decades ago when, at 26, he came sixth in the country's accountancy exams. Since then he's been closely involved in two of Britain's biggest business failures, Harris Queensway and Lloyd's. Twice he's been paid to go away.