The Many Lives of Heloise Starchild - Hardcover

Susan Calendar possesses a rare and unusual talent. She is a super recogniser. She never forgets a face. It's a useful skill for a private detective, especially for one who searches for missing people. But Susan is succumbing to the ill effects of age. Her eyesight isn't what it was. Her knees are failing. Has she found, in young Gabriel Eddy, a worthy successor? Can she teach him to do what she does? Can the two of them put aside their troubles to tackle the most challenging case that Susan has ever been given? Who is Gabriel hunting for? And what is the secret that lies buried in African desert sands? To Cast Away Stones is a novel that explores relationships, memory, and our understanding of faces, along with ageing, and our eternal search for youth.

John Ironmonger was born and grew up in East Africa. He has a doctorate in zoology, and was once an expert on freshwater leeches. He is the author of THE GOOD ZOO GUIDE and the novels THE NOTABLE BRAIN OF MAXIMILIAN PONDER, which was shortlisted for the 2012 Costa First Novel Prize and the GUARDIAN's NOT THE BOOKER PRIZE, and THE COINCIDENCE AUTHORITY. He was part of a world record team for speed reading Shakespeare and once drove across the Sahara in a £100 banger. He lives in rural Shropshire with his wife Sue and has two grown-up children. Follow him on Twitter @jwironmonger or visit his website http://notablebrain.blogspot.co.uk.