Underwood and After - Softcover

UNDERWOOD AND AFTER. 'When Ralph Witton first saw Underwood in 1956, he little suspected what lay behind the tantalizing facade of the magnificent Edwardian house. Unexpectedly engaged as chauffeur to the enigmatic owner, Chetwynd, Ralph is introduced to a charmed world. Seduced by its wealth, glamour and apparent freedom, too late he discerns a murky seam of corruption.' The twilit world of stifled feelings, drowned by the tinkle of cut-glass manners, of noblesse oblige, and the shady aftermath of illicit war-time dealings, of wealth made stealthily, is beautifully caught... a succulent feast for the proxy voyeur... pure enjoyment'. Tom Adair in Scotland on Sunday 'The creeping menace that hovers around Chetwynd is insinuated with precision... Frame keeps us guessing right up to and beyond the last page - a formidable feat brought off with considerable panache'. Maria Lexton in Time Out. 'A sinuous and subtle writer'. Andrew Sinclair in The Times 'The central part of this novel represents an achievement which is distinct, elusive, and of a nature that no other novelist writing today can match' Allan Massie in The Scotsman - 'Richly patterned, original, virtuoso, imaginative and brilliant writing.' Gillian Somerville-Large in the Irish Independent