The Medusa Touch

With this, his fifth novel, Peter Van Greenaway proves himself to be unquestionably a master of suspense. Each of his plots turns out to have a more shattering impact than the previous one. "The Man Who Held the Queen to Ransom and Sent Parliament Packing" was hailed in the Press as the "most astounding novel" of its year. Of its successor, "Judas!", R.C. Churchill said "as thrilling a story of suspense as any reader could desire"; the Manchester Evening News called it "a cliff-hanger"; and The Times declared, "This extraordinary book (which contains about three other novels) is impossible to set aside." Now Mr Van Greenaway comes up with something even more startling. The quiet opening, which suggests a detective story, is deceptive. A well known novelist, Morlar, has been battered almost to death; in fact, the police doctor pronounces him dead, but by some miracle of will-power, there's a flicker of life in him still, desperately holding on. Inspector Cherry of the Yard can find no conventional clues; but, an unconventional man, he begins to explore Morlar's mind, as revealed in his novels and in interviews with his psychiatrist, Zonfeld. The story builds up to a climax of agonising suspense.