Paperback edition of Faulks's masterful novel set in contemporary times, a departure for him. Tracing the life of one man, Mike Engleby, from his university days in Oxford in the 1970s, back to his unhappy childhood and forward to the present day, it's a compelling and disturbing read. Is Engleby capable of telling us the whole truth? Faulks's previous novel "Human Traces" sold 125,000 copies in Hutchinson and 320,000 copies in paperback. 'Just as "Birdsong" is praised for its minute evocation of the horror of fighting a war, "Engleby" deserves praise for its close and believable depiction of a personality disorder' "Spectator"

Mike Engleby says things that others dare not even think. In the 1970s, he is a university student, having survived a 'traditional' school. A man devoid of scruple or self-pity, Engleby provides an account of English education. Yet, beneath the disturbing surface of his observations lies an unfolding mystery of gripping power.