Pyeâs story dismisses the concept of financial concerns, other than addressing necessary needs from the beginning.  Rather it is the reams of paper that make up each identity in todayâs world:  social surity number, birth certificate, driverâs license, bank and credit card accounts, passports.  His concern is how two very different men are brought together through circumstances that are probable, not contrived, and who will become adversaries in a game of life and death.

We are introduced first to Martin Arkenhout, who at 17 kills his first man.  His purpose is to recreate himself again and again in various roles that take him around the world.  John Costa is an English museum art expert of Portuguese ancestry whose life and marriage are unfulfilling.  When he discovers someone has stolen some rare pictures, he jumps at the chance to track them down in Portugal, where his father has returned to redeem past sins.  What John finds on his journey is not the thiefâs identity, but a mystery surrounding his fatherâs early life.

John and Martin, in his persona as art historian, Christopher Hart, find their lives intertwined with both their futures hanging in the balance.  As the story of Martinâs early life unfolds, the lines between good and evil become blurred.  What follows becomes a chess game with Pye moving his characters slowly and carefully to an unexpected but satisfying conclusion.

Unfortunately, a recent movie purported to be based on this compelling novel is unrecognizable.  Read the story; it will leave many questions about how our earliest years mold our futures.

Carol read this novel after watching the movie and found it to be a fascinating psychological study.  We thank her for her review.