**THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER**

'Flawless... Poetic... Superbly portrayed... [Faulks's] feat of imagination...is phenomenal' Daily Telegraph

Christopher Wood, a beautiful young Englishman, decided to be the greatest painter the world had seen. He went to Paris in 1921. By day he studied, by night he attended the parties of the beau monde. He knew Picasso, worked for Diaghilev and was a friend of Cocteau. In the last months of his 29-year life, he fought a ravening opium addiction to succeed in claiming a place in history of English painting.

Richard Hilary, confident, handsome and unprincipled, flew Spitfires in the Battle of Britain before being shot down and horribly burned. He underwent several operations by the legendary plastic surgeon, A H McIndoe. His account of his experiences, The Last Enemy, made him famous, but not happy. He begged to be allowed to return to flying, and died mysteriously in a night training operation, aged 23.

Jeremy Wolfenden was born in 1936, the son of Jack, later Lord Wolfenden. Charming, generous and witty, he was the cleverest Englishman of his generation, but left All Souls to become a hack reporter. At the height of the Cold War, he was sent to Moscow where his louche private life made him the plaything of the intelligence services. A terrifying sequence of events ended in Washington where he died at the age of 31.

'Faulk's most intriguing fictional offering... Moving...engaging...poignant' Independent on Sunday

'Wildly exciting..it's a classic' David Hare

About the Author
Sebastian Faulks has written nineteen books, of which A Week in December and The Fatal Englishman were number one in the Sunday Times bestseller lists. He is best known for Birdsong, part of his French trilogy, and Human Traces, the first in an ongoing Austrian trilogy. Before becoming a full-time writer, he worked as a journalist on national papers. He has also written screenplays and has appeared in small roles on stage. He lives in London.

Reviews
Flawless... Poetic... Superbly portrayed... [Faulks's] feat of imagination...is phenomenal * Daily Telegraph *
A mystery story of rare narrative power * Financial Times *
Sebastian Faulks is a master at switching on the emotions of the reader... The spare narrative hides a commitment to his subject which pulls you in and leaves you gasping for those lost lives -- Brian Masters * Mail on Sunday *
Compelling and stunningly written * The Times *
Faulks is a prodigiously talented writer * New York Times *



Book Information
ISBN 9780099518013
Author Sebastian Faulks
Format Paperback
Page Count 368
Imprint Vintage
Publisher Vintage Publishing
Weight(grams) 305g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 23mm