Percolates with suspense * New York Times * Elegant and hypnotic . . . Mandel brilliantly modulates the heightening suspense in a novel that remains, above all, an elegy for lost innocence * Washington Post * The book virtually trumpets the author's talents: her charismatic verbal grace and acuity, the rich atmosphere she creates * Boston Globe * Mandel is an exuberant storyteller * New York Times * Mandel has a beautiful writing style * Independent on Sunday * Mandel (The Singer's Gun) strikes a confident chord in her third novel . . . The author again melds mystery plotting with literary techniques like shifting points-of-view, resulting in both sophistication and suspense ... Mandel's novel excels as a character study that considers the slow degradation of hopes, dreams, and expectations of people who are only in their late 20s but already feel ancient * Publisher's Weekly * This ingeniously structured literary thriller begins in sunlight before slipping deeper and deeper into crime and moral darkness. ... Emily St. John Mandel is so sure-footed in her invention and so good at delineating her cast, that I went along trustingly and with bated breath * Star Tribune * Riveting... Evocative, intriguing, and complex, this novel is as smooth as the underbelly of a deadly, furtive reptile. Mandel's substantial fan base will rejoice; word of mouth will bring new fans on board * Library Journal *