Siân, troubled by dark dreams and seeking distraction, joins an archaeological dig in Whitby. The abbey's one
hundred and ninety-nine steps link the twenty-first century with the ruins of the past and Siân is swept into a mystery involving a long-hidden murder, a fragile manuscript in a bottle and a cast of most peculiar characters. Equal parts historical thriller, romance and ghost story, this is an ingenious literary page-turner and completely unforgettable.

'Engrossing . . . the writing is spare and evocative and Siân's slow return to health is powerfully wrought.'
The Times

'With impressive subtlety and economy, Faber raises questions about . . . the way in which the past haunts the present and the invisible undercurrents lying beneath human relations.' Evening Standard

'Visits the strangest of places and makes them real.'
Scotsman

Also features Faber's novella The Courage Consort