The discovery of a cryptic note hidden inside a second-hand book sends thirty-something Hugh Mullion on an obsessive search for its previous owner. Hugh uncovers secrets that have lain hidden for sixty years and turn upside down his views of personal identity and the certainty of the past. Along the way, Hugh learns more about himself and what he really wants from his relationship with his partner, Kate – and about the puzzling disappearances of Anthony Buffo, in whose shop Hugh found the book that changed everything.

Centred on the evocative and memorable setting of Toad Books, a south London bookshop enlivened by the parrot Charlie and a succession of eccentric customers, the unfolding drama takes Hugh deep into contemporary Dorset and back to the events of the Blitz and wartime Oxford. This is a beautifully written and engaging story, by turns poignant and gently humorous, with a lively sense of continuing revelation and a surprising conclusion.

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