As the twentieth century draws to a close, a ship heads for Punta Arenas on the Straits of Magellan at Chile's southern tip. On board is Oliver Griffin, a man on an unusual quest. His journey is inspired by a photograph of his grandparents embracing a strange automaton which now resides in the Punta Arenas museum.

`A sophisticated and brilliant dissection of nihilistic power' Times Literary Supplement From his prison cell, Antonio Martens, an interrogator for the recently fallen dictatorship, awaits execution.

Carl and Sandy Henderson, a husband-and-wife team of serial killers, trawl America's highways searching for suitable models to photograph and exterminate. The spider-handling preacher Roy and his crippled virtuoso-guitar-playing sidekick are running from the law.

Psychoanalyst Mrs Bradley advises her highly-strung friend, Hannibal Jones, to retreat to a quiet, rustic village to find rest and inspiration for his writing. Saxon Wall seems the perfect rural retreat, and Jones is quickly intrigued by the odd characters among the villagers, their pagan beliefs, and by the mystery surrounding Neot House.

For nearly two years the two most infamous dictators in history actively collaborated with one another. This book tells the story of the pact between Hitler and Stalin, from the motivation for its inception to its dramatic and abrupt end in 1941 as Germany declared war against its former partner.

Once, on a winter's night many years ago, after a heavy snow, the devil passed through the Scottish fishing town of Coldhaven, leaving a trail of dark hoofprints across the streets and roofs of the sleeping town. Michael Gardiner has lived in Coldhaven all his life, but still feels like an outsider, a blow-in.

While recovering from a stroke, seventy-seven-year-old Utsugi turns to his diary to wryly record his struggle with his ageing body and his growing desire for his beautiful daughter-in-law Satsuko, a chic, Westernised dancer with a shady past.

24 July, SaturdayBought a pair of shorts - white, very short with two pockets. Algebra, 6th = 74%. Latin = 55% Thrilled! Eng Literature, Top = 79% but Lang. 4th = 60%. History top = 85% smashing! French 12th = 61%. Geography, disgusting, 2nd = 67%.