'The ultimate in immersive fiction . . . magnificent' Sunday Times'Highly readable, entirely engaging and frequently funny' Observer'Perfectly pitched . . . A deft and resonant alchemy of fact and fiction, of literary myth and imagination' Guardian Book of the WeekAround the turn of the twentieth century young pianist Brodie Moncur quits Edinburgh's slate skies for the lights of Paris, his preacher father's words of denunciation ringing in his ears. There he joins forces with the fiery Irish virtuoso John Kilbarron and together the pair take Europe by storm.But when he falls for Kilbarron's lover - the mesmerizing Russian soprano Lika Blum - Brodie quickly realizes that the tide has turned and he must flee across a continent, haunted by his love for Lika, and pursued by the vengeful wrath of his rival.'A giddying read . . . his most immersive historical novel to date' Daily Telegraph'Elegant and affecting. A racing fin-de-siècle romance' The Times'Boyd's talents as a rollicking storytelling [are] full on display in this historical blockbuster' Metro