Iris Murdoch was born in Dublin in 1919 of Anglo-Irish parents. She went to Badminton School, Bristol and read classics at Somerville College, Oxford. In 1948 she returned to Oxford where she became a fellow of St Anne’s college. One of this century’s finest and most influential novelists, and a distinguished philosopher, she was published by Chatto from her first novel, Under the Net in 1954 to her last, Jackson’s Dilemma in 1995. Awarded the CBE in 1976, Iris Murdoch was made a DBE in the 1987 New Year’s Honours List. She died in February 1999.

Murdoch is at the height of her powers in this novel, combining a complex plot with a heartrending analysis of the meaning of love—Good Book Guide

The best all-round novel that I’ve read. It’s a brilliant crime novel and a love story that’s beautifully written—Sophie Hannah, Daily Express

A source of wonder and delight...No summary can do justice to the rich intricacy of character and incident with which Miss Murdoch crowds every page—Spectator

This is great Murdoch. It rings as clear as The Bell...her humour is all the more achingly funny because she keeps it on the edge of our vision—Daily Mail

Iris Murdoch's marvellous, heroic novel...A gloriously rich tale—The Times