The Dancer Upstairs — Nicholas Shakespeare

This novel explores one of the most astonishing stories in the whole history of twentieth-century terrorism. Colonel Rejas was the policeman charged with the task of capturing the Peruvian guerrilla leader Ezequiel, but having been dismissed he finds the burden of silence and secrecy too heavy. On meeting Dyer, a foreign correspondent, he is moved to relate the tortuous progress of the manhunt for the first time.

‘Shakespeare is interested in grand themes: love, vocation, politics and the corrupting power of moral and ideological absolutes... The Dancer Upstairs will be enjoyed by any kind of reader... a genuinely fine novel from a writer who possesses real heart and flair' Louis de Bernières, Sunday Times

‘Almost streams with the author's understanding of South America and yet is somehow poetic and tender' Gitta Sereny, Observer Books of the Year

‘Will count among the best work being produced by the present generation of British writers' John Hickman, Independent on Sunday

‘Nicholas Shakespear's stunning new book proclaims him the undisputed master of the Latin American scene' Norman Lewis

‘A cracking good yarn... Graham Greene meets Gabriel García Márquez' Sylvia Johnson, Evening Standard

‘I was riveted by this superb novel' Tony Gould, New Statesman and Society