Peter Nicholson, a geologist sent to a Mediterranean island, is pulled by the demands of his wife, his mistress, his employers, and unpredictable strangers when he stumbles into a web of blackmail, deception, and murder. 15,000 first printing.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
In the hallucinatory light and heat of a Mediterranean island, a geologist arrives to inspect a granite quarry where a worker has been killed in suspicious circumstances. Conflicting messages and complex motivations abound until, from the dust and roar of the stone mill, the jagged contours of a harrowing conspiracy emerge.
More sunlit suspense with a difference from the British author of Juggling the Stars (1993). Here, a geologist turns sleuth in Greece while coping with his midlife crisis. Quartz and feldspar, phenocrysts and microfractures--the novel bristles with the language of geology. Peter Nicholson is a 40- year-old London geologist visiting a Greek island quarry. His clients, Australian developers of office space in Sydney, are suing their Greek granite supplier and want ``something really damning'' in his report on quarry procedures and conditions. Expecting to mix pleasure with business, Peter has brought along Margaret, a 22- year-old student he loves enough to contemplate deserting his wife and children. He hopes the exotic locale will seal his future with Margaret, but the picture is complicated by his wife's fax announcing another pregnancy and by his impulsive bedding of Thea, the quarry director's beautiful daughter. Apparently Peter is testing his ``resistance to shear'' to see if he'll crack like the defective stone sent to Australia. (Parks rides the geological metaphor hard throughout.) His game of chicken is interrupted by Mrs. Owen, widow of a worker killed on the construction site, here to exact revenge and enlist Peter's help. Her disappearance, followed by the theft of his report, persuades him a sinister company cover-up is under way. Displaying an integrity not seen in his relationships, Peter confronts the director and does his own detective work in a tense finale. Underneath the noise Parks is asking a provocative question: Are our partners unique? His characters exemplify different answers. For Thea men are interchangeable, but Mrs. Owen mourns her husband as ``irreplaceable.'' Peter is confused, hence his crisis. Meanwhile, these characters are also players in a suspense game. It's a complicated scheme, and Parks handles the suspense better than the relationships, never quite getting a fix on Peter. Flawed but provocative work from an always interesting writer. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
FREE
From Canada to U.S.A.
Seller: Scene of the Crime, ABAC, IOBA, St. Catharines, ON, Canada
Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. First edition first printing of the eighth novel by this author. In fine / fine unread condition. Language: eng 0.0. Seller Inventory # 12200
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Condition: Very Good. First Edition. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Seller Inventory # 49739281-6
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Irish Booksellers, Portland, ME, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. SHIPS FROM USA. Used books have different signs of use and do not include supplemental materials such as CDs, Dvds, Access Codes, charts or any other extra material. All used books might have various degrees of writing, highliting and wear and tear and possibly be an ex-library with the usual stickers and stamps. Dust Jackets are not guaranteed and when still present, they will have various degrees of tear and damage. All images are Stock Photos, not of the actual item. book. Seller Inventory # 2-0434577456-G
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Encanto Books, Santa Monica, CA, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. D-j has minor shelf wear. Seller Inventory # 11239
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: The Books of Eli, Birmingham, United Kingdom
Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. First Edition. Signed by Author(s) A near fine book, page edges very lightly tanned, in a fine DW. Signed and dated by author on titlepage at Waterstones in Manchester. Signed, Tim Parks, 1-9-93. ISigned by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 243
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Wormhole Books, Kunyung, VIC, Australia
Hard Cover. Condition: Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Good. Reprint. 214 pp. General and edgewear (creasing; tiny chips) to unclipped dustjacket. Faint yellowing to edges of text block and outer page margins. One or two faint stains to pages, otherwise internally unmarked; solidly bound. Size: Octavo. Remainder. Seller Inventory # 007140
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Tony Power, Books, North Vancouver, BC, Canada
Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. First Edition. | Fine in slightly rubbed dustjacket with price sticker inner front flap. Seller Inventory # 002532
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: timkcbooks (Member of Booksellers Association), Penzance, United Kingdom
First edition, first printing. Signed by the author. Fine in near fine dustjacket with small tear. Seller Inventory # 13053
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: SIGNAL BOOKS & ART, Kitchener, ON, Canada
Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. First Edition. 1st printing of the first British hardcover edition SIGNED by Parks on the title page. The book has a slight spine roll, and the top corner of the front board is rubbed. Tanning to page edges typical of UK publications. The jacket is bright, crisp and price intact. The Canadian distributor has affixed a price sticker to the front flap which covers the UK price. Also available from this bookseller is a signed British first of Goodness by Tim Parks. Canadian orders will be charged GST. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 000666
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: MusicMagpie, Stockport, United Kingdom
Condition: Very Good. Seller Inventory # U9780434577453
Quantity: 1 available