Eagerly awaited new novella by the much-acclaimed Michael Chabon, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning 'The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier And Clay'.
Eastbourne, Sussex, 1944. An 89-year-old man, somewhat eccentric, a keeper of bees, and with a reputation vaguely recollected by the locals as a once-famous detective, faces his final sleuthing challenge. Linus Steinman, nine years old and mute, has escaped Nazi Germany with his sole companion, an African grey parrot. When Linus's parrot, apt to sing German lieder and spew out seemingly meaningless strings of numbers, goes missing, and a man is murdered, only the celebrated ageing detective, with his signature cape and meerschaum pipe, can be counted on to solve the mystery.
Are the numbers a code that might determine the outcome of the war? British Intelligence thinks so. Or are they the numbers of a Swiss bank account? The sinister Mr Kalb, from the Child Aid Agency, believes that's what they are, and is determined to get his hands on the fortune he thinks Linus's parents deposited before they met their fate. Though the solution to his last case may be beyond even the powers of the famous old man, in an emotionally wrenching resolution to this brilliant homage the true story of the boy and his parrot is subtly revealed to the reader.
This story, which shows Michael Chabon at the height of his powers, is sure to delight his many fans the world over.
