In these nine short stories Ruth Rendell indicates hidden depths in ordinary events and creates a sense of profound unease. The stories are: A Pair of Yellow Lilies, Paperwork, Mother's Help, Long Live the Queen, Dying Happy, The Copper Peacock, Weeds, The Fish-Sitter, and An Unwanted Woman.
Arctic explorer, survival expert and naturalist Freddy Spencer Chapman was trapped behind enemy lines when the Japanese overran Malaya in 1942. His response was to begin a commando campaign of such lethal effectiveness that the Japanese deployed an entire regiment against him, hunting for him as they did for no other. He was wounded, and racked by tropical disease. His companions were killed, or captured...