Revisiting Murder on the Orient Express

It has been 20 years since I last read Murder on the Orient Express (1934), Agatha Christie's classic tale of a death on a train wherein all the suspects are trapped together and detective Hercule Poirot must ascertain who committed the crime. I first read it in high school in the 1990s, read it again in 2006,  and have seen the various film adaptations over the years. So when it was listed as the title for the 2026 Christie Challenge for March, in the category 'biggest impact on you as a young reader', I wasn't sure if I would bother to re-read it for the third time.

With a few hours to spare on a lazy weekend, I decided to give it another go and despite knowing the story well I really enjoyed it. This time I read not so much for the mystery but for Christie's structure and style. 

The story is simple. Poirot is returning from Istanbul to London on the famous railway line, the Orient Express. Other travellers include a Russian princess, a Hungarian Count and Countess, a British Colonel, an English Governess, a Swedish missionary, an American car salesman, and various secretaries, valets and maids. On the first night there is a commotion in sleeper 2, and Samuel Ratchett is found dead from a dozen stab wounds. Poirot investigates, working out loud to identify the killer or killers, and their possible motive for the crime. 

We learn early on that Ratchett is an alias. He was an American gangster who was responsible for the kidnapping of a young girl, Daisy Armstrong. Before he died, he expressed fear that he may be attacked. But who did the killing and why?

Poirot sets himself up in the dining car and interviews the other occupants of the sleeper carriage. One-by-one they answer his questions, each giving tiny morsels of evidence which paint a picture of what may have transpired the previous night. Once he has all the details, Poirot gathers the travellers together and posits two theories as to what transpired. The first, a simple case that a stranger boarded the train, committed the crime, and alighted. The second is that the killer is still on the train, among the group gathered together. 

Murder on the Orient Express is a great example of Christie's work and one I would recommend for someone new to her stories. It is short, fast-paced and humorous. It can be a bit confusing with so many characters, many of whom have aliases. There are also plenty of red herrings along the way, which Poirot deftly deals with as he investigates. Overall, a great revisit of this famous novel.

My reviews of other Christie novels are available on this blog: 

• The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920)
• Murder on the Links (1923)
• The Body in the Library (1942)
• Mrs McGinty's Dead (1952)

For another great train caper, check out Murder on the Canadian (1976) by Eric Wilson.

Women's Prize for Non-Fiction Shortlist 2026

The third annual Women's Prize for Non-Fiction shortlist has been revealed! The longlisted sixteen works of non-fiction written by women, has been whittled down to six shortlisted titles. 

The 2026 shortlist is as follows:

• 
  Lyse Doucet - The Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People's History of Afghanistan
• Daisy Fancourt - Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Transform Our Health 
• Judith Mackrell - Artists, Siblings, Visionaries: The Lives and Loves of Gwen and Augustus John
• Jane Rogoyska - Hotel Exile: Paris in the Shadow of War
• Arundhati Roy - Mother Mary Comes to Me
• Ece Temelkuran - Nation of Strangers: Rebuilding Home in the 21st Century 

Baroness Thangam Débonnaire, Chair of the Judges, said of the Shortlist:

"Whittling our remarkable longlist down to just six titles was by no means an easy task, but after careful consideration, we are proud to present a shortlist that celebrates six exceptional books and six hugely talented writers, and offers readers collectively a timely and timeless interrogation of our world today. Our shortlist shows the power and necessity of women’s writing at a time when recent statistics suggest a decline in non-fiction print sales in the UK. These books are an urgent antidote to mis- and dis-information, written with high standards of scholarship. They offer rich and original insights, in what often feels like a fragmented and uncertain world. They are six books of authority, told with humanity.”

I have just read Arundhati Roy's memoir Mother Mary Comes to Me and I reckon it is well positioned to win this prize. I will be seeing Lyse Doucet at the upcoming Sydney Writers' Festival, so may try and track down her book as well. 

The Winner of the £30,000 prize will be revealed on 11 June 2026. Happy reading!

Want more? Here is the video of the Shortlist announcement.

Mother Love

When I heard that Tayari Jones was publishing a new novel, I immediately ordered it from my local library and was first in the queue when it came out this month. I loved Jones' previous novel, An American Marriage (2018), which won the Women's Prize for Fiction, was named one of the Best Books of the 21st Century by The New York Times, and was my favourite fiction of 2018. So I had high expectations for her new novel Kin (2026).

In Honeysuckle, Louisiana, in the 1950s, two infant girls become "cradle friends' when they lose their mothers. Vernice 'Niecy' Davis' mother is murdered, leaving her orphaned. Her spinster Aunt Irene comes home from a new life in Ohio to care for the baby even though she claims she is 'no good with children', and is determined to raise her to become a respectable woman. Annie Lee was abandoned by her 'trifling' mother Hattie, who was off 'doing GodKnowsWhat, out in GodKnowsWhere'. Left to be raised by her Grannie, Annie has a constant yearning for her mother. The two girls grow up side-by-side, the best of friends, cared for by their kin and the broader community. But as they reach adulthood, it is clear they have distinctly different life trajectories. Will their friendship survive as they go their seperate ways, or will they become strangers to one another?

Niecy is accepted into Spelman College, an historically Black women's liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia. She takes with her the hopes of her aunt and the other women who helped raise her, that she will become educated and meet a good man, and never end up in a town like Honeysuckle, breaking the cycle of poverty and disadvantage. Here she befriends her roommate Joette and gains a window into a new world of class and race, among a community of early civil rights activists. Determined to become what is expected of her, she may have to give up what she wants.

Meanwhile, Annie is off to Memphis, Tennessee, the last known location of her mother Hattie Lee. She is obsessed with finding and reconnecting with her mother, and has a romanticised view of their reunion. She journeys with her friends Clyde, Babydoll and Bobo, and their experiences along the way and in Memphis show a different experience of class and race as they struggle to find work and build lives. Will Annie ever find the mother love she has longed for her whole life?

For much of the novel, the two friends are geographically apart but remain close through letter writing and occasional visits. It is clear that they have only shared their true selves with each other, and despite the growing gulf between their life courses they remain committed to one another. A few years later, when they need each other most, they need to test the loyalties in their new lives and the deep bond of kinship they share, and make a difficult choice.

I loved Kin and the way in which Tayari Jones has created these vivid characters. Told in a similar way to An American Marriage, Jones alternates chapters in first-person narrative between the two women, and in doing so readers share their longing. I won't say more about the plot, for fear of spoilers, but there is a lot of complexity here and I appreciated the way Jones explored identity, race, class and gender in such a thoughtful and realistic way. I was saddened when it ended, as I wanted their story to continue. This is a brilliant novel and one that would fuel excellent discussions in a book club.  

In May I will be seeing Tayari Jones at the Sydney Writers' Festival. I am looking forward to hearing her speak about this novel, and being surrounded by other fans of her work. 

Circle of Friends

Lily King's novel Heart the Lover (2025) was all over the 'Best Books of 2025' lists at the end of last year. I kept seeing it raved about on social media but it didn't really pique my interest. Perhaps it was the title or the cover that put me off. I figured it was a chick-lit romance, which is definitely not my thing. But when some book bloggers I admire, and who have similar tastes, gave it high praise I thought perhaps I had judged it to quickly and ordered a copy.

Jordan is a successful author who has written many great love stories. But she has never written the story of her own true love. During her college days she became involved with Sam and Yash. Jordan was a relatively poor student, working multiple jobs and living in a dilapidated share house without funds to pay for heating. She starts dating fellow student Sam, and immerses herself in his world with his housemates Yash and Ivan. 

She and Sam eventually break up, but Jordan wants to remain in Yash's orbit. They realise they have feelings for one another but Yash doesn't want to betray his best friend. Their passion is too intense and they fall deeply in love and begin planning a future together. But it doesn't pan out the way they expected and they eventually they go their seperate ways, falling out of regular communication.

Decades later, Jordan is a successful writer, living with her husband and children in New England. She has a surprise visit causing her to remember the past and the decisions she made when she was young. She now has to reconcile the past and hold on to her present. 

I found Heart the Lover instantly relatable. It reminded me of my days at Trinity College, campus life at the University of Toronto, the poverty of our student years, the intellectual debates, the pressure of the assignments, and the share house I lived in with my greatest friends.  This novel also reminded me of many fantastic college campus novels like Donna Tartt's The Secret History, Sally Rooney's Normal People and John William's Stoner. 

King is the bestselling author  Euphoria and Writers and Lovers. Heart the Lover has just been longlisted for the 2026 Women's Prize for Fiction. I am looking forward to hearing Lily King speak at the upcoming Sydney Writers Festival in May. 

I am so glad to have read Heart the Lover. I guess the lesson here for me is not to judge a book by its cover!  Well, I am judging it, the cover is terrible and doesn't do the novel justice!

End Point

Garry Disher's latest novel, Mischance Creek (2025) is a masterful crime novel and the fifth outing in his Hirsch series.

Twice a week Constable Paul Hirschhausen (Hirsch) leaves his single-officer police station in Tiverton, South Australia and does the rounds of his large rural beat. His wellbeing checks usually involve him assisting the isolated locals with small chores in exchange for a cup of tea and a biscuit. Times are hard in this part of the world, with a drought devastating farmers and families being crushed by the cost of living. At the moment, Hirsch is conducting compliance checks on licensed gun owners, inspecting their firearms and making sure they are safely stored.

Hirsch is called out to Mischance Creek to assist a tourist who has been caught in a ditch. Annika Nordrum isn't exactly sightseeing. She has come to this place to find her mother's remains. Eight years ago her parents were fossicking in the area when tragedy stuck. Her father was found dead at the bottom of a disused mine shaft but her mother was never found. For Hirsch, this mystery allows him to be more than a beat cop so he agrees to help with the investigation.

But Hirsh doesn't get to focus on one thing at a time. There are other issues in town: illegal dumping of building materials; the theft of a caravan; hoons driving dangerously; some misfits calling themselves sovereign citizens; and much more. Plus, Hirsch has a lot of personal matters to deal with. He worries about his mum, now a widow, and while his relationship with Wendy is going well, her daughter has now entered her awkward teenage years.

Readers of this blog will know that I am a huge fan of Garry Disher. Other Aussie Noir writers may have a higher profile (looking at you Hammer and Harper!) but Disher is the real deal. His plots are brilliantly paced, his characters are realistically crafted and multi-dimensional, and he depicts the landscape so well that readers can immediately feel a sense of place. Disher also presents the social issues facing rural communities well.

While Mischance Creek can be read as a standalone novel, you don't want to miss enjoying this series from the start. My reviews of other novels in the Hirsch series are available on this blog:

• Bitter Wash Road (2013)
• Peace (2019)
• Consolation (2020) 
• Day's End (2022)

I also recommend highly Disher's standalone novels, like: The Way it is Now (2021) and Sanctuary (2024). 

Finally, special thanks to my mum for giving me this book last Christmas. Loved it!

Stella Prize Longlist 2026

The 2026 Stella Prize longlist has been released! The annual literary award celebrating women and non-binary writers of both fiction and non-fiction is named after Australian author Stella Miles Franklin. 

Past winners include some of my favourite books on recent years, such as:

Sarah Holland-Batt for The Jaguar (2023)

Evie Wyld for The Bass Rock (2021)

Jess Hill for See What You Made Me Do (2020)

Vicki Laveau-Harvie for The Erratics (2019)

Heather Rose for The Museum of Modern Love (2017)

Charlotte Wood for The Natural Way of Things (2016)

Emily Bitto for The Strays (2015)

On 11 March 2026, the longlist was revealed with 12 nominees. 

The 2026 longlist is as follows:

• Eunice Andrada - Kontra (Poetry) 
• Evelyn Araluen - The Rot (Poetry) 
• Geraldine Brooks - Memorial Days (Memoir) 
• Debra Dank - Ankami (Memoir)
• Miranda Darling - Firewater (Fiction)
• Natalie Harkin - Apron-Sorrow/Sovereign-Tea (Non-Fiction)
• Lee Lai - Cannon (Graphic Novel)
• Charlotte McConaghy - Wild Dark Shore (Fiction)
• Lucy Nelson - Wait Here (Fiction)
• Micaela Sahara - Find Me at the Jaffa Gate: An Encyclopaedia of a Palestinian Family (Memoir)
• Marika Sosnowski - 58 Facets: On Violence and the Law (Non-Fiction)
• Tasma Walton - I Am Nannertgarrook (Fiction)

Fiona Sweet, Stella Prize CEO and Creative Director said of the longlist:

“Selected from an enormous pool of 212 entries, this year's judges have read thoughtfully and thoroughly across genres to bring us a cohort of twelve incredibly different, yet equally remarkable books. The Stella Prize is proud to celebrate a wide array of stories - difference has always been our strength. The 2026 Stella Prize long list spans widely across form and content, displaying some of the very best new work from Australian women and non-binary writers. There are stories here for everyone, stories that will resonate, surprise, delight, and challenge. We hope you will dive in and discover for yourself.”

Of the longlisted titles, I have read and loved Charlotte McConaghy's Wild Dark Shore. I am also interested in Brook's Memoir and Araleun's poetry collection. 

The Shortlist will be announced on 8 April 2026 with the winner of the $60,000 prize will be announced on 13 May 2026. 

 For more information and the complete judges comments, see the Stella Prize website. 

Carol Shields Prize for Fiction Longlist 2026

 American-born Canadian author Carol Shields is best known for award winning novels The Stone Diaries (1993), Larry's Party (1997), Unless (2002) although she also wrote plays, short stories and non-fiction. In 2023 an award was created in her memory to 'celebrate creativity and excellence in fiction by women and non-binary writers in Canada and the United States.' Past winners were:

• 2025 - Code Noir by Canisia Lubrin
• 2024 - Brotherless Night by VV Ganeshananthan
• 2023 - When We Were Sisters by Fatimah Asghar

Now in its fourth year, the longlist has been revealed with the following titles:

• The Edge of Water by Olufunke Grace Bankole 
• Sea, Poison by Caren Beilin 
• milktooth by Jaime Burnet 
• Suddenly Light by Nina Dunic 
• Canticle by Janet Rich Edwards
• Hellions by Julia Elliott 
• Casualties of Truth by Lauren Francis-Sharma 
• The White Hot by Quiara Alegría Hudes 
• Audition by Katie Kitamura 
• Cannon by Lee Lai 
• Wild Life by Amanda Leduc
• A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar
• The Morgue Keeper by Ruyan Meng
• The Sea Gives Up the Dead by Molly Olguín 
• Lion by Sonya Walger

Of these books, the ones I am most likely to read are the novels by Kitamura and Majumdar which have also been longlisted for the 2026 Women's Prize for Fiction.

The shortlist will be revealed on 21 April 2026 and the winner on 2 June 2026 at a ceremony in Toronto. The winner received $150,000 USD while the four shortlisted finalist receive $12,500 each. If the winner is translated, the author receives $100,000 USD and the translator $50,000. 

Women's Prize for Fiction Longlist 2026

On 4 March 2026, the Women's Prize for Fiction longlist was revealed! The annual literary award celebrating women writers has previously recognised the talents of so many gifted writers, including these past winners which are among my favourite reads:

Yael Van Der Wouden - The Safe Keep (2025)

Barbara Kingsolver - Demon Copperhead (2023)

Susanna Clarke - Piranesi (2021)

Maggie O'Farrell - Hamnet (2020)

Tayari Jones - An American Marriage (2019)

Lionel Shriver - We Need to Talk About Kevin (2005)

Andrea Levy - Small Island (2004)

 

The 2026 longlist is as follows:

Lucy Apps - Gloria Don't Speak

Nineteen-year-old Gloria has a learning disability. She has little to do except hang out with Jack. He is controlling and commits an act of violence. Gloria is largely non-verbal. She has to give evidence against him, but wants to remain friends. This is a tender book about a vulnerable person, taking readers into a life they are likely unfamiliar with. Author Apps is a doctor, working as a GP in London. Gloria Don't Speak is her debut novel. 

Hannah Lillith Assadi - Paradiso 17

Sufien was born in Palestine in 1948 and is forced to leave his home for a Syrian refugee camp. In exile, he spends his life searching for something he cannot articulate. He journeys to Damascus, Kuwait, Italy, New York and Arizona in search of family, friends, home. This is a story of displacement and belonging. American author Assadi teaches fiction at Columbia University. Her previous works are The Stars Are Not Yet Bells and Sonora.

Elaine Castillo - Moderation

Girlie is a content moderator removing inappropriate content on the internet. She takes a new job working for a big social media company on its new virtual-reality theme parks. The new job takes her away from family and friends. It seems like a dream opportunity, but she is soon in a virtual world and developing real feelings for her boss. Castillo is an author from California. Moderation is her second novel, having previously published America Is Not The Heart. Moderation sounds really intriguing and I love the cover!

Susan Choi - Flashlight

Ten-year-old Louisa and her academic father Serk go for a walk on a beach when tragedy strikes. Serk has disappeared.  Louise and her mother Anne are left to put together what happened. The novel moves between the post-war Korean immigrant community in Japan, suburban American and North Korea. Choi is an American author of six novels. She is best known Trust Exercise (2019) which won the US National Book Award for Fiction. Flashlight was Shortlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize and Longlisted for the 2025 National Book Award.

Addie E Citchens - Dominion

Set in Mississippi, Reverend Winfrey preaches at the local Baptist church and hosts a radio program, influencing every aspect of his community. His wife Priscilla, is by his side, raising their five sons. Their youngest son, Wonderboy is the favourite to continue his father's legacy. When Wonderboy is involved in a violent incident, the community reels. This story is told through the perspectives of the women who love these men.  Citchens is a writer from Mississippi. Dominion is her debut novel.

Wendy Erskine - The Benefactors

Three women from Belfast - Frankie, Miriam and Bronagh - have 18 year old sons. They have completely different backgrounds, but are brought together when their sons are accused of sexual assault at a house party. The story is told through the perspectives of all involved. Erskine is best known for her short story collections Sweet Home and Dance Move. She currently works as a secondary school teacher in Belfast. The Benefactors is her debut novel.

Virginia Evans - The Correspondent

Septuagenarian Sybil Van Antwerp sits down each day to write letters. She writes to her family, friends, former colleagues, her favourite authors, and she also writes but does not send, letters to another person to whom she shares her deepest feelings. Through the letters she writes and receives, readers come to learn about Sybil and the vulnerability that lies beneath her hard exterior. This is an engrossing debut novel which I absolutely loved. So happy it is on the list. My review is available on this blog.

Marcia Hutchinson - The Mercy Step

Mercy is born in Bradford in 1962 into a chaotic household where she is misunderstood by her siblings. Her parents are part of the Windrush Generation, migrating from Jamaica. She struggles to bond with her parents as her father is a violent man and her mother immerses herself in church life. Mercy escapes to her imagination and books, where she can see alternate futures for herself. By her teens she knows that if she wants a different life, she will have to claim it for herself. The Mercy Step is Hutchinson's debut solo novel, having previously coauthored The Blackbirds of St Giles.

Sheena Kalayil - The Others

Set in a city in East Germany in 1989, three young people from diverse backgrounds are caught up in a love triangle. Theo is an East Berliner who wants to be a writer but cannot gain higher education as he refuses to be recruited by the Stasi. Immigrants Armando from Mozambique and Lolita from India have come to this place to pursue their own dreams. As the Berlin Wall begins to fall it brings hope for Theo but uncertainty for Armando and Lolita. Kalayil is a Manchester-based author and teacher. She has previously published The Bureau of Second Chances, Sense of Place, and The Wild Wind. The Others is her fourth novel. 

Rozie Kelly - Kingfisher

An academic becomes infatuated with his colleague, the poet, threatening his relationship with his partner. The poet is his opposite, he is a queer man who has never been interested in women. He and his partner are in an open relationship, but his obsessed with the poet was not what either of them expected. Kelly is a writer from North Yorkshire and Kingfisher is her debut novel. Her writing has been compared to Sally Rooney. 

Lily King - Heart the Lover

The narrator knows all about great love stories. During her college days she became involved with Sam and Yash, in a classic love triangle. Decades later, she is a successful writer, living with her husband and children. She has a surprise visit causing her to remember the past and the decisions she made when she was young. King is a bestselling author of five novels, including Euphoria, and  Writers and Lovers. Super excited to read this book and actually bought it last week in anticipation of it being longlisted! (Update: finished - read review)

Katie Kitamura - Audition

A middle-aged actress meets a much younger man at a Manhattan restaurant. The woman is nervous and wonders what passers-by will make of the couple. Will they be seen as mother and son, age-gapped lovers, or something else? The pair have an unsettling conversation, giving way to more disquiet. Kitamura is an American author of five novels. She is best known for the critically acclaimed Intimacies (2021). Audition was Shortlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize and was on Barack Obama's 2025 summer reading list.

Megha Majumdar - A Guardian and a Thief 

Set in the near future, Ma, her young daughter Mishti and her elderly father are preparing to leave the Kolkata as it faces flood and famine. They have obtained visas and are planning to join Ma's husband in Michigan, but Ma's purse and all their immigration documents are stole by a thief who is desperate to care for his own family. Author Majumdar was raised in Kolkata but now lives in New York. She was nominated for the National Book Award for her debut novel A Burning. 

Charlotte McConaghy - Wild Dark Shore

I recently read Australian author Charlotte McConaghy's novel and absolutely loved it. Set on an island between Australia and Antarctica, it follows a family who are managing the shutdown of a research station which is being closed due to climate change. A terrible storm washes ashore a woman who arrives bruised and shivering, harbouring a secret. As she recovers from her injuries she discovers the island is full of secrets. Wild Dark Shore is a brilliant, multilayered, suspenseful page turner. My review is available on this blog. McConaghy is also the other of bestselling novels Migrations and Once There Were Wolves. 

Kit de Waal - The Best of Everything

It's the 1970s and Paulette works as an auxiliary nurse. She is desperately in love with Denton, but after he is killed she learns he had a wife and children that he never told her about. Still grieving this relationship, Paulette moves in with Denton's friend and soon has a child for whom she is determined to give the best of everything. De Waal is the author of My Name is Leon, an international bestseller, and a range of other novels, short stories and a memoir Without Warning and Only Sometimes (2022). She was previously longlisted for the Women's Prize in 2018 for The Trick to Time.

Alice Evelyn Yang - A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing

On her fourteenth birthday, Qianze's father walked out of her life. Eleven years later he shows up on her door, a stranger. He tells her about his past as a Red Guard during the Cultural Revolution, and how his mother survived Japanese occupation. While Qianze wants to know more about her family's past, it is dark and frightening to her. This is a story of intergenerational trauma, folklore and colonialism.  Yang is a Chinese American writer from Virginia. This is her first novel.

 
The chair of the judges, former Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard said of this longlist:

"Across a longlist that is international in both scope and setting, these sixteen books masterfully demonstrate the power of fiction to examine the messy business of being human. From climate change to artificial intelligence, they navigate the issues of our time with urgency and purpose, they immerse us in environments and experiences that are sometimes like our own, but more often are radically different, and they explore identities and perspectives that are often ignored or forgotten, amidst those inherently universal and recognisable. Spotlighting both emerging novelists and small, independent publishers, my fellow judges and I are proud to share a list that so wonderfully reflects the thriving creativity of contemporary women authors, as well as the crucial work of the Women’s Prize Trust in bringing unheard voices to the fore. It is truly a treasure trove for readers, and we offer our heartfelt congratulations to all the nominated writers."

My thoughts on the Longlist

This was an exciting list given there were so many surprises. I didn't blog my predictions this year but I was really hoping to see Wild Dark Shore and The Correspondent on the list so I am happy to see them longlisted. I had expected to see Madeliene Thein (The Book of Records) and Tayari Jones (Kin) on the list, and was hoping Emily Maguire (Rapture) to be longlisted too.

I have read two of the novels listed (The Correspondent and Wild Dark Shore) but I already have several others to get started with. I am particularly interested in Heart the Lover,  Moderation, and Audition. Many of the other books and authors I have not heard of, so I am delighted to be exposed to new writers. Last year's longlist gave me many hours of reading pleasure, so I am hopeful that this year's list will do the same. 

If I had to pick a shortlist, I would choose Flashlight, Audition, The Correspondent, and A Guardian and a Thief, to be among those listed. 

The shortlist will be announced on 22 April 2026 and the winner will be revealed on 11 June 2026. Happy reading!

Want more Longlist fun? Here are the judges announcing the longlist.

The Devilish Dougal Douglas

Muriel Spark's novella The Ballad of Peckham Rye (1960) is a curious creation. It begins with a jilted bride who is left at the altar when Humphrey Place is asked if he takes Dixie Morse to be his wife and he responds 'No'.  This scandalous event, the local gossips conclude, is due to Humphrey's friendship with  Scottish migrant Dougal Douglas. 

Readers are transported back a few months to Dougal's arrival in Peckham. He is an 'arts man' and gets a job at Meadows, Meade and Grindley, a textile factory. Dougal is employed in some odd occupation doing 'human research' into the inner lives of the people who work there. He hardly ever comes to the office, as he is also employed at another firm and is actually ghost writing a memoir of a retired actress/singer and is using his observations of locals to pad out the story. Dougal becomes close to Merle Coverdale, a secretary who is having an affair with her married boss, Mr Druce, the head of the company. While some people fall under the Dougal's spell, others are more wary - especially when he tells them he once had horns that have been surgically removed! Dougal's antics impact all the locals, and when he eventually leaves town he has caused untold havoc. 

It is hard to know what to make of this brief novella. While the idea was fun and the story could have been more darkly comical, I found it rather superficial and it didn't really grab me after the compelling start. In fact, I probably would not have finished it had it not been so short. Suffice it to say, the thing I liked most about this book is the cover on the Penguin Modern Classic edition. 

My reviews of other works by Muriel Spark are available on this blog:

• The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1961) 
• The Driver's Seat (1970)