scient crime novel written in the lead-up to World War II, by one of the twentieth century's most brilliant--and neglected--science fiction and horror writers, whom Stephen King called "the best writer of science fiction that England has ever produced."

"Genuinely creepy . . . Wyndham really was a terrific storyteller."--Jo Walton

England, 1935: Phyllida Shiffer's marriage has just ended in divorce. She heads home, expecting to be welcomed with open arms by her father, a brilliant (if slightly distracted) scientist. But her father's house is locked up; he is nowhere to be found; and there are suspicious men who seem to think that Phyllida herself might hold the key to her father's latest scientific discovery. . . .