What if — by a stroke of fortune — one could start afresh and wipe away that catastrophic blunder of the past? When Hazel loses three years of her past after a traffic accident wipes out her memory, she doesn't remember her quarrel with Jonathan — or that she left him and moved out of their house. All she knows is that he has dropped everything to care for her and professes to adore her. While he begins to rewrite their history, two other misfits — an American sojourner and a luckless English actress — knock about London, each of them haunted by indelible memories they long to forget.

The Missing World weaves together these separate quests for love and truth in a manner both thrilling and revealing.

"Adroitly paced, meticulously plotted, and increasingly suspenseful, the novel transcends its genre as psychological thriller. Livesey's characterizations are rich and resonant, imbuing the narrative with integrity and complexity. Once again, she has written a book that begs to be read in one sitting, and rewards the reader with insights into the hidden wellsprings of human behavior." Publishers Weekly

"Delicate and terrifying...a modern-day Rebecca." The Boston Globe

"Darkly humorous...A Shakespearean comedy with Murdochian overtones." New Yorker

"A page-turner: suspenseful, crisp, beautifully crafted...[from] a riveting storyteller as masterful as Patricia Highsmith or Ruth Rendell." San Diego Union-Tribune

Following the acclaimed Criminals comes a spellbinding new novel that confirms Margot Livesey's place "right up there," as Liz Smith wrote in the "Philadelphia Inquirer, "in the realm of P. D. James and the esteemed Patricia Highsmith."

What if — by stroke of fortune — you could start afresh, could wipe away that catastrophic blunder in your past? And to what lengths would you go to establish that in fact you'd done nothing wrong at all? After an accident robs Hazel of three years' worth of memory, just such an opportunity is granted to Jonathan, undone by his betrayal of this woman, whom he professes to love above all. While he begins to rewrite their history, two other misfits — an American sojourner and a luckless English actress — knock about London, each of them haunted by indelible memories they would much rather forget. Eventually their hopes of redemption draw them toward Jonathan's house, where Hazel has become a virtual prisoner . . .

Replete with compelling characters and extravagantly plotted, The Missing World weaves together these separate quests for love and truth in a manner both thrilling and, ultimately, revealing about our imperfect lives.

"From the Hardcover edition.