Melly and Melanie are mirror images of each other. Are they twins separated at birth? Or is something more sinister afoot? It's a race against time and destiny to discover the truth, for if the two meet before the allotted time, who knows what their fate might be?: "Do you know what a doppelganger is? We did a play about one four years ago... the hero had this double who seemed to be some kind of fiend, who stalked him, and if ever they came face to face the hero was going to die ... I know it sounds stupid as soon as you say it, but...". Peter Dickinson's handling of this fantastical storyline is so convincing, though, that it doesn't sound stupid at all.

An accomplished writer of adult and children's fiction, his other books include Touch and Go, Tulku and The Kin. --Nicola Perry