Book description
Johnnie Slade harbours an obsessive love for fine glass objects, so his
interest is piqued when he sees photographs of the fabulous Verzelini
tazza in a magazine. He follows its trail and finds that someone may
already have committed murder to get their hands on it. If, indeed, it
ever existed. And what is the relevance of the entry in the dead man's
diary that reads 'Dunstreet'? Johnnie finds out what it means - and he
also finds Claudia. But his pursuit of both the tazza and the girl are
complicated not only by Claudia's blind and autocratic Aunt Elizabeth,
but also by the dawning realisation that he is not alone in his quest.
And death, of course, is just around the corner. Praised by critics
for his clean prose style, characterization, and the strong sense of
place in his novels, Philip Maitland Hubbard was born in Reading, in
Berkshire and brought up in Guernsey, in the Channel Islands. He was
educated at Oxford, where he won the Newdigate Prize for English verse
in 1933. From 1934 until its disbandment in 1947 he served with the
Indian Civil service. On his return to England he worked for the British
Council, eventually retiring to work as a freelance writer. He
contributed to a number of publications, including Punch, and wrote 16
novels for adults as well as two children's books. He lived in Dorset
and Scotland, and many of his novels draw on his interest in and
knowledge of rural pursuits and folk religion.
