He was his own god, he, Julius Lévy, and the power he made for himself. He was beholden to nothing and to no one and his destiny belonged to him.

Julius Lévy learns early in life that kindness is a weakness and love is possession. He escapes his impoverished upbringing on the banks of the Seine, swindles his way through sun-drenched Algiers, and lands in London as a young man, ready to make his fortune.

Hungry for power, Julius becomes one of the wealthiest men in the country. Rich and ruthless, he cares for no one - until one day, he notices his daughter as if for the first time. From that moment on, she becomes his one weakness, and his suffocating obsession.

'A tale . . . wrought by a master, someone who has seen, known and grappled with the world' JULIE MYERSON
'Amazingly well-done, powerful' KIRKUS REVIEWS
'One of the last century's most original literary talents' DAILY TELEGRAPH