IN BRIEF Jan Costin Wagner Schattentag (Day of Shadows) Eichborn Verlag, August 2005, 194 pp. ISBN 3-8218-0756-3 A man on an island, surrounded by blue water and skies; a house on a hill shared with his partner Mara. Sounds idyllic, but something has gone terribly wrong, and the man is left in the world of the blind with only shades of grey as companions. How did the narrator come to this confusing pass? Every flicker of memory is laden with significance in this taut psychological thriller. What’s real? What isn’t? Did he fall? Was he pushed? A breathless read by a highly talented and original writer. Recommended to those who like to be kept guessing to the end. Jan Costin Wagner was born in 1972. He was awarded the Marlowe Prize for the best crime novel in 2002 for his first novel Nachtfahrt. Eismond (reviewed in new books in german), his second novel will be published by Harvill Press in 2006. Translation rights: Eichborn Verlag For more information on the 'IN BRIEF' titles, authors and publishing houses, please contact Rebecca Morrison