Rose - Mass Market Paperbound

by Martin Cruz Smith (Author)

NATIONAL BESTSELLER - A man tasked with locating a missing person becomes entangled in a small English town's dark underbelly in this "superb thriller" (San Francisco Chronicle) from the author of Gorky Park.

"Thoroughly involving . . . Rose is a work of Dickensian complexity and plot twists, a literate mystery that's as much concerned with the workings of the human heart as it is with whodunit and why."--Houston Chronicle

For explorer and adventurer Jonathan Blair, nothing could be more repulsive than trekking to the dreary coal town of Wigan, England. But he has no choice. To earn passage back to his beloved Africa, Blair must accept a commission: discover what happened to the missing Reverend, John Maypole.

Yet once in Wigan, Blair finds the locals as impenetrable as the coal-choked sky. Maypole's fiancée seems unconcerned that he has vanished, and the last person to see the Reverend is a mysteriously elusive pit girl named Rose. As Blair searches for answers, he plunges into a dangerous web of sweltering intrigue and chilling souls. And soon a startling story emerges, revealing a truth more shocking than Blair ever could have imagined. . . .

Front Jacket

The year is 1872. The place is Wigan, England, a coal town where rich mine owners live lavishly alongside miners no better than slaves. Into this dark, complicated world comes Jonathan Blair, who has accepted a commission to find a missing man.
When he begins his search every road leads back to one woman, a haughty, vixenish pit girl named Rose. With her fiery hair and skirts pinned up over trousers, she cares nothing for a society that calls her unnatural, scandalous, erotic.
As Rose and Blair circle one another, first warily, then with the heat of mutual desire, Blair loses his balance. And the lull induced by Rose's sensual touch leaves him unprepared for the bizarre, soul-scorching truth. . . .

Back Jacket

The year is 1872. The place is Wigan, England, a coal town where rich mine owners live lavishly alongside miners no better than slaves. Into this dark, complicated world comes Jonathan Blair, who has accepted a commission to find a missing man.

When he begins his search every road leads back to one woman, a haughty, vixenish pit girl named Rose. With her fiery hair and skirts pinned up over trousers, she cares nothing for a society that calls her unnatural, scandalous, erotic.

As Rose and Blair circle one another, first warily, then with the heat of mutual desire, Blair loses his balance. And the lull induced by Rose's sensual touch leaves him unprepared for the bizarre, soul-scorching truth....

Author Biography

Martin Cruz Smith's novels include Gorky Park, Stallion Gate, Polar Star, Stalin's Ghost, Rose, December 6, Tatiana, Havana Bay, Red Square, and The Girl from Venice. He is a two-time winner of the Hammett Prize, a recipient of Britain's Golden Dagger Award, and a winner of the Premio Piemonte Giallo Internazionale. He passed away in 2025.