The poignant -- and at times very funny -- new novel from the author of 'The Magician's Assistant', shortlisted for the Orange Prize.

They really are watching you... PARANOIA is THE FIRM for the 21st Century

This autobiography describes the hours before and after Terry Waite was taken hostage. Waite analyzes his thoughts and feelings immediately prior to captivity. It is also an account of his years in solitary confinement and of the inner strengths which enabled him to survive.

A trio of desperate convicts has hijacked a bus carrying a group of deaf and mute schoolgirls who are now being held hostage in a disused slaughterhouse. FBI agent Arthur Potter is flown in to negotiate with the men, as are local police, state troopers, politicians and the media. Not everyone has the same agenda.

Brian Keenan's release from captivity was the first ray of hope for those hostages held in the Middle East. He describes the plight of his fellow hostages with first-hand knowledge. The language he uses reflects his past efforts as a poet in describing the pain and claustrophobia of imprisonment.

A brilliantly gripping courtroom drama, from the author of PARANOIA