«In a literary age of diet and dearth, Tartt invites us to feast... the opening tragedy strikes a note of rich, flamboyant Southern Gothic that resonates throughout», — Independent «You will rarely have read better... Because of Tartt's mastery of suspense, this book will grip readers all the way through to its bitter end», — Guardian «Destined to become a special kind of classic - a book that precocious young readers pluck from their parents' shelves and devour with surreptitious