#1 New York Times bestselling author "An astonishing work of genius."
--Bookreporter "Magically transformative." --Bookpage Can one moment in
time haunt you forever? From the instant #1 New York Times bestselling
author of The Thirteenth Tale comes a "poetic and mysterious" (Booklist)
story that will haunt you to your very core.Caught up in a moment of
boyhood competition, William Bellman recklessly aims his slingshot at a
rook resting on a branch, killing the bird instantly. It is a small but
cruel act, and is soon forgotten. By the time he is grown, with a wife
and children of his own, William seems to have put the whole incident
behind him. It was as if he never killed the thing at all. But rooks
don't forget... Years later, when a stranger mysteriously enters
William's life, his fortunes begin to turn--and the terrible and
unforeseen consequences of his past indiscretion take root. In a
desperate bid to save the only precious thing he has left, he enters
into a rather strange bargain, with an even stranger partner. Together,
they found a decidedly macabre business. And Bellman & Black is born.