Description: After 11-year-old Mark moves with his ill mother and hated stepfather to the English resort town Brighton, he discovers that their new house holds a secret: in the long unused servants' quarters, the past is alive, and the servants are still at work. To restore harmony to his home, Mark has to venture into the servants' quarters and fix what has broken.
Brief description:
Michael Marshall Smith attended Cambridge University, where he spent the majority of his time writing and performing comedy with the Cambridge Footlights, which led to two series for the BBC. He's the author of the trilogy comprised of The Straw Men, The Upright Man, and Blood of Angels. He lives in England.
Review Quotes:
"Superb...Smith portrays a child's irrational anger with devastating accuracy, and Mark's visits to the surreal and intensely symbolic world of the servants are powerfully depicted." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"This moving parable delivers strong psychological insights into a child's powerlessness and rage." - Entertainment Weekly
"A hefty lot for any author to manage, but Smith does it both subtly and charmingly." - Santa Fe New Mexican on THE SERVANTS