"There are more things in heaven and earth . than are dreamt of in your philosophy." Clark depicts a seamless suburban world of perfect tea parties, angelic infants and the genteel elderly, one we might never have been tempted to look at beneath its still surface. But, with dark humour and a devilish instinct reminiscent of Roald Dahl, these tidy dreams are slowly unpeeled to reveal what exists below: A disturbingly precocious child beauty. The disappointed actress with a killer taste for designer dresses. A Shakespearean ghost. A spry murderer afoot on the moors. An answer, finally, to the question, "What is it like to die? These stories are a modern take on the cautionary tale, flashing light and wit into the dark corners of morality and murder and leading the reader with intricate craft towards that final, unexpected twist. Born and educated on Tyneside, John Clark was conscripted to serve in the army as a wireless operator. At the end of the war he became a teacher and...