"A master of beautiful language."  —Hilary Mantel, author, Wolf Hall Corby, the industrial new town built around a vast steel works, draws many to the fires of its furnaces—in the hope of steady work, a better house, a fresh start. Among them are Francis Cameron, from Scotland, and his friend Jan Ruckert, the son of Latvian refugees. Alienated, intelligent, and curious, they form a strong and lasting bond: two teenage boys finding their feet in a foreign place. But violence hangs in the Corby air like the ash and the stench from the steel works, and when it comes down it is sudden and lethal, with repercussions that will last a lifetime. This story of friendship and loss is a resonant, thrilling book that carries at its core a beautiful and terrible secret.