Paul Torday

What does it take to make us believe in the impossible? For Dr. Alfred Jones, life is a quiet mixture of civil service at the National Centre for Fisheries Excellence and marriage to Mary—an ambitious, no-nonsense financier. But a strange turn of fate from an unexpected direction forces Jones to upend his existence and spend all of his time in pursuit of another man’s ludicrous dream. Can there be salmon in the Yemen? Science says no. But if resources are limitless and the visionary is inspired, maybe salmon fishing in the Yemen isn’t impossible. Then again, maybe nothing is.

La carrera del doctor Alfred Jones transcurre sin sobresaltos en el Centro Nacional para el Fomento de la Piscicultura. Sin embargo, todo cambia el día que debe evaluar un extraño proyecto: introducir el salmón en Yemen. Racional de los pies a la cabeza, Fred no duda en desestimarlo, ignorando que detrás de la peculiar idea está un acaudalado jeque empeñado en exportar el arte de la pesca a las montañas del norte de Yemen. La situación se complica cuando el proyecto capta la atención de un ambicioso asesor del primer ministro, que descubre una excelente oportunidad para mejorar la imagen del Reino Unido en Oriente Próximo y de paso proyectar su futuro político. De pronto, los implacables engranajes del poder se ponen en marcha y el doctor Jones se ve obligado a lanzarse a una aventura con un final digno de la mejor novela de intriga. Esta original ópera prima, de humor elegante e incisivo, es una mirada irónica sobre la fragilidad de nuestras convicciones, el poder estimulante de la fe y el absurdo de un sistema político basado en el impacto de la imagen.

Andrew Langford is driving home one night, along a dark country lane, when a barn owl flies into his windscreen. It is an accident, nothing more. However Andrew is in line to be the country's next prime minister. And he has recently been appointed to a select committee concerned with the Wildlife Crimes Act. Barn Owls are protected species, and it is a crime to kill one. If Andrew acknowledges that he has killed the owl, he could be risking his political career.With Andrew in the car is his old Oxford friend and political adviser, Charles Fryerne. An expert in communications, Charles has just joined the team that is masterminding Andrew's route to the Tory Party leadership, and from there to No 10 Downing Street. He has spent many years quietly building up a very successful career as a strategist. But the death of the owl threatens to destroy not only Andrew's career, but everything that Charles has worked for too. Should they come clean, or hide the story and hope it goes away?