1978 National Book Award for Fiction - "Settle has done a remarkable job of capturing a culture that is, in a sense, the most important character in her book."--New York Times
In a novel that begins with accidental death and ends with deliberate murder, an ecclectic collection of American and European expatriates take refuge in an ancient Turkish city and wreak havoc on the Aegean paradise. At first the characters, who range from a former accountant to a petulant heiress, appear to have little in common, but as the novel progresses their motives and desires cross and blend in an eerie, sometimes comic geometry of misunderstanding. In this award-winning work of fiction, Mary Lee Settle reveals new life springing forth from death and change while establishing blood as the only tie that endures.