I'm torn between Peter's Room and Falconer's Lure as favourite - they are the two that my hand most often hovers over. I see why people find Thuggery difficult, but I find it very interesting - the bird aspect always sends me back to Williamson's Scandaroon, as FL sends me back to T. H.White's Goshawk.

The there's the AF-dealing- with -death topic. It's so delicately done - cousin Jon, Marie Dobson, the thug - name?
By delicate, I suppose that I mean nice, careful, exact, all those words that never seem to sound quite the right word.