Former British prime minister Adam Lang (clearly modelled on Tony Blair) is up against a firm deadline to submit his memoirs to his publisher, and the project is dangerously derailed when his aide and collaborator, Michael McAra, perishes in a ferry accident off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. To salvage the book, a professional ghostwriter is hired to whip the manuscript into shape, but the unnamed writer soon finds that separating truth from fiction in Lang’s recollections a challenge. The stakes rise when Lang is accused of war crimes for authorizing the abduction of suspected al-Qaeda terrorists in Pakistan, who then ended up in the CIA’s merciless hands. As the new writer probes deeper, he uncovers evidence that his predecessor’s death may have been a homicide. Harris nicely leavens his cynical tale with gallows humor, and even readers who anticipate the plot’s final twist will admire the author’s artistry in creating an intelligent page-turner that tackles serious issues. - From Publisher Weekly

罗伯特•哈里斯（Robert Harris） 英国最重量级畅销小说家。1957年出生于英国诺丁汉，就读于剑桥大学塞尔文学院时已展露出过人才华，曾任剑桥辩论协会主席。毕业后先后于英国广播公司、《观察家报》工作，并担任《星期日泰晤士报》和《每日电讯报》专栏作家。2003年荣获英国新闻奖之年度最佳专栏作家殊荣。1993年，他出版了小说处女作《祖国》（Fatherland），一夜成名，从而转向成为一名小说家。此后的《密码迷情》（Enigma）、《大天使》（Archangel）、《庞贝》（Pompeii）都是风靡欧美的畅销小说。因为题材新颖，情节构思精巧，其作品常常被拍摄成影视作品，由国际大导演罗曼•波兰斯基指导的电影《庞贝》将于2009年上映。对罗伯特•哈里斯的小说推崇备至的波兰斯基也已接下《影子写手》的改编与导演工作，将其搬上大银幕。