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

羅伯特•哈裏斯（Robert Harris） 英國最重量級暢銷小說傢。1957年齣生於英國諾丁漢，就讀於劍橋大學塞爾文學院時已展露齣過人纔華，曾任劍橋辯論協會主席。畢業後先後於英國廣播公司、《觀察傢報》工作，並擔任《星期日泰晤士報》和《每日電訊報》專欄作傢。2003年榮獲英國新聞奬之年度最佳專欄作傢殊榮。1993年，他齣版瞭小說處女作《祖國》（Fatherland），一夜成名，從而轉嚮成為一名小說傢。此後的《密碼迷情》（Enigma）、《大天使》（Archangel）、《龐貝》（Pompeii）都是風靡歐美的暢銷小說。因為題材新穎，情節構思精巧，其作品常常被拍攝成影視作品，由國際大導演羅曼•波蘭斯基指導的電影《龐貝》將於2009年上映。對羅伯特•哈裏斯的小說推崇備至的波蘭斯基也已接下《影子寫手》的改編與導演工作，將其搬上大銀幕。