Golden Deeds

Patrick Mercer, a middle-aged Englishman, lies unconscious in hospital after a car crash that nearly killed him. In his coma he goes back over his childhood, his early disappointments and the passion for medieval manuscripts that became his life's work. In New Zealand, Colette leaves a broken home to start again in an unfamiliar city, and letters begin to reach her from the Friends of Patrick Mercer reporting his slow recovery, though she has no idea who he is. She babysits for Malcolm and Ruth Pearse, who are still trying to rebuild their lives years after their teenage daughter Laura disappeared without trace. Little by little the three stories move towards each other, and the slender threads between these lives, spanning two hemispheres and several generations, come into view.

AI-generated summary

About the book

Form

Novel

Genres

Family, Crime (assigned by AI)

Set in

New Zealand, United Kingdom

First published

2000

Author's age

30 when first published

ISBN

9780864733849 (Victoria University Press, New Zealand)

9780330483339 (Picador, United Kingdom)

9780330483322 (Picador, United Kingdom)

9780805069310 (Henry Holt, United States)

9780312421168 (Picador, United States)