A modern thriller in togas. Don't you just think of Tony Blair and his current woes? But I liked the hydroengineering bits and the description of the eruption.
I could go on and on. Made me wish I'd been born a gentleman of means in the 18th century. The archetypal adventurer - you couldn't make it up.
Yet more masterly stories from Daphne du Maurier
What a wee gem this book is! Affectionate, but with suppressed anger at all kinds of injustices. Very affecting.