Pretty Girl In Crimson Rose

Millions do it every day, and everyone has a favourite. Most remember their first time. You can do it in bed, standing up, or on a train. You can do it alone, with a loved one, or in groups. The Queen, we're told, does it in the bath. It is not illegal, immoral or fattening. In fact, it tops the Home Office list of approved entertainment for prison inmates. Crosswords are a very British obsession. Sandy Balfour was initiated into the mysterious art of solving cryptic crosswords by his girlfriend while on their long overland journey from South Africa to their new home in London. He soon discovers the crossword compilers' secret language and learns how to look beyond the 'surface' of a clue and into its deeper meanings. Restless and unsettled, he starts to travel - to Africa, to America, to Russia - yet the further he goes, the more he longs to be back in England.