Based on a real and, at the time, notorious case, The Contract tells the story of Starr Faithfull, a young women whose body was washed up on Long Island Beach in June 1931… Although the novel is constructed like a mystery, Palmer relates a far more complex tale.”
Times Literary Supplement

“The Contract is a flawless and intelligent study of sex, politics and the abuse of power. It is both subtle and shock: that is a rare and potent combination.”
Jim Crace

William Palmer is a fine writer with a sharp eye for peering into the dark and dusty corners of the human psyche… I admire him.”
Louis de Bernières