Hearts and Minds begins with a murder, and around this central mystery Amanda Craig has woven a riveting novel about five very different characters whose lives intersect in all sorts of interesting and unexpected ways. It's as gripping as the best crime novels, but it's much more than that - it's about big themes: what makes us human, what divides us, and what can drive ordinary people to acts of great cruelty or great courage. The setting is a thoroughly contemporary London, described in all its beauty and squalor, in which trafficked sex-slaves and asylum seekers endure a hellish existence alongside the largely oblivious middle-classes, whose comforts are sometimes bought at the expense of an invisible underclass. The satire is well-aimed, sharp and often very funny without being spiteful, and the plot developments come thick and fast as the strands are drawn together in a dramatic denouement. Although at times the portrait of urban life is very dark, the novel's good samaritans shine brightly and it is they who are given the last word. Highly recommended.