“Hilarious, joyous, and astute.” — Nicholas Coleridge Mild-mannered editor Ben Fairweather is horrified when his genteel religious magazine is taken over by a fanatical movement that believes animals are closer to God than humans—and should receive Holy Communion. Amid a nationwide religious revival, this once-fringe belief becomes mainstream, and Ben is canceled as a pet-phobic bigot. Cast adrift, Ben finds work as a pianist in a nightclub, where he meets journalist Anita Scott. She is determined to expose Russian oligarch Oleg Ogorodnikov, newly elevated to the House of Lords, whom she accuses of cultural vandalism. But Ogorodnikov is involved in something far more dangerous: a secret plot to take control of London’s financial system. Unaware that Ogorodnikov’s influence also lies behind the growing theological unrest, Ben and Anita are pulled into a shadowy world of spies, art forgery, AI, and murder—where their own lives are at stake. In this ingenious caper, Anthony Gardner blends madcap suspense with sharp satire, skewering the bizarre beliefs, chaos-spreading Russians, and rise of the robots that seem to define our age.