The central incident of this novel of Hall Caine's is that most extraordinary of all punishments known to English criminal law, the peine forte et dure -- the pressing to death by application of weights. As always, Caine tells a gripping tale ...

Author Biography

Sir Thomas Henry Hall Caine (1853 - 1931), usually known as Hall Caine, was a British novelist, dramatist, short story writer, poet and critic of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Caine's popularity during his lifetime was unprecedented. Writing fifteen novels, he became an international literary celebrity, selling ten million books. Caine was the most highly paid novelist of his day. The Eternal City is the first novel to sell over a million copies worldwide. In addition to his books, Caine is the author of more than a dozen plays and was one of the most commercially successful dramatists of his time; many were West End and Broadway productions.