Scott Phillips spent much of his twenties reading Picador books in Paris, where he also worked as a teacher and translator. He now lives in southern California with his wife and young daughter.

The Ice Harvest was a finalist for the Hammett Prize and the Edgar Award, and winner of the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco Silver Medal. His second novel,The Walkaway, a sequel to The Ice Harvest, is published by Picador in May 2002.

It is Christmas Eve in Wichita,Kansas,and snowing steadily.The streets are deserted,traffic is light and most people have returned home for the start of the festivities.But family get-togethers are the last thing on Charlie Arglist's mind,and home is the last place he needs to be.For Charlie has to get out of town.For good.And fast.But first there are just a few things has to do...　　The Ice Harvest is a rollercoaster ride of double-cross,black humour and,very possibly,the last twenty-four hours in Charlie's life.