Dear Bernard. My wife just bought Gallows Thief in the UK – couldn’t find it in South Africa – and I’m looking forward to reading it when she gets back. Another reader asked about “sheltron”. I think this probably comes from the same roots as “schiltrom” or “shiltron” (Scottish usage for a body of spearmen) in a age of non-standardised spelling. OK, most people were illiterate anyway! Martyn Kerr