<DIV><P>"Intriguing and absorbing, story-telling of the highest order."&mdash;Irvine Welsh, author of <I>Trainspotting</I></P><P>"Shiflett resists taming his characters, lets them burn in the brambles, in the heat of Mexico. They grow and they learn. We grow and we learn."&mdash;Carolyn Chute, author of <I>The Beans of Egypt, Maine</I></P><P><I>Hidden Place</I> is a coming-of-age story in which the irreverent voice of <I>Trainspotting</I> meets the tropical mystery of <I>The Beach</I>. Set in Chicago and Mexico, the story focuses on six uncomfortably real characters. On a Mexican beach, a conflict between the local Indians and hippies from the U.S. escalates into a cycle of violence.</P><P><B>Shawn Shiflett</B> was born and raised in Chicago. He is a tenured professor in fiction writing at Chicago&rsquo;s Columbia College. He lives in La Grange, Illinois, with his wife and two children.</P></DIV>