In 1912 Charles Dawson, Britain's most eminent amateur palaeontologist, discovered the missing link in a quarry outside the small town of Piltdown in Sussex. Shortly afterwards his death was mourned by the scientific community. In 1953 Piltdown Man was finally announced a fraud and the backlash against Dawson began. Miles Russell's new book is an investigation of Dawson's guilt, or otherwise, asking whether he was responsible for other fabrications during his illustrious career and, if he was, why did he go to so much trouble? Russell presents the facts as we know them today and then delivers his judgement and looks for the culprit.