Overview

When troubled but talented young author Euan meets decorated novelist Malcolm Furnivall, he feels his luck has finally changed. Malcolm takes Euan as a protege, vouching for him in the rarefied literary scene in the 1950s. But lately, Malcolm has not been himself. Consumed by his work, he cuts an increasingly isolated figure and has become convinced that something terrible will befall him. He summons his loved ones to his secluded island in the Hebrides and to everyone's surprise entrusts Euan with the task of completing his masterpiece. Malcolm's suspicions soon prove well-founded; he is discovered brutally murdered in his study, and his invaluable unfinished novel has vanished. Cut off from the mainland, with the killer on the loose and the island's inhabitants circling, Euan feels both his mentor's legacy and his only chance at greatness slipping away. He must venture deep into Malcolm's labyrinthine mansion to find the manuscript before it falls into the wrong hands. But what he doesn't yet know is that the closer he comes to solving the mystery, the tighter he will bind himself to a fate sealed in time...

Full Product Details

9781846976896

Table of Contents

Reviews

'An exceptional debut novel. Chris brings his sharp deft writing, addressing heavy matters with impressively balanced wit. The novel is an astute observation of people and family. My goodness, the reveal will arrest you. Here is a book to read and return to' -- Theresa Lola, author of Ceremony for the Nameless 'Stylish, assured witing, and a story that wonderfully engages both heart and head. An accomplished, classy debut' -- Doug Johnstone

'An eerie, deeply atmospheric tale of hidden treasure and trauma' * The Times * 'Cleverly plotted and elegantly crafted' * Sunday Post * 'An exceptional debut novel. Chris brings his sharp deft writing, addressing heavy matters with impressively balanced wit. The novel is an astute observation of people and family. My goodness, the reveal will arrest you. Here is a book to read and return to' -- Theresa Lola, author of Ceremony for the Nameless 'Stylish, assured witing, and a story that wonderfully engages both heart and head. An accomplished, classy debut' -- Doug Johnstone 'Blown away by this. The isolation and claustrophobia creeps off the page. Compelling, dark and complex. Extraordinary'  -- Rachel Wolf, author of Five Nights and Sun Trap 'a thoroughly engaging and enjoyable read... the genre itself is warped in a truly innovative way' -- Ken Lussey * Undiscovered Scotland *

Author Information

Chris Barkley was appointed Writer in Residence by the Edinburgh Book Festival in 2022. He won the Oxford University Kellogg Writing Competition in 2021, as well as the Bedford International Writing Prize. He has been shortlisted for the Cambridge Short Story Prize and has had prose published in TSS, National Flash Fiction, Darling Axe, and the Writers of the Future 35th anthology. He lives in Edinburgh.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available