Arriving at their idyllic and newly renovated Highland home, worthy of TV's Grand Designs, wealthy thirty-somethings, John and Laura Payne, hope they are leaving their problems behind in the city. But the couple's presence disturbs neighbour and local eccentric, Luther Grove, forcing him to confront long buried secrets; secrets that draw him inextricably to Laura and trigger an instant conflict with John. The arrival of John's brother, Frank, proves to be the spark that ignites this highly combustible triangular relationship, ultimately threatening the safety and sanity of all four as they are propelled towards a bloody and tragic denouement. In a stunning debut, Barry Gornell, graduate of the University of Glasgow's renowned and highly successful Creative Writing Masters course - which launched the careers of John Creasey Dagger winner Louise Welsh, Orange Prize nominee Anne Donovan, Somerset Maugham winner Rodge Glass, and Man Booker nominee Rachel Seiffert, amongst many others - builds the tension flawlessly, showing genuine sympathy for his principle characters in this elegant, claustrophobic and acutely observed psychological thriller.
