Everyone dreams of having a idyllic country cottage. What could be better than one that has been lovingly and lavishly outfitted by a dedicated weekend lover.....unless it is located in a remote enclave by a family living in the past and within a ferocious morality which they are determined to uphold at all costs.
Sue Jackman, the central character in this novel set in contemporary England, is a talented graphic artist, an attractive but shy young woman with few if any close friends. Her life takes on new meaning when her married lover, Gavin Trope, the husband of a woman crippled by illness, establishes her in a remote village, the site of his childhood evacuation from London during World War 2. But after only their first blissful weekend together, he mysteriously vanishes. She is left, alone and terrified, to unravel the horrifying reasons why. Her outgoing and vivacious sister Evie- who warned Sue from the outset that her relationship with Gavin was "wrong...stupid..bloody suicide"- comes to keep her company during the terrible waiting. Almost immediately thereafter they are both stalked by "the gatherer" an almost human scarecrow with a wicked determination to punish those who have "sinned" and any innocent bystanders who get in the way of his vicious brnad of justice and ritualized death march. Before the vindictive killer is apprehended and unmasked, he will succeed in satisfying and avenging his harsh code of outdated beliefs by mercilessly terrifying those who cross his path, heighten his sexual frustrations, and dare to act upon any truly giving, caring and loving instincts.
Also written by Owen Brookes: The Widow Of Ratchets and Inheritance.
Sue Jackman, the central character in this novel set in contemporary England, is a talented graphic artist, an attractive but shy young woman with few if any close friends. Her life takes on new meaning when her married lover, Gavin Trope, the husband of a woman crippled by illness, establishes her in a remote village, the site of his childhood evacuation from London during World War 2. But after only their first blissful weekend together, he mysteriously vanishes. She is left, alone and terrified, to unravel the horrifying reasons why. Her outgoing and vivacious sister Evie- who warned Sue from the outset that her relationship with Gavin was "wrong...stupid..bloody suicide"- comes to keep her company during the terrible waiting. Almost immediately thereafter they are both stalked by "the gatherer" an almost human scarecrow with a wicked determination to punish those who have "sinned" and any innocent bystanders who get in the way of his vicious brnad of justice and ritualized death march. Before the vindictive killer is apprehended and unmasked, he will succeed in satisfying and avenging his harsh code of outdated beliefs by mercilessly terrifying those who cross his path, heighten his sexual frustrations, and dare to act upon any truly giving, caring and loving instincts.
Also written by Owen Brookes: The Widow Of Ratchets and Inheritance.
