Gritstone

Lying on a lounger outside a flyblown caf near Naples, Mike reflects on the last few months. Hed set off for the wedding of the charismatic Al, whose closed community is in the Calder Valley. Three months later, Mikes wearing a white robe, standing over an open grave. Alan Newcombe vividly immerses us in the life of Gritstone House. Theres no electricity or running water or contact with the outside world. And Al pulls the strings in a house where theres fraud, secret burials, and clandestine murder. Gothic, serious, yet brimming with wit and humour, Gritstone is an impressive debut.