Gritstone

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