Native Rites

An early rural English Gothic chiller from the author of the Nic Costa series and the forthcoming books of the hit Danish TV series The Killing, newly revised in July 2012.

Alison Fenway is an American newly moved to rural Kent with her English husband, living in a remote picture postcard village with a cricket pitch, a vibrant, insular local community... and many hidden local customs.

Michaelmas comes and with it the annual bonfire ceremony. Drunk, Alison thinks she sees something sinister -- a body in the flames. But the next day the seemingly-innocent locals laugh at her faint memories. As her husband Miles commutes to the City, Alison finds herself drawn into the village community, both embraced and resented by its different elements.

And over the coming year, as it divides into the ancient festivals, she begins to see behind the facade of Beulah, into the dark heart of an English countryside with a bloody and vengeful history that's about to swamp her. Hailed by Amazon readers...

'Fabulous countryside chiller -- Hewson's most accessible, suspenseful novel yet. A young couple move to the country. The husband Miles commutes each day to the city, leaving his wife Alison to get to know the locals, many of whom are frankly not all that friendly. At weekends, Miles, oblivious to his wife's concerns, loves to be 'one of the lads' in the pub. November comes, and with it the ancient bonfire festival. Alison could have been drunk, but she feels certain that she saw something terrible happen at the fire. And her husband was involved. Paranoia? Or a murder that an entire village has conspired in?'

Now only available in ebook. This is a full-length novel of almost 140,000 words.

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