Dark Heart · A Thrilling Historical Tale of a Victorian Family Imperiled in the Very Heart of London.

Dark Heart · A Thrilling Historical Tale of a Victorian Family Imperiled in the Very Heart of London.

“A writer of passion, integrity and great skill” Donal Ryan

A story of love, loyalty and loss.

It is 1878. British troops are preparing for the invasion of Zululand. Walter Williams is among them, a gunner in the Royal Artillery, who no longer has any illusions about soldiering. He strikes up an unlikely friendship with young Davy Cochrane, a driver in his battery, a friendship that binds them for life.

When Walter returns home to civilian life, he returns to a London that is poorer, dirtier, meaner than he remembers. He wants only a peaceful existence in the bosom of his family. However, the landscape has changed since he was last home. Edie, his mother, a towering figure from his youth, has been shunted off to an institution and Walter’s manipulative sister, Lil, with her husband Art, has plans for Walter that involve a match with Art’s sister, the sullen-faced Agnes.

For her part, Agnes, traumatised by an episode from her past, carries with her a devastating secret that will greatly impact on Walter’s future happiness.

Meanwhile, Walter strives for his ideal. Along the way, he makes a new friend, Jem Cresswell and reunites with an old one, Davy Cochrane. Both men will have a role to play in subsequent events. For just as Walter is close to achieving the life he wants, Grundy, a ghost from his past re-emerges, threatening to destroy everything. Now, more than ever before, Walter must engage fearlessly with the enemy . . .