Brookes, a British army captain, awakes after being wounded in the mountains of Italy to find himself a guest of the baron of Castelmantia in his remote castle. He can remember the ambush by Mussolini's fascists, the panic of the rebels, the bloodshed, and being struck by a bullet. And there are other things too?things he'd rather not remember. Instead, he turns his attention to the castle and its strange inhabitants, a family of four ? a couple, their daughter and young son ? who both intrigue and repel him. As winter locks them into the castle and the conflict escalates beyond their walls, Brookes finds himself drawn into the mystery at the heart of the family, determined to understand the game they seem to be playing. Who are they really? Why do they live alone in that bleak, decaying place? What do they want from him? AUTHOR: Ian Breckon lives in Bath. His second novel All the Stars Electric Bright, will be published by Old Street in late 2010. SELLING POINTS: Easy to read literary fiction with an enticing mystery at its heart The setting ? the fall of fascism in Italy at the end of WWII ? is relatively unexplored in fiction For fans of Winter in Madrid by C J Sansom and Embers by Sandor Marai REVIEWS: ?A story of multiple deceptions and concealed identities that unfolds like a pack of cards?A space filled with intrigue and potential danger, with hints of Kafka or Mervyn Peake. Mysterious, beguiling, playful, yet making perfect sense.' ? Gerard Woodward ?An exciting and lyrical new voice in fiction. Breckon's work is thought provoking and intelligent. He is one to watch'. ? Mo Hayder, author of Birdman and Tokyo
