Published: 20/06/2024
ISBN: 9781914148484
Price: £9.99
Format: Paperback
‘We’re actually all rather terrible.’
On the cusp of the 1960s, when fourteen-year-old Ben moves into the ancestral home of his aunt and uncle, he is shocked by their wealth and glamour. Under the watchful eye of the Merryvale Mask, his sophisticated cousins teach him how to appreciate their languid opulence and draw him into the world of the elites. But five years later, when a woman’s body is found on the estate, his new life begins to crumble.
As the family is placed at the centre of a murder investigation, Ben starts to see their manipulative power in a harsher light. Placed on a collision course with his family, Ben faces a dilemma: how far is he willing to go to fit into their world?
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‘A fabulously dark and atmospheric page-turner full of complex characters and deceit! I read it in two sittings. Pete has a great turn of phrase, and he painted a colourful picture of privilege. A wonderfully captured dilemma!’ — Amanda Geard, author of The Midnight House
‘Pete Sherlock masterfully unveils the horrors that lie behind the masks in this riveting debut. Carefully built layers peeled away in a literary onion while disturbing questions kept me glued to the end’ — Iris Yamashita, author of City Under One Roof
‘With shades of The Line of Beauty and The Go Between and an early ‘60s setting, The Mask of Merryvale Manor skilfully weaves themes of politics, wealth, corruption and family into a thoroughly engrossing read.’ — Gill Darling, author of Erringby