Chanter's Hide

Ben Ebbrell is an editor at a leading publishing house in London, and an aspiring author. His wife, Jan, is a partner in a growing ad agency and pregnant with their first child. She intends to give up work and become a full-time mum when the baby is born, leaving Ben to be sole bread-winner, a situation he finds daunting. Although looking forward to becoming a father, he knows he will need to work longer hours to cover household bills, leaving little time for writing. Just as he is coming to terms with his new responsibilities, he receives an unexpected bequest. His uncle Ted, a man he vaguely remembers from his childhood, has left him a cottage in the coastal village of Chanter's Hide. He and Jan are over the moon, as it seems to be the answer to their prayers.They sell their Knightsbridge town house and move to Dorset. As they are moving in, the local vicar calls by and invites them to a welcoming party at the local pub. Ben takes an instant dislike to Simon Drake but Jan is enthralled. It soon becomes clear to Ben that the villagers are afraid of the man. The village is an idealist's dream, being self-sufficient, producing its own food and drink and generating its own electricity. There is even a small pumping station for its primitive water supply. What it doesn't have, however, is any internet access or mobile phone signal.Ben meets Ted's old friend, Efram Stein, and his son, Peter, both ostracised by the rest of the village. Efram confirms Ben's suspicions of the vicar and informs him that his wife and unborn child are in grave danger. He tells Ben about his uncle's conviction that Simon Drake is a Satanist, and also announces that now they are in Chanter's Hide, Ben and Jan will be unable to leave. Ben finds this ridiculous and tries to drive to Bridport but finds all roads lead back to the same spot.Trapped in the village, Ben finds a strange pendant in Uncle Ted's old shed, and from then on, he, Efram and Peter try to unravel Ted's plans. They soon realise time is running out for all of them. To save Jan and the baby and to free the rest of the villagers, they will have to prevent Drake from performing his final ritual, a ceremony that will bring forth the Devil himself.