The Gravedigger’s Song
About this audiobook
When his song is over, so are you
Under a starless winter night in rural Cornwall, four killers dressed in bizarre folkloric garb brutally invade the home of the wealthy West family. They destroy the posh house and kill the terrified family.
All but one: traumatized seventeen-year-old Simon manages to escape, fleeing through snowy woods. Later, fears that he’s an active target of madmen or criminals lead the police to once more come knocking on Tom Killgannon’s door: Will he watch over Simon until a more secure place is found for the boy?
An ex–undercover cop now living in witness protection, Tom’s turned his back on his violent past. Living in seclusion in his coastal cottage alongside his adoptive daughter, Lila, he also has a romance blossoming with local tavern owner, Pearl Ellacott.
Tom’s reluctant to shelter Simon, but the boy comes to stay, and villains are soon circling the cottage like vultures. When there’s a break-in late one night, Tom must protect his own. The ensuing violence disrupts the household harmony: a rift opens up as Pearl fears a life with Tom will be forever plagued by violence.
Meanwhile, a local by-election in this economically depressed part of the country arouses dangerous nativist sentiments. Simon falls into the clutches of a fanatical political cult that sees a way to brainwash him and use him for their own ends.
To save the boy, Tom must summon from within the violent man he once was, risking the new life he created to face down the most lethal of foes.
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About the author
Martyn Waites was born and raised in Newcastle upon Tyne. He trained at the Birmingham School of Speech and Drama and worked as an actor for many years before becoming a writer. He has been nominated for every major British crime-fiction award and has enjoyed international commercial success with eight novels written under the name Tania Carver.
Matthew Brenher, originally from London, now lives in Los Angeles. His theatrical background includes performances in no fewer than twenty Shakespearean productions, including Macbeth, Twelfth Night, Measure for Measure, As You Like It, Julius Caesar, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo in Romeo & Juliet, and the title role in Henry V. In Los Angeles, he played Claudius in Hamlet, Cassio in Othello, Antony in Antony & Cleopatra, Antipholous of Syracuse in Comedy of Errors, and Orsino in Twelfth Night. Other theater includes: Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights, Trigorin in The Seagull, Alistair in Shaw’s The Millionairess, Jerry in Pinter’s Betrayal, the title role in Dracula, and George in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, for which he was awarded best performance by a lead actor/drama by Stage Scene LA 2009–2010. He’s performed in new plays, most recently in A Bitter Fruit for Palestine, Vulcan in Love’s Mistress at the famous Globe theater in London, and Petko in an acclaimed production of The Mapletree Game. On television, he played “Mad” Marcus for six months in the now defunct British soap Brookside. Other television includes: Rules of Engagement, Bodyguards, The Blind Date, Starhunter, The Grid, Eastenders, and Nostradamus. Films include Execution, A Midsummer Nights Dream, Stay Shy, and The Boy Who would Be King. He works in commercials and industrials and is an accomplished voice-over artist.
