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Before the Ruins

During the summer of 1996 childhood friends Andy, Marcus, Peter and Em search for treasure in the grounds of an abandoned manor house near Avebury and come across the charismatic David, whose presence dangerously alters their group dynamic. Twenty years on, Peter's mysterious disappearance forces Andy to re-examine dark events she has tried her best to forget.
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RRP £8.99

£4.99

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Product information:
  • Publisher: Serpent's Tail
  • Year: 2022
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 314pp
  • Illustrated: No
  • Dimensions: 197x128mm
  • ISBN: 9781788163804
  • Condition: New
  • Weight: 0.3kg
Product code:
545965
Product information
Full publisher description
'Engrossing, beguiling, and with an undertow of menace, Before the Ruins is a masterly debut from a richly talented author.' Sarah Waters

'Jaw-droppingly brilliant writing' Marian Keyes

Andy believes that she has left her past far behind her. But when she gets a call from Peter's mother to say he's gone missing, she finds herself pulled into a search for answers.

Bored and restless after their final school exams, Andy, Peter, Em and Marcus broke into a ruined manor house nearby and quickly became friends with the boy living there. Blond, charming and on the run, David's presence was as dangerous as it was exciting. The story of a diamond necklace, stolen from the house fifty years earlier and perhaps still lost somewhere in the grounds inspired the group to buy a replica and play at hiding it, hoping to turn up the real thing along the way. But the game grew to encompass decades of resentment, lies and a terrible betrayal.

Now, Andy's search for Peter will unearth unimaginable secrets - and take her back to the people who still keep them.
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