Eric Bell

When Terry Ellis sees Eric Bell in town one day, he’s puzzled because Eric’s been dead for 18 months. Hoping to uncover the truth, Terry embarks on an event-filled quest that leads him to encounter a rich and varied cast of characters, each with their own story to tell.Based in and around a small city in the far north of England, Eric Bell explores how, in a community where everyone seems to know everyone else, a man must find a way to disappear in order to save his family.Shifting between past and present, truth and deception, and the uncertainty of memory, nothing – and nobody – is as it first seems.Part-mystery, part-thriller, part-memoir, this twisting psychological drama examines the particular difficulties facing men losing their grip on life, love and ambition as time erodes previous certainties and the future looks hazy…

Originally a teacher – because he loved the smell of plasticine – Keith Baty has spent most of his career in education bringing words and music alive for others. He lives on the beautiful Solway Coast, where the ever-changing sky helps him to create the landscapes that he puts into his novels.