Nailed by the Heart

Book excerpt: Chris and Ruth Stainforth are living their fantasy, turning the old Sea-fort at Manshead – purchased at a steal after the previous owners abandoned building work – into a hotel, and living on the coast with their son, David. But as work begins, and they see past the rubble to luxury rooms and a glittering swimming pool, strange figures begin to haunt their dreams, soon breaking into their waking world. Soon the villagers themselves, at first welcoming, seem to be trying to drive them out. As little David spies ghostly men in the water, and Chris has visions of a pale face in the dunes, the sea threatens to engulf them all, and doom them to its watery depths. Through it all they are drawn to it, pulling them from their beds, making them want to cast them selves at its cold mercy. What can the family do in the face of such terrifying occurrences? Soon they will be embroiled in a fearsome battle, one that must end in a terrible sacrifice. Nailed by the Heart, first published in 1995, is a chilling, exhilarating tale, one that will echo in your deepest fears whenever you here the distant roll of an ocean wave.