The Neighbour’s Secret

Anna Brown is building a new life for herself in St Abel’s Chapel in the English lake district. Quiet for most of the year, the village transforms during the last two weeks in October, when hundreds of visitors arrive for The Ingathering. Celebrations focus upon a mysterious evangelical church on the outskirts of the village. Relying upon the income from these two busy weeks, the villagers respect the church’s privacy. No one interferes.

Anna’s curiosity is piqued when she befriends teenager Constance, who seems deeply afraid. The Ingathering, Anna learns, involves young church members making their way through the Hell House shortly after their 16^th birthday. This series of theatrical tableau is designed to alert young people to the consequences of sin. But rather than a shocking if ultimately harmless ‘wake-up call’, Constance fears the Hell House is far more sinister. She believes that each year one teenager taking part will die and that she is this year’s intended victim.

Desperate to help Constance, Anna is fighting demons of her own. She left a dark past behind when she moved to St Abel’s Chapel. And, in this strange and often frightening new place, is there anyone she can trust?