My Swordhand is Singing

Woodcutters Peter and his father Tomas arrive in the lonely village of Chust.

Peter doesn't understand why his father carries a long wooden box around with him, or why he has dug a deep ditch around their hut. But he is increasingly aware of malevolence about the place. Menacing shadows, villagers missing and people murdered only to reappear.

With the help of Sofia, a travelling gypsy, Peter sets out to conquer the evil threat to the village and uncover the secrets of his father's past. Set in the seventeenth century amid the bleakness of winter in Eastern Europe, and inspired by vampire folklore, this is a superbly crafted, dark and menacing tale.

A sense of hardship, bitter cold and fear penetrates the text, resulting in a chilling page-turner.