books guide
grave matter
bbc books #065
Written by: Justin Richards
Publication Date: 1 May 2000
ISBN: 0 563 55598 X
Pages: 246
Main Characters: The Sixth Doctor and Peri
Setting: between Vengeance on Varos and The Mark of the Rani
back cover blurb
Dorsill: a group of islands shrouded in fog, the community facing economic ruin - struggling to survive.
When prodigal local Christopher Sheldon, buys the islands outright, the locals owe him a debt of thanks. They don't ask too many questions about what Sheldon and his friends are up to; they don't care that he seldom ventures into the one small village; they don't ask why he saw fit to spend such an amount of money - or where he got it...
Even when the first few people die, there's an assumption that it's down to natural causes: allergic reactions, an especially virulent strain of flu, a tragic fishing accidenta And if the sheep and chickens are behaving oddly, that's hardly a worry.
No, if there's anything to arouse suspicion, it's the arrival of retired civil servant Sir Edward Baddesley. But generally life goes on, with its little triumphs and upsetting tragedies.
Until the two strangers arrivea