Author: Alison Haylock

Publisher:

Published: 2019-01-03

Total Pages: 798

ISBN-13: 9781793115645

Martin Phelps' orderly life on the Hebridean island of Bardech is thrown into chaos by two events. The first of these is the arrival of a new Head-teacher for the island's only school, a young woman by the name of Helen, with her St Bernard dog, Roger. The second event is the discovery that someone is sending crude, mischievous letters to Bardech's residents, threatening to expose trivial instances in their daily lives unless small sums of money are paid.Martin's good friend is the local policeman, Ivan McGregor. When Martin, Helen and Ivan begin to investigate the blackmail letters, they soon discover how many people on the island have been affected by them. Events take a sinister turn when the school boiler explodes during the pre-term parents' meeting. The realisation dawns on Martin that his most cherished creation, the Bardech Island Network (BIN), has been hacked and is being used to spy on residents and threaten them.Once MI5 become involved, the scale of what is happening on Bardech begins to dawn on Martin and Helen. They find hints of secrets and secrets hidden within secrets, and it becomes apparent that whoever is behind the mysterious, bizarre events taking place, it is anything but the work of a practical joker.The Blackmail Club is a portrayal of a typical community living on a fictional island, and is told with sympathy and humour.