One fateful evening in 17^th-Century Bavaria, Ilsa Wlich arrives at the end of the Adventurer’s Road where she finds a beautiful but insular town called Reimersberg. The town lies deep in the mountains and wolf-inhabited forests of a place known as the Valley of Witches. Seldom reached by outsiders, its people are not welcoming; proud of their traditions, they frown upon change and those who bring it. Upon arrival, Ilsa finds herself saving the life of a sick boy, Karl, with her ancient knowledge but she is suspicious of the cause of his sickness. And while she earns the boy’s undying love she also attracts the enmity of some of the town elders – in particular the incompetent doctor, Arzt, and the mayor, Meister. Ilsa’s presence in the town awakens a long-hidden darkness, and she finds herself, together with Karl, fighting to survive on a path far more strange, perilous and bloody than she could ever have imagined.

David Palin lives in Berkshire and is a writer of dark tales. His first book containing two short novels, For Art’s Sake and In The Laptops Of The Gods, was published in 2006 and he has caught the attention of, amongst others, BBC Radio and Waterstones. David has collaborated as editor and co-writer for various authors, as well as producing screen treatments and screenplays for writers whose novels have sparked potential interest from film producers. His own screenplay of For Art’s Sake attracted the interest of Raindance, who were only too happy to offer editorial assistance, and is currently under consideration for production. David lived in Germany for a few years and feels “no country better understands the impact, for good and evil, of our actions on those around us.” His love of travelling, with visits to places such as pre-Glasnost Berlin, Dachau and Auschwitz, have shown him we can never imagine anything that the shadowy corners of our minds haven’t imagined first! This latest novel, The Half-Torn Page, wanders into those corners and the mystical past of a Germany that inspired the Brothers Grimm, where a town hiding dark secrets and unwelcoming to strangers seals for itself an eternal fate; a curse that only an outsider can lift.

Author: David Palin
Release date: September 2023
Format: Paperback, 299 pages
Availability: Available from all good bookshops. For wholesalers via Gardners or direct from the publisher.
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-914390-23-4
Ebook ISBN: 9781911593621
Paperback Price: £16.99
BIC: FA, FFH, FHP, FV, FJH, FK.