The monastery of St James the Less is due for closure. It has sat in the Arabian desert for too long, apparently. But Abbot Peter, sent to oversee its demise, isn't so sure. He finds strange life in this sanctuary for the desperate. So St James carries on; and as the battered make their way to its sun-baked door, appears as just another refuge for those who seek retreat and withdrawal from the world's madness. Until, that is, the arrival of the bully Skarit. Then everything changes, and what once was, is no longer so. Bad things can create friction between people. They can even create nightmares. But can they create anything good? It proves a supreme test for Abbot Peter. And for those who have to live with him. Set under a burning sun in the middle of nowhere, Another Bloody Retreat is a book for any who have wished to break free, and get away from it all. In the words of Simon Mayo, "If you're after a surprising, disturbing, profound, witty, magical mystery tour, then this is the book for you." Martin Wroe, journalist and former director of the Greenbelt Arts Festival, called it "Part soap-opera, part mystical journey, part loaded gun." The doors of St James are open for you. As Abbot Peter himself would say, if you caught him on a good day, "You are most welcome." Order your copy of Another Bloody Retreat More books   © Simon Parke