When Terry Ellis sees Eric Bell in town one day, he's puzzled because Eric's been dead for 18 months. Hoping to uncover the truth, Terry embarks on an event-filled quest that leads him to encounter a rich and varied cast of characters, each with their own story to tell.Based in and around a small city in the far north of England, Eric Bell explores how, in a community where everyone seems to know everyone else, a man must find a way to disappear in order to save his family.Shifting between past and present, truth and deception, and the uncertainty of memory, nothing - and nobody - is as it first seems.Part-mystery, part-thriller, part-memoir, this twisting psychological drama examines the particular difficulties facing men losing their grip on life, love and ambition as time erodes previous certainties and the future looks hazy...

Originally a teacher - because he loved the smell of plasticine - Keith Baty has spent most of his career in education bringing words and music alive for others. He lives on the beautiful Solway Coast, where the ever-changing sky helps him to create the landscapes that he puts into his novels.