Eve: A Novel

The novel opens on the rugged Devon landscape along the River Tamar, where a newly cut road winds past craggy peaks, dense oak woods, and the solitary church atop Brent Tor. Morwell House, the ancient hunting‑lodge of the abbots of Tavistock, stands in a hollow beside a clear spring, its stone walls bearing the weight of centuries and recent restoration. The description immerses the listener in the scent of heather, the clatter of barges at New Quay, and the quiet decay that still clings to the old manor.

Inside the dimly lit hall, a gaunt tenant tends his gun while a newborn sleeps in a cradle, his thoughts drifting between duty and an unsettling melancholy. The stillness is shattered when a stranger bursts in, demanding “Eve! where is Eve?” and identifying himself as Ezekiel Babb, come for his daughter. This sudden intrusion hints at hidden connections and rising tension, drawing the listener into a story where the tranquil countryside conceals deeper, perhaps dangerous, secrets.