peter l. ward

Bigotry, selfishness, and lust for position and power thrive in a sleepy twenty-first-century rural English village. The quietude of the surrounding rolling hills and woodlands is not all it seems. Self-appointed busybodies from the upper ranks of the community take it upon themselves to direct the lives of others. But they are amateurs at the game. At the same time, foreign investors move in to exploit mineral wealth potential that lies buried not too deeply in the strata beneath the quaint cottages and old church. The whole area of East Sussex is ripe for gas development. Local democracy is abolished on a go it alone whim of the new right-wing British government. Each community must now earn its own keep. The village of Denbridgehurst swiftly evolves into a place of fear and intimidation. Four elderly power women take over and connive with Russian oligarchs keen to exploit the riches underground. Meanwhile, the national government threatens to run a new motorway past the village, taking out the fourteenth-century church. Enormous opposition is formed and led by the women. Conservation organizations are called in to scour the area for rare or endangered species. These could hold up the planners. The Russians have other ideas. Their true intent is to build a hidden Hadron Collider beneath the village.