Oliver Beaumont

Blakemore Hall Oliver Beaumont

At Blakemore Hall normal rules are left at the gate and Barnaby finds himself thrust into a hostile environment of bullying and control. His fellow residents fight for survival in their own way, treading cautiously to prevent themselves falling victim to the principal antagonist, whose capricious mood can change at any moment. The development of the characters allows the reader to care about what happens to them, and to understand their reasons for doing things they would never contemplate in the outside world. Enforced and consensual sexual activity is used as a method of maintaining power and also provides a distraction from the strict regime. A new arrival challenges the authority of the self-styled leader. The boys welcome him as a saviour but their relief is short-lived as he too, becomes another casualty in the fight for supremacy. The emotions and fortunes of the individuals are constantly in a state of flux in this explicit tale of savagery and homoerotic love. There are enough twists and turns in the plot to keep you guessing what the final outcome holds for some of them.