Drawn by a strange compulsion to break off a train-journey home to London while on business in France, wine-merchant Joshua Bentham finds himself ferried to a village he swears he hasn't visited in his life.

Which does not explain why the village of Destin-Sur-Sarthe seems so familiar to him. A village which, though it appears peaceful, Bentham begins to discover has a hidden past together with mysterious and macabre practices.

He discovers that Madame Allard, who runs Bentham's lodging, wields significant power in the village and not only has occult interests but has taken a most unwholesome interest in her new English guest.

As supernatural events blend with reality, Bentham becomes a pawn in an ancient sexual feud involving his late-father that leads to a climactic revelation requiring him to confront his past and decide his future in the shape of Madame Allard's shapely and feline niece, Beatrice.

A future he decidedly does not want!

Theo Hopcraft's "Destin-sur-Sarthe is a female-led mix of occult vengeance and dread horror and vividly portrays a village where past and present intertwine to reveal horrific that might have been better left to the past.

Believable and female-led fantasy fiction for those readers who prefer to use their imaginations with the help of character-driven plotlines.