10-year-old, Bruce Skinner witnesses the abduction of his twin brother, Michael, by an evil being. Thirty years on, Bruce has seen something which stirs the memory of that horrendous night, clawing its way to the surface of his mind to remind him of The Dark One.

The Dark One, is the most evil being on this Earth; he is the Devil now in mortal form and has long ago tired of Hell. His body is very old, and he has returned to torment Skinner and the friends close to him, but he also has another purpose in mind now, to be reborn.

Human agency is a prevalent theme running through The Silver Bow, a new horror novel by Anthony Hedger. Do humans have free will, or are our actions the results of a higher being—or, indeed—in the hands of a more sinister force? Are we the products of our environment? Can someone, for instance, overcome the jarring disruption of a broken home to build a better life for himself? Or are humans mostly condemned to repeat cycles of dysfunction?

These are questions that are asked and answered in the form of the novel’s hero, Bruce Skinner, a stuntman by day, and a bearer of ghastly childhood memories by default. He has overcome this childhood trauma and occasional interference by a pernicious force punctuating the events of his life until the present, maintaining his decency and a generosity of spirit, and indeed, making a success of life, despite his struggles. One of the more interesting side characters, the teenager Nick Pendry, is an obverse to Bruce: Witnessing his father’s gruesome murder of his mother at a young age, he turns to the Dark Arts as a result.

The Devil himself is among the characters featuring in Hedger’s debut, in the guise of a decrepit, scenery-chewing old man keen to find a new “host” to replace his ageing frame.

Central to the novel too is the notion of family. What constitutes family exactly? Its richness and complicated nature is explored in various aspects.

With comic and tragic elements throughout, The Silver Bow takes the reader on an adventure from Continental Europe to England’s south-west, culminating in a grisly showdown with the darkest being known to man.

With Jo missing, Pam and Steve desperately seek help from Bruce and Alex.

Jo has been kidnapped by the Devil himself and it’s just a matter of time before her fate is sealed.

Battling against a storm more powerful than the South West of England has ever seen before the four of them find themselves racing towards the mines on a perilous journey, not knowing whether they are too late to save Jo. But this is just the beginning of their predicament.

The Devil needs to perform a bizarre, sacrilegious ceremony in order to survive, and he has chosen Jo as its focus. Can the fallen angel be stopped before he renews his own life force?

As Jo’s 16th birthday looms, a sinister force closes in.

In the rugged landscape of Cornwall, a malevolent presence stirs, seeking rebirth. The Devil, ancient and evil, has chosen Jo, an unsuspecting teenager, as its new host.

But there's hope. The Silver Bow, forged by the hands of God, holds the power to vanquish evil. This divine weapon's arrow can destroy darkness, saving humanity from the evil one.

As Jo navigates the treacherous waters of adolescence, she must confront an unholy destiny.

This is the second book in The Silver Bow, series. A heart-pounding, psychological horror thriller that propels you into a world of spine-chilling terror and dark humour. Witness Jo's desperate struggle to maintain her sanity and soul against an adversary that will stop at nothing.

Prepare for a chilling descent into madness, possession, and the ultimate fight for survival

The persistent scan of radio frequencies, the daily scouring of newspaper headlines, had become a haunting routine for Bruce, Alex, and Jo. Aboard their sanctuary, 'The Lost Princess', so they continue to ride the tempests of the Cornish coastline, ever-watchful for the slightest whisper of ND's presence. The Devil's reappearance was inevitable, and they knew it. The Atlantic's fury was nothing compared to the malevolent force they awaited. It was only a matter of time before the darkness reclaimed its master, and the trio were ready, driven by a singular purpose: to bring an end to the evil that had haunted them for so long.

While adeptly pursuing a main plotline, a series of riveting ghost stories are also woven through the opening chapters of The Silver Bow Book 3. This sets the novel apart from its predecessors and means that the book can be read as a standalone.

The hero, Bruce Skinner, known to the reader from the previous novels in the series, his now-wife, former nurse Alex, and their teenage charge Jo, are mere bit players to some of the spirits seeking justice and retribution as we are given a glimpse at the ubiquity of the supernatural in our world.

The exceptionally crafted yarns serve as ominous portents of what might await the trio at the novel’s thrilling climax: Bruce and his friends are ultimately offered a stark choice by the Devil Himself.