I loved everything about this novel, a stunning depiction of a hardworking man, trawling the low tide daily on Longferry beach in search of shrimp. Day after day, Thomas is out there in the mist and drizzle with just his horse for company until Hollywood film director Edgar Acheson arrives in town and wants his help scouting locations for a movie and Thomas dares to dream that life could be better. This talented author brings to life a northern seaside town community with great characterisation and perfect scene setting, my only criticism it wasn't long enough. My thanks to Penguin UK and NetGalley for the early read, all opinions expressed are my own

I dont know what to say except brilliant, this is one of the best novels i have read. Its exciting, thrilling and rich in imagination. Something so ordinary that has never a dull moment or lagging in the tale. I loved this 5 stars.

This was brilliant. A novel set over 24 hours where nothing is as it seems. Thomas is a shanker. A shrimp fisherman who uses a horse and nets to catch shrimp. It's a hard life. When Tom comes home from work one day there's a mystery man in his kitchen, offering to change Tom's life. Tom's life will change for the better, and not in the way we think. The place where Thomas works is a liminal space: the sea is miles out, there is quicksand and traps. He's caught between the past and present., his way of earning money is dying out. The past reaches out and gives Tom a glimpse of a different future.

This story quietly and profoundly takes hold. Wistful, poignant, heartfelt but it never felt heavy. I was completely transported into Thomas’ life and his small part of the world. He is such a gentle soul. I just knew there was something about it with that cover… Thank you to the publishers for the reading copy which is now on my all-time favourites shelf

The story of Thomas and his horse really draws you into this book. It is harsh at times for Thomas to keep going to provide for his mother. He then thinks that all will change when a so called film producer offers him money to just show him the location for a film he wants to make. Offer too good to be true? Lovely well written book.