title: The Gathering
author: Renwick, Douglas
description: Ben Bellamy is single, successful and on a sabbatical from his job as a Hong Kong hedge-fund manager. He returns to England and looks up Anna, the blue-eyed blonde he should have married ten years previously. She's disappeared, and her devastated parents beg him to find her. Assisted by the beautiful Ling, he traces Anna to a religious cult on a remote island. He's concerned she might have already been indoctrinated - if she's still there. It's a race against time as he plans her rescue. Posing as a potential follower, Ben goes to the island risking all - including being stranded there and succumbing to their persuasive powers. The commune is not what he imagined, and the danger is darker than he feared, challenging his own long-held morals and ethical principles. Things don't work out as planned, but it has a happy ending... WHAT THEY ARE SAYING My honest feedback is that I genuinely couldn't put it down - and that is rare for me! It's fairly seldom that I get stuck into a story that I really enjoy, but I enjoyed this one immensely. If you would like to be entertained, informed, shocked and stimulated this is the book for you. I liked it very much and thought the story was interesting and topical. A grand tale! It's very well written as are Douglas Renwick's previous books, and the plot twists and turns through a myriad of situations. A fast paced story with a thought-provoking theme that makes this book a very enjoyable read - highly recommended. It captures the readers attention from the word go with some excellent character development and an interesting plot line.  I was hooked from the moment I started... I kept reading it to see what happened next! Very good story line and great characters. I almost wanted to be in the story as it was so intriguing. I found the ending quite a tear jerker. Would recommend to anyone who wants an easy read that might make them think. Brilliant read!! Was engrossed from beginning to end. Great story, action packed, interesting characters and subject matter. This is an intriguing, entertaining and satisfying novel with an ingenious plot and numerous original angles. The characters are graphically drawn, alive and believable. The climax was truly gripping, while the many twists and the final conclusion were unguessable.