Scott Ellis is at the end of his tether. He has no future and his past is troubled. How could his father have abandoned him in the way he did? Who can blame him for drinking himself into oblivion day after day? Is there a way out of the desolate wasteland that is the Saltlands, in the south-west of Wales? Is there a future for a place blighted by an oil spill in the 1990s, ravaged by Brexit, and then decimated by Covid? Is tourism a curse or cure?The background may be bleak, but Richard Williams’s wry humour runs through the telling. In this fast-moving story we follow the local hero’s action-packed escape from despondency to a new future with the help of Angie and Tom. Angie is a lost soul from the wrong end of town, Tom a long-lost childhood friend. In a chance meeting with Tom in his struggling diner, the three of them hatch a plan to make the most of the recovering tourist industry in Wibli Wobli Bay (renamed from Oldwinds for marketing purposes) by converting Tom’s diner into a casino.However, two obstacles lie in their path. An unholy alliance of a corrupt drug-smuggling local councillor and businessman, Cliffy, and a bent copper, Dai, who try to thwart the planning permission. And the misnamed Sons of Blodwyn (inspired by Jemima Niclas), intent on defending the Saltlands from the invaders. Ironically they themselves are the sons of hill-dwelling environmentalist blow-ins. The Saltlands must be returned to their pristine state. They kidnap an English tourist and threaten to crucify him unless their demand that all invaders leave is met.No tourists, no casino. In a gripping climax, Scott and Angie take to the sea. Horacio, the only remaining Son of Blodwyn, is keeping his hostage on a small island. It’s night, but Scott and Angie manage to find them. Cliffy also lands on the same beach to hide his stash of heroine. Helicopters whir above, their searchlights sweeping the shore, and a Border Force boat zips into the bay. Is the Englishman crucified? Is Horacio caught? Do Cliffy and Dai get their comeuppance? Does Scott learn the truth about his father? Does the Flutter Club eventually open its doors? And is it true that there’s no such thing as bad publicity? There’s only one way to find out.
