{"product_id":"the-man-on-the-endless-stair","title":"The Man on the Endless Stair","description":"\u003c!-- Hook --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Man on the Endless Stair\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- Tagline --\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen literary luck turns into something far more sinister\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\u003c!-- Access Your Content --\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"border: 2px solid #ddd; padding: 16px; border-radius: 6px; background: #f9f9f9; margin-bottom: 20px;\"\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: bold; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 10px;\"\u003eAccess Your Content in Seconds\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003col style=\"margin-left: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComplete your purchase on our store.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDownload \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/thegreyhill.com\/pages\/the-grey-hill-app\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Grey Hill App\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e (free).\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLog in using the same email from checkout.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYour ebook will appear instantly in your library.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 14px; color: #555;\"\u003eAll content is securely delivered through our app and not offered as a Shopify download.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\u003c!-- About the Ebook --\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eAbout the Ebook\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen troubled but talented young author Euan meets decorated novelist Malcolm Furnivall, he feels his luck has finally changed. Malcolm takes Euan as a protégé, vouching for him in the rarefied literary scene in the 1950s. But lately, Malcolm has not been himself. Consumed by his work, he cuts an increasingly isolated figure and has become convinced that something terrible will befall him. He summons his loved ones to his secluded island in the Hebrides and – to everyone's surprise – entrusts Euan with the task of completing his masterpiece.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMalcolm's suspicions soon prove well-founded; he is discovered brutally murdered in his study, and his invaluable unfinished novel has vanished. Cut off from the mainland, with the killer on the loose and the island's inhabitants circling, Euan feels both his mentor's legacy and his only chance at greatness slipping away. He must venture deep into Malcolm's labyrinthine mansion to find the manuscript before it falls into the wrong hands.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut what he doesn't yet know is that the closer he comes to solving the mystery, the tighter he will bind himself to a fate sealed in time . . .\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\u003c!-- Why You'll Love This Ebook --\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWhy You'll Love This Ebook\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDiscover a literary thriller of mentorship turned menace\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eExplore the dark cost of a writer's apparent good fortune\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEngage with tense psychological fiction\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRead another celebrated title from Polygon - an imprint of Birlinn Ltd\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\u003c!-- Reviews --\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eReviews\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'An eerie, deeply atmospheric tale of hidden treasure and trauma'\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eThe Times'\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCleverly plotted and elegantly crafted — an impressive and compelling debut'\u003cstrong\u003e - Sunday Post'\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eClose, claustrophobic, evocative — it feels like an unearthed classic' \u003cstrong\u003e- Hugo Rifkind\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBlown away by this — the isolation and claustrophobia creeps off the page. Compelling, dark and complex. Extraordinary'\u003cstrong\u003e - Rachel Wolf, author of Sun Trap\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'The Edinburgh-based Barkley has produced such a confident debut novel — this mysterious Hebridean whodunnit deserves to be a hit'\u003cstrong\u003e - The Herald\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'A scintillating debut novel — it slow-creeps to a truly revelatory climax, one that manages to be emotionally satisfying, thrilling in terms of plot, and mind-bending in its implications' \u003cstrong\u003e- Big Issue\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShortlisted for the Best Rising Scottish Author Award (The List)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\u003c!-- About the Author --\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChris Barkley was appointed Writer in Residence by the Edinburgh Book Festival in 2022. He won the Oxford University Kellogg Writing Competition in 2021, as well as the Bedford International Writing Prize. He has been shortlisted for the Cambridge Short Story Prize and has had prose published in TSS, National Flash Fiction, Darling Axe, and the Writers of the Future 35th anthology. He lives in Edinburgh.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\u003c!-- Publication Details --\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003ePublication Details\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Polygon (an imprint of Birlinn Ltd)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e 07 August 2025\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePrint Length:\u003c\/strong\u003e 352 pages (Ebook edition)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN (Ebook):\u003c\/strong\u003e 9781788857314\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Ebook\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\u003c!-- FAQ --\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eFrequently Asked Questions\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHow do I access my ebook?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDownload \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/thegreyhill.com\/pages\/the-grey-hill-app\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Grey Hill App\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e and log in using the same email you used at checkout. Your ebook will appear instantly in your library.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCan I read it online?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYes — you can also access your purchases via our online reader at \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reader.thegreyhill.com\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ereader.thegreyhill.com\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eI can't see my ebook — what should I do?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTap the refresh button in the app or online reader. If it still doesn't appear, ensure you're logged in with the same email used at checkout. If issues continue, contact us and we'll help right away.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCan I gift this ebook?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYes — you can purchase a Grey Hill Gift Card here: \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/thegreyhill.com\/products\/the-grey-hill-gift-card\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eBuy a Gift Card\u003c\/a\u003e. The recipient can redeem it on our store, and the ebook will appear in The Grey Hill App.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Polygon","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57306119242101,"sku":"9781788857314","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0921\/5662\/5269\/files\/9781788857314.jpg?v=1781889990","url":"https:\/\/thegreyhill.com\/products\/the-man-on-the-endless-stair","provider":"The Grey Hill","version":"1.0","type":"link"}