The Scene and Unseen

The Scene and Unseen is the first in a series of contemporary novels about how our daily lives are affected by the spiritual realms. The lead character, Simon Maslen, was an up-and-coming lawyer who became disenchanted with pressures to bend the truth in his working environment. When his uncle is lost at sea in a yachting accident, and he discovers his girlfriend has been doing things behind his back, he quits his job and uses his inheritance money to buy a small farm and go to live on a remote island.He hoped for an uncomplicated life after quitting the legal profession but, unbeknownst to him, dark powers he doesn't believe exist discover he is in a position to wreck a major long-term plan they have been developing against humankind. When they find he had made an unguarded comment online about a popular type of fringe music, they seize the opportunity to neutralise him by having his comment deemed offensive and then set about having him arrested.A benevolent stranger's secret night-time visit brings Simon an urgent warning of imminent arrest, along with some information he finds very suspicious. Simon initially declines the stranger's help, but then has to decide what is true and whether or not he needs to leave the island. His enquiries reveal that some recent setbacks were explained by the stranger's information, and that not all friends could be relied on. When he decides to go ahead with the stranger's back-up plan, an unusual coincidence causes him to accept the company of Penny Ewing, a woman he hardly knows. As he follows through on his plan, and his relationship with fellow-traveller develops, they have to keep ahead of their pursuers. Along the way, they encounter a variety of situations which stretch their worldviews while facing relentless attacks from evil spiritual forces.