The Golden Orphans

Within the dark heart of an abandoned city, on an island once torn by betrayal and war, lies a terrible secret... Francis Benthem is a successful artist; he's created a new life on an island in the sun. He works all night, painting the dreams of his mysterious Russian benefactor, Illy Prostakov. He writes letters to old friends and students back in cold, far away London. But now Francis Benthem is found dead. The funeral is planned and his old friend from art school arrives to finish what Benthem had started. The painting of dreams on a faraway island. But you can also paint nightmares and Illy has secrets of his own that are not ready for the light. Of promises made and broken, betrayal and murder...  The Golden Orphans offers a new twist on the literary thriller.

Gary Raymond is a novelist, critic, poet, and editor. In 2012 he was one of the founding editors of Wales Arts Review. His debut novel, For Those Who Come After, was published by Parthian in 2015. Raymond is a regular commentator on Welsh art and culture for BBC Wales, but his writing has taken him as afar afield as Japan and India. He has written on subjects as diverse as new wave horror cinema to the life and works of Arthur Koestler. He is also presenter of Wales Arts Review's OffScript podcast series.