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Bruce Beckham
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The Dune Kindle Edition

by Bruce Beckham (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 out of 5 stars 109 ratings
A shy, academic teenager, Luke spent the long, hot summer of 1976 working on an isolated bird reserve in Norfolk, England. Like most young men of his age, he found his thoughts preoccupied with the opposite sex and, gradually, peculiar events unfolded around him that seemed designed to take advantage of this Achilles heel. 36 years later, the discovery of human remains at a coastal archaeological site sheds shocking new light upon his experiences of 1976, compelling him to reappraise his memories and, finally, to return to East Anglia in an attempt to unravel the truth of a tale of witchcraft, intrigue, murder and love. The Dune is a smouldering coming-of-age novel that slowly burns to an explosive, violent and unexpected climax.
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  1. Print length
    254 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Accessibility
    Learn more
  4. Publication date
    11 Aug. 2012
  5. File size
    554 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B008WP51OU
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lucius
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 11 Aug. 2012
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 554 KB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 254 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 109 ratings

About the author

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Bruce Beckham

Bruce Beckham

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Bruce Beckham is an award-winning Amazon best-selling author. A resident of Great Britain, he has travelled and worked in over 60 countries. He is published in both fiction and non-fiction, and a member of the Society of Authors.

You can contact him via his publisher, at this address: lucius-ebooks@live.com or directly at brucebeckham@live.co.uk

To sign up for his monthly newsletter please copy and paste this link:

https://mailchi.mp/acd032704a3f/newsletter-sign-up

His series 'Detective Inspector Skelgill Investigates' now extends to 20 standalone murder mysteries and 6 boxsets, and sells across five continents, from Japan and India to Brazil and the United States of America. Over one million copies have been downloaded worldwide.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
109 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book readable, with one describing it as a well-written coming-of-age/thriller novel. The atmosphere receives positive feedback, with one customer noting how it captures the atmosphere of time and place. Customers appreciate the vivid character development. The pacing receives mixed reactions, with several customers finding it slow.

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11 customers mention ‘Readability’11 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable to read, with one customer noting its pleasing prose and another describing it as a well-written coming-of-age thriller.

"...A really first class read which I would highly recommend to anybody not just those who are old enough to remember the era although I must admit that..." Read more

"...first person or which flash back and forth in time but the prose was pleasing to read. The rite of passage aspect was well conveyed." Read more

"...narrator/protagonist doesn't know the ending - which makes for a compelling read, despite the slow pace...." Read more

"I bought it as a Christmas present, it was perfect, the chapters were named & many listed sentimental places such as Cley Marshes...." Read more

5 customers mention ‘Atmosphere’5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the atmosphere of the book, with one noting how it captures the time and place, while another describes it as a nostalgic trip.

"...era although I must admit that for me it was a decided bonus, a real nostalgia trip." Read more

"Mysterious, atmospheric and with a chilling undertone that is made more acute by Luke's naivety - very well located on the Norfolk Coast in 'that..." Read more

"...present, it was perfect, the chapters were named & many listed sentimental places such as Cley Marshes...." Read more

"The book was enjoyable, well-written, and atmospheric. I could feel the sand between my toes and the sun on my face...." Read more

3 customers mention ‘Character development’3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the vivid characters in the book.

"...until I had completed it in two consecutive evenings, his characterisation was excellent, the locations described beautifully and the minutae..." Read more

"...A clever plot with vivid characters and an unexpected twist in the tail." Read more

"A well paced and subtlety written story whose characters are well drawn.l think it would make a wonderful film. Super !" Read more

10 customers mention ‘Pacing’6 positive4 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book, with several finding it slow and rushed, while one customer describes it as an engrossing story.

"...Mr. Beckham, has that skill! I found his narrative totally absorbing, a book that I could not put down until I had completed it in two consecutive..." Read more

"...and more detail of the investigation in the latter third which seemed a little rushed...." Read more

"...The rite of passage aspect was well conveyed." Read more

"A bit slow in places. Well written and the flavour of the 70s was well portrayed. almost a text book on ornithology." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • BlackBrigand
    5.0 out of 5 stars Well written coming of age/thriller novel
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 August 2013
    Verified Purchase
    THE DUNE Bruce Beckham Kindle Edition

    A shy, socially dysfunctional 17 year old youth spends the long summer holidays at a bird santuary in North Norfolk whilst combining his love of 'birding' with serious research work for his A level GCE exams. His sojourn there becomes almost dreamlike as he discovers strong ale and beautiful young women and some strange locals. The news of the discovery of human remains 36 years later brings him back to the places of that magical holiday compelling him to try to unravel his clouded memories of love, witchcraft and possibly murder.

    I selected this book, by an author that I had not experienced before, primarily because, I enjoy thrillers about witchcraft, I know North Norfolk intimately and I was actually on leave there during the long, hot summer of 1976 the period during which the tale is set. My father had retired to Norfolk after leaving the army in the 1950's and I did similar three decades later and still live almost half of the year there. The holidays of my childhood and youth were spent at the beaches of North Norfolk coast, the inlets, creeks and harbours.

    This is not so much a thriller as a coming of age story, certainly the first three quarters of the book concern the events of 1976 although the intuitive reader will start to work out where the story may lead to; it is only at the very end that the tale explodes into violent action and a slightly surprising climax.

    I really should not have liked this novel. It is, for the most part written in 'first person present tense', one that I normally dislike, and a style of writing that mostly died out in the 1960's as it requires a very special skill to write an entire novel in that tense and not leave the reader totally disorientated. Mr. Beckham, has that skill! I found his narrative totally absorbing, a book that I could not put down until I had completed it in two consecutive evenings, his characterisation was excellent, the locations described beautifully and the minutae concerning the flora and fauna of the region not at all boring.

    A really first class read which I would highly recommend to anybody not just those who are old enough to remember the era although I must admit that for me it was a decided bonus, a real nostalgia trip.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Kathleen
    4.0 out of 5 stars mixed reaction
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 November 2013
    Verified Purchase
    A most unusual book. I enjoyed it though it was a bit drawn out in parts. I found all of the bird watching detail interesting and fascinating though I'm not sure that so much of it belongs in a novel.
    I usually don't like novels written in the first person or which flash back and forth in time but the prose was pleasing to read. The rite of passage aspect was well conveyed.
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  • Judy
    3.0 out of 5 stars Thought provoking!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 January 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Book review of The Dune by Bruce Beckham
    I received this book as a free download from Amazon.
    The book begins with a 17 year old young man called Luke from the Midlands going to the Norfolk coast to work at a bird observatory for the summer back in the 1970’s. During his time there he encounters some odd characters and has a bizarre experience one night at midnight – or does he?
    The latter part of the book sees Luke now in his 50’s reading reports of archaeologists discovering remains of an infant from around 1977 and linking it to speculation of a witches’ coven operating in the area at the time. Luke goes back to the area to investigate.
    The first part of the book I found a bit difficult as there are a lot of lengthy descriptive passages which contain details of different types of birds and their habitats. The bird observatory and the environment is the setting for the later events but it rather takes over a bit too much at the beginning. Some of the language is a bit difficult for the average reader too which gets in the way early in the story.
    It is the last third of the book when it begins to come together and all of the loose ends are tied up. I would have preferred less descriptive detail in the first part of the book and more detail of the investigation in the latter third which seemed a little rushed. The interaction between the characters as Luke tries to uncover what happened back in the 1970’s could have been made more detailed and explored in more depth.
    The ending of the story is a surprise that few people will expect. However there are elements which stretch the imagination of the reader. Would a person behave in this way?
    If you are looking for a traditional crime thriller or a typical fantasy story then perhaps you should try elsewhere but if you are looking for something different then this could be the book for you.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Ms F Waddell
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wicker Man meets The Magus
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 February 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Mysterious, atmospheric and with a chilling undertone that is made more acute by Luke's naivety - very well located on the Norfolk Coast in 'that summer' of 1976.

    Written in the present-tense in two eras, there is a filmic feel - a sense that the narrator/protagonist doesn't know the ending - which makes for a compelling read, despite the slow pace.

    A clever plot with vivid characters and an unexpected twist in the tail.
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  • RachelH
    5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect...thank you Amazon!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 January 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I bought it as a Christmas present, it was perfect, the chapters were named & many listed sentimental places such as Cley Marshes. The front cover has a luxury soft feel to it & the font was nice size...bigger than normal. My husband hasn't read it yet but I know he will enjoy it as he grew up in North Norfolk.
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  • Digger man.e
    5.0 out of 5 stars Norfolk at its best
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 July 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Not the sort of book I usually read but I am glad that I did . I could not put it down, another great book from a great author, the content keeps you wanting to know what happens next, and that's what makes the book worth reading.
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  • Etoile
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 May 2013
    Verified Purchase
    A bit slow in places. Well written and the flavour of the 70s was well portrayed. almost a text book on ornithology.
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  • Lorraine
    3.0 out of 5 stars enjoyable and atmospheric
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 August 2015
    Verified Purchase
    The book was enjoyable, well-written, and atmospheric. I could feel the sand between my toes and the sun on my face.
    However given the tagline on the book "sun, sand... and sorcery", I expected more sorcery and fewer birds.
    Over half of the book was given over to twitchers, bird sightings, bird habitats and the like. The sorcery didn't really come into its own until the final 3rd of the book, and then it seemed a bit rushed although the ending was a complete surprise.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Aravind
    3.0 out of 5 stars Having enjoyed the Inspector Skelgill series by Bruce Beckham
    Reviewed in India on 25 March 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Having enjoyed the Inspector Skelgill series by Bruce Beckham, I wasn't going to miss this one, alerted about its free download opportunity by the author for which I am grateful. The plot is quite good but the execution not much so. The story doesn't move much through the first sixty percent of the book; what little progress the story makes is impeded by an overdose of botanical and ornithological terminology. The latter part of the book rounds up everything nicely to end on a high note. I felt that the first and the second parts are undeservedly long and short respectively.
    The dune is a well written novel that is let down by too much of descriptions and an inadequate amount of actual story...
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  • Christine Meads
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Mystery in Colme-next-the-Sea
    Reviewed in the United States on 3 October 2014
    Verified Purchase
    This book was awesome, beautifully written with expressive details. I almost could imagine I was there on the dune with Luke, the main character.

    It starts out in 1976 with Luke, a birder and 17 years old, working at a birdreserve by the ocieanside near Norfolk. He meets a lot of people, makes friends and falls in love with a mysterious girl that rides a black stallion. They finally meet at midnight of the full moon on the dune. Thirty six years later, a mystery arises and brings him back to Colme-next-to-Sea. There he finally gets his answers to what actually happened all those years before.

    The story wasn't fast paced or super exciting as some novels are, but the location and the beauty of the area, plus the history and legends, made it a worthwhile book to read. I would highly recommend it.
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  • Karen M
    4.0 out of 5 stars Flowing Language
    Reviewed in the United States on 15 April 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Beautifully rich with expressive language is the best way for me to describe this book. Admittedly, at times I had to refer to the dictionary when coming across the names of birds and plants but that only adds to my enjoyment of a read if I can also learn.

    In the summer of 1976 Luke, a seventeen year old, volunteers at a bird reserve in a tiny town in Norfolk to pursue an ornithological project for his last year in school before university. His landlady takes liberties in entering his room with just a jiggle of the door handle and not waiting for a signal that she should enter and then there is the business of not wanting him in the back garden where not all the plantings are flowers. His boss barely speaks to him and mostly leaves him on his own to explore the shore area and work on his project. He finds himself craving companionship and when he sees the blond girl on the black stallion racing along the beach he becomes fascinated by her and then there is the raven haired Maeve at the Smugglers pub who has made it clear she is interested although she has a boyfriend. Finally the last days of his stay arrive and end with a shadowy mystery that will haunt him and cause his return to Colme-next-the-sea thirty-six years later.

    I enjoyed this well written book with its flowing language and its intimations of a dark mystery yet to unfold. I read the last hundred pages in one sitting because I just could not put this book down.

    I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
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  • Emma
    3.0 out of 5 stars gentle mystery
    Reviewed in the United States on 3 November 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I picked it for the location, (home) (and it was a freebie) and I quite enjoyed it, but have to say it was quite slow moving and not a great deal happened. I did enjoy the writing and the characters, and it made a change of pace from a fast-paced thriller, but super exciting it wasn't!
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