A Smaller Hell

“An electrifying piece of literature.” ★★★★★ − Whimper

“A fable of our time.” ★★★★★ − Sinewave

"Like Twin Peaks and Are You Being Served came together and had a love child." ★★★★★ - Mere Observation

In the snow-choked alleys of a fading Northern England shipbuilding town, Tanner’s Department Store stands as a gilded cage of decadence and deceit. When aimless thirty-something Black, desperate for work, steps into its opulent halls, he’s ensnared by the store’s enigmatic owner, Dianne Doyle. A puppeteer of dark desires, Dianne twists Black into her sadistic games, promising a shattering revelation at the infamous Tanner’s Christmas Staff Party.

As Black navigates a surreal underworld of greasy spoon cafes, smoky pubs, and corporate cruelty, he uncovers secrets that blur the line between reality and nightmare. Dianne’s plans, like the town itself, are never what they seem. In this darkly comic, Kafkaesque thriller, A. J. Reid delivers a gritty tale of power, betrayal, and redemption that will leave you reeling until its shocking, town-altering climax.