“This is the first novel by Roxburghshire-based author Oliver Eade to be aimed at adults, and it won publisher Local Legend’s Spiritual Writing Competition, a fact which will trigger many preconceptions. But A Single Petal is more than a recycling of bland, generic New Age clichés – which is probably why Local Legend selected it as the winner. Set in TNG Dynasty China, it tells of middle-aged widower, Feng, who has been looking after his young daughter since his wife’s death. For his time, he’s a liberal, progressive kind of man. Then his best friend is murdered and girls start getting kidnapped. In an attempt to get to the bottom of both mysteries, Feng sets out on a journey but finds a conspiracy that reaches further than he could ever have imagined. Carefully researched, well plotted and more full-blooded than you might expect, A Single Petal’s spiritual dimension is solidly grounded in traditional narrative rules.”