Return of the Morrigan is a contemporary psychological thriller that draws on the themes of family, grief and myth. It is set in a fictional Hampshire Village called Burdon and told over 20 days from the perspective of six main characters, all of whose lives are turned upside-down by the arrival of an enigmatic newcomer.
Baking in the heat of the hottest summer in living memory, Burdon is a village that has lost its soul. No longer rural and not yet urban - it exists in limbo, with only memories of its proud agricultural past to sustain it. 18 year old Niall Costello is deeply frustrated and disaffected with life in the village, and desperate to escape, even if it means breaking the heart of his devoted girlfriend, Margot. His family is haunted by the tragic death of his little sister, Louise, and is falling apart. His mother, Pam, feels unloved and lonely; her husband, Emmett, is bored with his life and having an affair.
One night a beautiful and mysterious woman, Mary, arrives in the village on a powerful motorbike. Before long Niall becomes obsessed with her, and she encourages and teases him, creating a time-bomb of sexual tension and desire. It seems nobody's life escapes change after Mary's appearance; Pam's impulsive decision to join a local yoga class leads to an unexpected romance with another woman, and Emmett's affair becomes dangerously close to being exposed.
As Mary's disruptive power continues to spread over the village, the discovery of some old photos uncovers an extraordinary truth: Mary has been visiting Burdon at regular intervals for hundreds of years and causing havoc and tragedy every time. As her grip on Niall tightens, Pam and Emmett can no longer ignore the evidence that Mary may not be human. When Margot becomes pregnant, Mary manipulates Niall into coercing her to have an abortion and it looks like he is set to abandon his girlfriend and his family.
With Sally's help, Pam and Emmett discover that Mary is the Morrigan; an ancient Goddess who has fed off the power of sex and death for centuries. As the Morrigan's influence reaches crisis point, Niall finally sees the truth of his lover's nature, and the shape-shifting Morrigan reveals a new deadly form.
In a terrifying climax, Pam and Emmett set out for a life and death battle to save their remaining child, and the whole family must unite if they are to defeat the demon that has invaded their village; as well as the demons within themselves.
