In Northern Ireland, from the late 70s to the early 90s, the IRA killed over 40 alleged informers.

But the man who often found, tortured and sometimes killed these people on behalf of the IRA

was himself an informer, a secret British army agent with the codename Stakeknife.

Who gets to play God? And why me? Why my family?

When lies are still being told to this day, who do you believe?

I wouldn't even know where to start.

And I'm with the IRA.

Steakknife.

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Today on Open Book, where rooting out secrets, lies and tragedies from beneath the surface,

we have Catherine Hine's novel, Early Morning Riser, and Tessa Hadley shares her passion for

Elizabeth Bowen's short stories. But first, it's been just over a year since Britain went into lockdown due to the

coronavirus pandemic, and during that time there's been a mass exodus from our urban centres

as city dwellers yearn for a different way of life. On the surface, idyllic fantasies of

sustainable living and convivial communities dominate the popular consciousness. But two new novels published

this week explore rural communities away from the pages of Lifestyle magazines. Unsettled

Ground is Claire Fuller's fourth novel, long-listed for this year's women's prize. It's the story of

Gene-Aid and Julius, 51-year-old twins who still live with their mother, Dot, in a crumbling old farmhouse.

When Dot dies, their way of life is turned upside down and secrets rise to the surface.

Colin Ebbler's debut, King of Rabbits, is set on a rural council estate in Somerset, where a young boy, Kai, lives with his mixed-race family.

The prose paints a portrait of a contemporary rural Britain rarely explode with such

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