Mr. Toppit

"And out of the Darkwood Mr. Toppit comes, and he comes not for you, or for me, but for all of us." When Arthur Hayman's Hayseed Chronicles, an obscure series of children's books, become world famous, millions of readers debate the significance of that enigmatic last line and of the shadowy Mr. Toppit. Arthur, an unsuccessful screenwriter mown down by a concrete truck, never reaps the benefits of the books' success. The legacy passes to his widow and children, Rachel and Luke, reluctantly immortalized as Luke Hayseed, the central character of his father's books. But others want their share. Laurie, an overweight stranger from California who comforted Arthur as he lay dying, has a mysterious agenda that changes all their lives, for buried deep in the books lie secrets which threaten to be revealed as the family begins to crumble under the heavy burden of their inheritance.