Book excerpt: The Brightonians focuses upon the bitter rivalry and social one-upmanship that fuels the lives of a group of socialites who live in this far-from-quintessential seaside town. Already vying for supremacy of their circle, the chance discovery of a 50-year-old letter belonging to a local drag queen takes their sparring to hilarious new heights. Initially leading to them back to the saucier side of Brighton in the swinging 60s – what they ultimately discover is even more shocking – connecting one of them to the past in ways that no-one could have imagined.