The Fatal Oath

The Fatal Oath is the third standalone novel in the Oath thriller series. It explores issues relating to prejudice and inequality within education.

The story is set in the year 1957 in a very elite public school, Blackleigh, in Yorkshire. However, all is not well at the school. It's a hotbed of emotional problems and seething, hidden antagonisms and hatreds.

The teachers were not in charge, the people who were really in charge were the prefects, who ruled the school with an iron fist within an iron glove. Meting out violence to any junior pupils who they took against.

Jonathan Simon is 16, in his third year. He is conscious that his Jewishness is held against him and he is mocked and derided for the birthmark on his face.

The unofficial "official" rules of the school forbids snitching. The staff have no power, including, perhaps especially, the new temporary headmaster, Mr Wood, who is ineffectual and very, very weak.

So who does wield the power at Blackleigh? The senior pupils who are the prefects and who are not backward in coming forward with violence against any pupil they deem to deserve it for any reason or no reason.

Into this educational maelstrom comes Bobby Stuart who is an American transfer student. He has his own anxieties about being accepted so it's perhaps not unnatural that they gravitate toward each other and become friends.

However, trouble comes in the form of three very vicious and ruthless House Seniors, Gabriel, Hausman and Murray. They have gathered around them a coterie of sycophantic, dedicated followers.

But the Seniors are not without problems within their own ranks. Rivalries, internal differences and when one of them gets a gun things start to get very, very complicated and very, very dangerous indeed.

An exceptionally well-written book crafted by a master storyteller it brings to life a time when public schools were capable of being quite nasty places indeed.

It's published by the Bookguild at £8.99.

The Gift of Time

In The Gift of Time author Julie Walker explores the world of the COVID pandemic.

During the pandemic lockdowns and restrictions, like many people, Julie Walker suffered severe anxiety, both in her own right and also for the other people who were forced to stay at home with her.

However, unlike most people traumatised by the lockdowns and restrictions, Julie Walker is a novelist and she decided to mine her recent negative experiences for golden nuggets for a novel.

She has written a novel about six strangers who all experienced life during the time of COVID in six different, individual, ways and all who experienced  very divergent results.

Readers will learn about Elisabeth. Elisabeth has autism. She has never found that her autism held her back in her life. Except, of course, when something disturbs the equilibrium of her day-to-day life.

Alejandra has altered and changed, but she is not aware of this. There's something about her husband that she has ignored throughout their married life. The unpleasant fact that she must now come to terms with is that her husband is actually a narcissist. But now she has acknowledged this, it's not something she can ignore. Once seen, she can't unsee it.

Mary Ann lives an isolated sort of a life. Almost as if she in in a cage of some sort. She lives this lifestyle as a combination of both circumstances and, to an extent, choice. with the new way of living foisted upon her, what will she do now? Is it time for her to reassess her life?

Giuseppe yearns to be able to flee to his homeland. But he can't do this. For he has his own mother to think about and there are his own health issues to take into consideration. But are these real concerns or a shield against him having to make a decision?

Clayton is fully aware that he is coming close to the end of his life and he is painfully aware that he must take the last opportunity to fix things in his family that he believes need fixing whilst he has enough time left. But does he?

As for Annchi the wide world beyond was something she was unaware of, pretty much. But she'd learn about it and more besides.

They all were craving the gift of time to learn, to grow, to repair, to regroup. But the gift of time came with a price. For their "gift" of time came about as a result of the COVID lockdown.

How could they cope? How could they deal with the lockdown? Ignore it and hope for the best? Learn how to cope with COVID and their lives beyond?

It's a very captivating novel and Julie uses her skills as a storyteller to create some characters that you will love and some that you will not particularly like!

It is published by Matador at £10.99.

Roll Over Rhymes

Roll Over Rhymes is a new book that is ideal for children and their parents and other older family members to read together and share the fantastic, vibrant and colourful illustrations.

It's co-authored by Suzanne Sasse and June Laurie.

It's a rhyming book aimed at children and it is intended to help them learn about acceptance and empowerment.

It is a collection of ten newly created fairytales that are told in rhyme. The stories include new takes on some familiar characters, unexpected plot twists, humour and the stories are given fresh, new modern day settings.

But each story still includes some lovely magic!

There are genies, Cinders, Sleeping Beauty, Puss in Boots, a queen, a boy called Pete, Witches, a Wolf who learns a very important lesson and a Princess who has different ideas about how her life should progress.

It is published by Troubador at £7.00.