Reflections

Reflections is a new novel from Jim Pennells.

Diana and Ed have it all. They have their youth, their personal happiness and successful careers.

But their lives were thrown into total chaos and meltdown when they give birth to a daughter who is brain-damaged.

Diana feels unable to cope. She flees from her responsibilities, taking up a new post with the UN in Bangkok. This causes her to feel even more cut off and isolated.

Ed loves their new daughter and he cannot fathom out why Diana is pulling away from them, is, in effect, separating herself from her family.

Due to an unfortunate misunderstanding Ed is mistaken for a blood bank buyer by a criminal gang who deals in human blood sales throughout the world.

Ed suddenly finds himself thrust into a world were kidnapped children are forcibly milked of their blood at so-called blood farms, their precious blood sold through an evil network.

Life is cheap, people are murdered. Will Ed and Diana and their daughter survive this nightmare existence?

This is a gritty page turner of a book with many twists and turns.

It's published by Matador at £7.99.

Trashed

They say that one's man's trash is another man's treasure.

In Trashed, Norman Townsend's exciting and vibrant debut crime novel, we learn what happens when trash becomes a reason to kill.

Paul Stafford is ex-military. And unlike some former servicemen, Paul rather rapidly returns to life on Civvy Street.

He opens a small recycling outfit which ruffles feathers, causes some ripples and raisers a fair few hackles when he unexpectedly wins the contract to run five waste tips in the county of Hampshire.

However, he soon finds himself facing a gang of ruthless criminals. A gang which had used the waste tips as a cover for their various nefarious activities.

And they'll stop at nothing to ensure that Paul's company is pushed out of operating the tips, launching a campaign of intimidation and violence against Paul and his staff members and their nearest and dearest.

In fact, the gang are willing to go to any lengths to re-establish control of the tips to keep their multi-million pound crime enterprise in operation.

Bombs are exploded, murder committed and a maelstrom of mayhem is unleashed on Paul and his staffers. And to add to the problems an executive from the local council has vanished.

But it's likely that the gang have never come across someone as wily and as skilled an adversary as Paul Stafford. They think they have him cornered. Will the might of an internationally connected gang of criminals prevail against Paul Stafford? Or have they bitten off more than they can chew?

This is one hell of an exciting read. I think we have found, in Norman Townsend, a new and very important voice in crime thriller fiction writing.

The book is a remarkably modest £8.99 (388 pages) and is published by Matador.

A Song for Demeter

A Song for Demeter is an interesting book from Richard Kemble.

It's an autobiography that serves multiple purposes. It's a mystical, spiritual journey that uncovers teachings that are normally kept hidden from the gazing eye of the public.

When he became an adult, Richard Kemble became something of a lost soul. A wanderer with no sense of direction, no sense of purpose, no sense of hope, no sense of ambition.

In fact, he seemed to be a young man without a future or a clue of what he should do with his life.

But somehow Richard is able to gather (or re-gather, perhaps?)  himself and to gradually and slowly reform himself and to evolve into someone who did have a purpose after all.

This occurred due to education and and the obtaining of some mystical spiritual training.

With new vigor he was able to forge a new pathway for himself which ultimately resulted in him becoming a school teacher teaching children who had special needs.

The book includes intimate spiritual notes and stories, some poetry and even a quite short play that he wrote whilst he was a student.

Richard also includes stories revealed to him by a range of people from clairvoyants to healers.

The book is very moving, it contains stories that will inspire and also bewilder. For example, what ever did happen to the autistic boy, Osho and his family after they apparently just abandoned their home, even leaving the lights on? Not even the police was able to establish what happened.

I highly recommend this autobiography. It's published by Matador at £9.95.

Am I Unique?

Am I Unique? is a novel from Collin Wallace.

It tells the story of George Wilson. His life is suddenly blighted by the unexpected and tragic death of his childhood love and fiancee.

As a result, he leaves home to travel on a journey of discovery, finding himself in North Africa.

He is tricked into becoming a drug mule and ends up being jailed in Spain as a result.

After his release from prison, he decides to join the French Foreign Legion. He is posted to Algeria during the troubled times of the Algerian War of Independence.

He swiftly becomes disillusioned with the policies of the French government and decides, after saving the lives of an Algerian girl and her brother, to join the freedom fighters.

After many escapades involving himself and the Algerian girl who he loves with a strong passion, he is captured by the French Foreign Legion and placed in detention. And he finds himself facing a court martial.

But after his guilty verdict, what would happen next? He thought his life was over. But what if it wasn't?

This novel is full of twists and turns and is based against the backdrop of the real events of the Algerian War of Independence.

It is published by Matador at £8.99.