Windows 96

In Windows 96 author Cal Holmes takes her readers back to the year 1996.

We meet Alex. Alex is a teenage boy who spends his days dormant in the den in the garage, smoking diope and dreaming of the time when he will be able to cast all this aside and travel the world.

But there's a bit of a problem, really. Lack of money = no travelling anywhere, least of all the world!

However, Alex meets up with Fox who is a double glazing salesman, who brings Alex news of another lifestyle. The lifestyle of the double glazing salesman!

Knocking on doors with the coldest of cold canvasing, daytimes spent in the boozer, nights out in somewhat less salubrious pubs.

There was Brigette, beautiful, but cool and aloof, Brigette, in the Baston telesales department, he fancied her, but she wasn't in the slightest bit interested. Or was she?

Pretty soon Alex is finding out that things at home between his parents weren't all that he had thought they were, his finances are running on empty and he finds himself spiralling into a life of crime whilst sharing a rundown flat with his double glazing sales colleagues.

Can he get out of the rat run of double glazing sales, too many visits to pubs and nightclubs and the grotty shared flat?

If he can, where would he go? Could he jet off to explore the world? If he can, who would he go with? Who would get his Playstation, who would get his car?

This is a wry and amusing look back at a not that distant piece of our history and it's clear that the author has seen the world of double glazing sales from the seedy inside.

It's published by Matador at £7.99.

In Between The Stars

In Between The Stars is a debut science fiction novel for children and young adults from author A. A. Ripley.

A. A. Ripley examines a number of complex themes, for example, what is normal? What is alien? What can we learn from one another?

Inan is a young girl who is living on her home planet. But she is a girl who longs for excitement and adventure.

She wants to travel to planets around distant stars. But there's a major problem. For Inan's people forbid females to travel to other stars. It just isn't the done thing!

However, following a series of events including a shipwreck, Inan is kidnapped by ex-military men who have become pirates. She finds and befriends a fellow prisoner who is a human boy.

She must use her considerable wit and talents to keep her and her newfound friend safe and alive.

After an escape attempt fails to gain them their freedom they discover a strange and obviously ancient artefact that, it becomes clear, will decide the destiny of the entire galaxy of stars.

Inan must be resourceful, Inan must be brave. For the lives of the entire galaxy rest upon her shoulders. But can she do it? Can Inan risk her life to save the lives of everyone of everything else?

This is a riproaring space opera of the highest order. Although intended for children, science fiction fans of all ages (and all species) will really enjoy this book.

It's published by Matador at £7.99.

I have been a reader of science fiction novels for over 50 years. In A. A. Ripley I have found another name to watch out for.

Good job, A. A. Riley! Well done!

The Pleasure of Reading

The Pleasure of Reading Novels and their Writers and Readers is an interesting book. Having just completed a BA (Honours) degree course in Creative and Professional Writing I found it especially fascinating. In fact, I could have made great use of this book which is written by Eric Macfarlane had it been published a year or two earlier!

In his book Eric Macfarlane examines the situations that help people to become dedicated readers and also looks at the ways parents and teachers can encourage the love of stories in children.

He is critical of the traditional methods of studying literature that, he points out, deter many children from considering reading as something to be done for pleasure or relaxation.

Through his book the author examines the interests and passions that are the motivating forces for novelists and the varied topics they decide to write about, the types of stories that they decide to tell, the different themes they decide to explore, plus the skills with which they deal with plots, characters and settings.

He gives particular attention to the role of the novelist as a protester against injustice, persecution and the abuse of power.

His first gift of a book was The Digger Gnome Earns a Pippity Pebble, (a prize from Miss Falkner, owner of one of the country's last surviving Dame Schools).

He later earned copies of R. M. Balantyne's The Young Fur Traders, james Fenimore Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans and Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe. However, the latter books were not enjoyed by the young Eric Macfarlane and when, as a student, he had to make his way through Robinson Crusoe as a set text and realised that it was somewhat turgid and that his youthful inability to do more than look at the illustrations was not, actually, his fault!

He speaks of his home life with the small number of books that they owned, of the deliciously politically incorrect comics that he and his friends shared (The Beano, Dandy) and more serious publications such as the Adventure, Wizard, Hotspur and Rover, all published by D. C. Thompsons.

He provides commentary on the novels and writings of Thomas Hardy, Joseph Conrad, Vikram Seth, Sue Miller, Anne Tyler, Nick Hornby, Roddy Doyle, Charles Dickens, Barbara Pym and many others.

As the book is fully indexed and cited, although it has a thoroughly readable style it will serve very well as an academic text and should be on  the list of recommended books for all creative writing and literature classes at every school, college and university in the land.

And it will make a most welcome gift for any student studying literature and creative writing.

It's published on July 28th by Matador at £8.99.

Destination and Destiny

In Destination and Destiny we meet Tom and Clotilde.

Tom has spent the vast majority of his working life working for NGOs in Africa. In fact he was working in Rwanda when the genocide took place.

His partner, Clotilde, decides to embark on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela with a parish group from Melbourne, Australia.

The group was a little dysfunctional but well-meaning although perhaps a little self-indulgent?

The couple had enjoyed a less than conventional relationship, but even though they spent more time apart than together, their relationship held fast and firm. In fact, was that part of the key to their success?

When they were apart they constantly corresponded with each other, sharing all that there was to share.

The book takes a backward look at the lives of these two people, of their friends and family members and the people who they met and worked with, and allows them to use the telescope of memory to look back and learn about an extraordinary couple who really loved each other but also loved other people, too.

It's a very moving romance novel by Rosalyn Taylor.

Published by The Book Guild at £8.99 it will be safe in many suitcases this summer.

The Good Priest

The Good Priest is a debut novel from author Tina Beattie.

Father John is parish priest of Our Lady of Sorrows in Westonville.

He lives an orderly and peaceful life, but all of this is virtually destroyed when, on one Ash Wednesday, a stranger walkies into the church, enters the confessional box.

What the stranger confesses to Father John is so horrific that it shatters his life.

Old memories of abuse from his past bubble up to the surface and he realises that what he thought to have been forgiven and forgotten many years since, might actually still be powerful, dark forces.

Murders are being committed. Could these be linked to the stranger's appearances in the confessional box?

And is the man really a stranger? Or could he be the cardinal who had abused John whilst he had been in Rome, many years ago?

But surely the cardinal had died during the horrendous 9/11 attacks? But what if he hadn't? What if he was here, now, tormenting Father John in his own church?

Or is he a ghostly apparition, like the young girl, Sarah, who has been a protecting presence in his life? Or is he something more sinister? Something far more evil and insidious?

This is a stunning debut novel. I think that Tina Beattie will be a potent force to reckon with in the field of detective and mystery and thriller fiction.

It's published by Matador at £9.99.

What's THAT Doing There?

Apparently What's THAT Doing There? a new book from David Willers and Cate Caruth is intended as a book for children. I'm sorry, but no child is getting my copy of What's THAT Doing There? until I have finished reading it!

This is the true (or trueish) story of a very special and utterly elegant ginger cat known as Garfy, but officially given the more splendid name of Garfield Abercrombie Reginald Fergusson.

Garfy is pretty much the King Cat of all he surveys, but especially the meadow over the road from the house he shares with his manservant called David.

The meadow had, when Garfy was a kitten, been the location of a factory, but it had long ago been knocked down and nature had taken over the site, giving Garfy his own personal meadow.

Until some humans (how rude of them!) decided to build Paterson's Superstore on Garfy's meadow.

Garfy sized up the situation and realised that as he could not beat them (climbing up onto a JCB had only slowed matters down by a few brief moments) he would join them.

He decided to claim the store for his very own self and this is what he did. In fact, he was their first customer and quickly became a celebrity cat in the city of Ely, in Cambridgeshire.

But it wasn't all catnip, treats and naps for Garfy. The manager wasn't too keen on having a resident top cat at his store and there was the somewhat unpleasant incident with a tough looking black cat called Tyson who was somewhat of a usurper and thought that Garfy's full name was Carpark Abnormal Regient Furball. And who had decided to insert himself in Garfy's very own shop and to take it over!

But Tyson was a vicious street fighting cat. Could Garfy survive against the bigger, tougher and younger cat?

But all was not lost! Garfy's friends, Isabella and Morgan asked their Uncle Bruno to see if he could help Garfy. And, of course, Uncle Bruno not only could help Garfy, he did help him!

After he was able to see off Tyson the thuggish cat, Garfy developed a love of going on trips in cars and there was also the matter of the portrait of Garfy by a famous artist. But would success spoil Garfy?

This is an utterly charming fictionalised account of the life of Garfy, Ely's most famous cat, who has a Facebook following of in excess of 5,000 people from all over Ely and the rest of the world.

He has had his portrait painted by artist Rob Martin, has his own special seat at a petrol station, often hangs out on the sofa at Virgin Travel near to the local Sainsbury's.

The illustrations in the book are by artist Ginny Phillips, the book is published by The Book Guild at £8.99.

Best buy two copies, one for you and one for your child.

Mind Over Terror

In his book Mind Over Terror 3 Weeks, 2 Cities, 1 Mission Psychotherapist, Resilience Consultant and Psych-trauma trainer Dov Benyaacov-Kurtzman takes a look at three significantly traumatic events which impacted two British cities.

In his book he takes his readers with him on a startling mission, a mission to radically change the way we approach mental health issues when dealing with survivors of psychological shock and trauma in Britain.

Dov points out that for weeks after the bombing of the MEN Arena in his home town of Manchester he felt himself to be on constant "high alert" catching sleep whenever he could, living in trepidation that something else might be just around the corner.

As a result of his thinking he decided to continue his work on dealing with trauma and to change the way we approach mental health when dealing with people who have survived psychological shock and trauma.

The book looks at issues such as terrorism, personal development, military experience, major fire incidents, disasters and more besides.

Training methods are explained and it offers First Aid Cognitive Training.

If you are a police office, a medic (doctor, nurse, psychologist, psychiatrist, administrator, etc)  a charity worker, employed in local or national government, councillor, MP, etc., then you simply must have a copy of this book.

It is published by Matador at £14.99.

Killing Widows

Killing Widows is a debut novel from Clive Birch.

It is inspired by real life events that took place during the tumultuous times of the Spanish Civil War.

French student Natascha is studying at the Salamanca University, and her grandmother ask as favour of her. Could she please try to learn the truth of what happened to her English friend Joan who had been happily married to a Spaniard before the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.

At first Natascha is a little reluctant to get involved but as the investigation progresses she finds herself drawn deeper and deeper into uncovering the last tragic months of Joan's life in the beautiful village of Santo Domigo.

However, Natascha finds that her efforts are thwarted to some extent by the fact that the local populace seems unwilling to speak about the times of the Spanish Civil War.

But Natascha is determined to learn all she can, even at the risk of her own life.

The truth, however, was a dark stain on not only the village but on all of Spain. A time when Franco's African Army swept northwards with squads who raped and murdered without mercy, pity or reason.

It was no wonder some did not want to remember, or chose to forget.

It's an emotionally charge novel looking at the dreadful plight of ordinary people during a dreadful time period in Spanish history.

It is published by Matador at £9.99.

Of Crime and Humanity

Set against the backdrop of the Burmese revolution, Of Crime and Humanity by Ma'On Shan is a political thriller that you will be talking about for time to come.Her mother is killed by a landmine whilst she was fleeing from soldiers, a young Burmese woman joins a resistance group that is based on the border between Burma and Thailand.

However, the group follows the pragmatic teachings of Aung San Suu Kyi, know throughout Burma as the Lady.

Aung San Suu Kyi was praised round the world as the person who liberated Burma. But her fall from  grace has caused many people to question if she really was the Lady who rescued Burma.

Ma'O Shan uses Of Crime and Humanity to offer education and enlightenment as to the truth of what happened by telling the adventures of the Burmese girl.

The story is a story of how those apparently dedicated to protecting the people actually use violence, rape, intimidation and enslavement just because they can, how seemingly ordinary people attempt to fight back to regain their humanity.

It is published by Matador at £12.99.

Prohibited Portrait

In Prohibited Portrait, a thrilling novel form R W Kay, a body is washed up on the shore. After it had been battered by rocks it is unrecognisable.

But the postmortem reveals something concerning. Although the remains were found in salt water, the victim had been drowned, but in fresh water.

What is the victim's name? Was her murdered? Where was he murdered? And by whom?

Using an artist's reconstruction of his face the police officers investigating the case track down his address.

It's dos covered that he may well have been involved with multiple secret service outfits.

A mysterious artefact, a tablet, is discovered. It cannot be opened, adding to its mystery.

Subsequent investigations link the artefact to Abullah Quilliam, Britain's first and only 'Sheikh of Islam,' who once owned it.

The tablet had found its way to a house on the Isle of Man, that was in an isolated location. How? Why?

They discover that the artefact is so valuable as to be without price. But so potentially dangerous that it could cause a war between rival factions of Islam.

What can be done to make certain that such a war never happens and that the artefact is kept safe?

It's a well crafted story.

It's published by The Book Guild at £8.99.

The Bookshop of Panama

The Bookshop of Panama is a heartwarming book from Suzanne Hope.

Bookworm Kate Lewis has found herself living in the searingly hot temperatures of Panama. A country sadly bereft of bookshops.

Her live-in boyfriend, Marco, a pushy UN worker, really could not understand her fascination with books.

He was posted by the UN to work in Panama in Central America and so loyal, loving Kate upped sticks to accompany Marco to Panama.

Kate was a charity worker and Marco told her he was sure she would be able to get work with a local charity once they arrived in Panama.

Suddenly, in the midst of the move Marco announces that he must take a two week posting to the Sudan. And he expects Kate to deal with organising the move to Panama by herself.

He meets up with Kate in Panama and then, callously, dumps her. Because, as Kate so rightly assumes, he has met another woman.

At least, Candice, the other woman, a fellow UN worker,  has the residual decency to insist that Marco breaks up with Kate in person and not, as he had originally planned, over the phone.

Kate is now thousands of miles from her family and friends, unwilling owner of a broken heart.

But she swiftly discovers that there is a lively and vibrant ex-pat community in Panama and she has an interesting encounter with a man in New York and learns of a cocktail that is called Electric Lemonade.

Could she go back to her old life in London? Or could she, aided and abetted by her new very interesting friends in Panama, decide to make a new life for herself in Panama City?

There's no bookshop there. But what if there could be? Could Kate open a bookshop in Panama?

As I say, this is a heartwarming book and shows exactly how, after being dumped on, you can not only bounce back but really go places. And find love.

You'll also find the recipe for Electric Lemonade too, in this book.

Looking for something for your holiday romance collection? This is it.

It's published by The Book Guild at £9.99.

Yoga in the Gospels?

Yoga in the Gospels? is an interesting question and also the title of a new book from A. Nicholas Cowan.

There are many books that describe the practice of Yoga, how to do it guides, one might put it, but there are not very many books that examine the philosophical basis of Yoga ot the spiritual aspects of Yoga.

And books that look at the common ground between the teachings of Christianity and thje spiritual side of yoga are even more scare.

In Yoga in the Gospels? the author discusses parallels between ancient yogic texts and the Christian Gospels.

The book takes the reader through the main aspects of yoga, including yoga through worship, yoga practice through work, what the author describes as "Yoga through non-dualism, the unity of the Individual Spirit and the Infinite Spirit of God."

The author is able to support his central thesis with the use of sacred text from the Yogic tradition and the Christian tradition and it is a well-written and well researched book which will be of great benefit to everyone who wants to better understand Yoga and Christianity.

The book is published by The Book Guild at £8.99.

Monkeying Around at Sea

Monkeying Around at Sea is an amazing travelogue written by Angela Coe, which records her two-year voyage from Singapore all the way to Spain in a ferro cement boat (yes, they make boats out of cement) called Sandpiper.

Angela her husband Bob, Pixie (a monkey) and Bob-tail, Angela's cat, embarked on an amazing journey. They had no sailing experience at all, it must be acknowledged. Even though Bob was a master mariner.

Things were not fated to go particularly well from the very beginning. Pixie was lost overboard and the captain (her husband Bob) managed to require hospitalisation with a dislocated shoulder. However, Pixie was returned to the ship, a disaster that was averted, thankfully, as they had thought they'd lost her.

When the captain was fit enough to return they, eventually, set sail. And ran into a sand bank.

They aimed to sail all the way back to England, plans to sail round the Cape somehow became a rather dangerous quest to brave the Red Sea.

Life on the Sandpiper was never dull and often involved a little bit of peril. Although the fear of a potentially exploding pressure cooker proved to be groundless, ensuring the safety of the pets and human crew took up a good deal of time and tricky matters such as a leaking chemical toilet, how to dispose of waste whilst at sea and a variety of heath issues and the like really kept them on their toes.

The book is copiously illustrated with a number of gorgeous colour photographs from the journey and their ports of call, plus some line drawing maps, too.

The action described in the book took place between 1977 to 1980.

Did they ever make it to England? Purchase the book for £11.99 and find out!

The book is published by The Book Guild.

The Two Faces of Cancer

The Two Faces of Cancer is a very important self help book written bu Rebecca Brazier.

In it Rebecca chronicles her own experiences with cancer and thye emotional trauma that resulted.

She was first diagnosed with cancer when she was 37 and 30 weeks pregnant with her second daughter.

She wrote this book because she found that cancer was, for her, a lonely and isolating experience and so she was keen to do something to help other people who experiences similar emotions.
She took training as a counsellor and then proceeded to write the book The Two Faces of Cancer which combined her personal experiences with her expert training and professional knowledge. 

The book traces her own journey through all of the stages: Diagnosis, treatment and recovery.

It is a very well researched and exceptionally well written book. It is greatly enhanced by the fact that Rebecca does not write from theory only. She has gone through the trauma of cancer diagnosis, treatment and recovery so when she writes something it is because it has happened to her and she feels the need to share it with all other cancer patients and their families and friends.

Every oncologist and every nurse in the oncology department should have a copy of this book as should every cancer patient and every family of a person who has cancer.

It's published by Matador at £9.99.

Profits from book sales will be donated to Mummy's Star. www.mummysstar.org, a charity dedicated to supporting pregnancy through cancer and beyond.

Exit Day

Exit Day is a novel by journalist and novelist David Laws.

There's a journalist by the name of Harry Topp who has had better days (he's somewhat out of favour, now) is surprised when a former lover appears on his doorstep. She brings Harry something that, on balance, he might rather ot have seen, to be honest.

What is it? a list of deep undercover spies in Britain. And who is topping the list? Only a cabinet minister!

Harry is shocked to the core when he finds the name of a friend s also on the list of deep cover spies. Soon poor Harry finds himself caught up between rival sets of spies.

But to add even more excitement (if any was required) is the fact that he's facing up to a conspiracy by a group of dedicated fanatics, who are controlled by the Wolf, who is, apparently, intent on corrupting the European Union from within it.

Harry's working hard for his scoop, but he doesn't realise there's something nasty rather closer to home.

And all this against the backdrop of the country heading toward Brexit! And an assassin is stalking the Prime Minister!.

But who was really in control. And just what the Hell was going on? Who could Harry trust?

It's published by Matador at £9.99.

Mr Blue Sky

Mr Blue Sky is a disturbing yet very readable horror novel from published author John Darke.

Rebecca is single and in her mid thirties. She is in the employ of her uncle, working in a chemical storage warehouse.

The dreadful, terrifying nightmares have recommenced. She cannot cease to dream of Him.Who is Him? He was an ape-like creature who had saved her life when she was a child, when she went into the woods by herself. In secret they become best friends. But who or what was he>

Disaster strikes her family when Rebecca's father takes the decision to tack Him down in the woods. He dies on the hunt. Although someone is blamed for the murder, but Rebecca believes that He was really responsible for her father's slaying.

After years of therapy and counselling, Rebecca still believes that He was the one responsible for the murder.

In order to stop herself from going mad, Rebecca must find out the truth one way or another. Firstly, she needs to establish if He is a real, living creature.

Her quest for the truth takes a shocking turn and she decides to return home to finally confront the situation and to discover he truth of the situation once and for all.

But what if what she discovers is more terrifying and dreadful than her worse nightmare? How could she cope?

It's published by Matador at £9.99.

The Big House

In her novel The Big House retired Times journalist Larche Davies asks a very important question. If you believe that you life is at risk, who, if anyone, can you really trust?

It's a sequel to her previous novel The Father's House, published by Matador in 2015.

Lucy is 15 years of age. She and her teenage friends are waiting, very much on edge, as they are to give evidence in criminal trials against members of a fanatical religious sect that worships the Magnifico and are known for disposing of people it regards as detractors by poisoning them with a deadly injection.

It's know their lives are at risk from the sect. So they are moved out of London in an attempt to make sure they are protected and kept safe.

They are sent to Wales, where the Magnifico is not known to have any followers, in a foster home in the Principality. Whilst their foster mother seems to be a kindly, nice woman, they can't bring themselves to trust her. They feel unable to trust anyone but themselves.

They have little experience of life outside the stifling confines of the sect, so they have to rely on their own abilities to keep themselves going.

They children are very careful not to let anyone know too much that might help the Magnifico.

However, the agents of Magnifico are already plotting and scheming against the friends.

But who will succeed? The children or Magnifico?

It's a sharply written thriller of a novel and is published on 28th July by Matador at £10.99.

Penitence

Penitence is the story of a tragic young woman and mother called Emma. It is written bu Jude Williams.

Her past holds a deep secret that she is finding it hard to cope with.

Emma's daughter was conceived at a party where Emma was drunk. The man who impregnated her had no idea that he was a father to Sophie, Emma's daughter.

Eventually, Emma meets up with a man called Gabriel when she was enjoying herself at a nightclub.

They seem to click and Emma very quickly falls in love with Gabriel. And as a result she and Sophie soon move into Gabriel's home and live with him.

However, the relationship begins to falter and then the horrible, unthinkable happens and Sophie dies unexpectedly.

After a time Emma becomes enamoured with a supermarket manager, a divorcee called Ian. She is in love with him, to an extent, but Ian has really fallen for Emma in a big way. Perhaps more than her?

Emma wants to take up a place as a mature student at Bristol University. So Ian moves to Bristol with her. Previously Emma had had to give up her university place when she had fallen pregnant with Sophie.

In Bristol Ian uncovers Emma's secret. But there's something about her secret that might involve him.

It's a moving exploration of the secrets that can lie beneath the surface of the lives of apparently ordinary people.
It's published by The Book Guild at £9.99.

Serenity Song

In Serenity Song the new novel written by Finn Dervan opens in Ireland in July 1921.

The war in Ireland had pitched the country into a terrible conflict, when anyone might be shot in the back of the head and not know the reason why.

A policeman is murdered and a secret is hidden away.

Terrible atrocities were committed by both sides, lifelong friends became sworn enemies and people who would previous have been considered as an enemy were suddenly on the same side. Or appeared so to be.

A full century later James Lucas wants to find that truth. To reveal that truth.

But does he? Exactly how far will he be willing to go to find that truth and to reveal that truth?

And what, exactly was the truth?

Should it be revealed?

This is a stunning debut novel and the story it tells is an important one.

It's published by The Book Guild at £9.99.

A Human Condition

A Human Condition is a novel from established author and GP Lyn Miller.

It's a touching story of family life and friendships between women.

It's at about the time in her life when things should be just starting to get a little bit easier for Edinburgh GP and single mom, Marion. Her daughter Rose has departed for the life of a student in Bristol so Marion should, hopefully, have a little more time for herself.

But unfortunately fate decides to intervene and the health of Marion's mother begins to worsen. Her increasing Alzheimer's disease means that she is becoming more vulnerable and she is growing more and more dependant on Marion.

This begins to test Marion's abilities to cope especially when she has to deal with a discovery from the past of her family.

There's Marion's friend Nyaga who moved to Scotland from Botswana in the hope that it would advance her career as a nurse and increase her earning potential.

But she'd not counted on the fact that she'd be so lonely and homesick.

But her growing friendship with Marion helps things look better for Nyaga.

Whilst in Bristol, everything is going to well for Rose. She's in love, going to star in a drama society play, but then things start to get a little less easy for Rose in Bristol.

How will each of these woman progress through life?

Will they be able to rely on each other for support and love as they progress through their Human Condition?

It's a heartwarming book that will make you smile because you may very well have been where these women have been, in one way or another.

It's published by Matador at £10.99.

Coronach

Coronach is an novel of over 782 pages in length.

It is written by Kimberley Jordan Reeman and it's an epic tale of love, heartache, loss war and death set against tragic backdrop of the doomed Jacobite Rebellion.

It's July in 1746, and the Scotish Highlands are suffering under the occupation of an invading army. Atrocities are committed and the cost will be felt through generation after generation to come.

Even so, there are individual acts of compassion and a battle-weary English soldier by the name of Mordaunt saves an infant who will eventually become his heiress and his obsession.

On what remains of his ruined estate, a shocked Franco-Scottish Laird, Earl Stirling offers refuge to a boy who had been damaged by a dreadful horror.

These apparently separate lives are bound together by fate as their destiny plays out against the turbulent and violent times of the 18th century.

It's published by Matador at £13.99 and will be most welcomed by fans for historical romances.

Pigeon Fancying in Leicestershire

Pigeon Fancying in Leicestershire is a debut novel from John Littlefair.

Lanfranco DeLuca is an avid pigeon racer. But unfortunately his top stud bird, recently bought for an exorbitant fee, just isn't able to perform is duties as a stud.

So, what's to do for DeLuca? He believes that desperate measures are required to regain his standing in the pigeon world and to regain some of his money.

But he wouldn't stoop to some pigeon kidnapping. Would he?

The matter becomes more complicated when Jon Landseer, fed up of life in London, can't really decide what he wants out of two options. A career in Briton as a struggling journalist supported by his perhaps overly ambitious partner, Louse. Or a life of rural bliss on his aunt's somewhat tumbedown smallholding in Leicestershire.

To add to the mess of complications Joe falls for a scientist called Alice who is working in the city of Leicester on research into the condition Pigeon Fancier's Lung. Unfortunately Alice is embroiled in DeLuca's pigeon scam.

They try to resolve their own issues with their suddenly more complicated lives and also to solve the mystery of the male pigeon who couldn't perform.

Will they find a cure for Pigeon Fancier's Lung? Will the stud bird perform again? Will anyone find true love? Will Deluca get his just deserts?

It's published by The Book Guild at £9.99.

Hedgehog Magic

Hedgehog Magic is a new and exciting adventure for Alistair and his hedgehog friends from Dave Hills.

It's Autumn time and Alistair has had a surprise. The badge that the Hedgehog Queen presented to him is no ordinary badge. It's magic! He gives the badge a bit of a gentle rub and there's instantly a massive burst of sparkle dust and Hamish the hedgehog reappears.

Not long after a tiny hedgehog comes into Alistair's garden. He is seeking out the Hedgehog Queen because he needs assistance in his search for his two sisters who are lost.

He meets with a strange creature who seems to be unfriendly. Hector calls out for help and eventually the weird creature finds the little hedgehog and becomes his friend. It turns out that he is a small rat who wears a white waistcoat and a pair of glasses that are not level. His name is Mr Tilly.

Hector is in the garden and making a call to the Hedgehog Queen for her help.

Because Alistair can hear his calls he quickly finds him to see what he can do for him.

When he learns of his plight he uses the magic badge to call Hamish to see if they can help Hector in his mission to find his lost sisters.

Alistair, together with Hamish and Hector, then proceed on an exciting journey through the shiny, spooky forest where they discover that the two sister's are trapped inside a tree guarded by bats!

Can they rescue the sisters? Will Mr Tilly be able to help and might the badge be called in for some magical assistance?

It's the second in the series and it is published by The Book Guild at £6.99.

Moorland Blue

Paul and Solley are London-based property developers and in Moorland Blue, a novel by Charlie Gibb's, receive some details about the go-ahead for an extension to the HS2 railway line to Leeds.

They discover that there is a nearby property for sale which would be perfect for converting into luxury apartments.

They head to Yorkshire in an attempt to buy the property, but they are unaware that things are not quite what they seem.

When they arrive in Yorkshire they suddenly become entangled in a situation where bribery, double crossing and blackmail are the order of the day, with several other groups desperate to buy the property.

Why? What is so special about the property? And exactly how far will some of the groups go in order to make certain that they will become the owners of the property?

And how will the outsiders, Paul and Solley, fair against their northern rivals? Will they ultimately triumph? And if so, how?

This is a very well-crafted first novel. Hopefully it'll be the first of many from Chsrlie Gibb.

It's published by The Book Guild at £9.99

Maisie Daisy Strawberry Fayre

Maisie Daisy Strawberry Fayre is written by Elizabeth Willdon Bas and illustrated by Sarah-Leigh Wills.

Maisie Daisy is a lovely, sweet natured little girl who is loved by everyone she meets, wherever she goes.

This is the story of what happens when Maisie Daisy and her friends smell the delicious strawberries and decide to go strawberry picking.

And they end up visiting the Strawberry Faye.

It's a great book for sharing between children and adults.

It's published by Matador at £7.99.

Poppy Haviland & the Secret of the Lively Widow

Poppy Haviland & the Secret of the Lively Widow Father and daughter team Michael and Annabel Lively Barra have written the first in an exciting series of adventures.

Poppy Petunia Haviland is 12 years old and she is an aspiring actress. She loves to have adventures with her friends.

Poppy is also the daughter of one of the world's most famous movie stars. Which can be a bit daunting, at times.

Her family goes to live in a small town in an unexpected move and the sudden appearance of her mother Holly Haviland has an amazing impact on the town.

In the meantime Poppy discovers an old map within the ancient house they are renting which seems to point to the location of some buried treasure.

Poppy recruits her best friend and a rather odd neighbour to help her work out the clues in the map.

She discovers that their town was a key stopping point for the Underground Railroad, the secret method by which freed slaves were smuggled to freedom in non-slave states in the USA.

Furthermore she finds hints that her ancestors might have been involved in operating the Underground Railroad.

Can they discover the treasure indicated in the map? But who is the odd elderly fedora hatted man  who is dogging their steps? Will he or they find the treasure first?

And who was really menacing the friends?

Interestingly, the writing team is made up of Michael Barra and his daughter Annabel Lively Barra who is aged 9. They live just outside New York city with actress mum Katie and Amelia who is 6.

This is a great book, a really good thriller for children.

It's published by Matador at £8.99 and really does belong on the "must buy" list of children's books for 2019.

Parents and children will all love this book.

The Baby Box

The Baby Box is a book by Jane Hayward that is a frank and very open memoir about her tim3e in a mother and baby home.

It's 50 years after these incidents.

Her mother wanted to have an obedient, compliant daughter who would somehow magically skip right over the teenage years and jump from being an innocent child to a virgin bride. She points out that she realised that she and her mother were at war.

Jane moved to London and found herself living the dream of that time. New, interesting friends and exciting encounters.

She defied the rules set out for her by her mother but unfortunately she found herself pregnant and facing the anger of her mother who felt shamed and disgraced by what Jane had done.

And as a result Jane found herself in a mother and baby home, banished there by her "shamed" mother.

Adoption was the usual outcome of such a familial banishment, but Jane was made of sterner stuff and even the violence of her mother makes her more determined to do what is right for her and her baby and the father, Nick.

However, not all stories have happy endings.

This is a remarkably honest and courageous book

It's published by Matador at £9.99.

Region 6

Region 6 is a terrifying novel from Ian Krender  about an alternative dystopian thriller that examines what life would have been like in Britain if the Nazis had won World War 2.

It's set between the years 1983 to 1994. Britain is no longer Britain, it was renamed Region 6 by the Nazi rulers. The populace is divided into two groups, those who are fortunate, those who are not.

The story involves two repressed gay men, Thomas, who is of lower class due to his Jewish heritage and Stephen who is a reasonably wealthy man who has just joined the Gestapo.

His first mission for the Gestapo is to seduce Thomas, as the Gestapo believe he is a part of the resistance.

What will happen? Will Stephen stay loyal to the Nazi regimen and murder Thomas as ordered? Or will he take another path?

Will he side with the government or work to destroy and overthrow it?

It's a well written novel that is chilling because it's very plausible.

It's published by Matador at £9.99

Civic Revolution

Civic Revolution is a book from "serial entrepreneur" Ric Casal3e.

He has an optimistic view of the powers of ordinary citizens which he outlines in this, his debut book.

He points out that cities are the places that have the greatest influence over life on our planet.

Cities are, he claims, the biggest causes of global warming and pollution. But he indicates that our cities are also the potential solution to these very problems.

Until now, however, he felt that what was missing was a citizen's guide to how to effect change and turn the city where you live into "the seat of the solution."

Which is why he has written this book. You'll learn about climate change, public affluence, biodiversity, empowerment and more besides.

The book has a forward by Sir Tim Smit.

It's published by Matador at £9.99.

The Zeno Effect

In The Zeno Effect a new science fiction from from Andrew Tudor it's the year 2029 and there is no more United Kingdom.

England and Scotland are neighbours, of course, but the relationship is a little bit hostile so to speak.

Unchecked global population growth is causing even more damage to the environment.

A scientist who has become disillusioned with life and with humanity in general takes the decision to release a genetically engineered virus into the wild, which causes a rampant disease to rapidly spread round the world, killing millions of people and causing society to collapse under the horrors that this disease has unleashed.

The Scottish government's Scientific Liaison Officer, Alison MacGregor, was one of the first people to be given leaked data about the Zeno virus.

With Irene, her best friends' mother who is a Senior Scientific Adviser to the government in England and Jonathan Hart, the Director of England's Domestic Security Division, both disturbed by their government's attempts to cover up the fact that the ensuing pandemic cannot be stopped by vaccinations, and a young journalist called Julie Fenwick, they attempt to come to grips with a violent apocalyptic religious cult, maundering Border Reivers and a rising military dictatorship they must work together to find a place of safety.

But is there such a safe place? Can they find it?

I believe this book will become a classic science fiction novel. And I would not be surprised to see it turned into a film.

It's published by Matador at £8.99.

Strange Affairs, Ginger Hairs

In Strange Affairs, Ginger Hairs, a novel written by Arthur Grimestead, it's Hull, its 1998 and Ginger is 18, he's also broke, unemployed and single.

His parents seem to be indifferent to him and he wants to get away from them and also get himself a young lady.

His life is boring to an excruciating degree.

But then into Ginger's life comes a gold ring. And suddenly, everything changes for Ginger. But not necessarily in a good way.

He finds himself betrayed by the person who was supposed to be his best friend, caught up in a world of violence and crime and fleeing from some local bad boys who want to get what they view as their property back.

And the he meets ms Fish, And then he and ms Fish end up kidnapping Syd by clobbering him with a gun and shoving him in the boot of the car.

And then things began to get rather more complex and a good deal nastier that Ginger could ever have bargained for.

Can Ginger avoid the criminals? Can he evade the police?

And what might the future hold for Ginger, ms Fish, his parents and Syd? Might some of them have no future to speak of?

This is an exciting and quirky novel and you will find the music to accompany it at https://arthurgrimestead.com/.

It's published by Matador at £8.99.

The Isle of Wight's Missing Chapter

The Isle of Wight's Missing Chapter is a very interesting book that brings a fresh insight into the international history of The Isle of Wight.

Islander James Rayner has undertaken some very detailed research and he has brought together hundreds of sources, for the first time, and he tells the hidden (until now) international history of the island.

Through the years the island has played host to many international luminaries such as Mahatma Gandhi, King Cetshwayo the King of the Zulu nation, also Queen Emma of another island, Hawaii.

The island has also been home to a top Jamaican model, a cricketer from Sri Lanka and a famouus pioneering Doctor from India.

His research indicates that The Isle of Wight has been home to people of mixed races for at least the past two centuries and he points out why the island has an important place the black history.

He also looks at modern day international links including a poet from Iran and an author who hails from Poland.

The island has also been visited by many famous musicians including Miles Davies, Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Wonder.

There were also a teacher and philosopher from Cameroon called Bernard Nsokika Fonlon, and a Berber who was described as the father of Berber nationalism, Mohand Aarav Bessaoud spent the last years of his life as a political refugee after the French government decided to expel him in 1978.

It's not a long book but it is very readable and is packed with very well researched facts about some of the fascinating people who came to live on The Isle of Wight.

It's published by The Book Guild at £9.99 and if you are interested in black British history, this book is a must have, in my opinion.

The Rules of Engagement

At the beginning of The Rules of Engagement the new novel by K. A. Lalani, Alex and Daniel are enjoying a perfect weekend, warmed by the June sun.

However, unbeknown to them along with many other people, events are taking place in Europe that will change their lives forever, and the lives of millions of other people, too.

Alex and Daniel join the armed forces, fighting for King and Country for the next three years, knowing that each day could very well be their last day of life.

They are entirely different men, each coming from a different point on the social spectrum but what they see on the Western Front unites them in a way that they might not have been able to comprehend before they faced the horrors of trench warfare.

The novel captures very well the physical and mental deprivations that the soldiers, both men and officers of the line, went through.

And the problems faced by their families back home and the aftermath of the conflict.

It is a thoughtful novel that is well researched ad well written.

It is published by The Book Guild at £9.99.

It Wasn't Me, All Right?

Retired teacher and former school principal Robert Rooney was teaching at what was described as one of the most notorious schools in Belfast during "The Troubles" in his book It Wasn't Me, All Right?

Although intended for pupils who shad "moderate learning difficulties", Robert taught those pupils who were viewed as "failing" in mainsteam schools. The result was an intake that was made up of an eclectic range of intelligence, ability and behaviour.

The story of what happened is written in a manner that, although treating the subject matter with concern and  taking it seriously, treats it with a wry humour.

See how Robert, as a young teacher, learned to deal with a 6 foot tall pupil or wanted to fight him, with his belt wrapped round his fist, how to deal with troublesome pupils on the school buses, how to trick pupils into enjoying art lessons, and all this against the backdrop of "The Troubles."

It's a book that is witty, intelligently written yet with a certain amount of pathos, too.

It's published by Matador at £8.99.

Medicine, Justice and the Bubblegum Factory

Medicine, Justice and the Bubblegum Factory is an amazing memoir.

Graham Standen was a working-class youngster from Romford, in Essex.

He had a troubled childhood blighted by maternal illness, time spent in a children's home, fostering with relatives and he failed his 11 Plus.

However, Graham was made of stern stuff and, against all the odds, he was able, by dint of hard work, he was able to qualify as a medical Doctor.

His medical qualification was put to good use because he was able to correct a terrible miscarriage of justice involing his late father who, along with his two brothers, died from mesothelioma aftyer they worked with asbestos as boiler coverers before the war.

When Graham's father developed disseminated cancer, there were very good grounds for suspecting that exposure to asbestos was the cause. But the diagnosis of mesothelioma was not recognised at the postmortem. Much to the horror of his family.

After a decade spent as a cancer and leukaemia specialist Graham, with the assistance of a colleague who was a pathologist, the cause of Graham's father's death was looked at anew and the correct diagnosis was achieved.

Graham points out that the story of his father highlights the corporate deceit and indifference shown by the industry toward the health of their workers.

It's a very moving account of the struggle of Graham and his family in their attempt to finally gain justice for his father.

It's published by The Book Guild at £9.99.

Gangster Hamster

Gangster Hamster tells the story of Rocco, a very extraordinary hamster.

Tired of the life of an ordinary pet hamster he makes a bid for freedom and heads for the big city. He meets up with a gang of rats who live in the seers and who raid restaurants.

He learns of a plan by a gang of cats to launch an attack on his new found friends and he decides that his moment to shine has arrived.

But! Not everything goes to plan and he soon realises that he has put not only himself but his friends at risk!

So, how can Rocco put things to right? Will he be the super hero hamster that he wants to be? Will he become Rocco the Magnificent? The world-beating Hamster Gangster?

This is a fun book for children from Angela Robb.

It's published by Matador at £7.99.

The Oath

The Oath is set in 1955. Beneath the well-polished veneer of a Northern England boarding school is something wicked and very, very unpleasant.

Senior pupils viciously bully and torment junior pupils who they consider to be inferior.

Jonathan Simon is a new boy at the school. He's warned about three monsters who share his dorm with him. They are Flicker, Sleeth and Tunk. But there's a "no snitching" code that is ruthlessly observed.

Simon befriends two other junior pupils, Ian Gracey, a pixie-faced boy and Arthur Crown. He is grossly overweight, but with a ready wit.

Whilst on a cross country run the three juniors decide to take a short cut and find themselves accidentally in the cadet rifle range. Sleeth is the Corpse Sergeant and puts them through some utterly degrading punishments.

The three junior pupils take a blood oath to ever allow themselves to be bullied again.

Loyalties will be tested to their limits and exactly how far will the pupils go to exact their revenges?

It's an interesting novel that takes a look under the hood of school life in the 1950s.

The book is published by The Book Guild at £8.99.

Labyrinth Junction

Labyrinth Junction Hayley Davenport-Smith has written Labyrinth Junction as a way to inspire the imaginations of young people with her debut children's fantasy novel.

It's aimed at children aged 8 to 12 and it's a story about the bravery and determination of a young boy who is ready to risk his own life in his efforts to find his way home.

Ben is fleeing from a pair of dangerous bullies and he has to climb into a dark cave in order to escape from them.

Within the cave he finds the Junction, an amazing portal to other worlds! After he has entered the Junction he realises that he has managed to become trapped in a magical and mysterious land called Nunblebrook.

Ben befriends a young orphan girl and her pet dragon just to stay alive. All three of them and the weird Moonbeamer people set off on a series of dangerous missions and tasks in order to solve a riddle, free the land of a wicked king and to ultimately get Ben safely returned home.

It's an amazingly well written book and is a co-production between Hayley and her daughter (who is 12) who deigned the cover and provided the illustrations.

It's published by Matador at £7.99. 

Deception

In this debut mystery thriller, Deception, from Maggie Belvoir, the reader is asked a very interesting, yet very serious question. Exactly how well do you know your friends? And exactly how well do you know the members of your own family?

Life is great for the O'Brien family! No, it's really good, thank you! They have all the trappings of a successful life. A massive house, lovely holidays abroad, and they have two lovely daughters, Scarlett and Siobhan.

Scarlett has a friend called Margot .Poor Margot has had a bit of a troubled past and when she is adopted into the O'Brien family, everything's good! No, really good, thank you! Margot seems like the piece of the family that was missing.

However, jealousy and sibling rivalry suddenly start to raise their very unpleasant heads and the family begins to become fragmented.

Things become worse when tragedy strikes and the family begins to unravel with even greater speed.

Frank Du Pont, a police detective with an insufferably huge ego decides to take over the murder investigation and makes a vow that he will bring the killer to justice.

But will he? And what is the secret agenda that he is hiding from his colleagues and everyone else? And does he have a secret that he is very keen to keep hidden?

The truth, when it does come to light, could prove even more shocking to the family and the community than anyone could have anticipated.

It's an exceptionally well-written detective thriller and it's to be hoped that Maggie Belvoir will be writing for many more years to come.

It's published by Matador at £9.99.

Acts & Monuments

Barry Todd, the protagonist of Acts & Monuments written by Alan Kane Fraser, is a good guy. How does he know this? Because everyone tells him so!

He is a hardworking member of the team at Monument Housing Association as he strives to ensure the the poor and vulnerable are provided with a safe and decent place to live.

Everyone expected Barry to be promoted to the position of Director at Monument Housing Association, including Barry. But, instead, the promotion is given to the insufferable Langley who had been drafted in from the world of commerce to bring in 'private sector disciplines' to the charity.

There were already issues between Langley and Barry, and the fact that Langley had been promoted to Director made the entire situation worse. And part of what Langley had done (firing Barry's wife) had meant that finances at the Todd household were tighter than they needed to be.

Barry had always been good, had been a good person and a good, loyal employee of the Housing Association, but he was now beginning to doubt that "being good" was good enough. At least for Barry.

And then, by apparent serendipity, an opportunity falls into Barry's lap. He finds himself in the situation where he would be able to steal £50,000 of the Monument Housing Association's money in such a way that it would be impossible to trace the theft back to him.

A tenant, Iulia Niolescu, comes to Barry. She is desperate for assistance and he realises that he has been presented with an ideal opportunity to use some of this money to do somebody some good.

But he finds that the situation begins to spiral dangerously out of control nd he is forced to take desperate measures to stop his deceptions and the theft of the money from being revealed.

But then things really began to fall to pieces. And at the end of the novel there's a very disturbing twist.

This is an amazingly well-written novel and although a work of fiction the author has used to very good advantage their intimate knowledge of the world of Housing Associations.

The book is published by Matador and costs £8.99.

(Incidentally it was with interest that I realised that I have previously seen an example of the work of Alan Kane Fraser as I saw his award-winning play, Random Acts of Malice being performed at the Belfrey (sic) Theatre in Wellington, Shropshire, as it was the winning play in the inaugural Derek Lomas Award for Best News Play at the Wellington Drama Festival.)

(Note: The image used is the cover illustration of the book and is E R Hughes' Night with her train of stars and her great gift of sleep (c) Birmingham Museums Trust.)

Designs of a Gentleman

Designs of a Gentleman is a prequel to Judith Thomson's Phillip Devalle series.

It's 1662, Charles II as been King for two years. Restoration England was an exciting place to be. But it was also a pl;ace of opportunity for ambitious young men such as Philip Devale.

Philip Devale was the young son of an earl who had decided to travel to London in a determined effort to make something of himself.

There had been the plague, the great fire of London, a war against the Dutch and there were politicians who were plotting and scheming top make sure they would come out on top. There was also the spectre of religious hatred and intolerance.

Throughout the years filled with adventure that were before him liker an open, yet unwritten book, Philip learns that not all people in Court are honest, that there's a dark side to it and that he must keep his wits about him as he fights in the army of the Sun King and is a courtier in England.

It's a novel that is well researched and well written and will be a welcome novel on the bookshelves of lovers of historical fiction.

It's published by Matador at £9.99.

Sorak's Legacy

In Sorak's Legacy Sorak has become elected to the Chair of the city Senate. He had remained in the city after returning with Nasa and her son from their home which was in the hidden valley.

A new society, based on equality between the genders is slowly and painstakingly being established.

The harsh and rigid control mechanisms of the old ways are gone and everything is more free, although free, the new society that is emerging is not perfect.

However, there are people who are still not happy that the old ways have gone. In fact, there is a body of females who are resentful of the efforts that Sorak is putting into to creating a new, more equitable and fairer society.

It become clear that there are people who are living in the forest on the far side of the plain that surrounds the city.

Some believe that the original founders of the city had arrived in a space going vessel and had made landfall in that area of the forest.

Nasa decides to seek out the forest dwellers. And it seems that evidence confirms that the ancient stories about the beginnings of the people of the city are, in fact, true.

Contact is, eventually, made with the forest dwelling people. But what, exactly, is the truth of the situation?

Would the city be able to survive the turmoil and the violence that would ensue?

It's published by The Book Guild at £8.99.

Two Become One

Two Become One is a book by Richard Lodge and Brian Swinyard as they explore the meaning of life as they come face to face with their own diagnoses in an interesting and unique book of poetry and photography.

The book raises some very interesting and emotive questions about life, death, living, love and a whole host of other topics.

The book is a masterful blend of poetry and photographs, designed to help explore the meaning of life.

Both of the authors have been diagnosed with illnesses and they have teamed up with The Motor Neurone Association and Sarcoma UK to share half the proceed and to also bring comfort and ease for those people who are looking for answers to some of the puzzles and conundrums of everyday and not-so-everyday, life.

The poetry is beautiful as are all the images. The poems and the photographs all contain wisdom that has been crystallised and refined until they are like boats of burnished gold floating on the Sea of Infinity. 

You really must buy multiple copies of this book as there will be several people in your life, perhaps including yourself, who will without a shadow of a doubt, richly benefit from this book.

It is published in hardback by Matador and costs £10.99.

Plague

Plague is an hilarious look at medieval history, written by Jonathan Forth.

Apparently there needs to be a war between England and France. Who says so? The Pope. Why? He believes that peace has prevailed for far too long.

People have become lax, which is, the Pope believes, a result of living a life that is far too peaceful. If there were a war between England and France, goes his Papal reasoning, people who become so scared that they'd return to church services and, as a consequence of this, money would be put on the collection plates. After all, when the plate is passed round the church, who wants to be the odd one out by not making a 'voluntary' donation?

He has a very daring and gorgeous assassin who is primed to kill Edward, King of England. Who must die a painful and horrible death just at the time when King Philipe of France is visiting England.

However, much to the Pope's chagrin, the plague has already reached Europe and it's now a bit of a race to see who kills King Edward: The plague or the assassin.

Sir Walter, vassal to the King, is charged with sorting the situation out. But what, exactly, is causing the plague? Strongly scented French cheeses? Is it fornication as the Church pontificates? The fireball that appeared in the sky? Or something else?

But as an interesting aside, what would happen if Death and the Plague were to get together and work in harmony?

And what exactly would be the reward of the Pope?

This book is a very amusing romp through some of the lesser known avenues of Medieval history.

It's published by Matador at ££9.99.

Ayeme's Circus of Redemption

In Ayeme's Circus of Redemption, a new novel from novelist Keith Blackburn, we meet Arthur. Arthur used to be a teacher at a very good grammar school. But that was  long time ago, before alcohol had taken its toll on him.

After an unfortunate meeting with a white delivery van he awakes in a hospital bed. However, it's no ordinary hospital, this one has fireplaces in the rooms and Arthur (registered for some reason as Ayeme) manages to escape from the hospital ward by the simple means of going through the fireplace.

He emerges into a completely different place, wearing completely different clothing, weighed down by a very heavy rucksack.

He is in a moonlit garden, which is imbued with peace. On the other side of the garden he espies a woman who is dressed in black who is conversing with a man who is wearing  top hat and tails.

He realised that they are planning a funeral. In some way that he cannot define, Ayeme feels a connection of some sort with the woman, so he attaches himself to the procession which finally reaches a church which is in the middle of a wood.

And then things begin to get really interesting as he sets off on an odyssey of a journey, he meets and interacts with a variety of rather interesting and intriguing characters, as he attempts with varying degrees of success, to try to work out what is happening and what is going on.

And what, exactly, is the circus of redemption? Who is it attempting to redeem?

It's a stunningly original book, sadly it is the last book written by Keith Blackburn who passed away in October 2018.

The book is published by The Book Guild at £9.99.