Plague

Plague is a stunning and tightly crafted thriller from Julie Anderson.

An ancient plague pit is discovered in London. This isn't an altogether rare occurrence, but there's something special about this plague pit. It's on the route of a Tube extension and civil servant and somewhat disgraced former GCHQ investigator Cassandra Fortune is tasked with the job of overseeing the discovery of the plague pit, liaising with the archaeologists and the construction crew.

However, there's also something unexpected about this ancient burial pit. Because for the first time in 360 or so years a new corpse had been added to it. But the victim hadn't died of the plague. He had been cruelly murdered. But Cassandra noticed something about the body that becomes an important clue.

The discovery of a further murder victim, with an apparent link to Cassandra and to the Palace of Westminster, found at another plague pit site, caused her remit to be changed. She had her high security clearances reinstated and her task was now to ensure that the integrity of the government was kept sacrosanct. If at all possible.

She teams up with a senior Scotland Yard detective and together they face a maelstrom of conflicting interests as the body count rises and it becomes clear that there's a secretive, highly dangerous criminal network for which money is all, and human life is of no importance. 

But who can be trusted in their search for the truth and for justice? Is a member of the House of Lords or a Knight involved in the murders? And who else is involved?

Who is orchestrating a media campaign to whip up public fear of the threat from the plague and briefing against Cassandra and the police? And who managed to defeat the electronic security measures at Cassandra's flat? Where they looking for something or sending her a message?

Can Cassandra and the police uncover the truth before they are stopped or murdered?

This book is a must have Christmas gift for the murder mystery lovers in your life. As a confirmed mystery fan I am pleased to announce that I have found another 'must read' author in Julia Anderson.

It is published by Claret Press at £9.99 in paperback (including postage? Bargain!) or 99p in eBook format.

https://payhip.com/ClaretPress/collection/julie-anderson. 

https://www.claretpress.com/book/plague

Gothic Ghost Stories

 

Gothic Ghost Stories is a new collection of ghost stories from Trevor K. Bell.

For some reason ghost stories have been popular at Christmas time since at least Victorian times. And this book will make a a fine Christmas gift for ghost story fans.

By the low light of their reading lamp, mince pies and sherry to hand as they sit before a cosy fire, they'll read of an enthusiast who buys a coveted model train. 

But would he have been so eager to make the purchase if he had known what the dealer and his wife knew about it?

There was the hotel that had once served as a waiting mortuary where the dead were taken to ensure they really were dead.

What could possibly occur to poor Mr Tulip? Who or what tickled his nose? Why was their the ringing of bells in his room all night?

Read of the fate of a tomb robber who comes across the very last person he would have wanted to meet.

There's a Doctor who has grand medical plans for both an orphan boy called Tom and for a Lord. But who will win and who will lose in the end?

Wonder about the possibilities of, ghostly apparitions, a very angry mummy,  the alternate visages of a man who, by turns, looked paternalistic or like a homicidal maniac. What did he do with his newly constructed wine cellar?

What had happened to Harold? And why did his fiancée apparently not care?

Why did the matching pair of apparently endearing French Dolls engender such feelings of dread in people caught in their proximity?

And what of the vengeful ghost of a deceased German soldier, of such a terrifying visage that the living would rather risk death by bullets from German soldiers? Would he obtain the vengeance  he was seeking?

There is also the strange case of Mad Allen, cheated of the love of his wife and of his wealth. He had pronounced a great and terrible curse against anyone who would disturb his last resting place. But surely nobody would be stupid enough to put that to the test? Would they? And if they did, what would occur? 

This is a wonderfully disturbing collection of stories that will leave a frisson of fear in the heart of the reader.

It is published by The Book Guild at £8.99.   

Storm Front

Storm Front is a mystery novel from R. S. Sutton, featuring a new character, private detective Valerie Stone.

Valerie has two things that are of value to her. An old watch and her vintage Jaguar motorcar.

She is addicted to French cigarettes and she lives on a Thames houseboat. She has male admirers but prefers to keep them at arm's length. Even, or perhaps especially, one particular suitor.

Times are a bit tougher than usual so the arrival of a commission to investigate a death on behalf of an insurance company has come at a very fortunate time.

After all, what's wrong with a bit of judicious expenses padding and some stretching out the billable hours, so long as she doesn't go overboard? At least not as overboard as the dead man, who apparently tumbled to his death from a yacht? 

Or did he? What if things were not quite as they seemed? What if the insurance company was right to be concerned, but perhaps not for the right reasons?

What is the link between a former Thames Estuary Word War Two fort, latterly used as the base for a pirate radio station in the 1960s?

And why did Valerie find herself a target of a covert group with mysterious connections to the government, who want her assistance in their parallel investigation into the mystery of the corpse? Can they be trusted? And had the deaths finished?

This is a very interesting and highly plausible detective thriller and I hope to see more stories about Private Investigator Valerie Stone in the future.

It's published by The Book Guild at £8.99. It will make a great Christmas gift for the mystery novel fan in your life. Or as a self-gift for you.

The Harvard Curse

 

The Harvard Curse is a new mystery novel from Martin Chevreau.

Two female students and a college lecturer have gone missing at the end of the 2019 Fall Term. The media have dubbed it The Harvard Curse and everyone has declared that the students, Clementine Miller and Eveline Macdonald were murdered and their remains spirited away by Professor Adrien Renard.

In fact, journalist Geoff Penn had been sitting long into the evening, rapidly typing up an article based on that very theme for the next day's Boston Herald. 

With an hour to go before the article would be sent off to the printers, Penn received a phone call at his desk. The voice on the other end was tense and stressed. He told Penn that he knew that Renard wasn't the killer. And that he wanted to meet him the next evening when he would reveal what had really happened.

So, if the mystery caller was correct, what, exactly, had occurred that December? If Renard had not been involved in the disappearance of the two students, who had? Were the student alive or dead? And what of Renard? Why had he apparently gone missing at the same time as the two students? Was it merely a coincidence?  Or had Renard met with the same, unknown, but strongly suspected, fate of the students?

Was the situation somehow linked to the tragic accident the previous year which had put Renard into a coma and caused the death of his wife?

And why was Clementine investigating the crash a year later?

Why was she stalking Renard? 

Who was murdered? Who did the killing?

This is an interesting mystery novel, published by The Book Guild at £7.99. 

Chronicles of the Time A Gina Gray Investigation

 I am a very happy mystery reader, because Penny Freedman has brought out another mystery novel featuring her character Gina Gray, Chronicles of the Time.

Set in March 2020, Gina Gray has made a return to the Lake District. 

It is her intention to enter COVID isolation with Eve, who is her oldest friend. Also joining them in their splendid isolation (the Lake District is a splendid part of Britain) is Gina's teenage granddaughter Freda, who found her own home a little overbearing and too crowded for her comfort.

As she was enjoying the Lake District idyll, she was not expecting anything to take place. She was enjoying creative cookery with home-grown vegetables, some baking and several rows of knitting. Which was all she needed, obviously?

Unfortunately these worthy pursuits began to pale and she found herself longing for some adventure, something a little more interesting than thinking about what knitting needles and wool would be required for whatever particular garment she was knitting.

But then, Gina starts to think. Exactly why did her friend Eve invite her to share her lockdown retreat with her?

The couple whose garden backs on to Eve's garden. Are they really as weird as Gina thinks? Where's the cat? Freda is working on a history project. But she's being somewhat mysterious about the whole thing. Why?

And Gina's boyfriend, the redoubtable Detective Superintendent David Scott is involved in a high-profile investigation into the murder of a teenage girl on the bank of a river in an upscale part of suburban London. But how would David successfully discover who murdered the girl without the assistance of Gina?

The book cleverly explores several overlapping mysteries, whilst also being recognisant of the personal stresses and strains of normally close personal relationships during the most unusual of recent times; the lockdown months of 2020.

So, will David help bring the killer to justice with or without the help of  Gina? Why did Eve invite her? Are the strange neighbours really all that strange? What is it with Freda's project? Why is she so secretive? 

And what has happened to the cat?

This is the eighth novel featuring Gina Gray and it is published by Matador at £8.99.

It will make a perfect Christmas present for the avid mystery fan or the more specialist fan of Gina Gray novels.

Trying to See Round Corners

Trying to See Round Corners is a new non-fiction book by retired social worker Reg Morris.

It gives readers the opportunity to take a glimpse behind the curtain that often seems to obscure the inner workings of the world of the social worker.

Reg Morris has taken a collection of genuine day-to-day episodes and challenging events and people that actually took place within several Midlands social services departments throughout the latter part of the last century.

Of course, Reg Morris has changed names concerned to protect the anonymity of those concerned, be they victims, non-victims or bystanders.

He tells the story through the character of Colin Millwood, a former teacher, who begins as a wet behind the ears but very enthusiastic new social worker dealing with children and young people

Just before his arrival the Social Services Department where he worked had taken the decision to combine the previously separate branches of social care, mental health, children and families, the elderly and the disabled.

It had been intended that this move would bring great benefits with social workers being general practitioners (so to speak) rather than, as before, having specialist roles with different client groups. 

However, it transpired that the expected benefits failed, in the main, to materialise.

But it was into this melting pot that a young Colin Millwood was dropped. However, under the guidance of a skilled and experienced mentor Colin makes good progress.

We see children who have unexplained bruises. Is the child genuinely clumsy and in need of help of one kind? Or is the child the subject of abuse and in need of help of another kind?

He learned a great deal. For example, that a bit of dirt on a child wasn't exactly life threatening. There was also the office flutter on the Grand National. 50 pence a go per horse. All part of the office camaraderie. Plus the outside chance of winning a few quid.

He learned the dubious joys of being an on call social worker, which often involved being at home from 5pm on Saturday to 9am on Sunday.

There was a case of a group of girls who had been arrested for shoplifting in the Wolverhampton branch of Boots. 

One of the mothers was so disheartened by her daughter's behaviour that she refused to have her returned home. 

The shoplifting (which was with a group of schoolfriends, all arrested at the same time) incident was, as far as her mother was concerned, the last straw. She did not want her daughter at home. She wanted her to be "taught a lesson" by being taken into care. How could Colin successfully deal with this situation?

There was also the case of two young women performing a striptease in an upstairs room of their house. They were entertaining prisoners in the jail that was on the other side of the road. As a result, the prisoners in the wing involved were put into lockdown and on the point of rioting.

As a result the two women were arrested and held, potentially on charges of public order offences and even of inciting a riot. To complicate matters one of the women involved had a child of just over a year old, who had to be looked after. Luckily her maternal grandmother stepped in to look after the baby.

There were holidays for disabled clients to organise, family health visitors to liaise with, new colleagues to get to know and visits to numerous clients to arrange and copious notes to keep on them and also on meetings of various other agencies.

It's an interesting book and is a revealing read into the life of a dedicated social worker.

It's published by Matador at £8.88.

Moth Boy

Moth Boy, by Clare Hudman tells the story of Ches, who was left, as a new-born baby, in a plastic bag on a doorstep. With Ches was a letter from his birthmother, which he was to read when he was ten years old.

However, he learns that people in his adopted family have already seen the contents of the letter, so he runs away.

After spending the night in a garden shed he is discovered, on his birthday, by Raffy, his sort of brother, who has spent years tormenting him at school.

Raffy decides to disguise Ches as a girl and takes him on a madcap adventure using bikes and trains to reach Brean Down, which is not far from Weston-Super-Mare.

Ches needs to learn if Raffy is now really a new friend, or if Raffy is still, after all, his sworn enemy?

But Raffy's own life (along with his twin sister Inga) hasn't been easy. After Ches was adopted by his loving family, Mrs Trunk's husband decided to leave his wife (after her third miscarriage) and managed to impregnate his new wife with the twins, named, for no good reason Ches could discern, as Raffy and Inga.

Raffy and Ches have come into the world in different, though equally dysfunctional, ways. And this has resulted in them both (understandably) having issues. And they both have the same questions. Am I loved? Can anyone love me?

A situation comes about that pushes them towards finding at least some of the answers they seek for themselves.

Nana Lil might be able to help them, but alcohol means that her mental acuity isn't quite what it once was. So, can she help them? After all, Nana Lil has not had an easy life, either.

This is a very moving book which will, in all probability make you cry.

It needs to be in many Christmas stockings this year.

It's published by The Book Guild at £7.99. 

The Murky World of Timothy Wall

The Murky World of Timothy Wall is a new novel in the DI Carmichael series of crime novels from the inventive pen of Ian McFadyen.

A couple of weeks ago I was sat in our conservatory and I said to my wife: "I hope there'll be a DI Carmichael novel out soon."

And thank goodness, there is!

This year found me once again relaxing in a hot bath, reading the latest DI Carmichael crime novel. The ninth one in the series, as it happens.

A local private detective, Timothy Wall, is OK with allowing his secretary to finish a little earlier than normal to go out on a date with her new boyfriend. After all, all he has left to do that afternoon was to meet a new client at 5.20pm. 

But who was the stranger watching her leave the building, from the vantage point of a nearby café? Why was he watching her?

Later that night a cleaner employed by a contract cleaning company finds the blood-stained corpse of Timothy Wall in his office.

Stock, the irascible forensic scientist, confirms, with his typical bad grace, that it is, indeed a murder case.

Carmichael and his team of detectives find the case to be a complex one that taxes their combined abilities as never before.

Why? Because Timothy Wall seems to have been loved and hated in equal measures. A considerate and attentive lover, he had the bizarre habit of keeping a red book in which he kept scores of his lovers, using a scoring system only completed after their brief relationship came to an end. And the vast majority of his relationships were brief. And some actually overlapped...

So, could his book (kept throughout his romantic life) hold a clue to his murder?

Or could it be the fact that he was working for the HMRC conducting fraud investigation on their behalf? 

Or the Poulter case, which involved trying to locate a missing person, sought by a person who is claiming to be terminally ill?

But is there a link between the murder and the Baybutt family, local bookmakers? After all, one member of the family seemed to have been more than a little satisfied when he heard reports of the death. After all, nobody likes the HMRC, and a local private detective, investigating their tax affairs.  And who told the Baybutt family that Wall had died?

There are also added complications for DI Carmichael. His normally loving wife Penny was in a foul mood. And he was worried that Lucy Martin, with whom he had had a brief dalliance whilst they were on a case that had taken them to Winston-Salem in North Carolina several years previously, is returning to work as a member of his team. And Carmichael is unaware that Penny knows at least something of what had taken place.

Could Carmichael and his team disentangle Wall's complex life? Could they work out who had been responsible for the murder? Was it the mysterious new client, Mr Haverstock-Price? And who, exactly, is Haverstock-Price?

This is another thrilling read from Ian McFadyen.

It's published by The Book Guild at £8.99 and deserves to be in the Christmas stockings of all mystery and crime novel fans. 

 

White Scar

The novel White Scar written by Jill Petts is set in the White Scar Cave in Ingleton, Yorkshire.

Jill tells the story of Ralph and Alba Milway who are twins of 14-years-old.

In 2050 a young woman called Aster is accused of the murder of two fairy folk, a Bishop and the sacrifice of an only son.

By the use of magic she, the judge who sentenced her and her loving, faithful cat are imprisoned in the White Scar Cave, together with one of the three magical wands used to bind them all in the cave.

In the year 2150, a century later, the boys inadvertently free them from their prison cave which, quite understandably, brings more than a little confusion and adventure into their lives.

They find themselves involved in a titanic battle between good an evil. But the twins need to exercise extreme caution, for some things are not exactly what they appear to be.

The background of the story is made even more complicated because it is set against a backdrop of the Earth being post-apocalyptic, when a third world war was brought to an utterly unexpected conclusion when a meteor smashed into the Earth.

What would happen to Ralph and his sister, Alba? 

This is a magical, mysterious story and will make a wonderful Chirstmas gift for young readers.

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

For readers who are interested in exploring the White Scar Caves, please visit https://whitescarcave.co.uk.

Birgit's Consequences

 

In his historically-based novel, Birgit's Consequences novelist  GM Gaudio explores what happened to the children of Hitler's Lebensborn experiment, in an attempt to create a master race of superior beings.

Hitler died and the Second World War ended, but what of the children of his experiment? What of the women who were used and abused for the evil programme? What happened to them?

The story begins for the reader in the Calabrian Mountains in the 1970s. We meet with Andreas Kuhlemann who is battling to find a place in the world, a place which he could call home.

He was born in occupied Norway to a Norwegian receptionist and a German army officer. At the war's end he was taken to Germany, to the home town of his father.

Eventually he was adopted by an Italian man who worked on the railways. As a result Andreas was always moving, never feeling at home, always feeling lost.

However, unknown to Andreas he had a counterpart in Lorenzo Benedetta, a man who has spent four tiring, weary decades trying to seek out some form of redemption. He has suffered many setbacks, but is determined to attain his aim, to reach his conclusion. 

But what happens when his dreadful crime is discovered and he is brought before a court of law to answer for what he did?

As a result the stories of both men are brought to a conclusion. 

But the conclusion is one that reveals a death and that one of them was a monster. But which one?

It is a stunning debut novel which shows that the wickedness evil men perpetrate lives on for many decades.

It is published by Matador at £10.00. 

For the Love of Roman

This is a debut novel from Philip Pavlovic.

In For the Love of Roman readers are introduced to Roman. Roman is a young man who has a heavy weight pressing him down. He has been unable to find love and he feels that the only way out of his loveless life is to end it.

But is there a female counterpart to him? A young female who is also searching for love? 

His longings for love take him on a train journey through Europe. In fact at a particular railway station he acts as a catalyst which, mystically, brings two different dimensions of reality together.

The reader is dropped directly into this parallel dimension in a war-ravaged Yugoslavia where young men by their thousands are imprisoned in trains and being taken toward certain death.

One of these men is Drago who is desperate to live, who has two daughters who are fighting to let the world learn of what is happening to their fathers and the other men who are in the same dreadful situation.

But what linked Roman to this situation? Was he also doomed to die? Or could he be brought back from the brink? If so, how? By whom?

This is a very powerful first novel and it deftly tells the stories of two different worlds. It is a story that is both horrific, yet also filled with love and hope.

I hope to see more novels from Philip in the future.

It is published by The Book guild at £8.99. 

Fractured Dreams and Second Chances

This novel, Fractured Dreams and Second Chances, by Stephen Anthony Brotherton is semi-autobiographical.

It is a story of a first love, told through the eyes of two characters, Freddie and Jo-Jo.

Their love would, of course, last for ever. 

However, incidents within their childhoods had caused fractures and, eventually, all too soon, in fact, events both old and new caused their love to founder.

But what if there could be a second chance for Freddie and Jo-Jo? A second chance to get back together in later life to rekindle their love affair after three decades apart?

It's a well-told tale that explores the impacts of childhood traumas and how these can change the person you become as an adult.

It's published by the Book Guild at £9.99

Without Let or Hindrance

Without Let or Hindrance is a novel from author Geoffrey Charin. 

It's the summer of 1938 and the metaphorical clouds are gathering over Europe.

Veronica and Billy, her fascist boyfriend, attend a pro-German event that was hosted by the 5th Duke of Wellington.

It's a glamourous, glittering event and Veronica meets Sir Oswald Mosley and Diana Mitford. Veronica is invited to take a trip to Berlin, the capital of Germany.

As Europe stumbles toward war, many otherwise good people shake their heads, bewildered, apparently unable to do anything to stop the flow of evil that threatens not only continent of Europe but the entire world.

As Jews are more and more becoming victims of Nazi pogroms such as the evil of Kristallnacht, the British government is trapped between trying to apparently appease Herr Hitler and trying to deal with the question of Jewish refugees.

For Veronica, doing nothing is not an option she can feel comfortable with, so she decides to take action.

Veronica finds herself within the very heart of Nazi Germany. But what of Billy, the member of the British Union of Fascists? And what of Mosley and the Mitford sisters?

Victoria puts her life in danger to save Jewish refugees. But who can she trust? 

This novel is a tightly composed and well-written historical thriller that is based on factual occurrences. 

It is published by The Book Guild at £9.99.

 

A Victorian Rebel Fighting for Gay Rights Edward Carpenter

A Victorian Rebel Fighting for Gay Rights Edward Carpenter In his biography Brian Anderson examines the life story of Edward Carpenter.

It's likely that you might not have heard of Edward Carpenter who was an early campaigner for gay rights in Britain.

And Brian Anderson has decided to put this situation to rights.

During his research Anderson was able to locate a considerable number of Carpenter's letters (none of which had been previously published) to his friends, his lovers and other fellow socialists.

The book covers the details of his transition from a youth who was generally a normal, conforming  member of Victorian society, to a bold and somewhat outspoken critic of what he saw as the flaws and problems within Victorian society. Especially in the treatment of homosexual males.

As a gay youth his adolescence was more troubled than for some of his contemporaries, combined with his confusion about his sexual identity.

He attended Cambridge University which helped to broaden his horizons and Anderson reflects on his first, timid love affairs.

He soon developed into a radical socialist and became known as an author of polemical pieces. He later developed into a writer on sexual politics, though publishing his works was difficult due to the fallout from the Oscar Wilde scandal.     

He was criticised for what would be considered a misogynistic attitude, but Anderson questions whether or not this was the case. 

It's a very well-researched and well-written book which will be of interest to anyone interested in the history of Victorian society and the history of gay emancipation. 

It's published by Matador at £9.95.

The Cumbria and Lake District

The Cumbria and Lake District A Guide to Places to Visit, History: A Guide to Places to Visit, History and Wildlife from Morecambe Bay to the Solway Firth

On my desk, on the shelf to the left (I'm lefthanded) I have a copy of a book by Kevin Sene titled The Mersey Estuary: A Travel Guide which is one of my favourite guidebooks.

Now I have a companion volume by Kevin Sene, called The Cumbria and Lake District A Guide to Places to Visit, History: A Guide to Places to Visit, History and Wildlife from Morecambe Bay to the Solway Firth.

It's a highly detailed travel guide which takes you from Fleetwood all the way along to the Mull of Galloway.

The coast of Cumbria reaches from Morecambe Bay to the Solway Firth. It takes in, amongst other features and places The Lake District National Park.

The book is very well illustrated with stunningly beautiful full colour photographs, some which are full page.

You will learn of ideal places to view tidal bores from, good places to visit if historical buildings is your bag, nice spots to enjoy looking at wildlife. And if ancient, mysterious sites brings a thrill to your heart, Kevin has plenty of them for you.

Looking for waterside walks? There's a wide selection. Fancy a trip to the seaside for a paddle or even a holiday break? Kevin's got that covered, too.

Museums, especially maritime museums? Lots of them to explore with Kevin's most excellent guidebook.

And if your desire is to check out lighthouses and other maritime features? They are covered, too.

Maybe your desire is some beautiful inland walks? Step right this way!

It's published by Matador at £19.99. 

  

Fire of the Dark Triad

Fire of the Dark Triad is the first part of a series by Asya Semenovich.

It tells the story of a distant and dark dystopian future, where evil humans of the Dark Triads (who were born with a DNA strain that made them incredibly dangerous) have caused untold misery and destruction for hundreds of years. In fact, so wicked were they that they very nearly destroyed the planet Earth.

The rulers of Earth had attempted to bring purity to the human race by dissolving those genes from future generations.

But something is wrong. Because without the creative spark of the DNA of the Dark Triads, civilisation has begun to falter and to stagnate.

An elite group, called the Headhunters, was employed to locate and recruit Dark Trads from its many colonies and bring them back to planet Earth.

But Nick, the most adept and skilled of the Headhunters, who was under the impression that he was only involved in a routine mission soon discovers that things are not always what they appear to be. He becomes enmeshed in a hidden conspiracy which, if it is allowed to continue unchecked, could change the human race forever.

He finds himself fighting powerful groups on two planets in an attempt to head off the catastrophe that is threatened. Whilst also trying to save the life of the woman he loves.

It's a well constructed novel which is both pacey and punchy.

As an interesting aside the novel is featured in a documentary film called Married to Math which you can learn more about here https://marriedtomath.com/reviews/. 

It's published by Dark Triad Books at £15.00 and is available from all good bookshops including Waterstones and Amazon, etc. It's also available in eBook format at £3.53.

I'd like to thank Cameron Publicity & Marketing for working with me to create this review.  

Kittyhawk Down

Kittyhawk Down by Jonathan Nicholas.

It was a Sunday in June, 1942. Sunday 28th of June, to be exact. And RAF Flight Sergeant Dennis Copping was taking off in a Kittyhawk fighter 'plane for a very short flight across Egypt. But unfortunately he never arrived at his destination.

No more was known about the fate of Flight Sergeant Copping, at 24 an experienced fighter pilot or his aircraft for 70 years when oil exploration worker Jakub Perka found the virtually intact plane a hundred miles west of Farafra Oasis in central Egypt, three hundred miles south-west of Alexandria.

Evidence was found that established that Flight Sergeant Copping had been able to make a controlled emergency landing and that not only did he survive the landing, he stayed with the downed aircraft for a considerable period of time afterward. But his remains have, at least to date, never been found.

Why was the plane on the ground in the location it was found in? And what had happened to Dennis Copping?

Aviation enthusiast and licensed pilot Jonathan Nicholas has extensively researched the discovery of the downed plane, interviewing those who discovered it and talked with surviving relatives of Flight Sergeant Dennis Copping.

He has taken historical facts and information and used them to weave an interesting and moving account of what might have happened on Sunday 28th June, 1942.

It is published by the Book Guild at £9.99 and will make a very good gift for people who are interested in the history of military actions and real life mysteries. 

The Myths and Legends of Britain's Pubs: East of England

Rodney Simmonds' The Myths and Legends of Britain's Pubs: East of England ticks all my personal boxes, so to speak.

The sub-title of the book is "A Thousand Years of History and Trivia/"

Pubs, architecture, ales, history and myths. What more could a person want?

Let's begin this review with a few questions. What do you know about your local? Or the other pubs in your town or district?

Who decided on the name? What is the history of the name? Has the name of that particular pub ever changed? How old is the pub?

What's the pub's history? Is it haunted? And if it is haunted, what kind of ghosts inhabit it? Friendly ghosts or ghosts who are angry and unable to move on?

This  book is, literally, an A to Y of pubs throughout the East of England in 206 pages.

There's the Jolly Woodman in Burnham Beeches, in Buckinghamshire. First opened in 1832, it's starred in several films and TV series over the years.

In Luton, Bedfordshire, you'll find the English Rose public house. Opened in 1845 it was originally called the Rabbit. If you read the book you'll learn why. A piece of trivia regarding this pub is that the son of the then landlord married actress Diana Dors.

In the 1700s in Brigg, North Lincolnshire you'll learn about the Yarborough Hunt public house. It was originally constructed for the Earls of Yarborough who own an estate not too far away.

Previously a brewery tap for Sergeant's Brewery, which, sadly, was closed in 1967, the pub continued trading for a number of years under the ownership of several breweries.

For those interested in ghostly residents you will be interested in the Nutshell, otherwise known as the Traverse in Bury St Edmunds. Not only is it one of the smallest pubs in England, it is also reputedly haunted by a young boy. It's said he was murdered in one of the bedrooms of the premises. But for some reason he appears mainly in the area of the bar.

There's also another ghost, that of a monk who wears a long black habit. He also wears a large wooden cross. Sometimes, even when there is nobody wearing perfume in the pub, the scent of a woman's perfume can be detected.

It's a wonderful book and is very well researched and extremely well-written. And I would recommend buying this book either for yourself or as a gift for a friend or family member. However, the book does have a curious omission: There is not one illustration or photograph in the entire book.

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

Ed & Lily

 

Ed & Lily tells the love story of Ed & Lily.

The story opens with Lily, feeling rather queasy. It's a couple of days before Christmas and she's about to leave the offices of the ecologically aware charity where she works. 

She has something important that she needs to tell Ed, her partner. But she knows full well that she has left it way too late to tell him.

Everyone knows that the relationship between them was fine. Better than fine, even! They all knew it was safe and rock-solid. Only, maybe it wasn't as sound a ship as everyone was thinking?

36 hours later they planned to be together to spend a wonderful holiday in Iceland for a truly fantastic and white Christmas break.

A visit to a pharmacy on the way to the train station (she needed peace of mind of the kind only readily available via pharmacies) was a disaster as she had left her bank card on the counter and was, as a result, unable to buy her ticket at Cardiff Central Station to London Paddington, because when she quickly made her way to the pharmacy, it was closed and the shutters down.

She decided to take the bus to London's Victoria Coach Station, instead. Even though the journey would be almost twice as long, she felt she had no other choice.

She spoke with Ed who, again, questioned why it was that she seemed to like making things more complicated? After all, he always could book train tickets for her?

But there were things happening with, or to, Lily that Ed didn't know about. Or was he trying desperately hard not to know about those things?

The fact that work had taken her away from the capital of England to the capital city of Wales had certainly complicated matters.

Is their relationship doomed? Wrecked beyond compare?

Then her charity work takes her to Serbia where she has to deal with the sad plight of sundry refugees from new violent hotspots.

Can she find time for Ed? And if she does, will Ed still be there for her?

This is a very finely crafted romance for our modern, highspeed lives.

It's published by The Book Guild at £8.99 and is written by Sofia Due.

Bleak Encounter at the Cape

Bleak Encounter at the Cape is a thriller novel from author Richard Trahair.

A Coastwatch volunteer makes a dramatic find. He discovers a corpse on the rocky shore.

He and his equally resourceful wife decide to investigate the mysterious death themselves. After all, what's the worst that can happen?

Quite a good deal as it happens.

For soon the couple themselves to be trapped in a burgeoning international conspiracy of threats and intimidation that put the lives of a great many people at risk.

The police become involved as the couple make their way across Europe as far as Lake Geneva in Switzerland and back home again to Cornwall for a dramatic and shocking conclusion back on the coast of West Cornwall.

Will they survive? Will the guilty be brought to justice?

It's an exciting novel and I hope to see more books from Richard who makes good use of his intimate knowledge of Cornwall for the backdrop of this novel.

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

I am updating this review to point out that the author is donating profits from book sales to the National Coastwatch Institution. For details of this highly valuable organisation please visit https://www.nci.org.uk/

Fractures, Dreams and Second Chances

Fractures, Dreams and Second Chances is a fictional novel, but which is based on the life experiences of the author, Stephen Anthony Brotherton.

It tells the story of Freddie whose life was fractured by family tragedy.

Freddie meets Jo-Jo, a woman of determination and strong will. She knows what she wants out of life, she has her goals and aspirations.

However, like Freddie her life has also received fractures and circumstances forced the two young lovers to part.

The book tells their stories as individuals and also as a couple. It covers their teen romance, what happens to them after they part and their eventual attempts to rekindle their youthful first love after a separation of in excess of three decades.

The author uses their love story to reflect upon deep topics such as the possible impact of traumas that occur early in life.

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

Family Reunited

Family Reunited is a new novel from the author of Fireworks to Thailand, J. R. Bonham.

It's a gripping family drama it tells the story of how Jan eventually plucks up the courage to leave her vile and abusive husband, Geoff after their 25 year marriage.

After she leaves Geoff she meets the man who she feels is her soulmate, Mike, who she marries. And with whom she has a happy second marriage.

Unfortunately her adult children, Louise and Steven blame Jane for, as they perceive it, breaking up their 'happy' home.

She's been totally estranged from her children and hasn't ever been able to meet her five grandchildren. 

Sadly, she becomes a widow and Jan's sense of loss is crippling in its intensity following 22 years of a loving, blissful marriage.

Louise, Jan's daughter, then dies which unleashes a tsunami of grief that further destroys the family.

Charlotte, Louise's daughter plunges into grief and takes on the persona of a 'wild child' to mask her sorrow. She is only 15 and when she falls pregnant she is thrown out of the family home.

Jan feels that enough is enough and she steps forward to try to bring her shattered family back together again. But how can she accomplish this? Will they listen to her ideas? acquiesce to her proposals to get everything back on track and to heal the family at long last?

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

The Fall Out

The Fall Out is a novel by D J Arthur.

Anita and Marilyn are an inseparable pair of women. Even though they have very different characters. 

Anita weds David and David's best friend, John, also falls for Marylin and they also marry. The lives of both couples become entwined.

John is a freelance writer and receives a surprise commission from an old friend to write for his firmly anti-EU publication The Swiftian.

He agrees to accept the job and begins to dig deep into matters regarding the EU.

However at the same time Anita receives a promotion to a full-time position in Brussels and David, which rather shocked everyone, is chosen as a Conservative Party candidate for Benfleet.

As John digs deeper and deeper into the EU the position that Anita has taken reveals itself as extremely Eurocentric. David must fight his party or his wife in order to remain true to himself.

However, Marylin has some secrets of her own that seem to be on the point of once again coming to the surface. Whilst the marriage of Anita and David seems to be heading to an unhappy conclusion.

What, exactly, will happen to the two couples?

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

Stormfront

Stormfront is a new detective thriller from R. S. Sutton.

It features impecunious private detective Valerie Stone who owns a valuable old watch and a vintage jaguar.

She's already aware that she consumes far too many French cigarettes lives on a houseboat moored on the Thames. She has male admirers that she manages to keep at arms length.

A very lucrative insurance investigation job comes along which will keep her and her assistant Jane afloat for a while longer. Just have to pad the expenses out a bit, OK?

It was a simple job. Body found on the south coast. Just compile a report, take the insurance company's money and... things never go quite as smoothly as hoped.

Jane finds that a secretive, covert organisation also has an interest in the dead body and they blackmail her.

Some people will not say anything, other people are feeding misinformation to Jane and suddenly Valerie, Jane and others around her find themselves deep inside a storm. A very foul storm, indeed.

This is a good detective thriller, which also contains a good deal of pathos.

I hope we will read more novels featuring Valerie Stone and Jane in the future.

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

Down in the Country

Down in the Country is a Carlow Valley Mystery.

It's another novel from James Bowring featuring his character ex-DI Clive Walsingham.

The perfectly normal life of a married couple is brought to an abrupt and upsetting end. Discovering the naked corpse of a woman murdered by strangulation in your garden will do that.

Acting Police Inspector Beauregard has never been in charge of a murder investigation and he struggles with the whole concept of why the woman was murdered and why she was left in that particular garden.

He seeks out the assistance of ex-detective inspector Clive Walsingham. Clive is now a hotelier in Carlow Valley, but when he receives the request to help Inspector Beauregard, he leaps at the opportunity. 

Intriguing facts of the history of the dead woman's past come to light and suspicion falls upon a local businessman who has a reputation for being less than scrupulous. 

But  Inspector Beauregard has to leave the case in abeyance as he is called upon to investigate the unexpected disappearance of Lord Westleigh's daughter. This leaves Clive continuing the investigation with the "support" of a Detective Constable who is somewhat abrasive. 

So, what happens? Why was the woman murdered? Why was she murdered? And who was the real killer?

And why does Clive get the feeling that his own life is now in danger? And what link is there to his own hotel?

This is another great detective thriller featuring ex-DI Clive Walsingham.

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

In the Silence Long-Forgotten Almond Trees Blossom

In the Silence Long-Forgotten Almond Trees Blossom David B P Mayne has written an interesting story set in the future. Not the far distant future, but the near future.

In the 1980s a geologist, Jack, working in Libya is jailed. Eventually Jack is released from jail by the daughter of rich Greek/Libyan parents, Bushra.

They have a decade-long affair which is fraught with problems. He is in a marriage from which love is totally absent and her political activism are just two of them.

Bushra gives birth to twins fathered by Jack. Against the wills of their parents the children are separated at birth. Emma leaves for London with Jack, Stravros is taken by Bushra's parents to Benghazi.

Moving into the 2020s, Russia sweeps through the Balkans, the Eastern Mediterranean and Greece.

The UN steps in to create two mandates in Libya. In the East is Cyrenaica, under Russian control. 

In the West is Tripolitania and Fezzan under the guidance of the EDA, the European Defence Alliance.

Other factors in the region cause instability including climate change and a growing refugee situation.

By 2031 Emma's daughter has joined the EDA. She is captured on the border and taken by force to Cyrenaica.

But who ordered her capture? And why?

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

No Man is an Island

In No Man is an Island by Joseph Hucknall we read the exciting historical novel sequel to The Boy In a Turban.

Set in London in the 1750s, James Cudlip, who was born of a plantation owner and a slave, he is adopted and taken to Britain by an English sea captain.

James is a talented musician and eventually he becomes a music teacher and he befriends the heir to the throne, who would become George 3rd.

However, he soon finds that the established court is hostile toward him and bears him animosity.

His personal life is fraught with problems and his attempts to seek personal fulfilment and to find love in his life are blighted by tragedy.

However, despite the machinations of some members of the court establishment, he has something that they cannot take away from him, Royal approval.

This gives James something to aspire to. But will this bring him everything he needs, everything he desires? 

It's a fascinating historical novel and is published by the Book Guild at £7.99.

False Truth

 

False Truth is a debut crime thriller from C. D. Steele.

Joe Wilde is a former MI6 agent who is now a private eye. 

He is contacted by Sally Devlin who is the mother of an up-and-coming football star, Liam Devlin.

Liam Devlin is missing and because his car has been found abandoned in Hackney at Lea Bridge, a know suicide blackspot, the authorities have declared him to be a victim of suicide.

However, his mother thinks otherwise and she is convinced her son is still alive and she tasks Joe Wilde to find him.

Together with retired MI6 data tech Mark Thompson Joe quickly discovers that Liam had a massive secret that he had been hiding. Or, at least one massive secret.

The police officer in charge of the case, D. I. Whatmore is not pleased that a private investigator is working on what he considers to be very much his case and warns him off.

Joe finds a lead that takes him to South America and then things become really very, very complicated indeed and the body count starts to rise. 

Can Joe keep himself safe and who, exactly, is involved and what is their true end game?

It's published by the Book Guild at £8.99 and I certainly hope there will be more crime thrillers featuring a new and totally believable British private investigator. 

Measure of Days

 

In Measure of Days The world is in the grips of a plague known as FED, or Flesh Eating Disease.

However, Deter Edison knows little or nothing about this. She has a privileged life and is a normal, ordinary young girl who leads a fairly ordinary life under the care of a guardian, Amery.

However, all this is brought to an abrupt end when Deter is subjected to a vicious and brutal abduction.

She finds herself suddenly living in a dystopian nightmare where she realises that she might have been betrayed by her guardian.

Her captors are scientists who believe that Deter has an exceedingly rare gene that they want to harvest. And they make it clear that nothing will stop them from taking it.

Deter discovers that she is caught up in a battle between her captors and government agencies. 

She is aware that she must escape to London and seek security and safety there. But how can she achieve this? And if she can achieve it, who can she trust? How can she remain at liberty and hidden from those who want to control her body and the gene it carries?

It's a novel with a great deal of soul and a little bit of science fiction. I can recommend it.

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

Stranger From Berlin

In Stranger From Berlin author Beverley Hansford brings her readers another intriguing novel.

After several years Tim Mallon meets up with an old university chum, Boris Smirnov. 

Boris has a girlfriend called Lena and Tim is puzzled yet intrigued by both the relationship between Boris and Lena. He is also intrigued by Lena. After all, Lena is a pretty and attractive young lady yet Boris treats her with contempt and humiliation, which doesn't seem to phase or perturb her in the slightest.

Boris suggests that Lena stays with Tim and, with some wariness, he agrees to the idea.

Over time they have an amiable relationship which, at least as Tim is concerned, develops into love.

Tim is puzzled that Lena is extremely reticent to talk about her past life. Does she have a secret that she doesn't want to reveal or to be revealed?

Suddenly their apparently idyllic relationship is brought to an abrupt end when Lena is kidnapped from Tim's own doorstep and she is taken back to Berlin.

Tim immediately departs for Berlin in an attempt to find and rescue her and to learn the truth about what has happened and the mystery surrounding Lena's life.

However, when Tim arrives in Berlin he finds that he is being drawn into a shadowy and mysterious world where nothing is quite what it seems and he quickly learns that outside forces are controlling the situation.

Who can Tim trust? Can he get himself out of the nightmare world that he has, somehow, fallen into?

It's a very readable mystery and will appeal to people still interested in the sometimes fraught relationships between West and East Germany only several years ago.

It's published by Matador at £8.99.

Bloody Dominions

Bloody Dominions is a new novel from author and historian Nick Macklin.

He takes his readers back to the years 58-56BC. Caesar has launched his campaign to conquer Gaul.  

He brings to life Atticus a gifted soldier and military tactician whose grandfather was a member of the legions and who served with distinction. Allerix who is the Chieftain of the Aduatuci who finds himself in the schizophrenic situation of, at times, fighting both for Caesar and against him. And there is Epona, who is the adopted sister of Allerix and also a skilled and fierce warrior in her own right.

The conflicts they engage in are brutal and the impacts on both victor and defeated are powerful.

The main characters are fated to repeatedly cross paths and swords as they are doomed by circumstances to be enemies. However, all is not what it appears. I will say no more on this point as it might risk spoiling the enjoyment of this novel by my readers.

Whilst reading this novel the reader is transported back to the open lands and the dense, dark forests of ancient Europe as they stand shoulder-to-shoulder with tribal warriors and Roman Legionaries as they fight for conquest or to keep their lands free of conquering enemies.

The battle scenes are particularly affecting, especially when friends realise they are fighting against friends.

It's the first novel in the series, so do keep an eye open for the rest of them. 

It's published by Matador at £9.99.

The Brotherhood

In The Brotherhood published author Martin M. McShane brings to readers a story that is based on historical events.

The Holy Order of Knights has become a powerful, influential and very rich body. So powerful, influential and very rich that jealous and covetous eyes are turned toward them. As these eyes belong to the Pope and the King of France the future of the Holy Order of Knights is far bleaker than its members can understand.

The Pope is fearful of them due to their power and the King is fearful of them because he owes them a hug fortune. For these two, different reasons, the Pope and the King desire the ending of the Holy Order of Knights.

They form a scheme together which causes the Knights to be lured to Poitiers Castle where skilled assassins lie in wait for them to wipe them out.

However, the massacre is not without witnesses and three brothers are able to slip away from their captors and they are able to flee for their lives to their homeland, England.

The French King cannot allow them to escape and he employs vicious mercenaries to hunt them down and kill them.

As they continue their flight to freedom the brothers fight amongst themselves and they quarrel over the best way to seek revenge against the King of France. But which brother will rise above the others and will his schemes succeed?

This is a stirring and thoughtful book and is ideal for people who like their novels with historical settings.

It's the first of a series of novels.

It is published by The Book Guild at £8.99 

The Magic in the Space Between

 

The Magic in the Space Between is subtitled How a unique mentoring programme in transforming women's leadership.

It is written by Ian Wigston with Hilary Wigston who have over 25 years of experiences as mentors and coaches to women.

A challenge was posed by both state and independent schools to Ian and Hilary. They rose to meet the challenge and put together a team of highly qualified and experienced leaders from the public sector, commerce and industry and the armed forces.

The team were able to enable almost 100 women to examine their potential to be successful leaders in the school system.

The programme was highly successful in helping foster self-belief, self-awareness and widened horizons. 

It has already brought about the launching of similar schemes in Australia, the USA and Canada.

Reading the book you will learn about stories of individual success stories, examining the lessons that can be learned from the programme. 

The book is published by John Catt and costs £14.00, though is a little cheaper on Amazon at £13.42.

I must admit to being puzzled as to why the name of Ian Wigston on the cover is much larger than that of Hilary Wigston, which seems somewhat ironic, given the purpose of the book.

Male Perspectives on The Value of Women at Work

 

Male Perspectives on The Value of Women at Work is a book from Susan Popoola.

Susan is an award winning consultant and her specialism is human value in the workplace, education and society in general.

This book takes a very timely look at the values that women bring with them to the workplace.

Susan explores a variety of male perceptions of the things that women uniquely bring with them to the workplace. They also raise a number of challenges that might impede the ability of women to be able to reach their full potential.

It also provides a reminder of how valuable women are with insights into how they will be able to more easily navigate through the world of work.

As for men it offers valuable insights into the value that women bring to the workplace and how to engage with them in a more productive way and how to support them within the workplace.

For workplace leaders it offers helpful insights into how policies structures and systems can sometimes create barriers and restrictions for women, meaning that they are sometimes unable to reach their full potential.

This book offers valuable guides how employers can enable themselves to provide a more functional and properly balanced and more productive work environment for everyone.

The book contains a framework to make sure that this can be implemented in the workplace.

It should be pointed out that the book is not just theory (but even theories can have their place in the workplace) it is based on interviews with men and women who are senior executives and entrepreneurs with many years of experience in the workplace.

The book is published by Mosaic Gold at £11.99 through Amazon and other retailers.

How to be a change Superhero

 

In How to be a Change Superhero by chartered psychologist and experienced HR expert Lucina Carney is subtitled "The business toolkit to help you to 'do' change better."

And that is exactly what this highly powerful yet eminently readable book does.

Lucinda starts her book with a very powerful and challenging question "When was the last time you experienced change at work -did you feel it was being done to you, or perhaps you were involved in trying to communicate or deliver it? Did the change achieve the promised results, or did it fizzle out? How effectively was it managed? Did it leave people energized, puzzled or cynical?"

Lucinda then goes on to point out that the reality is that change has become the new normal, but that many changes are still poorly thought out, badly planned, badly executed and ill-communicated to the workforce.

Rarely do we hear that managers or employees have been properly trained in how they should deliver change or how to work with it.

Lucinda makes the point that some people who are responsible for change, even those with 'change' or 'transformation' in their job titles are too often ill-prepared for dealing with the complex requirements of adequately dealing with and managing the process of change.

Of course, poorly managed change can result in reduced business outcomes and can even mean that people can be emotionally harmed by the change experience. 

Lucinda asks a very pertinent question: "Isn't it time to do change better?"

Of course it is! But how can people involved in implementing change make sure that they are capable pf doing change better? 

Buy Lucinda's change toolkit, read it from cover to cover and implement the valuable change lessons that you will find.

Learn how to explore what superpowers you can develop that will be helpful in implementing change.

Consider the responses toward change that are either driven by cultural attitudes or by human nature. These can either make the path of change smooth or bumpy.

You'll learn how to put together a change 'Master Plan' that will let you make use of the strengths of a team (described as your Change League) and have a clear understanding of how to plan and deliver large-scale plans for change in an effective manner.    

You'll learn how people can challenge or derail change plans because they don't understand why change is required, or because they have a need to be consulted because they think they should be a part of the change process or perhaps because they should be a part of the process. Or because they might have identified a challenge to the process.

You'll discover how courage can be a valuable tool, along with self-awareness, self-control, self-motivation, empathy and much more besides.

The book is published by Practical Inspiration Publishing at £14.99. It's available from Waterstones, Amazon and other book retailers.

If you are involved in HR from a modest firm of Solicitors in Mid Wales right up to a huge company with dozens of branches worldwide, this book is required reading.

You can also access the related free change toolkit at 

https://actus.co.uk/free-performance-management-resources/change-superhero-resources/toolkit/

Know More Lies

In the latest novel from Chris Gray, Know More Lies, we meet Robbie Howard. 23-year-old Robbie has no job, but he never seems short of a bob or two. This is because he is a streetwise criminal who can talk himself into and out of just about any situation.

The only person in his life who he really cares about is his ailing grandfather who still thinks that Robbie is gainfully employed and is unaware that the job that Robbie has told him about doesn't actually exist.

Robbie tricks an elderly charity shop worker into giving him a very high value donation of clothing from a local famous rock star.

But problems occur when the son of the charity shop volunteer realises what his game is.

What will happen to Robbie and his beloved grandfather, now? Can Robbie put things right before they get too badly out of hand?

Can he fix things?

It's a well-told story about characters the reader comes to care about and clearly draws on the experiences of the author when he worked as a mentor for young people.

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

The Last Generation

The Last Generation is a science fiction novel for young adults from author Miles Bavin.

The earth is dying. Ellie is aware that this year is the most important academic year in her life.

Because this year will be the year when she sits the examination process known as the "Level Twelves."

Those who pass "The Level Twelves" exam will be admitted to the "flight-to-freedom" programme. But what happens to those who take the exam, but fail it?

Ellie cannot hear and she has the ability to read lips as a result and a conversation she witnesses between two teachers makes her wonder what, exactly, is going on.

She begins to think about society, about the "Legion" who are in control of the selection process. What would happen if they introduce stricter, more stringent testing? 

And where are students she used to know but who, for all intents and purposes, have seemingly just disappeared? 

Is there a pattern, here? Ellie thinks there is. But what is it?

She develops a distrust of those around her, especially when a new person arrives on the scene, bringing changes with them.

Ellie wants to save herself, but she also wants to save those who are nearest and dearest to her and to do her best to make sure that humankind also survives.

Can she do this? Can humanity survive? If so, how? Who will save it? 

It's a very cohesive and intelligently told story that is very readable and will be enjoyed by readers of all ages.

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

The Marble Curse

The Marble Curse Emeritus Professor Richard Vincent has made good use of his background as a scientist and consultant cardiologist to bring out a novel aimed at children who enjoy adventure-filled stories.

Joe Raven is a very smart person who is an inventor of small gadgets who have extraordinary powers.

Joe, and his sister Beth, find a mysterious package in their garden. 

Inside they discover a silver bird, a guidebook (which is apparently blank) and a note from "Granelda" who is seeking out their assistance to overcome a vicious curse.

Joe and Beth set out on a special mission to follow the clues that Granelda has left them. 

However, they find themselves transported back to the year 1789 where they become enmeshed with a growing, spreading curse. But who was it who created the curse? Why did they do it? What was the purpose behind it?

Joe and Beth have a limited amount of time to find a way to negate the curse, save the situation and get back home safely. Can they do it? Will they succeed?

It's a rolling gallop of a novel, with a gallimaufry of amazing characters, so good, some indifferent, some utterly wicked.

It is published by The Book Guild at £8.99. 

Pitfalls of Power

In the amusing novel from Peter Spenger, Pitfalls of Power, readers are introduced to Percy Penislow.

From very ordinary beginnings in his native Cornwall, Percy, against all odds, somehow manages to squeak his way into power, becoming Prime Minister.

But that is only the start of his problems. He has a plentiful array of enemies who want to see him  toppled from power and sent back to the West Country with his tail firmly between his legs.

However, his enemies think they have him on the run due to a case of mistaken identity. 

Fortunately Percy has the support of his wife and some very good friends, plus his police protection officer and his communications officer who is so well connected that it's a bit scary!

They all agree that if Percy has a sworn enemy, it's probably Percy!

He embarks on a journey of political and self-discovery as he travels along several avenues, roads and lanes (so to speak) that are populated by a bewildering array of civil servants, fellow politicians    His voyage of self-discovery leads him down many avenues as he’s joined by a cast of civil servants, fellow politicians, journalists and the Downing Street cat.

Can Percy make it through? Will he merely survive or, with the help of his wife, friends and colleagues, actually succeed?

It's published by Matador at £8.99.

Riding Africa

 

Riding Africa is a new book from author and traveller Michael Howard-Kyan.

Michael's family were inveterate travellers and as a child he was lucky to be able to enjoy many holidays in a variety of locations.

So it wasn't surprising that Michael also developed the travelling bug, a need to explore places both near and not so near.

In his early twenties, having qualified as a newly minted surveyor, he took the decision to take some time out, to take a sabbatical time out to set out on an adventure of his own.

And so it was that in 1981 Michael decided to set out on an adventure of a lifetime; a motorcycle trip across Africa.

Ever since his father had bought him a motorbike as his student transport, he had developed a love of motorbiking so a motorcycle trip on the African continent was a natural choice. 

He prepared for his adventure with meticulous detail, finding a certain amount of joy and excitement even in the planning.

He wasn't even sure that he could make it across Africa, even having a bailout plan if things were to go wrong, his bike fail him or whatever. But his faithful mechanical steed did not fail him and, together, they succeeded in their cross continental adventure.

The store is very well told and Michael takes his readers all the way, you are with him when people throw rocks at him, when he is accused of spying, thrown into a police cell, has to deal with a variety of mechanical issues and minor details (!) such a sand dunes that had decided to block roads and the like.

He also met  some nice people, including a very smartly dressed Algerian official who proudly took him for a walk through his gardens of which he was justifiably proud.

He met with fellow adventure travellers and a wide variety of characters as he made his way through Africa.

The book is copiously illustrated with a wide range of photographs and maps.

Michael used his travels to raise money for Oxfam.

It is published by The Book Guild at £19.95 in hardback. 

The Quarant

 

The Quarant is a novel by author Graham Bullen.

He takes his readers back to the year 1348. In January of that year an earthquake and a tsunami have brought devastation upon the city state of Venice.

Malin Le Cordier is a highly successful English maritime trader sails into Venice. He has plans to bring about a coup at the behest of Edward III and Genoa.

He has only a limited period of time to bring the coup about. Can he keep the plot secret from his loved ones, even though this made him feel guilty.

However, things are not quite as simple as he believes, for Venice is a city of intrigue, plots and revenge.

Within Venice there is a very powerful force at work. A force that seeks revenge against Edward III and this powerful force is fully aware of the coup plot and is monitoring Le Cordier's every move.

Will the coup succeed? Or will the plotters meet with a bad end?

It's published by Matador at £9.99. 

Flight Path

 

In Flight Path E J Pepper writes a dramatic and disturbing novel which was the winner of the 2017 Exeter Novel Prize.

We meet Sophie. Sophie's life has apparently been highly successful. She and Miles have had a 30 year long and successful marriage which has produced twin girls.

Sophie and Miles have a wonderful circle of friends and Miles is a highly successful educator.  

But an allegation of sexual abuse against Miles destroys everything.

What should Sophie believe? The allegations against her husband, or the word of her husband?

Is he an innocent abroad or an extremely devious, manipulative predator?

He and his family face the humiliation of Miles' trial. Will he be found guilty or innocent? And even if he is found innocent, would that really matter because, after all, who wins in such a trial?

But what about Sophie? Does she have secrets from Miles that might also bring about the destruction of the marriage?

It's published by Matador at £9.99.  

Your Stools are Safe in Our Hands

Your Stools are Safe in Our Hands is probably a first from author and biomedical scientist and author Edie Watney Judd, a amusing novel set in the world of biomedical laboratories.

It's a satirical comedy written around the subject of the yearly UKAS inspection.

Some of it is fiction, some of it is fact and some is probably faction, a combination of fact and fiction!

Paperwork, the job would be great, without all that paperwork, but UKAS needs to see the paperwork for their inspection visit.

Marvel at the presentations, learn about the values of the laboratory, and the strange, interesting and sometimes utterly bizarre colleagues that occupy the laboratory and UKAS.

The book is educational and amusing. 

As well as being a biochemist, Edie Watney Judd is a published author and a member of the Society of Authors.

It's published by Matador at £7.99.

Penguin Beach

 

In Penguin Beach by Lawrence Prestidge we meet Clyde. Clyde is a penguin. And he absolutely being a penguin!

He is the main attraction at Penguin Beach, which is a centrepiece at London Zoo.

None of the visitors can resist the strutting, posing star of the penguin show, Clyde.

But then disaster strikes for Clyde! Because now, there's a new penguin on the block, Diego, who has come to London from Spain.

Diego leaps, jumps and back-flips and the visitors just love him. But why are the other penguins also impressed by Diego?

This is Clyde's Penguin Beach! He works hard to regain centre spot and to drive Diego out of the limelight and out of Penguin Beach for good!

However, Clyde realises that he has gone too far and he has inadvertently put Diego's life in danger. So it's up to Clyde and his penguin friends to find Diego and bring him back to safety. Or will a variety of gorillas, snakes and the bad guys thwart them?

It's another great book for children from Oxfordshire's Lawrence Prestidge, with fantastic illustrations from G. William.

It's published by Matador at £7.99.  

Self Enquiry

 

Self Enquiry A Testimony is the personal testimony of Michael  J. Vincent in which he explores a "profound, radical and powerful practice with a simple message."

Michael uses stories from his life to show how all of our experiences (from the trivial to the intense) can become a deep resource for us to draw from in our search for the truth of life.

He shows how the practice of self enquiry can dampen the anxieties, doubts and fears that impact upon our lives.

He shows his readers how we can  move forward to peacefulness, fulfilment and positive actions.

He points out that there is no doctrine, there's not a belief system, nor is it a crutch, a mask or a sticking plaster. 

He reveals that self enquiry is, instead a way to help you believe in yourself.

Michael J. Vincent is an author and an artist and a qualified Reiki therapist.

The book is published by Matador at £8.99. 

Poleaxed

In the novel Poleaxed Peter Tyrer, emeritus professor of community psychiatry at Imperial College, London, takes his readers back to 1967.

An ordinary English town is hit with an extremely unusual event, as people suddenly start to fall victim of a mysterious illness, poleaxed and many of the victims die.

What is causing the disease? Virus? Bacterium? Poison? None of the experts knew and leading medical experts had started to argue amongst themselves.

However, an anthropology student who has recovered from the disease and two junior doctor combine forces to learn what is causing the disease.

Eventually the three realise that the ailment really only has the most severe impact on those who are suffering from severe anxiety.

They believe they have found the cause and they believe they have found the sollution. But have they correctly identified the cause? And if they have, will their sollution work? Or are they too late?

It is a pacey, exciting read which is solidly based in realistic scientific knowledge.

And it was written before COVID-19 became known.

It is published by The Book Guild at £8.99.

And the Sea Darkened

And the Sea Darkened is a debut thriller from new author Vicki Lloyd, who has an MA in Creative Writing from Oxford Brookes University.

The novel begins with a sound, or an absence of sound, that awakens farmer Magnus Bostock. He quickly dons his clothing, takes his shotgun and leaves the family farmhouse to discover what had disturbed his slumbers.

He finds something that no farmer would like to discover. But that's only the beginning of the problems for Magnus, his brother Nick and the rest of the islanders.

A young academic called Jasmine arrives on the island, she believes that if she can discover an ancient journal, that is hidden somewhere on the island, she will be able to uncover the cause of the killings. But can she? Is she putting herself in mortal danger?

Is there really a link with the past that has brought a curse down upon the family of the Bostocks?

Can Magnus and Nick, who are usually feuding with each other, discover the truth before it is far too late?

This is a thrilling read, created by someone who truly knows their craft.

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

 

Baghlan Boy

Baghlan Boy is a novel from Michael Crowley.

When he is just eleven years old, a strike from a drone destroys Farood Abali's family home in Afghanistan's Baghlan Province.

It kills his father and leaves Farood and his older brother, alone as the sole survivors.

His brother takes the family's flock of sheep and sells them, using the money to pay a shadowy 'agent' to take Farood to the West. He hopes that, eventually, Farood would be able to return with wealth to free them from their poverty.

The journey that Farood takes is a harsh one, he endures pain and suffering as he traverses Pakistan, Iran and Turkey kept in the boots of cars, or forced to hide in cellars and in trailers.

But by the time he is 19, Farood is incarcerated in an English jail, imprisoned, or so he claims, for a crime which he is innocent of.

But could Farood escape from his imprisonment? And if he could, what would he do? What could he do?

This is a remarkable novel which is an intelligent look at how and why people become refugees in our modern world.

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

I'm Fine, Thanks

I'm Fine, Thanks is a fictionalised account of a very moving memoir from Chris Doveton.

It's the prime of their lives for Chris and Anne. They are enjoying life in general and are especially enjoying their loving, vibrant marriage. 

But then tragedy strikes them as Anne is diagnosed as suffering from a rare but fatal genetic disease. For a decade the couple bravely shoulder this burden alone, keeping it a secret.

Following Anne's death Chris becomes a victim of a crushing grief. 

He learns that if he is to cope with his wife's death, he must rid himself of his "stiff upper lip" attitude. 

He becomes able to express his loss by opening up to people and learning that it's OK to cry and that often, "I'm Fine, Thanks" isn't a suitable answer.

Chris embraces therapy that saves his life and he finds himself able to reactivate his religious faith and to find love, again.

It's a moving book and an important one.

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

Leicester Rocks

In Leicester Rocks by Mike Hatfield, we meet Leicester's Stan Booker. 

It's 2015 (that's the year, not the time)  and we meet Stan Booker. Stan's having one of those: "Where did it all go wrong moments?" in his life.

He's in his mid-fifties, he doesn't have a job, doesn't have a wife (well, not since the divorce at any rate) and he really thinks that his desire to achieve rock God status as a guitarist will not come to fruition.

But! Along comes his lifelong friend Phil and all bets are off. Or on, perhaps?

Because Phil and he are about to start their own business and Mike forms a rock band called Leicester Rocks.

He also becomes romantically involved with  twice-divorced Mandy.

He knows that there's about as much chance of the band hitting the big time as there is for his team Leicester City winning the Premier League. another of his pipe dreams.

But what if the star is ascending for both Leicester Rocks and Leicester City? Can both stay the distance? Or will love and loyalties be tested to or beyond destruction?

It's a lively feelgood romp of a story and is published by Matador at £9.99.