A Time for Role Call

It is post-war Britain, 1946 to be precise, and former debutante Sally Jardine-Fell, SOE operative is in jail, due to be put on trial for murder. But it is for a murder of which she is innocent.

The reader is invited to follow the twisting path of Sally from blitz-torn London to Yorkshire, where she meets up with the mysterious Adam.

She travels to the Rome of the Fascist regime and to the bedchamber of of member of Mussolini's government, who is her SOE target.

However, for reasons that are entirely beyond her control her operation is aborted and after the overthrow of Mussolini and the allied forces invasion of Italy she leaves Rome to escape Italy.

There follows a series of hairraising adventures as she meets up with German deserters, escaped POWs, a nun, Italian draft dodgers, Adam (again and only briefly) Italian partisans and shepherds.

Eventually back on post-war London a former SOE superior of hers tries to kill her. But (and not by her hand) it is he who ends up dead, and not Sally.

The judge appears bent on virtually ordering the jury to convict her on flimsy circumstantial evidence  and send her to the gallows. And yet, perhaps fate has something else in store?

It's a tightly written novel that carefully blends historical facts and very plausible fiction from previously published author Doug Thompson and is £8.99 from Matador and will make a most excellent Christmas present for fans of his work.

You can purchase it here https://goo.gl/wdCFDG.

All Change

All Change is a comedic debut novel from author M. M. Purkess.

Our protagonist James is a youthful and aspiring author.

James is renting a somewhat small flat in the less than salubrious apartment building owned by Mrs Mangalino. It was recommended to him by the best friend of his mother as being ideal for a writer. (But why?)

However, James is kidnapped, badly beaten and reapears the next day, though has no recollection of the events or where had had been taken.

This Is followed by a series of other equally inexplicable and unpleasant events and experiences of a similar nature. And why is it that previously perfectly sane, normal people begin to act as if they have become mentally deranged?

And what was the significance of the poisoned fish?

Meanwhile, all is normal in James' home village. Or is it? Because besides the normal pettiness and rivalries that tend to bedevil end of term festivities and the village fete, other things are beginning to stir.

And just what on earth was happening underground? Deep, deep underground?

What is the significance of the terrible subterranean machines? What had caused the floods? Who, or what, are the Sentinels? And who is in control? And what are they in control of, exactly?

This is a novel which is either amusingly terrifying, or terrifyingly amusing. I haven't quite been able to make my mind up quite yet!

The book is published by Matador at £8.99 and will make a wonderful Christmas gift for anyone who likes a chill and a laugh, sometimes at the same time.

Of special note is the back cover illustrations by J. D. Purkess, which are seriously good.

You can purchase the book here https://goo.gl/wdCFDG.

The Creators

The Creators is an important new series of novels from the pen of J. M. Collins.

It brings to life the turbulent times of the 1970s, as it tells the story of a group of young people.

It follow Pete Bridford and the close-knit group of friends who he gathers around him.

He has a glittering academic career at Cambridge University, but, amidst a time of student protests and political upheaval and turmoil, this career comes to an end.

He leaves academia for the world of business and makes some startling a perhaps unsettling discoveries. For example he exactly how much a secret can be worth and he also discovers that some friends are not really friends after all...

The series takes the reader through to the early days of the government of Margaret Thatcher which began in May 1979.

At this point, Pete must come to some important realisations. For example, which side should he, actually be on?

The series is a trilogy The Creators, Road to Nowhere, Flight to Destruction and The Turnaround.

It's an interesting series of books and brings to life a rather bizarre period of modern British social history from someone who obviously played a role in many key events. 

An interesting Christmas gift.

All cost £8.99 and can be bought here https://goo.gl/wdCFDG.

Mag-Iggle

Mag-Iggle, written by John Benneyworth, is a very amusing children's book with excellent illustrations.

It's ideal for parents to read too or with their children and it tells the story of Mag-Iggle as he has to employ a variety of magical spells and potions to come to the assistance of his mother-in-law, Myst-Iggle. Myst-Iggle, who has an unfortunate tendency to mix up her magic and create utter chaos!

Myst-Iggle is flying about, minding her own business, as you do if your a witch. Sharing her broomstick is her greedy  cat (who is also magical)  who is a vegetarian cat who is on a special diet. Which consists of eating nothing but daffodil sandwiches and spinach pie, served up with green custard.

But food is probably the last thing on poor kitty's mind as the cat is becoming more and more broomsick.

Myst-Iggle knows exactly what to do to make poor kitty better! It;s this potion here, right? Wrong! Myst-Iggle accidentally selects the right potion and the wrong words and things go hilariously awry!

But not to worry! Because, as ever, Mag-Iggle comes along to save the day!

This is a really fun read and will have everyone happy to read it this Christmas. It's got to be in the stockings this year, I feel.

And there are a lot of other Iggle books in the series, too, all of which are published by Matador. All of which are aimed at promoting reading by making them fun.

You can order the book here https://goo.gl/wdCFDG.

There's also lots of fun to be had, including pages to colour, at www.igglebooks.com.

In The Shadows

In The Shadows is a new and gripping novel from author E. J. Shaw.

It tells the story of Eden Matthews. Eden is blessed with the talents, looks and the ambition that she needs to succeed as a prima ballerina.

But a simple horseriding accident changes all that. But not in a way that one might think. For after her accident Eden discovers that she is blessed or cursed with special powers and abilities.  Now she can see and communicate with those who have passed over. She can see and speak with the dead.

She does her best to get on with her life, she still wants to be the prima ballerina, so she tries to ignore her new and, from her perspective, unwanted gifts.

But it becomes clear that she has been gifted these extraordinary powers for a specific set of reasons and those who gave her these powers cannot give up on her, cannot allow her to ignore these powers or, indeed, continue to live her previous,  normal existence.

There's a stark choice for Eden. A dance partnership with Dillon, who seems to have more than just a professional interest in Eden?

Or should she take part in a bitter battle between Heaven and Hell that has gone on for a millennium?

There's Zachary who is an embittered soul, who in life was a ballet dancer who had been cruely betrayed.

He seemingly holds Eden in the utmost contempt, yet like a moth to a flame, he keeps being drawn back to her presence.

Eden manages to tread a fine line between both worlds, but will there be a demand for a terrible act of sacrifice?

Does Eden have the determination and willpower to see it through to the end?

But who, exactly was Eden fighting? And why does she end up feeling such fury and rage at the angels? What had they done to earn her enmity and hatred?

And what will happen next?

This is the first book in a new and very compelling series of books by E. J.Shaw, aimed at ages 12 to young adults.

It's a remarkably good read and must be in the Christmas stockings this year!

It's published by Matador at £7.99 and can be ordered here https://goo.gl/wdCFDG.

The Metropolis Of Glass

The Metropolis of Glass is a new anthology of poetry from poet Chole Lee.

Written over the past four years it is a distillation of the careful and thoughtful observations of the world around her by Chloe Lee.

The poems cover a wide range of topics from relationships blighted by cheating, divorce, war, the rising tide of social media, armed conflicts, the plight of the homeless, poverty and loneliness.

The observations are sharp and the with that changes them from the base material into the finished work of poetic art are even sharper still.

Chloe Lee is, obviously, a person watcher and she has used this skill to very good effect as her poems bring to mind the realities of life.

Of particular note are Remembrance Day, The Two Old Ladies, Dick Whittington and Richard Whittington and In the Margins.

Chloe Lee is a new name to me. It is to be hoped this is merely the start of a new star in the poetical heavens.

The Metrpolosis of Glass is published by The Book Guild at £7.99 and will make an excellent Christmas gift for the poetry fan in your life.

You can buy it for them here https://goo.gl/wdCFDG.

Stargazey World

This is a new novel from published author Christine Dawe. It's something of a departure for Christine Dawe, an author of a number of popular social history books, Stargazey World is a novel aimed at readers who are aged 9 to 11 years of age.

It's a brilliant fantasy novel which is illuminated with flashes of brilliant good humour.

It tells the story of Sheena Robinson who is described as a feisty Scouser. Sheena's a good girl, though she does wish she could concentrate a bit better at school, plus there was the problem with her very wayward green hair. however, Sheena didn't suffer bullies gladly and she employed her ready with to put one over on them.

But then Sheena has to travel to Cornwall for her cousin's wedding. She stays at a cottage where she shares a bedroom with Carys, who is a little bit of a tomboy. And she also shares the bedroom with a whole host of talking animals who live in or on the wallpaper of the bedroom.

The animals take the two girls on an amazing adventure to Stargazey World, a world that is influenced by the amazing imagination and muddled up thinking of Sheena.

However, all is not well in Stargazey World and Sheena and Carys eventually find themselves facing injustice and wickedness when they are attacked by a group of weird beings. Including a nasty leather wearing rockstar who goes by the name of Thunder and his crazed and very dangerous sister, Lightning.

They also have to face a hoard of other equally bizarre and evil creatures, as they attempt to thwart them with the assistance of the wallpaper animals.

It's a must buy Christmas gift for every girl out there. It's published by Matador at £7.99 and can be bought here https://goo.gl/wdCFDG.