DP Goes A-Roving

DP Goes A-Roving is a fantastical historical tale from author Nicholas Romano.

Dino is a young boy who is trying to make some sense from a matriarchal mother, an absent father, Blackshirts v Partisans, a vile war and the trials and tribulations of first love.

In the immediate post-war years Dino meets up with an idealistic philosopher who seems a little bit unlucky, ends up serving some time in the nick, meets up with some old comrades and his wartime sweetheart.

These events prompt our hero to leg it, moving to and island where he meets up with some truly bizarre characters. And hilarity (well, sort of) ensues.

Eventually he returns home and undergoes a somewhat dramatic reunion with his family and then the fun starts, involving castles and cliffs and the like.

It's an unusual and slightly bizarre book, but one that is very readable indeed.

It's published by The Book Guild at £8.99 and you can order it for Chirstmas here https://goo.gl/wdCFDG.

Whisper of Death

Whisper of Death is a new novel from published author Paige Elizabeth Turner.

It is a follow-up to her novel Beyonds All Doubt, which sees investigator Olivia Watts once again enmeshed in an investigation into another high-profile mystery.

Only a short time (mere hours, really) after she had been happily preparing lunch in her own home, Joyce Beecham was dead in hospital.

Why? How had she died? Was it murder?

Into this maelstrom steps Olivia Watts, principal investigator of new frecently founded business, 'Watts Happening? Investigations.'

Olivia's company has been commissioned by a legal acquaintance of hers, Alexander Beecham, to investigate his mother's suspicious death.

Olivia's investigations soon turn up matters that some people might have thought best left hidden, including a clandestine marriage, some nasty sibling rivalries and some financial transactions that, on the face of it, seem to be problematic to say the very least.

Whilst rummaging through family closets she unearths a few skeletons and meets up with Lord Bennington, an inventor best described as somewhat eccentric who seems to have some close connections to the Beecham clan.

She also finds an estranged relative who she believes to be her number one suspect. But is she?

Can Olivia solve the murder? Will she receive the support of her on-off boyfriend and former supervising officer, DCI Stafford?

This is another excellent novel form Matador about a character who is becoming a firm favourite with me, Olivia Watts. I love a good murder mystery at Christmas and this is my pick for Christmas 2017.

It'll be a great Christmas gift for the murder mystery fan/s in your life and you can order it here  https://goo.gl/wdCFDG.

Dreaming of a Divine Life

Dreaming of a Divine Life is an amazing memoir from Joanne Lee Philpot.

The book commences with the dream of a yoga teacher's dream of making a retreat in the countryside of Italy.

But it soon becomes much more than that when Joanne sees it transformed into a journey of self-realisation and self-discovery.

Joanne realised that if she took the time and made the effort to see the positive in all experiences, including the negative experiences, and learning to be more of a giver than a taker, by seeking out and learning the truth about relationships and "choosing  love over fear and by learning to feel good and cultivate compassion for others, I hope that my readers will relate to my difficult experiences," Joanne said, in regards to the purposes behind writing her book.

Her dream turned inot a bit of a nightmare, to be honest. The dream of a wonderful yoga retreat in the Italian countryside turned out to be an uncompleted house in the hills in which she found herself struggling to raise her four kids!

But she became aware that sometimes a travail or a problem may, in reality, be a blessing in disguise and a moment that we can learn from and use the4 experience to grow spiritually.

It's a book of interesting spiritual concepts but it is in no way preachy or overwritten so will be a useful book for everyone who wants to learn about the yogic way of life.

It's published by Matador at £9.99 and will make an ideal present this Christmas. You can order it here https://goo.gl/wdCFDG.

Mary Darling

Mary Darling is a debut novel from L M d'Mello.

The protagonist of the novel, is Mary Darling who was found abandoned on the steps of a hospital very soon after her birth.

Marey spends the first part of her life in the care system until she is adopted by Tom and Susan who lost their own daughter in a tragic accident.

Her new parents do their best to make her life a happy and contented one, but school bullies do their best to hurt Mary. However, a totally unexpected ally comes to her rescue.

But Mary's life is utterly transformed when she realises that she has an amazing power. She can not only communicate with animals, she also has the ability to heal them, too.

She then proceeds to help save the animals of the world from harm, cruelty and the ever-present danger of extinction.

She must fight against an array of dangerous enemies who mean harm to not only the animals of the world but also to Mary, herself.

This is the first part of a trilogy of books published by Matador.

The book costs £9.99 and is an excellent and entertaining way of bringing the plight of the animal kingdom to children and adults and will make a great Christmas gift.

You can order your copy here https://goo.gl/wdCFDG.

The Theology of Truth

The Theology of Truth is an analysis and review of the theological concepts and ideas that are to be found in both the Old and New Testaments from theologian W. A . Sumner, who studied theology at Hull and went on to achieve an M Litt from Oxford University.

The book commences with a review of the varied and different types of truth or certainty. These range from mathematical realities right through to theological concepts and ideas. 

The remainder of the book is a selection of different theological materials from all over the world.

The authors of the cited materials all claim, in one way or another, to impart to us the truth about both life and death.

A. A. Summer employs Biblical materials to draw comparisons with these other scriptural materials.

He then proceeds to examine and outline the varying forms of truth (covering art to mathematics) and thence on to matters both philosophical and theological.

He makes a careful analysis of each scripture in that light, endeavouring to undertake this work as objectively as possible.

This is an extremely interesting and very well written work from the author of The Theology of Paradox (also available) and will be an excellent Christmas present to all students of religion,  but perhaps especially those studying comparative religions.

It is published by The Book Guild at an extremely modest £9.99 and can be ordered here https://goo.gl/wdCFDG.

Without Borders

Without Borders is a moving novel from Susanne Burge.

The novel follows a young Doctor called Ana, who is working at the Za'atari refugee camp in Jordan.

Rahim, who is eleven years old, tells Ana something. She fails to recognise the significance of what he said until he suddenly vanishes.

Ana feels impelled to go on a rescue mission to save the young boy, and she goes to a secretive field hospital which is located in the besieged town of Old Homs.

However, she barely escapes with her life, fleeing from ISIS forces. However, she has put those who assisted her in fear for their lives.

Unfortunately she is captured by the Shabia and put in the hands of their evil leader.

She witnesses acts of love, of betrayal and of unspeakable horror as she tries to make sense of the situation around her. Who can she trust? And is everyone quite what they seem?

This is an extremely well-written and thoughtful novel. It is published by Matador at £8.99 and is available here https://goo.gl/wdCFDG.

Colonel Belchamp's Battlefield Tour

Colonel Belchamp's Battlefield Tour is a moving piece of fiction which does start from some historical wartime fact.

In May 1940 Dunkirk was not the only place to see a strong, but ultimately hopeless, defensive action. For there was also the defence of the port town of Calais, often overlooked by the history books.

Author Adrian Crisp has used the defence of Calais as the starting point for his novel.

The book begins 24 years later, in May 1964. Former soldier James Butland is devastated by the recent death of his young son. 

He decided that he would return to France to visit the battlefields where, as a young man of 18 years of age, he took part in the defence of Calais.

Whilst there he takes stock of his life, looking back over the lead up to the Second World War, the war years and the years following that dreadful conflict.

He had been on the point of going to study at Oxford University, but like so many members of his generation his plans were spiked by the advent of war, when he becomes a young soldier.

He is wounded in the conflict and is hidden from the invading Germans by a young medical student named Agnes. Following a brief love affair she is able to help him return to England.

After his return to full health James is posted to Tunisia where, during vicious fighting, he is wounded again, this time so severely that his has to be discharged from active service.

Weary from fighting and killing James decides that he would rather be helping people and saving lives, so he opts for a career in medicine and trains as a Doctor.

James' career as a man of medicine flourishes, but his life is shattered when his son who is none years of age is killed in a road accident.

Whilst he is visiting France he decides to see if he can find Agnes. He does so, but is shocked to learn that she bore him a child.

This news brings a crisis of conscience to James. What should he do? How should he react to this utterly unexpected news?

This is a very thoughtful novel and it is to be hoped that Adrian Crisp will have a long career as a novelist ahead of him.

The book is published by Matador at £7.99 and can be purchased here https://goo.gl/wdCFDG.