The White Phoenix

The White Phoenix is a debut historical novel from the pen of Catherine Randall.

It's 1666 in London. Lizzie Hopper is 13 and after the unexpected death of her father, Lizzie, along with her mother, must take over the management of the family's bookshop, The eponymous White Phoenix.

The bookshop is overshadowed by the imposing medieval St Paul's Cathedral.

But England is living through troubled and troubling times. The country is at war with France, threatening prophecies are being uttered and spread around and there is talk of an invasion by the French and there are reports of plague.

Against this backdrop and riots and the threat of blackmail, Lizzie must try to fight to keep the family bookshop open.

But then came the catastrophic Great Fire of London. Can she help save the bookshop and its stock of books? But there's a secret that Lizzie was keeping, a friendship she should not have had. Can she save the shop and her friend?

The story brings the London of 166 alive, with the prejudices and problems of the people of London.

It's a great historical novel ans hopefully the first of many novels from Catherine Randall.

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

A World of Trouble - Fateful Decisions

A World of Trouble - Fateful Decisions is a debut from a new novelist, Jacky Renouf.

It tells the story of three women, Marion, Stella and Rachel and what happens when Marion and Rachel find themselves trapped behind enemy lines when the Germans invade the Chanel Isles.

The occupying German military forces are a ruthless invader who force the islanders who could not or would not participate in the evacuation by the British military.

Along with the other civilians on the islands Marion and Rachel lack basic supplies as the German occupiers become more and more draconian and more ruthless.

But what can they do, what will they do in order to survive? Stella is in England but she is separated from her friends and family and has to struggle on alone trying to work her way through a life that is very different to what she was expecting.

But can romance blossom in even the most unlikely places?

It's an interesting novel told through the stories of the three friends and letters sent between them.

It's published by Matador at £9.99

The Journals of a Victorian Traveller

In 1942 a house in Canterbury, Kent, fell victim to one of the infamous Baedeker Raids, during which the Luftwaffe used the travel guidebooks of Karl Baedeker to target historic British towns such as Bath, Exeter, Norwich, York and Canterbury.

This house, however, was different from the other houses bombed during these raids. For in the ruins of the house were discovered the  travel journals of Julia Errington Biddulph which were removed to a place of safety.

The travel journals in The Journals of a Victorian Traveller tell the stories of the travels of Julia during the latter decades of the 19th century.

Prepared and retold by Martin Laurie this book is a stirring and romantic story of the world of the latter part of the 19th century.

Her first journey to India took seven weeks. But by the latter part of the period covered (30 years later) the same journey took just under 14 days.

She met royalty, generals and other notable person and they suffer the vicissitudes of weather by turns monstrously hot or monstrously cold.

She married Colonel John Bidulph in April 1882. He was, we learn, the author of a number of books some on military matters, although he also wrote on other topics. He was also a naturalist and sent specimens to the British Museum.

Laurie points out that, over time, Julia's journals show that she matured from a rather timid girl at the time of her fist visit to India into a mature and confident woman.

The book is well-illustrated with photographs from the family album and I feel it is a must read book for those interested in history and/or 19th century travelogues. 

It is published by The Book Guild at £9.99 in paperback.

A Life of Power and Persuasion

A Life of Power and Persuasion is the autobiography of Keith A. Elliot MBE.

In his book Mr Elliot shares with his readers the details of his long and extensive career as a police officer.

He reveals how he came from a working class background and then moved into and upwards as a career police officer.

Her served as an officer in the West End of London and was able to meet many influential and wealthy persons during his service, for which he was granted the honour of the MBE.

Upon leaving the police he looked around for a new role in life and he launched a business offering a consultancy service to the film industry working on in excess of 75 films. These include the Harry Potter series a V for Vendetta.

He was able to use his considerable personal charm, and persuasive nature to make certain that directors and assistant directors and varied film crews stuck to the agreements that he had negotiated with the authorises in London and other parts of the UK.

It's an interesting and thought provoking book as much of what he writes about policing is still fresh and relevant today.

The only minor quibble I have is that there are no photographs, not even an image of the author, which is a pity.

It's published by Matador at £18.00 in hardback.

When the World Falls Down

When the World Falls Down readers meet Bethany Hannah Morgan. Grief has come into her life as her best and sole friend in her life, has died.

But her grief is lessened, a little bit, when she finds that a simple cupboard door takes her to a new and mysterious world called Edimor. In Edimor she meets a bewildering array of characters, scary monsters, space travel, pirates, wizards and a great deal of mystery.

She soon makes friends with Grollp who is a troll pirate. He owns a locket that is capable of controlling great power.

However, all is not well with Edimor, it appears to be under threat from a mystery child and the carer who is with it.. But who or what are they? What are their intentions toward Edimor and its inhabitants?

It is Grollp's aim to employ the locket to save his world. Unwilling to return to her own pain-filled world, Bethany joins the fight filled with determined to help protect and save Edimor.

Can she succeed? Will she? And at what cost?

This is a fantastic, gripping and thrilling adventure book for children aged 12 and upward, including their parents and grandparents. 

Somewhere in Europe

Somewhere In Europe is a new humour-filled novel from author P J Vanston

Kevin Crump liked his job at the Foreign Office, but sadly the Foreign Office didn't like him. Well, not enough to keep him and his job is lost due to a process that is now called 'rationalisation.'

We first saw Crump a decade ago in Crump, and now, after regretfully leaving the Foreign Office Kevin Crump finds himself with a teaching post in Cambrian University, based in South Wales.

The years have not been kind to Cambrian University though it's been declared "most improved" so there is that.

The culture at Cambrian University is a culture shock to Crump. He finds it a victim of Political Correctness 2, free speech is unheard of and unheard, no-platforming is a way of life, underhanded anti-Semitism is rife, gewnder politics holds saw, all classic books aren't merely prefaced with trigger warnings, they are banned. Positive discrimination and 'diversity' is to the fore and amidst all this, Brexit rolls along.

Cambrian University has a trick up its sleeve. It has found, or so it is claimed, a document that dates back to the foundation of the university and which, with the appropriate royal approval, means that it is able to declare freedom and independence from the United Kingdom and to declare continued fielty to the European Unuion.

Most of the staff and students are absolutely delighted by this bizarre turn of events. But things in the weird way of life at Cambrian University are not quite as straightforward as they might at first sight appear.

So, what is Kevin Crump to do? Will he go with the considerable flow or throw some spanners in the works? 

What with berserk South Sea Islanders, the data stick with all the compromising evidence, a dead person apparently responsible for its onward dissemination, armed students and songs by The Beatles, what on earth could possibly go wrong or right?

It's a very well-crafted and well-written book. Anyone who has worked or studied at a university in Britain over the past decade will recognise some of the issues, the staff and students in this novel.

It's published by Matador at £10.99 

Beneath the Blood Moon

Beneath the Blood Moon is a debut thriller novel from Darren Will.

The marriage of Dominic and Laura have had problems within their marriage, but they are both working to rebuild it.

But to Dominic's shock and bewilderment, Laura vanishes and he is left to try and pick up the pieces and try to come to terms with what happened and to try to understand why she went.

But after several months, Laura returns and Dominic should be very pleased by this turn of events. But is he? Should he be? Because he begins to realise that all is not right. Yes, Laura has returned, but she is different, somehow. Changed. And not for the better.

As time went on, things become even stranger and the behaviour Laura displays is growing even stranger, more bizarre, in fact.

Clearly this causes stress and tension between the two of them and Dominic begins to wonder just who, or what, Laura really is.

Danger is lurking, death is on the way. But for whom? And how does this relate back to the events of 35 years ago when a woman sold her baby?

Eventually, Dominic is arrested for murder and the police cannot believe the story he is telling them. Well, it's too fantastic to believe. Isn't it?

It's an extremely well crafted novel with many twists and turns to keep you guessing throughout the book.

Darren Wills is a name to watch out for.

The book is published by Matador at £8.99.