Poppy's Seed

Poppy's Seed is a new novel from author Bethany Askew.

It explores a marriage between Peter and Emily Stanchester and is set in the English coastal town of Lyme Regis.

They are both finding the idea of grasping the fact that they were now into their retirement year a little challenging.

Peter went from being an important person who had work-related order and routine in his life to a person who was, unfortunately, no longer important and who no longer had work-related order and routine in his life.

And as for Emily? She misses the friendship of her former work colleagues and she misses her freedom,  too.

Onto the scene steps Poppy James. Poppy is an artist who is quite typical of a certain type of artist, she eschews convention, has a slightly spotty reputation and lives her life to its bohemian full.

She is unlike anyone that either Peter or Emily have ever met before.

They are both fascinated by this otherworldly creature and Peter is, not unnaturally, flattered when Poppy seeks him  out to ask him for advice.

But for what purpose has Poppy come into their lives?

Is there more, or perhaps, less to Poppy than appears at first sight?

And what, exactly, is Poppy after? What does she really want from the retired couple?

Apparently this novel was based on a dream that the author had and it does have a certain dreamlike vibe throughout it, it has to be said.

It's an interesting read which explores what happens when life intervenes.

It is published by Matador at £7.99 and it is available for purchase at the That's Books and Entertainment bookshop which you can find at this link here https://goo.gl/WRfFc7.

Sherlock Holmes To a Country House Darkly and other new adventures

Sherlock Holmes To a Country House Darkly and other new adventures is a newly published addition to the canon of Sherlock Holmes stories.

It is written by N. M. Scott and published by The Book Guild Publishing.

Within seconds of starting to read the first story I was utterly captivated as I was taken back to the Victorian era of swirling fogs, when Homes and Watson used their knowledge of science, medicine and the detective arts to right wrongs and bring justice where before there was none.

The stories are tightly plotted and the writing is of such a high standard that it might have been written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, himself.

There are stories of murder and revenge and ages-old retribution, of  devious land owners, violent robbery, of terrible secrets that became public knowledge under some rather unusual circumstances.

I am not going to reveal the plots of any of the twelve most excellent adventures, but what I will say is that if you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes and his companion Dr Watson or of Victorian era detective fiction in general, you must buy this hardbound book at the snip of £9.99.

You can buy it from the That's Books and Entertainment bookshop at this link https://goo.gl/WRfFc7.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have another story in this book to finish reading!

That's Christmas: A Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all...

That's Christmas: A Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all...: Everyone at That's Chirstmas would like to wish our readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and prosperous New Year. We would ...

The Enemy Within

The Enemy Within is a historical novel set in the recent history of the 1980s Miners' Strike.

For his debut novel former mining engineer Robert MacNeil Wilson gives his readers an exploration of the 1980s miners' strike.

It relates the story of Jim, who is a young colliery manager, an Paul, who is a miner, as together they battle to save their mine.

Half a mile beneath ground they face the miners' age old enemies, flood, roof collapse and fire.

However, the miners' strike drags them into conflicting sides of the conflict that tears asunder ties of friendship and of blood as friend is pitted against friend and family member against family member, rendering their pit village inot a battleground.

The novel also touches on the plight of the women of the pit village as they struggle to come to terms with the new reality that has been thrust upon them, as they struggle to make sense of what is happening and of the new reality that has become their life.

Based upon the experiences of Robert MacNeil Wilson when, as a young mine engineer of 24, he was, on more than one occasion, the only manager in charge when the mine was besieged by massed flying pickets.

The book is a riveting read and explains what happened and what went wrong. And who went wrong.

It costs £8.99, and can be bought here>>> https://goo.gl/zmYo4p.

The Magdeburg Relic

In his novel The Magdeburg Relic, author C. M. Chadwick takes his readers on an exploration of black magic, paganism and folklore in this, his debut novel.

It is an occult novel following in the fine traditions established by one of the founders of this genre, the late Dennis Wheatley.

In fact C. M. Chadwick states: "My book is a serious attempt to write a heavyweight occult novel in order to continue Wheatley's tradition."

It is his hope and desire that the book will be an enjoyable read for those readers who like exploring paganism, black magic and folklore.

The novel is set in the mystical English county of Wiltshire and follows the story of a vicar, who is also an occult investigator, Callum Dood.

He uncovers the conflicting forces of devil worship and paganism.

Togetrher with a group of trusted compatriots, Dood fights with a Satanic cult for possession of the Magdburg Relic, the rediscovered relics of Adolf Hitler.

It is the intention of the cult to use them for occult purposes; It is the intent of Dood and his helpers to thwart them.

The action takes place in a variety of locations, including Nuremberg, the site of Nazi rallies and to a necromantic ceremony, where the soul of Hitler is raised.

The action then moves to a mysterious crypt beneath the former home of occultist Aleister Crowley where the battle nearly ends with the death of Dood and his plucky band of fellow workers.

Later they face, at Carn Brea, in Wiltshire, the opening of a gateway to the underworld through which the Satanic cult hopes to draw legions of the former followers of Hitler.

However, they were not counting on the fact that Dood would be able to recruit the assistance of a pagan group who still hold firm to the old religion and who still converse in the Celtic language of their ancient forefathers. They hold in veneration the Celtic god Taranis and together both groups work together to defeat the cult.

But will they succeed? Read this thrilling novel to find out!

This book is definitely in the tradition of the late Dennis Wheatley and the only way one can tell that it is not a book by Wheatley is that there are references to modern matters such as emails. And, yes, I do mran that as a complement to the author, C. M. Chadwick.

It is published in hardback by Matador at £12.99 an d you can buy it here >>> https://goo.gl/zmYo4p.

The Seven Letters

In her debut novel 'newly minted' author Jan Harvey brings readers a poignant and moving novel that weaves a fascinating series of deeply interwoven stories that proceed through the decades of wartime Europe and toward the present day.

Claudette Bourvil is a timid country girl who, after her recruitment by the French Resistance, is directed to work in Paris, as an undercover agent within a bordello that is operated by the calculating and hard Madame Odile.

Whilst she is at the bordello of Madame Odile, Claudette meets and falls in love with one of the habitues of the bordello, a German Nazi officer, Fritz Keber.  

He is a deeply complex man with secrets of his own, which, when she discovers them, absolutely horrifies Claudette.

The story progresses to England some seven decades later. It is 2014 and Connie Webber is a witness when her friend the playwright, Freddie March, ends his own life by suicide.

Matt Varney, a kindly stranger, who is also on the scene offers her his comfort and they become firm friends.

Matt offers to assist Connie in the task of sorting through Freddy's possessions and they discover a cache of seven letters which are the key to the mystery of his mother.

The letters lead them to Paris. There, they meet a former prostitute who reveals the story of a maid who worked at the bordello who was, in reality, an agent of the French Resistance.

Connie and Matt follow the trail to a quiet village in the Normandy countryside where they discover a terrible truth relating to the fate of Freddy's mother.

The book will be published in February 2017 at £9.99 by Matador.

It will be available for purchase here>>> https://goo.gl/zmYo4p.

The Universe is a Machine

The Universe is a Machine is a debut non-fiction work by Chartered Engineer James Hughes.

In it offers a new and unique explanation of the science of what might have happened during the Big Bang, when our universe came into being.

It is a novel solution to the problem of where all the antimatter went after the Big Bang, why it is still in existence and the reasons as to why it has never, at least so far, been detected.

It is written in the form of a treatise which explores the so-called "smoking gun" of a clue that points to there having been a distinct mechanical process that took place during the aftermath of the Big Bang, superimposed, as Hughes argue, upon the thermodynamic and nuclear processes that are linked to the evolution of the early stages of our universe.

It is the current orthodoxy that the antimatter was utterly destroyed in the events of the aftermath of the Big Bang.

However, Cambridge alumnus and chartered engineer James Hughes argues that this was not the case.

He has a unique explanation to what happened to the antimatter, where it is and why it has not -at least, yet!- been subject to detection.

This paperback book is published in paperback by Matador at £78.00, though a Kindle version is available for £68.00.

It is available for purchase or download at our shop>>> https://goo.gl/zmYo4p.