Wintergreen
The past never dies…
When journalist Cat Armistead visits the small village of Wintergreen over Christmas, she thinks that staying in the peaceful English countryside will give her a chance to relax. Her illusions are shattered, however, when a local businessman, Hugo Montbray, is found dead in a wooded area near the village.
As Cat delves into the mystery she finds that Montbray was a man with many enemies, and that his death might not have been accidental. Her search for the truth uncovers local and family rivalry, broken trust, and even a touch of the supernatural. And, as if that weren’t enough, Cat reluctantly finds herself being drawn to Jake Fernsby, the detective who is investigating Montbray’s death.
However, Cat’s interest in the case has not gone unnoticed – and, in investigating it, she might have put herself in grave danger.
A cozy crime mystery set around Christmastime, Wintergreen is the perfect read for long winter evenings.
Wintergreen is available to buy or borrow on Amazon. To pick up a copy, click here.
The Quickening
England, 1897. When botanist Lawrence Fairweather returns to his lonely Fenland home after an extended trip to Europe, he hopes for a time of peace and tranquillity. The Fairweathers are a family in need of healing, having experienced a tragedy that has left Lawrence’s wife Julia immersed in grief and their daughter Hazel unable to speak.
As Fairweather soon finds out, however, Halfway House is not the peaceful place it once was. Its lonely rooms and empty halls are thick with shadows and secrets, while the surrounding Fen crawls with menace. Julia and Hazel both seem to sense something gathering beneath the surface calm, and even Fairweather finds his rationalism challenged by a series of inexplicable events. But are the Fairweathers haunted by their own memories, or by something altogether more sinister?
A traditional haunted house story set in the Victorian Age, The Quickening explores the boundaries between perception and reality, religion and science, and truth and mystery.
Praise for The Quickening:
‘[An] absorbing psychological, supernatural, highly atmospheric thriller.’ – Author Dennis Hamley
‘An elegant, entertaining and very scary piece of writing – somewhere between a traditional country house haunting and a psychological thriller, with elements of both.’ – Author Catherine Czerkawska
‘An excellent, disturbing and absorbing read.’
Loving Imogen
Bachelor Daniel Touchwood’s life is normal, even humdrum. He lives in a small town, teaches English at a local school, and spends his free time immersed in books. Occasionally lonely, but never really unhappy, he sees no reason why things should ever be different.
Everything changes, however, when Daniel finds two young runaways hiding in his cellar one evening. Twins Imogen and Leo are appealing, enchanting even, and it isn’t long before Daniel finds himself being drawn ever closer to Imogen. As he soon begins to suspect, however, the twins are hiding a dark secret…
A story about forbidden love and family secrets, Loving Imogen explores the nature of desire and the poisonous power of concealment.
Three short stories, The Song of the Sea, Summer and Fragile Things are included in this collection.
Praise for Loving Imogen:
‘A compelling read … its evocation of relationships, surfaces and depths is managed with the lightest of touches and a true feeling for language.’ – Author Bill Kirton
‘Elegant, satin-smooth and deeply thoughtful.’ – Author Reb MacRath
‘A story of broken romantic love that mixes taboos into a deadly-sweet cocktail with a bitter finish.’
The Song of the Sea
Deaf, mute Jacob Worsley is regarded as a harmless oddity in the small fishing village where he lives. Few people suspect that he is haunted by the memory of what happened to him twenty years ago, when he went out to sea with his brother Isaac and encountered a primal evil…
A short story of 2,700 words, The Song of the Sea revisits an ancient legend and weaves an atmosphere of mystery and dread. It can be downloaded for free here.
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