Tempus Cross

CONTEMPORARY

Pages: 290 Ratings:

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Tempus Cross, a Somerset town unable to shake free from its past, where folklore, gossip and hearsay allow fables and legends to thrive.

In January 1944, beneath the imposing shadow of the ancient Monte Cassino monastery in southern Italy, British soldier Bertie Harris accepts the hand of friendship from German conscript Kurt Zeigler. Detached from their units, the two men form an unlikely bond, both fearing the charge of desertion if caught wandering the Italian countryside. As night falls, they fill the passing hours by opening up about their pre-war lives, sharing revelations, laughter, regrets and melancholy. In his broad West Country accent, Bertie entrances young Kurt with far-fetched yarns from his beloved hometown: Tempus Cross. In return, Kurt confesses his yearning for the girl he fell in love with and then left behind in German-occupied Guernsey.

Tragically, only one of these opposing soldiers will survive their unusual encounter.

As peace returns to Europe, the story moves to Tempus Cross, the inhabitants embracing post-war normality, whatever ‘normal’ is. Here, a mixture of outlandish characters walk us through the decades towards the 21st century, their lives intertwined and threaded together by the events that will shape the future of the town.

Watching it all unfold was a young woman, Jean Renouf. Having brought shame upon her family back in her Channel Island home, the disgraced lover of a German soldier flees persecution, seeking to immerse herself into the closed community of… Tempus Cross.

Lawrence B Hill lives in Wokingham, Berkshire, where he works as an operations manager within a small recruitment business.

“Terrible at Maths” but passionate about reading and writing, Lawrence found some success in the short-story arena after only a few submissions to various publishers. His debut novel, Tempus Cross, and its sequel, Mayhem and Misrule, are both the result of reworking and intertwining several of his short stories—a process the author found to be hugely enjoyable.

Outside of writing, Lawrence runs regularly, dabbles in guitar playing (badly), and enjoys spending time with his wife, Laura, their four grown-up children and their three grandchildren.