The Cedars of Beckenham

The Mystery of an Antique German Doll reunites members of a family torn apart during The Third Reich of Nazi Germany.

This family saga, starting in the leafy suburb of Beckenham on the borders of Kent and London, begins in 1930 in the comfortable world of four British upper-middle class families blind to the impending changes that are about to threaten not only their world, but everyone else’s world, too.

A doll belonging to the Abuthnott family becomes the catalyst that brings about two sides of the Rubenstein family, who were able to escape from Germany in the late 1930s finding refuge in the United States of America and in the British Mandate of Palestine.

Along the way, the horrors of the Blitz and the British struggle for survival are enacted out against the parallel Germanic horror of holocaust separation. The survivors in the United States, Great Britain and Israel adapt to a new world as it unfolds through the second half of the 20th century, until by the chance sale of a German Biedermeier doll at Sotheby’s in New York, their separate paths are brought together in 2017.

The four Beckenham families adapt to their changing lifestyles witnessing a rich tapestry of 20th century history taking the reader all over the world with its beauty, passion and prejudices.

The Chinese Stone

Howard Wu’s insatiable greed puts the secret mountain villages at risk, and it must be stopped. Amid the bustling crowds of downtown, Choi An thinks he’s safe. But as he navigates the throngs of people, a sudden stab to his heart takes him by surprise. Without a sound, he falls to the ground, the victim of a ruthless attack. Follow the twists and turns of The Chinese Stone as the fight for power and control of a valuable resource unfolds in this action-packed thriller.

The Cleopatra Caper

“I want to present Cleopatra to the World,” Lady Stanhope sighed and reached for her purse. Two very young and inexperienced detectives, Flinders Petrie and Thomas Pettigrew, were unexpectedly presented with the case of a lifetime. Flinders and Pettigrew, recent graduates of Oxford and rivals of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, suddenly find themselves confronted with the task of finding Cleopatra’s tomb. The tomb’s location, as they quickly discovered, was protected by the adherents of an ancient cult. Their quest leads them to Cairo and Alexandria. They meet a mysterious woman, who is possibly the descendant of Cleopatra. Their story weaves between the ‘City of the Dead’ in Cairo and the ‘Mound of Shards’ in Alexandria. They discover that becoming a detective is more difficult than they imagined as students. Set against the background of the River War in the Sudan and written by an expert in archeology and Middle East history, readers will find this story a worthy successor to the Conan Doyle legacy. “Find me Cleopatra, and I will pay for all this….” 

The Collector's Dream Vol. 1

Embark on this soulful journey

with Donaldson’s collector's dream

to bless your being with his beautifully written poetry

allow yourself to experience his divine expressions,

genuine emotions, love for humanity and, his fascinating way

of rhyming his observations, knowledge, and spiritual wisdom

Embark on this magnificent journey

Of deep understanding and salvation 

Through gratitude, warmth, affection, loyalty, and positivity

Embark on this reviving journey for

each poem is a treasure

each poem will warm your heart

each poem will teach you a lesson

or you will receive a positive thought

that will set you eternally free.

– Leorah Mcnemir-Rohoman 

The Confession

Ania was in turmoil.

She was feeling neglected and unloved. She knew she was being selfish, but her feelings were the only truth she knew.

Then a fateful opportunity presented itself and she couldn’t resist. Temptation had found her vulnerable and wanting and before she knew it, she was caught up in a short passionate affair.

And with that, she set into motion a chain of increasingly deviant and destructive events that crushed her sanity and threatened to take her very life away from her.

As her world spun out of control and her life crashed around her she found herself ever more lost and caught up in a vortex that she couldn’t get out of.

As things went from bad to worse even she didn’t know if she’d survive…

The Conversation Club

Centuries ago, the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten appointed a council of 22 custodians to foster the flourishing of the human spirit through the pursuit of knowledge, the advance of the arts, and covert philanthropy. Today, the London Chapter of that council is known as The Conversation Club. It is helmed by Esau Monk, who guards its activities and astounding wealth with ironclad secrecy, but its very existence and purpose are threatened from within.

60 years ago, in Nazi Germany, Wolfgang Ackerman smuggled 22 boys and a hoard of stolen gold out of the country at the outbreak of the war. Their destination: London, and The Conversation Club. Unknown to anyone but him, he has secretly substituted his own son for one of the boys and is haunted by guilt.

Now, in London, someone is carrying out brutal murders. The security services are convinced Islamic terrorists are behind the atrocities. Former FBI profiler, Dr. Ben Whisker, disagrees. He discerns something far more deadly than meets the eye. His recent fall from professional grace, however, means he is not being taken seriously. Realising that the impenetrable Conversation Club is the focus of the violence, he teams up with the Grand Master of the Club, Esau Monk, to figure out what the connection is.

The Cottage

This novel by Cornelius Buckley, follows the two previous collections of poetry. The Last Irish Romantic, was launched by Gabriel Fitzmourice, the noted poet, at the Listowel literary festival. He described the collection as a striking series of works reminiscent of T. S Eliot and Michael Hartnett. The book was praised by the famous Dublin publisher and poet, Pat Boran, as a “truly distinctive debut volume”, and the noted British poet Bernard O’Donoghue described it as “brilliant”. Cornelius’s second collection, Poems from Heartlands, was published recently. It was uniquely innovative in that it contained both printed poems of note, but also hand-written poems woven into distinctive artwork by the author. The colour edition received fulsome praise. It has won the Pinnacle Book Achievement award, the San Francisco Literary Festival award for Poetry; the Author’s Circle award for novel of excellence, the Firebird book award, the Titan award, and the Outstanding Creator award. The Cottage continues that innovative approach. The poetry scattered throughout may seem extraneous, but it is an essential part of the character of the protagonist, a poet and lecturer in literature. It is partly autobiographical. But the novel also owes much to Agatha Christie as a mystery and as such should keep the reader guessing to the end. But it is more than that; the author feels that books should operate on different levels, and The Cottage also embodies literary riches and philosophies that should challenge the reader. It contains theological material also which some might shy away from, but it is part of the character of the author as a priest, and the protagonist as a deacon. The general quality of the work and its mystery should offset any criticism and make this a must-read, full of fascinating byways and twists of the imagination which make this a major work of literary excellence like the author’s previous praised and multi-award-winning poetic art.

 Cornelius is a graduate of St. Patrick’s College Maynooth, and has a doctorate from Oxford University, where he specialised in modern American poetry. He has already published two prose works, Wheels of Light and Learn from Me, and is busy finishing two further novels, The Mountain and The Island. They should be published soon by whatever lucky publisher takes them up.

The Cottage

When Jo inherits a neglected cottage on the Avon near Stratford, she steps into a world of hidden histories and family secrets. Left to her by her enigmatic Great Aunt Lily – better known for her estate in Cornwall – this humble cottage serves as the catalyst for a series of events that plunge Jo into danger, including an ominous figure from her past. As Jo delves into wartime diaries and heirlooms, she unravels a tangled web of loss, grief, and the devastating consequences of war and personal betrayals.

Aiding her in this journey is Al, the loyal gardener, who helps Jo tend to her aunt’s once-vibrant gardens. As the gardens flourish, so does Jo, finding strength and growth amid the blooming flora. But as she navigates through her family’s complex history, she must also confront the lurking dangers that threaten not just her newfound peace, but her very life. This gripping story explores the far-reaching impact of secrets, the resilience of the human spirit, and the transformative power of nature.

The Crucial Step

The Crucial Step, the next book in the series after One Step Away, considers the believable reality of a coexistence between worlds and the actions of after-world dwellers as they fight to slow down global warming impact on Earth.

As those on Earth struggle to come to terms with the growing evidence of global warming and the dilemma facing nations in competition, those in the after-world watch. They are one step beyond death but realise their immortality is at threat with both worlds being linked in the cycle of life.

With earth world dilemmas slowing the progress to reduce climate change, after world dwellers take matters into their own hands. They do so whilst upholding the realm laws, that their existence should remain a secret on Earth. A secret, that if realised, may be even more devastating than climate change itself.

James, Alana and their friends, part of an ancient race of Harpies, embark on powerful adventures in between worlds and the dark realms to discover alternative energy sources to provide the Collective, the orchestrator of all world’s balance, with the energy it needs. The unfathomable question driving this, is why the Collective continues to overpopulate Earth, accelerating its demise? A way must be found to distract it.

The Crystals

‘...Ben shivered and looked with horror at what he saw. Before his eyes, the water in the lake slowly receded and an icy wind whistled through the window… He could not believe what was happening—everything was disappearing. The lake was a dry hollow, the meadows had become barren and the trees stood before him stripped of their leaves and bark. The sky darkened and then everything turned white and he could see a figure standing alone on the frosted ground…’

Ben, a young adult, aware of his strange origins and power, finds himself at the epicentre of a terrible cataclysmic fight for Earth’s survival as we know it. He must advance his powers to save the world and develop his human compassion to win over the most reluctant of allies.

The Dagger and the Rosary

Sicily in 1693 is recovering from a devastating earthquake and struggling under the oppression of the Spanish Inquisition. Raids from Barbary pirates menace the coastline, while European Princes plot against each other. Meanwhile, the sixteen-year-old Bernardo has been brought up in an isolated Benedictine Abbey since being orphaned seven-years before. Now an unexpected journey will introduce him to this chaotic and often cruel world, where his faith will be tested.

Rescuing a young girl, Agata, from Barbary pirates will reveal his presence to an old family enemy, as well as introducing him to a secret brotherhood, and to the confusion of adolescent love. However, as love deepens, the petite Agata does not remain a victim for long, growing into a beautiful woman and determined avenger. Family secrets and desperate journeys threaten to tear them apart but will ultimately lead them both to find out what is most important in life.

The Dambe Fighter

Jabbo Okeleke becomes a successful Dambe fighter in his own right while making himself a cut above other boxers. This is also a riveting story that provides a contemporary portrait of a Nigerian fighter, who knows what he wants in life: to become an undisputed boxing champion.

As Jabbo Okeleke endeavours to achieve his goals in boxing, in all his glory, he has nothing to lose or hide, as he is confronted with ugly African myths, half-truths, and a slew of talented Dambe boxers.

This off-beat novel is all about boxing grit, resilience, and determination — that is, when it comes to Dambe boxing, while deepening our understanding of Jabbo Okeleke’s tireless boxing journey.

Finally, Jabbo Okeleke, with his personal challenges and experiences, takes on humankind, in general, as a fledgling Dambe fighter, as his opponents feel the great, tangible power of his dextrous hands and fists.