Pretty Dead Ordinary

Nearly two years after a serial killer let loose with havoc in Brumby Flat, intrigue, unexpressed desires and murder ride back into town.

A long-awaited wedding celebration turns sinister when a bridesmaid nearly drowns in the local dam. Once again, Senior Detective Phillip Duncan is drawn into the initial investigations, but quickly becomes the prime suspect. Gradually the small South Australian town starts to believe he fits the profile of their new deadly threat.

Some familiar characters return from The Big Dead Dry. Raquel Willaston is still living with the charismatic silo painter Phil Proctor and Anabella Williams has returned after serving time in a correctional centre for the accidental death of the local Mayor. Raquel’s son Steve is now the local rookie cop, quickly learning how to cope with the evil circumstances unfolding around him. Then there are the new folks in town, the crafty Tanaka family with their rebellious beautiful daughter ‘Yankee’ who Steve becomes obsessed with.

Pretty Dead Ordinary sums up the order of things to come. Detective Duncan is forced to work harder than ever to prove his own innocence and hopefully bring the real killer to justice.

Pretty Eyes

After PI Agnes Trout repels a vicious attack by an intruder in her New York City apartment, she discovers that other women have been attacked by the same perpetrator. Even though the attacker is known, none of the women attempt to bring him to justice. Agnes’s own quest uncovers a brutal murder and brings her into contact with the glacial matriarch of a wealthy family, an enigmatic, charming fixer and a cold-blooded killer. At the same time, she is asked by a close friend to look into the checkered life of the friend’s secretive and menacing husband.

Determined attempts on her life and malicious threats will not slow Agnes down as, along with help from unexpected quarters, she goes after a killer and a scheming husband.

Pretty Flowers In the Snow

Enter a world of dream and reality.  Where the afterlife and our world meet. Where the beginning is the end and the end is the beginning. Where death, horror, the surreal, reality and pain meet. Gothic and surreal overtones are just some of the ideas that permeate this collection of poems.  
Pretty Flowers in the Snow is the second book of the ‘Poppy’ trilogy, revealing that the world Lilith entered is full of flowers, smothered by snow. The flowers are a reflection of her and the torment she is in.

Prince of Wales Lane, SC3

When a young French student had parked his old, dented 2CV, in front of an estate agency in a small seaside town on the East coast of England, he had an absent-minded look at the properties on offer in the window. When he realised how ridiculously low the asking price of a grand palatial house was, he walked in, asked to view the house, and bought it on an impulse, to the shocked horror of his mother and friends. Little could he guess that he was hopping into a trap that would cause him to be followed by the police in several countries, and even offer him an opportunity to discover what it was like to be remanded in custody, all that without ever realising what he was wanted for. Meanwhile, he had made friends for life in the town, and would never be able to stay very long away from his family, his friends, his lovely house, his job a couple of miles down the road, or the local garden fête.

Princetown and the Conscientious Objectors of WW1

Over 16,000 men refused to fight in WW1 and became known as Conscientious Objectors.

Their initial incarceration in prison was deemed unsuitable for many and they were then sent to work centres to be engaged on work of national importance.

One such work centre was in the village of Princetown, Devon, home of the notorious Dartmoor Prison.

This book explores its change of purpose to that of work centre and the daily life, type of work and health of those COs held there. It also looks at the impact of their arrival on the local community and the attitudes of the village residents towards them.

Prior Knowledge

Summer of 1966. The Vietnam war is reaching its height, and Sonny has just enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. On his way home from the recruiting office he meets Joe, a 15-year-old from New York City. The two teenagers form a strong bond and spend every day in each other’s company until Sonny leaves for Vietnam.

Years later, Hendricks is on a flight home from the war. A chance encounter with a fellow veteran leads him to upstate New York and a career in the New York State Police. But Hendricks is suffering partial memory loss due to trauma he suffered in the war. He needs to build a new life for himself, which he does successfully, until one day he finds himself in a situation that triggers emotions he cannot explain or control.

Is Hendricks regaining his lost memories? And what is the significance of Sonny and Joe’s friendship all those years earlier? Hendricks’s journey is painful. Will it lead him to discover what has eluded him for so long?

Prunes

Old spies don’t retire, they just sit on the sidelines until needed. This is what Mr Eggington and Violet believed until they uncovered a plot that would reshape the financial world. Mr Eggington was counting toilet rolls and paperclips until he reached retirement, and his best former operative, Violet, had ended up as a tea lady.

Events unfold with surprising speed after she tries to buy a packet of biscuits to go home with Mr Eggington’s tea. She is set up and ‘roofied’ ending up in an old person’s home after this dastardly attack and Mr Eggington is ridiculed when he tried to bring his fears to the attention of his boss.

Rallying the most unlikely people they engineer a plot to save the country. Hidden depths are uncovered in their new friends and they pool all their skills to overthrow the evil megalomaniac, after trying to break all the codes and riddles of course!

Pseudo Poetry

A collection of thoughts I was unable to articulate. From the happy to the grim. From the abstract to the clear-cut.
Art without words is just expression. Words without art are just information.
Disclaimer: you will not find this book informative.

Psychopath in Town!

Skeletal remains are found under the town’s sports ground goalpost. Young Wallis Brown, who is the daughter of a police sergeant now deceased, meets Sergeant Sam Watson. He tells Wallis of a psychopath in town. Her long-time friend Cherie Winters is bashed by her husband Neil Winters, who blames Wallis for his job loss and marriage break-down. Wallis discovers a man’s body: Sam says “Stay home at night!” Police hunt to arrest Neil for murder. Wallis, now fearful for her life, runs the short way home through the dimly lit laneway. A man wearing a cap is running after her with a knife! She screams and then falls into oblivion.

Pulling the Rug

“You have to come, now.”

Those were the words that up ended Emma’s world and pulled the rug firmly out from under her feet. Up until that point her life had been relatively charmed: A good job. A lovely house. A handsome husband. Fancy coffee. Holidays with sun and adventure. One day she would settle down. One day she wanted children. One day.

One car accident and her world spun out of its axis. A ready-made family crashed her ordered world. A mutinous teenager, a traumatized little girl, crazy twins and a long-suffering cat. Everyone had advice. Everyone had an opinion. She thought she was strong, capable, she always had a plan. She always had a plan A, B and C to be precise. But what happens when someone pulls away the rug?

Purely for The Money and Not A Little Love

Randall and Hannah, both East Londoners, survived the blitz as children and eventually settled in Suffolk, lured by the countryside’s peace, sun, and sea. Their children grew up, became independent, and started families of their own. As Randall’s health declined, they longed for a quieter and cleaner environment, a new adventure to seize. Life was good.

But fate had other plans. Over the years, they faced numerous challenges, but they always overcame them, never giving up. Until the final two challenges, which turned into their worst nightmares. They never could have imagined what lay ahead.

Their incredible story of perseverance and triumph is chronicled in this book. Keep it close, for you never know when you may need to draw inspiration from their experience to keep yourself safe.

Rainbow over Rocheville

Meet Jacques, a charming yet aimless singer-songwriter and carpenter residing in the quaint French town of St Auban. Irresistibly good-looking and laid-back, Jacques seems content to let life happen around him, whether strumming his guitar for an enchanted audience or crafting intricate woodwork. Business savvy may elude him, but talent and affability are in abundant supply.

In a life unmarred by grand ambitions, Jacques finds solace in the simple things – a moment of daydreaming, the fleeting beauty of a rainbow. When a vivid rainbow arcs over the neighbouring village of Rocheville, it inspires Jacques to pen a new song, but also leads him to question if such symbols of luck and happiness could ever truly be his.

As we follow the ups and downs of Jacques’ existence, an unforeseen love threatens to add a layer of complexity he’s never had to face: the commitment and responsibilities of marriage. Will love finally give Jacques the focus he lacks, or will it prove to be another fleeting moment in a life spent drifting?

Journey with Jacques through the undulating terrains of love, friendship, and self-discovery, as he grapples with the possibilities of a life that could either find direction or continue to meander. Will Jacques unearth the fulfilment and happiness he unconsciously seeks, or will he remain a soul forever wandering?