Many years ago I read Sunday’s Child, an autobiographical account written by Anne Lyken-Garner, of her difficult childhood in Guyana. In many ways, that book made the reading of The Far Away Girl a much richer experience. The Far Away Girl She dreamed of finding a new life… Georgetown, Guyana 1970. Seven-year-old Rita is running wild in her ramshackle white wooden house by the sea, under the indulgent eye of her absent-minded father. Surrounded by her army of stray pets, free to play where she likes and climb the oleander trees, she couldn’t feel more alive. But then her new stepmother Chandra arrives and the house empties of love…

I was drawn to read The French House because I realised that it was based on history of how some French women, including Veuve (‘widow’ in French) Clicquot, the heroine of this story, who lost their husbands at a young age are behind the world’s finest drink! The French House The vineyards stretched away in every direction as he plucked a perfect red grape, sparkling with dew. “Marry me,” he’d said. “We’ll run these vineyards together.” But now he is gone. There is no one to share the taste of the first fruit of the harvest. And her troubles are…

Today I’m happy to be participating in Bookouture’s cover reveal of The Frozen Girl by Roberta Gately, publishing on 18 May 2021. The Frozen Girl The young woman’s mouth is slightly parted, as if waiting to speak. Her body is frozen in ice and her blue eyes stare at the sky, perhaps wanting to look at the stars one last time…  When the body of a woman is found in a frozen river, Jessie Novak and her partner Detective Sam Dallas rush to the scene. Jessie is shocked to find the girl in the ice is Sheila Logan, who she worked closely with for years.…