Melancholy of the Heart - Echoes on the Wind

From an early age Ruth had always struggled to fit in. Her only solace was provided by the abundance of nature she enjoyed living by the beautiful North Cornwall coast. She took pleasure in seeing the resilience of sea pinks, small pink flowers clinging to the cliffs and the warm coconut aroma of vivid orange gorse. As an only child she felt lost and isolated until her gift made itself known to her. This gift gave her a reason to live in a world she barely understood. She was not prepared however for the toll on her emotional and physical self her gift would exact from her, never knowing when she would be called upon to help those no longer of this time find forgiveness.

Mary Copeland: Victorian detective

Mary Copeland: Victorian detective examines the life of this young woman who is raised by her uncle and aunt in London in the late nineteenth century and who develops into a detective of stature who works on request for Scotland Yard. As a woman, however, it is almost impossible to fulfil a social function and so she has to do her job anonymously. She is assisted in this by employees of Scotland Yard, with whom she forms a secret unit over time.

The stories, which take place from 1888, include many painters from the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. The titles of the four stories are taken from paintings from that time. Swiers impressively manages to portray the London of those days, just after The Ripper Murders and before The London Dock Strike.

In the Netherlands, the first four books on Mary Copeland were published between 2019 and 2022 and subsequent volumes are in preparation.

Man With A Gun

That the gun was kept in a drawer of the old Singer sewing machine was never a secret; although, when his father died, its significance as a reminder of the old man’s mysterious occupation was quickly overshadowed by the discovery of a fortune in banknotes in the loft.

There was, too, the emergence of some alarming connections with an extreme nationalist organisation. And if all that wasn’t enough to disrupt his quiet existence, the presence of dognappers in the village presented a more immediate cause for concern than how to deal with an unexpected legacy, although the inherited gun would come in handy there.

For the new owner of the gun, and very quickly too, the quiet Scottish village of Beachborough was transformed into a centre of smuggling, money laundering and revolution, such a situation of turbulence as had not been known since the Jacobite rising, centuries before. As a singularly unremarkable man, would it be possible for him to stay such an unsettling tide of change, or could he maintain his studied convention of spectator?

Magnet to Murder

In their quaint village, two retired ladies and their friend Jim, a retired policeman, find themselves irresistibly drawn to solving local mysteries. From Janie’s tears to an unidentified body in the park and the perplexing transformation of a cat, they become entangled in a web of enigmas. Seeking a break, they embark on a holiday, only to be confronted with another murder within their group. Accused by the police inspector of being magnets to murder, they must unravel the truth before danger strikes again.In this captivating tale, these retirees embrace adventure, delving into secrets and peril that threaten their peaceful existence. As their bond strengthens, their determination to bring justice to their community intensifies. Can they solve the puzzles and prove their innocence before suspicion consumes them? The stakes are high as they navigate the twists and turns of their village’s mysteries.

Luke Woam - The Missing Link

Luke Woam is out to become a missing person finder. With such awesome skills as being long-term unemployed; award-winning daytime television trivia knowledge; racking breadcake trays (and occasionally injecting jam into doughnuts when needed in an emergency) and generally being good at nothing useful, Luke sets out with his girlfriend in tow, to the metropolis that is London, to work on his first ever case—locating a runaway teenage girl. It’s a case that will take him way out of his comfort zone of his bed, settee, console, television and unhealthy snacks, which (like everything else in his life post-school), have mostly been paid for by the benefit system.

Luke and his partner, Tina, are thrust into a dangerous world far unlike their own back in small-time Bolton. On the plus side, they do possess a cheap, tacky, lucky charm purchased from a gypsy-like night-time street peddler of an old lady; the charm is probably of no real help to be honest, but alas, it is all in the belief, innit? And, both are in their early 20s still, is that a plus or minus, who knows in this lark?

So, do the UK’s newest, fledgling double act crack their maiden case, or does this missing maiden case crack them? One thing is for sure though, it definitely is a case of people, cultures and cities on a cataclysmic, nay, apocalyptic collision…well, they come into contact anyway!

Love Ever After

Everyone in town knows the Miller house and its occupant: old lady Miller. Local kids call it haunted while the adults just shake their head sadly thinking about poor Mrs Miller living all alone. Beyond that, no one gives it much thought, until the night Jason, his girlfriend, Erica, and a handful of friends venture off into the dark to check out the lake that borders her house. The lake is rumoured to hold the remnants of an earlier town lost to a flood. While checking out the forgotten town hidden in the murky water, the house seems to come to life.

With a dangerous storm coming, murderers on the loose and the mystery of the house looming over them, their small, sleepy town comes to life with imminent threats. Jason wants nothing more than to protect the love of his life, but with the group’s curiosity and a mystery to the Miller house that they just can’t let go, they are pulled into a tangled hunt that changes their lives forever.

Loose Ends

Matthew Bartimaeus, a blind yet notorious hitman, strikes fear into the hearts of all who hear his name. When a routine job takes a disastrous turn, Matthew’s world unravels as he’s double-crossed by a former employer. In a desperate twist of fate, he finds himself compelled to form an unlikely alliance with undercover detective Zoe Garland.As they join forces, their partnership grows stronger by the day, igniting a deadly game of cat and mouse across the sprawling city of London. Hot on their heels is Arif, the relentless son of the Berkant crime family’s patriarch. Fast-paced car chases and high-stakes gunfights ensue, pushing Matthew to the brink as he relies on his finely honed skills and remaining senses to survive.But this isn’t just a quest for vengeance, it’s a mission to protect Zoe, who holds the key to exposing corruption within the Met Police. In Loose Ends, Matthew’s determination to settle old scores collides with his unwavering commitment to safeguarding his newfound partner. In a world where justice hangs in the balance, this duo will stop at nothing to uncover the truth.

Lights Out for Granddad

Stephanie Golding takes licentious advantage of men. Or so it seems. Is that why she is brutally murdered at the crest of a quiet ravine, and with a weapon suggesting more torture than passionate death? Her fiancé vehemently denies involvement, so does everyone else.

The murderer in this apparently vengeful killing is investigated relentlessly by Detective Chief Inspector Charles Merstowe and his team of police and medical experts. Voyeurs, opportunists, friends of the victim, a mysterious white-haired man, shadows: all are suspect. Secrets must be uncovered, foibles exposed and explanations ruthlessly delved. Merstowe knows this, but the case fast becomes a losing challenge. Not much adds up. And what about upsetting machinations and revelations closer to home? There are unwelcome surprises there too. Even the police are disturbed.

An eventual ownership of the crime raises more fog than it diffuses. Perhaps only another death will clear the air completely of jealousy, hatred, blame, retribution and revenge. In the meantime, the veteran Merstowe is forced to question his own skills as a detective. His protégé questions his morals as well. His own doubts cast shadows over himself. Is he remotely on the right track? Was the victim in fact an angel? Or was she instead a cunning devil, too clever by half? Who were really her friends, and who her enemies? Most importantly, what’s wrong with the evidence? Stephanie Golding suffered in death. But why? It needs to be sorted out.

Lights at Sea

In the tranquil coastal town where Miranda pursued quiet career in social care, she relished the freedom and flexibility it granted her to nurture her two children, despite their significant age gap. However, when her teenager’s inexplicable decline in energy coincides with an elderly client’s enchantment with mysterious lights at sea, Miranda’s world takes an unforeseen turn. The appearance of an unfamiliar boy on the beach not only saves Tanya from danger but also entangles Miranda in a web of suspicion that threatens to strip her of custody of her younger child. As conflicting family ties unravel, Miranda battles to reclaim her rightful authority in shaping her daughters’ futures, grappling with the tumultuous forces that seek to tear her apart.

Last of the True Deceivers

How would you react if you woke up one morning and discovered your cat reading the business section of your daily paper, after it had showered and shaved before letting the dog out? Then suppose it calls you dumb for believing everything you’ve ever been taught, before sitting you down with a strong espresso to tell you how it really is. Shame then that CIA agent Tenacious Law doesn’t own a cat, nor does aspiring journalist Corrie Wymbles, but that doesn’t prevent them from teaming up to uncover the truth behind a supposedly philanthropic society. The Carpenters desire only one thing …to create the perfect planet; and you’re not welcome on it! They have entrusted their evil designs to Timothy Burr, the head of the world’s largest space agency, and failure is not an option. He has the perfect plan to deliver their wishes; he has control over the ultimate demonic entity…and he’s prepared to use it! This thrilling novel erupts into an exciting adventure from the start, bristling with danger and exotic locations: from sizzling downtown Rio to a climatic finale in the grand halls of Buckingham Palace; the pace never relents.

Tenacious and Corrie are caught up in something they are struggling to fully comprehend, but in order to defeat evil, they must sling their prejudices in the trash can and accept the truth of their reality; no matter how crazy it seems.

Lasseter's Truth

Jack Johnson is both lucky and unlucky. He survives the Vietnam war as a decorated helicopter pilot, marries the girl he left behind, and lands on his feet at Australia’s leading advertising agency, as a launch pad to spectacular success in the industry. Lucky, you might say.

But luck can change. Jack is hit with a bogus criminal charge that chases him into the Great Australian Desert, in a quest for Lasseter’s fabled gold reef.

But Jack is not the only one looking. A mysterious Chinese company called Triple Eight is buying up leases in the desert, and people are dying.

Back home, he leaves not only a heartbroken wife but a beautiful and very determined daughter who has had her own problems. Expelled from Australia’s most prestigious public school, Tess Johnson vows to clear her father’s name.

Lasseter’s Truth follows them both as they take on the odds. A story that ranges from the greed of the nineties, into a famous legend of Australia’s outback, with a compelling climax for our own time.

Lasseter's Legendary Lost Reef

Headlines are made when a gold discovery that is claimed to be Lasseter’s legendary lost reef is made by the international company Krennerite Gold Corp. This is the most fabled lost gold reef in Australia’s long mining and exploration history, purported to have been discovered more than a century before. James Buchanan, a world-famous exploration geologist is intrigued because the region of the rediscovery is not known as a gold-bearing district but is frustrated in his efforts to access the discovery site to test his scepticism. Unexpectedly, James is approached by the Chinese chairman of the board of Krennerite, who is concerned about the veracity of the discovery and the damage to his reputation if any fraud is uncovered. He and James devise a plan which involves James and the chairman’s daughter Pearl posing as tourists in the Central Australian region near Alice Springs and Ayers Rock to remotely investigate the discovery site using a drone. How will they handle their contrasting western and Chinese cultures in the wild and dangerous Australian outback? Will conflict or romance evolve from their interaction? Will the reported discovery really represent Lasseter’s long-lost gold reef or are there more sinister motives and activities at play? Will rapidly evolving and challenging events played out in the Australian outback, in Western Australia, and China make positive or negative changes to the lives of those involved? Only time will tell!