The Journey – Prologue to Hell

The Journey – Prologue to Hell is indeed what the book’s title tells all its readers. It gives exactly the train passengers’ experience to those who’d been gathered up from their homes to be transported on it. To what, those passengers had wondered. Given false knowledge of a wonderful life they were being taken to by Nazis who’d dragged them out onto the road into waiting lorries then onto a train, they soon found that was false. They discovered the train journey didn’t lie, though; it showed its passengers the truth long before it ended.

The Lamb Of God

England, the 1460s: the conflict known as the Wars of the Roses, pitting Lancastrian against Yorkist, is at its height. After his terrible experiences at the Battle of Towton and the siege of  Bamburgh Castle, Philip Neville is tasked with finding and escorting the recently deposed Henry VI – a man so pious and kind-hearted that many call him ‘the lamb of God’ – to London. During the period of relative peace that follows, Philip, previously disappointed in love, is at last persuaded to take a wife and make his way at court but finds it difficult to rein in his belligerent and insubordinate nature.
Despite his burning hatred for the ambitious nobles who have profited from the war, Philip remains steadfastly loyal to the new king, Edward IV. However, that loyalty is tested as never before when the alliance between the two most powerful men in the country – King Edward and Richard Neville, known as ‘Warwick the Kingmaker’  – begins to fray…
The Lamb of God is the second book in Philip Photiou’s War of the Roses trilogy. The first, The Wrath of Kings, was praised by best-selling author Philippa Gregory for its ‘intense realism and wealth of period detail’: qualities that The Lamb of God displays on every page.

The Last Epitaph

In a world ravaged by a religious war that has claimed the lives of billions, scientists race to find a solution in a top-secret lab. Patrick Jarborn is the last hope for humanity, but when the lab is overrun, he and his guardian Gloria must flee for survival. Along the way, they discover Sarah, another test subject with a crucial role in humanity’s future. Together, they embark on a perilous journey through a world they only know from books, facing unimaginable threats as they search for safety. As they navigate the crumbling ruins of civilization, Patrick and Sarah find solace in each other, and hope for a new era of peace. The Last Epitaph is a heart-wrenching tale of survival and the power of love in the face of humanity’s darkest hour.

The Last Wish

Tom isn’t anything to anyone, or at least he wasn’t until the dying wish of his father sent him on a seemingly impossible trek to find a lost wartime lover, unwittingly throwing Tom into a maelstrom of violence, death and romance. An exciting and sometimes humorous escapade which started when a bereaved son had nothing better to do.

The Lawyer's Last Words

Upon his release from a prison in the South of France, Marlon Crappy, a daunting and fierce behemoth of a man, unexpectedly discovers he’s now a wealthy heir, courtesy of his late brother’s estate. This sudden fortune, including a luxury yacht, only fuels his thirst for revenge. He’s convinced that the affluent owners of a grand chateau are responsible for his brother’s tragic end.

However, the chateau’s proprietors are not to be trifled with. Comprising an ex-US Navy Seal, a formidable Dutch Judo Champion, and the enigmatic Eva, a former French Secret Service agent, they are a force to be reckoned with. When tragedy strikes the chateau’s youngest members, and with Parisian politicians entangled in the fray and an unknown thief plundering Crappy’s newfound riches, the trio must delve deep into their formidable pasts to face this escalating threat. The battle lines are drawn, and in this high-stakes game, every move could be their last.

The Lecture

As Dr Daniel Brown prepares to present the first of his three lectures, he reflects upon how his life has been forever changed by the events leading up to this presentation. However, he does not yet know that his life, and indeed the whole world, is about to be changed forever. While presenting long-overdue answers to age-old questions, the ultimate crime is suddenly discovered during an adventure which shocks the audience to the core.

The ensuing punishment is relentless…

The Lecture Diaries

Whilst Dr Daniel Brown presents the second of his three lectures, it becomes apparent that the rigorous honesty and morality of the two crew is now being tested again and again. As they settle into their new lives, it becomes apparent that their transition is not going to be quite as simple as they originally imagined. However, they both find very different ways of dealing with various situations whilst still retaining their individual morality and honesty. During one of her conversations with Dr Brown, the female crew’s honesty is tested to the absolute limits, it is then those terrible crimes are revealed; the problem then becomes who are the initial perpetrators and who should then be punished, or even be held accountable...

The Life and Loves of Saint Columba

‘Years ago, I was captivated by a magical day spent on Iona and dreamed of writing a book on St Columba, an inspirational man far ahead of his time, who challenged the institutions of church and state, and created a monastery that became a beacon of spiritual and artistic light during the dark ages.’  Tim Hetherington
In this bold take on the life of Saint Columba – the founder of the religious community on the Scottish island of Iona and one of Ireland’s three patron saints – Tim Hetherington eschews the pieties of a conventional hagiography in favour of a more down-to-earth view of the saint and the religious, social and political world of Ireland and Scotland in the sixth century AD. Originally named Crimthann – the fox – and a member of the powerful Ui Neill Clan, Columba’s remarkable gifts of intellect and character were quickly noted and nourished by the leading clerics of the day. But his impetuous nature and family loyalties led him to involvement in political intrigues and conflicts.
Denounced by Church leaders, Columba left Ireland with twelve monks and founded the monastery on Iona. Over the years he established the Christian Church throughout Dalriada, the Irish kingdom in Western Scotland, and then in the rest of Scotland ruled by King Bridei of the Picts. Columba aligned himself closely, perhaps too closely, with the Dalriadan royal family. But the sheer force of his personality and his dedication to spreading Christianity by written works as well as by word of mouth ensured his special place in history.
Masterfully blending extensive research and novelistic imagination, The Life and Loves of Saint Columba is full of fascinating insights into the nature of faith and spirituality. This is a must-read for anyone interested in Christianity or Irish history.

The Lost Man and Other Tales

When our two children were small, we lived on a small farm near Exeter. The farmyard was immediately outside the house which meant I could spend a little time with our two sons at their teatime and go indoors again when they were bathed and put to bed. My wife would read to them, and then I would. As they got older, I would tell them stories too, often involving input from them too. Hence, the idea of creating stories as well as just reading other people’s writing.

A few years later, I felt the need for the extra income, so I did a one-year teacher training course at St. Luke’s College and took a part-time job at our local secondary school, teaching slow readers. A colleague there, a teacher of English, heard of my occasional scribblings and asked for some short stories for her to use in class. This worked surprisingly well.

For a number of reasons, we sold the farm in 1978 and moved to a house with a three-acre paddock near Kingsbridge. I became a full-time teacher with multiple handicapped teenagers. Not much time for writing. Also, in later years, when we were gardening beside the River Dart a few miles downriver from Totnes, there was no time for writing.

However, when we sold our smallholding and retired to Totnes in 2000, I took up writing again and got down to it more seriously. This book is the result of my scribbles over the last 20 years.

The Luggage Lifter

Meet Harold, a young man who occupies a room in a bleak tenement in the edgy Blitz-damaged East End. Harold’s good humour and air of optimism belie the unfortunate circumstances which blighted his childhood, left him orphaned and shaped his view of the world. An intelligent, resourceful and amiable character, operating around the London hotels and railway stations, he turns luggage lifting into an art form. When he discovers a stash of letters in a leather steamer, an act of kindness sets off a chain of events which gathers its own momentum and leads to romance. But the escalation in his criminal activities, together with the finding of a large haul of used banknotes can only spell trouble. The attention of the police and the menace of the Moretti brothers, who claim the money, coincide, and arrest seems a safer outcome for Harold. He survives a prison term but soon learns that shaking off his unresolved past is more difficult, especially when trying to do the right thing leads to complications in his love life. Just when a sense of well-being beckons, matters spiral out of control and push Harold to the brink…

The Man for Whom Time Stood Still

Anthony, the hero of this novel from Brighton, is ashamed of his poor background, and of his criminal record for having helped his father, a petty criminal, commit a robbery. He rehabilitates himself with the help of his employer, who becomes a friend.

He falls in love with a girl from an affluent family but misleads her and her parents about his past and his background. When the time comes to face his own lies, he finds no choice but to leave Brighton. He moves to London, becoming prosperous but emotionally unhappy.

The girl eventually marries someone and raises a family, but never forgets her former lover, her ideal. On a chance trip to London to get away from marital troubles, she runs into Anthony.

But the reunion does not come to fruition. The hero is heartbroken and decides to end his life. Can there be a solution that makes them both happy?

The Man who Cleaned Gravestones

Why would a retired detective be cleaning gravestones? Bob Macinaly had to retire from the job he loved after having been shot by a bank robber. He had taken a holiday in Mallorca trying to get his life back together. By chance, he found himself in a Salvation Army charity shop and purchased a second-hand book. A letter hidden inside changed his life forever. As a police officer he moved from one case to another and very seldom could he follow up on the unseen victims left behind, namely the close families who would suffer forever whilst the convicted murderer would live out life in, some would say, comparative luxury.

From now on this would be different; he would become close to human trafficking and the evil controllers and the crime lords making millions at the cost of human lives.