THE EYE OF THE FALCON The Al-Andalus Series Book Two

A story of intrigue, betrayal and murder set in the royal court of 10th century Andalusia.

When the caliph of al-Andalus, al-Hakim II, dies leaving an eleven-year-old boy as his heir, Queen Subh knows that her son is in danger.

Enemies in the Omayyad court have their eyes on the throne. A woman of great intelligence, beauty and ambition, she does not intend to let her enemies win.
She must use her wits and beauty to ensure that her son comes to no harm and that she remains Queen Mother. She sets up a Regency to rule in his place until the child comes of age.

But she has underestimated the ruthlessness and ambition of the Regent. Holding on to the seat of power is not as easy as she thought. In the end she has to chose between her own ambitions and her son’s safety.

‘Based around real events, this book magically and effectively brings to life a story rich in intrigue.’ Historical Novel Review Society’

THE SHINING CITY The Al-Andalus Series Book One

Exotic, romantic and rich with historical detail, The Shining City is a timeless story of love, family and the unexpected consequences of our actions. Set in 10th century Spain, in the time of the Moorish occupation, it is, above all, a story of love and honour.When he moved to Madinat al-Zahra, Qasim thought he had escaped his turbulent past but when his youngest son falls in love with the Caliph’s concubine, he sets off a train of unimaginable consequences and puts all his family, including Qasim, in danger. Qasim’s secret is about to be revealed and all he has worked for destroyed.

SPANISH LAVENDER Love in the time of War

‘Spanish Lavender’ is a love story set in the Spanish Civil War.

THE ONLY BLUE DOOR

Maggie is only twelve years old. One day her happy life is torn apart and there is no-one to help her.

It is September 1940, Maggie and her young siblings, Grace and Billy, are living in the East End of London with their mother. Their father has just been killed at Dunkirk and their mother goes into hospital to have her fourth child, leaving the children with a neighbour.

In one of the worst bombing raids of the war their home is destroyed and the neighbour is killed. Bewildered and frightened, the children wander the streets until they are taken in by some nuns.

But their problems are not over; no-one can trace their mother and, labelled as orphans, they are sent as child migrants to Australia.

The novel traces their adventures in their new country, the homesickness, the heartbreak when Billy is separated from his sisters and the loneliness of life in a cold and unfeeling orphanage.

Maggie remains convinced that her mother is alive and is determined to find her.

Based on the experiences of real people, the novel reflects the attitudes of the day towards child migration during and after the Second World War.

TOO CLOSE TO THE SUN a Jacaranda Dunne Mystery Book Four

In Too Close to the Sun, the fourth crime novel in the series, it is JD’s mother, Rosa, who insists that she investigates the tragic death of a young man who falls into the sea while paramotoring close to the harbour.

As shocked sunbathers watch the para-motor stall and the pilot desperately struggle to regain height, a strong gust of wind suddenly sweeps him across the harbour wall and out of sight. A second para-motor close by continues to fly due west, apparently oblivious to what has happened.

The coast guards are quick to reach the scene but at first there is no sign of the man or his machine. Police divers are brought in to recover his dead body. They find nothing unusual about the death and declare it an unfortunate accident, but JD’s mother, Rosa, is not convinced and contacts her daughter. The dead man is the son and heir of a prominent aristocrat, the Duke of Roble and she is a close friend of the family. She explains to JD that the father is very ill and is not expected to recover. His son stood to inherit both the title and a considerable fortune if he had lived. Now his sister has become the duke’s heir. Not only is she a possible suspect but she could also be in danger.

As JD begins to investigate the case she struggles to find any evidence that points to murder, however there are plenty of people with a motive to kill him. The main question is who had the means to do it? And who is the mystery man who was paramotoring with him?

STRAWBERRY MOON a Jacaranda Dunne Mystery Book Three

On Midsummer’s Eve the bodies of two young gypsies are found in a solitary spot near a beach in Málaga. It looks like the couple committed suicide-a lovers’ pact to end it all-and the police are quick to close the case. But Jacaranda Dunne, a private investigator who used to work for the Met, thinks otherwise.

When the cousin of the dead girl asks JD to investigate, he tells her that the man was gay and the girl was pregnant-both reasons to despair when you are a gypsy, but not to commit suicide.

The investigation turns out to be more difficult than usual. Their work is impeded by the culture and customs of the gypsy community, who close ranks against any outside interference, and by a recalcitrant Guardia Civil commander. JD can expect little help from either of them so she and her team devise alternative ways of gathering the evidence.

At first there seems to be no motive for killing these two young people, but gradually as JD investigates further into the worlds in which they had lived, some unpleasant truths begin to emerge.

DARK HEART, a Jacaranda Dunne Mystery Book Two.

When a well known film star is murdered during the Málaga Film Festival, the Guardia Civil turn once more to Jacaranda Dunne and her team for help.

Although Jacaranda—afemale private detective known to everyone as JD—is still basking in the success of solving her first case for the Guardia Civil, she can see that this crime is far from straightforward.

The killer has left a trail of clues for the police to follow, but the question is why? What is he trying to tell them? They can find no obvious motive for the murder of a popular actor, who appears to have no enemies and whose naked body is found in the locked basement of the Picasso Museum.

This tense, page-turning mystery takes our fearless female detective along a trail of dead ends and through the bloody world of terrorism and revenge, until she discovers the perpetrator was closer to home than she had realised.

SOPHIE IS STILL MISSING The Jacaranda Dunne Mysteries Book One

Both lighthearted and serious, this intricate mystery, Sophie is still

Missing, delves into the shadowy world of the Costa Del Sol, people

trafficking and modern slavery.

Jacaranda Dunne—known to everyone as JD—is an ex-Metropolitan

police officer who has moved to Málaga to open a detective agency. At

first the work is fairly routine, missing dogs, stolen passports, unfaithful

husbands, etc. Then one day a woman comes into the agency and wants

her to find her missing daughter. Sophie and her best friend, Julie, both

aged fourteen, had disappeared the previous summer, but an extensive

police search failed to find them. Then, during Holy Week, Julie’s body

was found, at the feet of a statue of the Virgin Mary, but now the police

have closed the case. Sophie’s distraught parents want JD to investigate

the disappearance of their daughter.

But has too much time passed? Is the girl still alive? And more to the

point, how can JD find her when the police have failed to do so?

THE RING OF FLAMES The Al-Andalus Series Book Three

It is the year 1008 AD and al-Mansur, the despotic ruler of al-Andalus is dead. Without his iron grip the country is heading for civil war. Rule and order have collapsed and anarchy reigns. If Ahmad wants to keep his family safe they must leave Córdoba but before he can take action, the enemy lays siege to the city and their escape is cut off. For two years they struggle to survive in the beleaguered city, with no food, little water and no hope of escape. When he hears that Córdoba is about to surrender, Ahmad knows he must come up with a plan or his family will face certain death at the hands of the Berber mercenaries. One way or another they have to find a way out of the city, so he turns to an unlikely ally for help. An exciting, action-packed conclusion to the al-Andalus series.

DAUGHTERS OF SPAIN

True accounts from Spanish women about family life, love and marriage in 20th century Spain, of the hardships they endured and their aspirations for a more egalitarian future.

Daughters of Spain gives a gripping account of the hard won changes gained by the women of Spain. From the words of the women themselves.

I first began to think about writing this book in the late 1980s, when changes were already beginning to happen.
In 2007 I started to interview as many women as I could. I began with friends, then they introduced me to their mothers, aunts, neighbours and so it grew. They were women from all walks of life and each had a story worth telling.

The result is a mosaic of their lives, a vivid and unique picture of what life was really like for women in Spain over the past seventy years.

‘Am I happy? Yes, I’m happy with what I’ve done, but truly happy? I don’t know. At least now I make the decisions; first it was my father making decisions for me, then my boyfriend, then my husband; now I make the decisions.’ Mari Jesus