Bøger af Jan Edwards

When the body of Nario Costa is dug up in Wyncombe's Victory Gardens, Bunch Courtney's investigations unearth far more than an escaped POW!What at first appears to be a cold case takes a darker turn as she uncovers links far beyond her Sussex home -- and the body count begins to rise!"

From thieves and tyrants to witches and warriors, here are twelve tales of women who gleefully write their own rules, who'll bend or break the social norms, who'll skate along the edge of the law and generally aim to misbehave. A. R. Aston - No Place of Honour, Stephanie Burgis - Red Ribbons, Zen Cho - The First Witch of Damansara, Jaine Fenn - Down at the Lake, Juliet E. McKenna - Win Some, Lose Some, Christine Morgan - The Shabti-Maker, Tom Johnstone - Kravolitz, Gaie Sebold - A Change of Heart, Sam Stone - The Book of the Gods, Adrian Tchaikovsky - The Blessed Union, Jonathan Ward - A Change in Leadership, Chloë Yates - How to be the Perfect Housewife

Winner of the Winchester Conference Slim Volume prize. Jan Edwards' prize-winning Sussex Tales runs a witty and thought-provoking gamut of village events and of its more curious characters. From fanged ferrets to bulls in lead masks; ancient hand grenades to exploding ginger beer; cricketing dogs to wassailing orchards, Sussex Tales weaves traditional country wines and recipes, folklore and local dialect, into stories of a farming childhood in the vanished world of 1950's and 60's rural life. "Superbly crafted ... creating sub-plots as it unfolds with purpose and fluidity... Whether you're from Sussex or not this is an appealing and often amusing collection of tales from a bygone age. I defy you not to like them." - Barry Lillie

When Stratford-upon-Avon-based radio presenter Laura Lundon loses the job she adores - shortly after her beloved aunt's death - she thinks things couldn't get any worse. Until her parents reveal a long-kept family secret. Stunned to discover she was conceived in Majorca, home bird Laura faces up to her dislike of foreign travel to visit the holiday island in Spain ... on a mission to discover her biological father's true identity. During her first evening in Palma, where Laura's staying for her first week, she meets gorgeous local photographer Carlos when he rescues her from some drunks' unwanted attention. The two have dinner together and see each other again as Carlos becomes first her friend/island guide and then, one night, her lover. When Carlos leads Laura to a shocking conclusion about her biological parent, she flees from him and from Palma to the mountain village of Deya. There she stays in the luxurious sanctuary of La Residencia hotel, where she tries to come to terms with the recent events that have changed the landscape of her life. One day she rents a car for an excursion away from the mountains to visit one of Majorca's inland towns. Caught in a sudden, heavy storm, Laura has a chance encounter with an American woman who runs a cat refuge in the countryside. The woman needs to return to the States to be with her dying mother, and Laura volunteers to look after the refuge on a temporary basis.Although Laura isn't by nature a practical person, she learns to cope with cat litter trays, the felines' needle-like claws, and the challenges of daily life in a Majorcan cat refuge. But when the American woman's landlord comes to visit and makes a pass at Laura, she won't cope with his unwanted advances and throws him out of the property.The landlord takes his revenge by issuing the cat refuge with a formal eviction. Unable to contact the American, Laura is left to use her own initiative and personal resources she didn't know she possessed to ensure the cats and kittens aren't left homeless. Can she find alternative premises in time? And will the truth about her biological father bring her the love and happiness she thought was lost?

Winner of the Arnold Bennett Book Prize! Bunch Courtney stumbles upon the body of Jonathan Frampton in a woodland clearing. Is this a case of suicide, or is it murder? Bunch is determined to discover the truth but can she persuade the dour Chief Inspector Wright to take her seriously? In January of 1940 a small rural community on the Sussex Downs, already preparing for invasion from across the Channel, finds itself deep in the grip of a snowy landscape, with an ice-cold killer on the loose.

Two deaths by poisoning in a single week. Co-incidence? Bunch does not believe that any more than Chief Inspector William Wright. Set against a backdrop of escalating war and the massed internments of 1940, the pair are drawn together in a race to prevent the murderer from striking again.

Fourteen short stories by Jan Edwards, including the BFS award short-listed 'Otterburn', plus a previously unpublished tale. "All adeptly told, often with a sense of locale and time neatly placed within the narratives. Her family history informs and inspires some of her stories. Folklore figures as a focus in more than one story, whether urban myth or historical lore. But ghostly they are and deceptively disturbing."