Before the Killing – an absolutely nail-biting mystery thriller (The Killing Hour Book 1) by the fabulous  Margie Benedict, and it’s FREE at the moment.

The past won’t stay buried but lurks in wait for Cassie to return to her coastal Massachusetts hometown … which she does, in 1973, and almost immediately there is a brutal killing – with someone she knows well accused of the crime. The investigation roars through the community, leaving behind guilt, suspicion, and secrets Cassie can’t forget.

Seven years later, Cassie’s life is still defined by that night when an unexpected and inexplicable event gives her a chance to finally uncover the truth. But as she retraces the days leading up to the murder, she begins to realize the story she remembers is not the whole one … Read it, it’s FREE @ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0G24SFSGB/

Before She Was Taken – also by Margie Benedict – is Book 2 of The Killing Hour and it’s a real nail biter, as was Book 1. It’s on offer too @ £0.99 instead of £2.99 and is irresistible.

Rebecca travels back in time to learn who kidnapped her sister—only to be taken in her place …

So, what did happen to Sadie? This question has plagued 25-year-old Rebecca Danser for 19 years. Imagine that if you are six and had ditched your four-year-old sister to go and play with your friend … and then never saw Sadie again.

In the intervening years, now living in Silicon Valley, Rebecca has, perhaps understandably, made a mess of her life. She hates her job, has no career prospects, and has never had a successful relationship unless you count sex with a relative stranger during her time jumps into the past. But at last she realizes this strange ability she recently gained, allowing her to cast her consciousness back into a younger version of herself, is a gift that can be used to discover who took Sadie that fateful day… https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GC76BGQN/ @ £0.99 instead of £2.99.

Treasure of the Serpent God: A steampunk alternative history novel (The Charlemagne Griffon Chronicles Book 2 of 4) by Christopher C. Tubbs.

Charlie and Etherton are introduced to Lord Kingsborough, a scholar who believes the Mayans descended from a lost tribe of Israel. He reveals an unpublished volume of Mayan writings that hint at the location of artefacts to support his theory. Seamus Quinlan, a notorious London gang leader and family acquaintance, tasks the duo with finding the treasure and bringing it to England. Their adventure leads them through the Yucatan in search of lost Mayan ruins, where they must battle bandits and outwit Freddy, Lord Kingsborough’s cunning cousin, who wants the treasure for himself. @ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DLJ8LNXZ/ For £0.99 instead of £2.99.

Crikey, so many unputdownable kindles. Do read them.

Milly Adams is the author of The Waterway Girls trilogy https://www.amazon.co.uk//dp/B0FRN1JWMF/ @ £5.97 for all 3 kindles

Frost Magazine has raved about the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener before – with its fine-grained diamond grinding wheel, it’s both exquisitely beautiful and incredibly useful. The first real knife sharpener for the home chef, unusually for a home device, it sharpens the entire bevel of the knife, achieving professional sharpness in minutes.

So we thought our readers would be interested in Tormek’s recent Sharpen Up Your Sunday campaign. After surveying 2,000 adults, they discovered that 24 per cent of UK households sit down to a Sunday roast every week but that blunt blades were turning the traditional meal into a recipe for disaster.

Samuel Stenhem, CEO of Tormek warns us that ‘Blunt knives can be more dangerous than sharp ones, as they require greater force and are more likely to slip, turning simple kitchen tasks into a potential recipe for injury. Instead, a truly sharp knife makes chopping, slicing and cooking an absolute joy.’

Richard Bertinet, chef, author and baking expert, comments ‘At the Bertinet Kitchen Cookery School, we use knives every day, so we know just how important it is to keep them sharp.

Whether you’re learning the basics or working at a professional level, every chef will tell you that a sharp knife gives you greater control and helps you get the most out of your cooking. If you’ve invested in good knives, it makes sense to keep them sharp.’

So if you’re inspired to lift your Sunday roast to a new level, do check out the Tormek on-line shop for the most effective kitchen knife sharpener around.

By Dr K Thompson, award-winning author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q
http://faitobooks.co.uk

Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.

Tracklements have done it again. In this age of mass produced (frankly boring) foodstuffs, this Wiltshire-based family company are a beacon for good food. Their passion for creating quality food, by hand in small batches, using natural ingredients, mainly sourced from English farms and small businesses, is palpable. But, not satisfied with this alone, they’re tirelessly thinking outside the box, creating new, innovative recipes, to highlight the amazing potential of proper honest food.

Their latest Tracklements Special Edition Wholegrain Figgy Mustard illustrates this perfectly. Not satisfied with their already extensive range of delicious mustards, they have decided to fuse the natural heat of whole mustard seeds with that distinctive sweetness of sticky figs – and, boy, does it work? Make no mistake, this relish has heat, being almost 20% mustard seed, backed up with black peppercorns and other delicious spices, but the gentle sweetness of the sticky figs merges and creates magic.

Perfect with cheese or cold meats, or adding an extra verve to a hearty beef casserole – your guests will be in awe.

Tracklements Special Edition Wholegrain Figgy Mustard, RRP £4.20 for 190g, is available from fine food delis and farm shops nationwide and online at www.tracklements.co.uk.

By Dr K Thompson, award-winning author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q
http://faitobooks.co.uk

Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.

Yep indeedy. It was thirty years ago that Kevin Charity founded The Coaching Inn Group, which is now led by his son Adam Charity. There are 46 such Inns around the country, and it might have been thought that they wouldn’t survive after the coach and horses, which ferried people from one end of the country to the other, were replaced by trains, and then cars. But Kevin Charity realised the importance of preserving what had been a vital source of hospitality in earlier times. So steadily he re-vamped many of our Inns keeping a sense of tradition, comfort and familiarity, together with excellent service, wonderful dining, splendidly comfortable bedrooms, and always a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Typically the group decided to celebrate 30 years of success with the customers in mind.

In no time at all, Sam and Dominic were taking to the road with the marketing team – and the duck – to celebrate with the clientele at each of the hotels and finally reached Thirsk. They promptly blew up the duck – well, not that sort of blew up, but ‘inserted air’ blow up. There was a tombola with vouchers for The Golden Fleece Hotel food, drink or whatever. There was a competition offering several free nights, and – roll of drums – our very own Victoria Herrington, Duty Manager, painted faces – oh yes she did – with the permission of the paintees of course! Here is the lovely Mimi who was a duck for the day.

But a little more about our own The Golden Fleece Hotel which is now much more than a change of horses, but is to many the friendly heart of this small market town and a regular meeting place for coffee with Maltesers, inside or out, drinks, dining, and comfortable rooms. Indeed, The Golden Fleece Hotel bustles with locals and tourists alike. Some of the tourists are on their way to explore the James Herriot countryside and museum which is a short walk from the hotel,and of course, there is horseracing during the season – oh the frocks and fascinators… There are business meetings, weddings, and special occasions… On and on it goes.

But hang on, if you are concerned about the safety of the duck sitting patiently outside The Golden Fleece Hotel – don’t be. The Thirsk Duck Wardens looked after it. You see, the Wardens do the same for the real Thirsk ducks during the summer evenings when they waddle (the ducks, not the wardens) from the beck to the Market Square with the wardens alongside to slow the traffic. Our ducks, you see, are escaping the predatory mink, who take the ducklings as night falls – how very dare they. The volunteer Wardens, in their hi-viz jackets remain at their post until about midnight, when the Square grows quiet, and the ducks and ducklings are asleep on the cobbles near The Golden Fleece Hotel. At dawn they waddle back until the ducklings have sufficient feathers to fly, then they are off to the reservoir or wherever they fancy. As you can imagine, guarding a solitary duck, big though it is, was frankly a doddle.

It was a fabulous day, much enjoyed by us all. Happy Anniversary The Coaching Inn Group.

An Unfamiliar Murder: An absolutely addictive female-led crime thriller (DCI Helen Lavery series Book 1 of 5) by Jane Isaac.

Imagine arriving home from a routine day at work, opening the door and realising your life has changed forever… Well, this is the opening of An Unfamiliar Murder as Anna Cottrell discovers the stabbed body of a stranger in her flat. Worse, she becomes the prime suspect. Her persistent claims of innocence start to crumble when new evidence links her irrevocably with the victim… Leading her first murder investigation, DCI Helen Lavery unravels a trail of deception, family secrets and betrayal. When people close to the Cottrell family start to disappear, Lavery is forced into a race against time. Can she catch the killer before he executes his ultimate victim? Crikey – this is a nail biter, and… Frost Magazine readers, it is FREE @ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D8S1HC3G/

The Woman Before Dawn | A heartbreaking and gripping World War 1 Historical Romance by Lucy Brazill 

Sylvie Montague risks everything to save lives on the Western Front, but the greatest battle awaits when duty, love and the past collide. A captivating love story set against the backdrop of a battlefield filled with unforgettable characters, as all fight for a better future.

1914: As the First World War erupts across Europe, Sylvie Montague defies convention to serve as a surgeon on the Western Front. Haunted by a traumatic incident in the past, she throws herself into her work, determined to save every life she can while honoring a vow she made to herself: to never again operate on someone she loves. As the horrors mount, Sylvie and renowned surgeon Alistair McTavish form a bond – but now is not the time. Indeed it isn’t, as the Government threatens to remove the women in her unit from the battlefield and so she returns to England and former bonds. But still, above all else, remains the battle to improve lives… Hope vies with despair in The Woman Before Dawn which is a perfect novel for readers who enjoy wartime romances which not only move but inform. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0HFZHJPGK/ @ £0.99 to pre-order now instead of £4.99

The Girl Who Never Left | Another gripping historical novel of secrets, family saga and slow-burn romance by Alison Stuart 

Two women. Two love stories. A past that refuses to stay buried.
A novel about grief, love and the secrets hidden in an old diary. It is England, 1923 and after losing her husband in the Great War, Helen Morrow moves with her young daughter to the family estate where he grew up. The house is filled with memories she was never part of and people she barely knows. There she meets the mother-in-law she has never met and her husband’s reclusive cousin Paul, a man still living in the shadow of the war.

Searching for answers about the man she loved, Helen discovers an old diary belonging to a woman who once lived in the house – a woman whose scandal rocked the family before she disappeared without a trace. As Helen and Paul begin to uncover the truth behind the diary, long-buried secrets start to surface…

As someone whose two sets of grandparents served in the !st World War, I found the two mentioned kindles worthy novels with themes that treat the period with emotional intelligence and respect. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GZTZVRFP/ @ £0.99 instead of £3.49

The Truth Will Out: An absolutely gripping female detective crime thriller (DCI Helen Lavery series Book 2 of 5) by Jane Isaac 

Yes, book 2 of the DCI Helen Lavery series) and an offer on this one too. Dark secrets have a habit of haunting you … Eva is horrified when she witnesses an attack on her best friend. She calls an ambulance and forces herself to flee Hampton, fearing for her own safety. DCI Helen Lavery leads the investigation into the murder – with no leads, no further witnesses and no sign of forced entry.

Slowly, the pieces of the puzzle start to come together. But as Helen inches towards solving the case, her past becomes caught up in her present. Someone is after them both. Someone who will stop at nothing to get what they want. As the net starts to close around them, can Helen escape her own demons as well as helping Eva to escape hers?https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DMKJHX4W/ @ £0.99 for a limited time. Thereafter £2.99

Milly Adams is the author of The Waterway Girls trilogy https://www.amazon.co.uk//dp/B0FRN1JWMF/ @ £5.97 for all 3 kindles

In an era of great change and great beauty emerged the character of James McNeill Whistler. Considered by some to be one of the great innovators of 19th century art, he was a contemporary of the Impressionists, much admired by Van Gogh and Manet, and a truly unique character. Tate Britain is currently staging the first major retrospective of Whistler in three decades. This blockbuster exhibition promises to reawaken the world to just how important Whistler is to art history, uniting world famous masterpieces with rarely seen works.

James McNeill Whistler – Wapping 1860 -1864 National Gallery of Art Washington

Working in close collaboration with Tate Britain, Exhibition on Screen, the award –
winning film company and unique arts brand behind critically acclaimed film releases
Vermeer: The Greatest Exhibition, Caravaggio and Frida Kahlo, is releasing:

JAMES MCNEILL WHISTLER

about the pioneering artist’s stunning works and the incredible story behind them – to cinemas around the world while the exhibition is still running. Bringing this truly global artist to a global audience, JAMES MCNEILL WHISTLER will be an unmissable chance to see this visually spectacular artist on the big screen and appreciate the influence he has had on those who followed.

James McNeill Whistler: Symphony in White No 3 Barber Institute Wiki.jpg

Boldly experimental and famously witty and irascible, Whistler disrupted the strict
conventions of Victorian society in pursuit of a new cult of beauty, creating “art for art’s
sake” and earning himself a place in the history of great art. He found a parallel between painting and music, and entitled many of his paintings “arrangements”, “harmonies” and “nocturnes”, emphasizing the importance of tonal harmony in his work. Known for a number of striking publicity-conscious self -portraits, Oscar Wilde once said of Whistler, “ Mr. Whistler always spelt art, and I believe still spells it, with a capital I”.

Whistler’s most famous painting, Arrangement in Grey and Black No.1 1871 (poster above), commonly known as Whistler’s Mother, is a revered and often parodied portrait of motherhood. It is arguably one of the most famous paintings in history and this film will unveil the artist behind the art.

Directed by David Bickerstaff and produced by Phil Grabsky, the BAFTA winning
founder of Exhibition on Screen, JAMES MCNEILL WHISTLER will be shown in
cinemas nationwide from 15th September 2026. Step into the captivating world of rule-breaking American artist James McNeill Whistler

JAMES MCNEILL WHISTLER Directed by David Bickerstaff and produced by Phil Grabsky.
Runtime : 90 mins. Watch the TRAILER: here Find a screening: here

JAMES MCNEILL WHISTLER is at Tate Britain until 27th September 2026

The Waterway Girls: A moving British WWII saga of friendship and resilience by Milly Adams so they say, and it is. I find I write about community, friendship and resilience a great deal.

The waterway girls who worked on the canals were ideal for this theme. After all, where can we find a tighter community than a group of people who have spent their whole lives on the canals, and as a group or community have to accept war-workers who know nothing of running a narrowboat, and girls at that. I loved writing it, and did a great deal of research to ‘get it right’. I hope I did. It is the first of three, and this week, it is FREE @ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FRN1JWMF/

The Beauty Shop: A historical romance in WWII England (Heroes of War Book 1) by Suzy Henderson  the first of three. This historical romance is a gripping saga full of bravery, suffering and hope around the Guinea Pig Club and surgical pioneer Sir Archibald McIndoe.

It is set in Bassingbourn, England, 1942 Stella Charlton is determined to do her bit for the war effort by joining the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force. Much to the dismay of her mother who wishes her daughter to settle down – preferably with Alex, the perfect match for a young woman. But a US air force pilot has caught Stella’s heart and while trying to do right by everyone, she lives with the fear of losing Mac every time he sets off to battle. John ‘Mac’ Mackenzie knows of the huge responsibility he shoulders as a bomber pilot – for himself, his crew and the people he wants to protect. When Mac becomes just another casualty in the war and is badly burned, he is convinced that beautiful Stella will never look at him again and pushes her away. Fat chance, she is made of tougher stuff. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DNN3QHCG/ @ £0.99 instead of £1.99

A Taste of Treason: A quite different novel – a cozy small-town whodunnit (The fabulous The Tea Leaf Mysteries Book 9 of 9) by J. New Judging art is easy. Escaping a murder charge isn’t. When the only thing framed turns out to be Lilly Tweed, she’ll have to draw on all her skills as an amateur detective to catch the real killer.

Do take this opportunity to meet Lilly Tweed a former Agony Aunt, purveyor of Fine Teas and a glorious accidental sleuth. The annual amateur art competition is the highlight of Plumpton Mallet’s social calendar, and this year Lilly has been invited to judge. It’s an honour… until she discovers that artists can be every bit as competitive as they are creative.

With rivalries simmering, tempers fraying and more than a little envy on display, the exhibition opens to great fanfar, but disaster strikes when a body is discovered. And as if one murder weren’t enough to ruin everyone’s day, Detective Phillips is abruptly taken off the case, leaving Lilly without her closest ally. Then matters go from bad to utterly disastrous when Lilly herself is arrested for murder… Read on, I beg you. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0HC8RTTTC/ @ £3.99

Milly Adams is the author of The Waterway Girls trilogy. https://www.amazon.co.uk//dp/B0FRN1JWMF/ @ £5.97 for all 3 kindles

Every so often in the affairs of man – or in this case, in the life of your editor, something quite wonderful happens. A niece gathered together as many of the extended family who could make it to celebrate her mother’s birthday, which would happen later in the year. Though, on consideration, I think it was decided by Fiona that it was high time the brothers and sister and assorted others should get together. I count myself as an assorted other. Oh yes please, went out the cry. But where to meet?

Fiona is one of those exceptional young women who is not only gorgeous, but has the ability to pull a huge number of strings together and make a situation work – looking calm as she does so. She clearly had a good look at the map and decided The Royal Oak at Car Colston was pretty much the central point for us all to drive for a couple of hours for lunch, a chat, and to decide that though it had been years we had not changed at all. Readers, I said as much to Dick, who is one of the brothers/uncles, and declared – ‘Really, Margaret, how can you say that and with all your white hair?’ He had to wait until the end of the day and we reached home to be banished to the flagpole to consider his sins.

We all arrived, pretty much together from all points of the compass to glorious Car Colston, a heavenly hamlet with the pub resting on the edge of the village cricket ground and pavilion. Yes really. Somehow these seem to have been vanishing, but here one stood, a bit parched, but wonderful.

Fiona was waiting outside The Royal Oak and gathered us up, and then the soon to be birthday sister barreled out to her brother Dick who was quite overcome as he hugged her and wondered just how many years it had been. How could it be so long??? Then we rushed inside to find the others already gathered around a long table in the bar. ‘Hello hello’ to another lovely niece and her husband, not to mention their dear little dog. ‘Hello hello’ to everyone else, Nigel and Ewa had arrived by now, and the two brothers, and their sister were together again.

As dogs are welcome we had brought Polly too, a Cavachon. So off we all went, talk talk, but hang on, what would we like to drink? And so it went on with Richard, who runs this diamond, taking drink orders, food orders and generally herding cats as there were so many locals and visitors in various bars, as well as this ‘get together’ mob. Staff brought drinks – yes, sorry I had such a huge glass of perfectly cooled Pino Grigio but I had been backseat driving for two hours, and needed resuscitating. And then the food. Perfection, huge platefuls of lasagna, or scampi, or whatever one felt like from the specials board, or menu. Then, as one does, I had to nip out with Polly to let her do a tinkle, (she’s the dog, just in case I’ve lost you and you are wondering quite who was to have an outside tinkle) to find Richard the proprietor had slipped out with his two springers for the same reason, so I caught up with him on this huge village green to hear all about his pub The Royal Oak

He and Vicky had arrived 22 years earlier when The Royal Oak needed a bit of tender care and soon it was thriving in this quintessentially English hamlet which has 29 acres of village greens which could be the largest rural common in England, surely. The Royal Oak itself is over two hundred years old – ‘Well, Margaret, you have only a few years to go to compete,’ muttered Dick when I told him. So his time at the flagpole was doubled.

Interestingly, there is an unusual vaulted brick ceiling in the bar which fits in with the thought that this 200 year old building was maybe, probably, possibly a hosiery factory, with the textile machinery being held on the floor above the ceiling. It was all just so nice to sit imagining the past of this building, as people bustled and sipped real ales through the various bars, relaxed, friendly and outgoing. A hub for the community through the ages, clearly.

So, with Vicky’s culinary delights being prepared in the kitchen, and Richard and staff busy we relaxed and wondered if we could all move to Car Colston. Just imagine being able to slip into The Royal Oak whenever we wanted. Dick was delighted that Cask Marque real ales were on offer, though he was stuck on non alcoholic lager as I was backseat driving again on the return, too. Bad hand, you see. Ho hum.

We all left, promising we wouldn’t leave it so long again, having caught up on news and grateful to Joe, the birthday girl’s son-in-law who quietly slipped off to pay the bill – so very kind.

Would we meet at The Royal Oak again? You bet we would. Let’s face it, a pub which has won Vale of Belvoir and Nottinghamshire CAMRA pub of the year for 2021, 2020 and 2009 should be visited many times.

The meat at The Royal Oak is locally sourced from: Harkers Farm, Clipston-on the Wolds https://harkersfarmshop.co.uk The fish is from Nottingham Seafoods The vegetables and salad are sourced locally from Maxeys Farm Shop The fresh flowers in the restaurant are supplied and arranged by Zinnia Florist, Bingham. The Royal Oak caravan site is for the use of Camping & Caravanning Club members and the B and B Richard recommends is The Grange, Elton-on-the-Hill . Finally, The Royal Oak, The Green, Car Colston, Nottingham NG13 8JE for more information on menus and to book. Enjoy! We most certainly did.