Joffe has some splendid new books this week, and some sad news too.

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This week Joffe is delighted to bring us all one of the most eagerly anticipated crime mysteries of the year from two-million-selling author Joy Ellis — SOLACE HOUSE is out now for the special launch price of just £0.99 | $0.99.

Holly Stewart moved into Solace House wanting a fresh start for her and her family.  The property was cheap because a tragic murder had taken place there, but she didn’t know its full ghastly history. Now, her husband’s lost his job, the children are bullied at school, and someone’s prowling around the garden at night. Someone who wants them gone . . .   Detectives Jackman and Evans find themselves torn between helping people in the present and solving crimes of the past.

The Lost Brother by Gretta Mulrooney 99p/99c

A brand-new mystery featuring detective Tyrone Swift from bestselling author Gretta Mulrooney.  You stare hard at the man in the photo, you’re sure that’s your brother. But he’s been dead for years . . . hasn’t he?

The Missing Pets Mystery by Rachel Ward 99p/99c

A quirky murder mystery set in a sleepy Somerset town which I so enjoyed, not just becauase I enjoy quirky but because i lived in Somerset for quite a while, and was no tonly Patron of the Arts Centre, but instrumental is setting up the Yeovil Literary Prize.Which just goes to prove I am a shocking busybody! 

All is not well in the little town of Kingsleigh. Three cats have gone missing in a week. One or two could be coincidence, but three is a pattern. Bea Jordan knows her till at Costsave is the best place to hear any leads on the missing pets.   But her enquiries unearth a much bigger story . . .

The Fatherland Files by Volker Kutsher £2.99/$4.99

One of my absolutel favourite authors, and series. DISCOVER THE MILLION-SELLING MYSTERY SERIES THAT INSPIRED THE HIT TV SHOW BABYLON BERLIN.

“This is a first-rate historical thriller and Gereon Rath is one of the most intriguing detectives in fiction.” NB Magazine

“Conjures up the dangerous decadence of the Weimar years.” The Sunday Times

We move on now, to some sad news.

ELIZABETH GUNN, respected author of eighteen mystery novels, passed away on 30 August 2022 aged ninety-five. Born Elizabeth Anne McConnell in Chatfield, MN, on 10 June 1927, she met and married Phil Gunn one summer in Yellowstone National Park. Together they owned and ran motels in Helena, MT, for more than twenty-five years, and raised two daughters. During her years in Montana, Liz earned her pilot’s licence and flew herself and Phil across the US. Eventually she and Phil sold the motels and travelled through Mexico, the Caribbean, and the US, scuba diving and snorkelling. They moved to Barcelona, Spain, for a year and Liz finished her bachelor’s degree, receiving her diploma from the University of Minnesota aged sixty-five.

During those years Elizabeth realized her lifelong dream of becoming an author. Her first murder mystery was published when she was seventy. Her last two novels were published when she was in her nineties and one of her series, the Detective Sarah Burke Mysteries, was reissued by Joffe Books in 2021. For Elizabeth, the highest praise came from the cops, firefighters, and even FBI and DEA agents who would come up to her and say, simply, “You got it right.”

She is survived by her daughters, Susan Gunn of Helena, and Anne Gunn (Mark Rapf) of Sheridan, WY, and three grandchildren, Elizabeth Rapf, Rebecca Rapf, and Leslie Gunn. She will long be missed by family and friends but remembered by readers who will enjoy her novels for years to come.  Sail on, Liz.

Now, to lift our spirits:

Joffe Books Associate Commissioning Editor Steph Carey has signed six absolutely unputdownable crime thrillers from C.J. Grayson! 

C. J. GRAYSON lives in Darlington, North East of England, with his wife, Becky, and his three sons.  Joffe Books Associate Commissioning Editor Steph Carey acquired C.J.’s Darlington-based crime thriller series featuring detectives Max Byrd and Orion Tanzy and his new series, featuring detective April Fisher, which is set in Manchester.

C.J. Grayson says:  “I’m not only excited but overwhelmed to be publishing with Joffe Books. Joining their passionate, knowledgeable team who are continually publishing high-quality fiction, along with their fantastic collection of successful authors, I can’t wait to see what the future holds! It’s safe to say I’m in very capable hands.”

Steph Carey says:   “C.J. Grayson has not one but two incredible series — both fantastically dark and gritty — and I know our readers will love the gripping, twisty plots and richly drawn characters in his crime thrillers. I’m so pleased to have him on board!”

And there we have it for another week, but go onto Joffe Books to read all they have on offer.

 

EVA GLYN’S HIDDEN CROATIA: ON TOP OF MOUNT SRD

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Anyone who’s been to Dubrovnik will quite rightly question why I would call Mount Srd hidden Croatia. After all, it stands proudly four hundred metres above the city, a wall of rock protecting it from the outside world.

But that’s the point; we see it, but how well do we know it? The majority of visitors who actually venture up there do so by cable car, to admire the spectacular views for half an hour, perhaps drink a coffee, certainly take any number of selfies, then head straight back down again.

To discover Mount Srd properly you need to hike, bike (neither recommended in the height of summer), take the bus, or even better book a knowledgeable driver or small group tour. Because it’s what the majority don’t see that is so very fascinating.

To say we got lucky with our choice of driver is an understatement. We were staying in Cavtat along the coast so decided booking a car was the best option, and I’d ‘met’ Dubrovnik 4 U Transfers on Instagram so chose them. Kresimir is an absolute gem with a knowledge of, and a passion for, his city rarely seen in the UK. But then in the UK we haven’t had to fight for our homes.

To me that’s what Mount Srd was all about. It was certainly the focus of my visit there. I was in Croatia to add the final touches to my research for next summer’s book, where one of my main characters is a veteran of the Siege of Dubrovnik and I wanted to visit the Homeland War Museum in Fort Imperial that sits on top of the mountain.

But there was somewhere Kresimir wanted me to see first. The village of Bosanka that had been raised to the ground by the aggressors (Serbian and Montenegrin troops) during the autumn of 1991. Of course much of it has been rebuilt, but there are some ruins left amongst the trees, and a roadside picture board in Croatian and English, making sure that visitors understand what happened here.

In fact almost the whole of Mount Srd was taken. Everything except Fort Imperial and that was to make all the difference to the survival of the city below. How it held out against all the odds on 6th December 1991 is a miracle in itself, but that is a story for a few months hence.

The fort was built by Napoleonic troops, a long, low slab of the grey-gold rock of the region, almost blending into the hillside beneath it. Even now much of it is in a semi-ruined state, but a number of rooms have been turned into a museum where visitors can learn about the Homeland War. And if you want to understand Dubrovnik and its people, you have to understand what happened here thirty years ago.

There was a sepulchral silence as we wandered through the barrel-vaulted rooms, stunned by the images of destruction displayed on their walls. The museum tells the story more or less chronologically but it is the images that hit home the hardest; iconic sights in the city below in ruins or in flames, the faces of the refugees. You don’t have to read a word of the commentary. You just have to look to understand.

But deeper understanding comes from talking to someone who lived through the conflict and Kresimir shared his memories freely. For the first time I knew what it had been like to live in that city under siege; no power, little water, even less food. People dying around you.

After our visit to the museum he took me out to the viewpoint, where there is a memorial to 6th December 1991 and a Croatian flag. I watched him take a photo of it, his pride heartfelt and genuine. To me, that said it all.

PLAY REVIEW Dmitry at Marylebone Theatre, London “A heavyweight play, full of juicy speeches and guttural anger” Paul Vates, Theatre Critic

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Steiner Hall has recently been beautifully refurbished and re-launched as Marylebone Theatre, situated near Marylebone railway station and Baker Street tube station.

The inaugural production – an in-house company with a cast of sixteen – pulls no punches in today’s political climate. Peter Oswald’s Dmitry is a heavyweight play, full of juicy speeches and guttural anger. It is based on the German playwright Friedrich Schiller’s unfinished work Demetrius from 1805.

Tom Byrne as Dmitry

Set in 1605, the ruthless tsar Boris Gudonov, former chief of Ivan the Terrible’s secret police, rules Russia through fear and oppression. Meanwhile, in Poland, a young man called Dmitry appears, claiming to be the missing son of Ivan the Terrible and therefore the rightful heir and tsar of Russia. Fuelled by their fear of Russian aggression, the Polish army take up Dmitry’s cause and march on the Kremlin to capture the throne.

If all this sounds like the plot of a Shakespearean history play – you wouldn’t be far wrong. The characters thrust themselves around the stage with gusto, shouting at and threatening each other, with an earnestness and energy that is quite exhausting! There is little shading in this long play – everything is either very contemplative or very forceful, either quiet or loud.

Clifford Samuel as Petushok

Within this intense framework, it can be difficult for the actors to appear as well-rounded characters, especially as there are quite a few accents bouncing around the stage. Tom Byrne’s Dmitry somehow doesn’t appear to be as regal as he claims to be (he slouches like a teenager too often for me!). Clifford Samuel’s focussed Petushok is a calming presence. Poppy Miller’s Tsarina, Maria (Dmitry’s mother), has a believable intensity that creates some of the few genuine tender moments amidst the barrage of noise and action.

Poppy Miller as Maria with Fyodor

Tim Supple’s direction is spot on, allowing the play’s ultimate climax to unfold at breakneck speed – although one wonders how long this production would last if the actors didn’t attack their lines with such pace!

Dmitry is a juicy play – a classic tragedy lacking in Shakespearean nuances, but palatable and prescient nonetheless. One can’t help but watch and wonder how much of this is actually happening now within the corridors of the Kremlin…

Paul Vates.

Photography Ellie Kurtz

Director Tim Supple

Writer Peter Oswald

Performances until Saturday 5th November at 7.30pm

Location Marylebone Theatre, 35 Park Road, London NW1 6XT

Tickets From £25, available from www.marylebonetheatre.com

Running time 2 hours 40 minutes inc interval

Facebook @MaryleboneTheatre

Twitter @MaryleboneTHLDN

Instagram @marylebonetheatre

Ukrainian brand LITKOVSKA presents its gloriously original SS’23 collection – a story about youth and a new beginning.

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This morning I was talking to a Ukrainian and a few days ago to Frost Magazine’s medical correspondent, Dr Kathleen Thompson,  who is not only an award winning author with From Both Ends of the Stethoscope, but a prize winning ballroom dancer. She was telling me how delighted she was with a dance dress she had ordered from Ukraine very recently. It was not only a perfect fit, but beautifully made, and arrived on the day they had promised. All this in spite of all the difficulties Ukraine is enduring.

So Frost Magazine was delighted to view the stunning LITKOVSKA collection, especially at this heartbreaking but inspiring time.

The latest collection by LITKOVSKA,  entitled «Vesnianka» as a tribute to traditional Ukrainian spring-greeting songs, and  explores the beauty of life and its stages, linking coming-of-age not only to one’s own individual development, but to cultures and nations as a whole. Honouring the solar year,

Traditional Ukrainian culture, I understand, celebrates every phase of nature’s cycle, associating spring – and its «Vesnianka» hymns – with rebirth. For LITKOVSKA, «Vesnianka» is a visual tale about hopes for tomorrow, and fears and choices to be made: a documented metaphorical transition, the collection praises a fearless step towards the new dawn, the new spring, a new world.

Who can’t empathise with this and so much of all of the above is there, in the collection.

Ukraine is facing a fundamental change – and while initiation is often dreadful and gruesome, it invariably leads to a hopeful tomorrow.

The brand’s founder Lilia Litkovska sees Ukraine as an unquenchable source of inspiration: a young nation going through its adolescence and fighting for its freedom. Hurrah to that. 

The designer’s homeland is still in its «Spring» years, which became a core of the collection’s concept. Since the beginning of the invasion, Lilia Litkovska has been committed to helping her country financially and artistically, raising awareness about the struggles of the war, creating charitable projects and championing the work of her fellow Ukrainian designers. For the SS’23 collection, the designer also aimed to combine couture with a bold statement. Several pieces are decorated with an embroidery of a heartbreaking poem called «A Prayer of a Ukrainian Patriot», which was initially written by a political dissident in his blood on the walls of his cell in 1930-s.

In terms of visual aesthetics, LITKOVSKA stays true to its refined, arts-inspired chic – an intersection between sophisticated tailoring and daily comfort filled with allusions to traditional Ukrainian costume. The neutral colour palette ranges from innocent raw linen to strict and bold black pieces – a subtle way to accentuate the diversity of choices youth brings. Weightless fringed dresses and crocheted accessories sit alongside tailored masculine suits and intricate gowns. SS’23 LITKOVSKA styles are unified in their difference: ceremonial and down-to-earth, androgynous and feminine, bountied with pitch-perfect lines and charmingly chaotic silhouettes, they embody youthful energy in a humble, intimate way.

An absolutele triumph of heartfelt imagination and original design. Bravo..

From Both Ends of the Stethoscope by Dr Kathleen Thompson

In the midst of courses, classes, and refurbishment there is so much good being done with Columbia Community Association at its heart.

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We all know that the Columbia Community Association is not just a pretty face, but its involvement in community fundraising, and support for the community is ongoing and second to none, and inspirational.

The CCA application to host “Warm Spaces” has been successful and they will be able to open their doors and offer their facilities for those in need over the Autumn and Winter months. Phil from Di’s Diner has typically  agreed to come on board and make fresh soup and buns on a daily basis. ‘How can we ever thank Di’s Diner – but heavens, we do,’ say the team.

Marion, Kam and Dianne

Kam from the Polish Centre dropped in to collect the cheque for £250 from money raised from the Hamper raffle in aid of Ukrainian support, which in some areas seems to have fallen by the wayside. Not in Columbia though and it is aid very much neededand. And the CCA list goes on:. 

The joint CCA with Woodridge Gardens held a MacMillan Coffee morning on the 30th September which raised the magnificent  total of £200 for Cancer Support. Imran from Crave for Desserts donated cakes for us to sell.  Here is a sample to wet the appetite and make you forget all about those pesky things called calories.                           

                 

Deb and Linda baked fabulous cakes, and  Sister Mary  accepted the team’s  invitation to join us ( In Marion’s words ‘I adore having her here, she an Earth Angel and very special to us all) she will be delighted at all the 40 hats people have knitted for her beloved Seafarers.   

Frost Magazine team are busy knitting in between work, and have moved on from beige to green. They are not perfect, oh dear me no, but warm and we are trying not to drop too many stitches and get the tricky sewing up of the brim ticketty boo. 

How do the Columbia Community Association do all that they do? How does the community do all that it does? But they all do, and what’s more,  we all know the CCA  will keep on being the heart of the community, come what may.  

And as an addendum to Marion Taylor, please note that Margaret Graham now has red shoes too, it’s not just Bob, who by the way, has 2 pairs. OK yeah yeah, I agree, you told me they were on Amazon. So you win, but I win a little too.

Information: Columbia Community Association  Columbia uk Community Forum

Memories of Brady Square

 

SUNDAY SCENE: ANGELA BARTON ON HER FAVOURITE SCENE FROM SPRING BREEZE

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I love the freedom of writing fiction. I construct imaginary buildings and places, create characters, invent stories for them and decide how they’ll react to the obstacles I put in front of them. I forge their relationships, decide who they’ll fall in love with and I determine their outcome. But over the years as my writing has evolved, I like to include real events from history, real people who were alive at the time of my story, and real objects. In Spring Breeze, Irène Némirovsky and Picasso make appearances and interact with my characters, but my excerpt below is about an object.

A great deal of responsibility comes with including actual people or objects in a book. Research has to be thorough and accurate, then entwined into the storyline without sounding like a history lesson! I never enjoyed history at school. Every time I was given homework is was to learn a seemingly endless list of names and dates. I wanted dramatic stories, heroes and heroines. I wanted adventure, romance and excitement. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons I became a writer. Now I can make my own stories whilst adding a touch of realism and history to them.

My protagonist in Spring Breeze is Matilde Pascale. She used to work in an auction house before the German invasion caused its closure. Forced into working for the enemy at the Jeu de Paume museum in Paris, Matilde discovered an object she’s been asked to log; a priceless artefact from history. Imagine the scene. Matilde has been led to the basement of the Jeu de Paume museum where the Germans are storing looted valuables: jewellery, antiques, paintings, ornaments etc. It’s gloomy, lit by dim bare light bulbs, it’s eerily quiet except for the faint echoes of footfall on the floor above her, and she’s alone in the vast storage room.

 

Kneeling, Matilde placed her notepad and pen on the floor. Whatever could it be? She touched it. It felt solid. She peeled back its wrapping and saw material that had been rolled tightly. She found one end but it was too heavy to unroll. She followed a fold, running her fingers along its length and gradually teasing out the material until she had enough to fold it back. Slowly she peeled back a corner to reveal embroidery. The workmanship was exquisite, in vibrant colours and Latin inscriptions. The material felt like linen and smelt musty, like walking into an old church. Looking closely she could see that it had been sprinkled with moth powder. She unfolded a little more: a horse, a man with a sword, arrows. The figures were immediately so individual and so identifiable that her mouth fell open. Her eyes, now wide with wonder and horror, took in what lay before her on the floor.

It was the Bayeux Tapestry.

Matilde knelt reverentially before the giant roll of fabric and pulled on her gloves. She gently laid her palm against the cloth, leaned forward and smelled it. A frisson of awe forced her to close her eyes and wonder at the history this tapestry had seen. It had been associated with such bellicose men as William the Conqueror and Napoleon Bonaparte. It had survived the French Revolution in the 18th century and withstood examinations and transportations.

 

www.angelabarton.net

 

Joffe Books has a great selection of new books, and good news abounds.

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Joffe Books’ book of the week is an utterly addictive psychological thriller with a twist you’ll never see coming by acclaimed author E.V. Seymour — MY DAUGHTER’S SECRETS is out now for just £0.99 | $0.99.

Grace thought she knew her daughter. But Tara had been keeping secrets from her. Very dark secrets . . .      If you like  books by Patricia MacDonald, Shalini Boland, Claire Douglas or Liane Moriarty, then try this, you won’t be disappointed in this excellent suspense novel  from a bestselling author that has drawn wide acclaim.
“A book you’ll be telling your friends about.” Lori Rader-Day, Mary Higgins Clark and Anthony Award-winning author
CLICK HERE TO BUY MY DAUGHTER’S SECRETS BY E.V. SEYMOUR FOR JUST £0.99 | $0.99.

Just a few of the great new books on offer this week from Joffe Books. 

OUT NOW — JUST 99P | 99C 

RINA MARTIN MURDER MYSTERY BOX SET  1 – 4

If cozy crime is your bag, (it certainly is mine) meet Rina Martin, a retired actress with a taste for tea, gardening and crime solving. She played a TV sleuth for years, but now she has to do it for real. Discover your next cozy crime obsession with this great-value box set of FOUR irresistible mysteries. Such a good buy.

“A major talent .” #1 bestselling author Val McDermid

GOLDSTEIN by VOLKER KUTSCHER – my utter favourite sort of crime –  atmosoheric, taut. How wonderful, this as well as cozy crime. We are spoilt for choice this week. £2.99

DISCOVER THE INSPIRATION FOR THE HIT TV SHOW BABYLON BERLIN IN AN ABSORBING AND ATMOSPHERIC HISTORICAL CRIME MYSTERY.“Atmospheric.” Peter James   “Gripping.” Mail on Sunday
*Please note jOFFE’S edition is only available in the UK and Commonwealth (excluding Canada).

TIME TO MOVE ON BY GRACE THOMPSON 99P/99C

UNPUTDOWNABLE HISTORICAL FAMILY SAGA.

Wales, 1952. Seranne Laurence is furious. Her mum has just announced that she is to marry Paul Curtis, the latest in a slew of unsuitable suitors which will make this womaniser Seranne’s step-father.
Can Seranne’s budding relationship with the alluring, infuriating Luke survive the storm —  or will Jessie’s marriage to the sly Paul be the undoing of them all?

Book of the Month

Detectives Anderson and Costello by Caro Ramsay 1 – 3 Box Set for 99p/99c

For Joffe’s Book of the Month they highlight an incredible-value box set of THREE bestselling crime mysteries from Caro Ramsay.

“Brilliant.” Guardian  “The dialogue crackles.” Observer
“Dark, vivid and daring.” #1 bestselling author Val McDermid

NEWS 

 Joffe Books’ Associate Commissioning Editor Steph Carey has signed SIX gripping Welsh crime mysteries from P.F. Ford.

Peter always dreamed of becoming a writer, but a dream is easily stifled without support from those around you.  He says it was only when his old, unhappy life fell apart and he met his new partner Mary, who believed dreamers should be encouraged, that he finally got the chance to live that dream.

Fast forward a few years and you find a man transformed. Now, blissfully happy, settled in a quiet corner of Wales with wife Mary and their rescue dogs, P.F. Ford is living proof that it’s never too late to achieve your dreams.

P.F. Ford says:

“As soon as I spoke to the guys at Joffe Books I understood why they win so many awards, and I’m super confident that working with them is going to take my writing career to another level. I can’t wait to get started!”

Joffe Books Associate Commissioning Editor Steph Carey says:

“I am absolutely delighted to sign Pete to Joffe Books — his compelling crime mysteries set on the Welsh coast have it all: a fantastic cast of richly drawn characters, a beautiful setting, and twists and turns aplenty.” 

Watch this space to get your hands on the first utterly gripping Welsh murder mystery by P.F. Ford in November

For more releases: Joffe Books

It’s all been happening at the Columbia Community Association in weeks 9 and 10. Read on…

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Corey Barnes from CJ Carpet Fitters

COREY BARNES from CJ CARPET FITTERS is the best of the best and started the floor this week. Marion and the team are thrilled and so is Frost Magazine, who visited the CCA a while ago and heard  Marion’s plans for a new floor. It was her dream, and it’s coming true before her eyes. 

It’s all go: the computer room has dried out perfectly and is ready for the next stage,  the painters have been busy in the kitchen, and the lad said he would apply Marion’s choice, Soft Truffle Emulsion. With a name like that, how can it fail to please.

Marion explained, ‘ Our centre prides itself on working with local tradesmen; they care, and want to put our beloved community association on the map as the place to be. We have decided to name our rooms using names associated with the Brady Square area. BRIAN MASON a local lad, has agreed to make the signs for us but we won’t reveal the names just yet.’ 

So,we must all wait. How exciting and with all this going on the CCA is still  business as usual with new sessions starting for CULTURAL CREATIONS  and FLOWER ARRANGING. 

‘I have asked my Bob to toddle off to B & Q for more paint for the kitchen’ Marion told Frost Magazine.  (To be honest Frost Magazine feels  it’s  truly l“Bob a Job week” every day.’ as Marion suggested) Marion added, ‘By the way, Margaret, did I mention that Bob now has two pairs of red shoes?’  Lord,the woman knows how to rub it in. Because she knows she did, and that I am so jealous as I hunt unsuccessfuly for just ONE pair for little old me. . . 

Now for the really sad news, ( my mum Annie Newsome would be really upset) as “Bells” the Butchers will cease trading in October. They have been trading since 1883 and have always been a ficture in the life of Brady Square, Bells Mince pies are second to none. 

Marion says, ‘Our Centre has been going since 1939, it is so important that our building undergoes this refurbishment for the longevity and heritage of our much-loved community and the people of Brady Square. We even found solid brass door handles and finger plates tucked away stamped with GR and the crown. How thrilling is this. A little bit of Coke cleans the brass to a sparkling condition. (Tip of the week)

Kitchen is painted and units are up. The Gas meter on the wall has been removed, and now the wall can be plastered and finished.

Equan had sent in the plasterer comedians, much to Marion’s joy, whose sides were splitting with laughter. Above is  is ALAN and Marion thinks he should be on the stage, he brought such sunshine into the team’s lives. 

   

The kitchen units are being recycled and erected in the computer room along with new worktops. What a transformation, all done with loving care by the amazing LEE. In the midst of all the bustle, the Engineer popped in to check the Fire Alarms, a necessity and a 100% pass.

Never a dull moment, for on Thursday  RICHARD the surveyor called with TOBIN  the  Archaeologist to record the air raid shelter prior to demolition, then hopefully work can start the external refurbishment.

‘We took great pleasure in spending a £1000 grant we attained for kitchen equipment which was delivered on Monday 26,’ said Marion adding: ‘We will want for nowt we haven’t got.’  She’s even got an ‘ology’ after doing a training course on Food Allergies. Be alert Bob, there’ll be no living with her.. She’ll be getting red shoes next. 

 

Sadly, the CCA has said goodbye to the lovely JODIE from EQUAN who has gone on to pastures new, and they will miss her.

On Monday there will be news on the fabulous fundraising work the residents are  doing to help the communtiy with Columbia Community Association firmly at the heart as always.

Information: Columbia Community Association  Columbia uk Community Forum

Memories of Brady Square