Roy Jenner A Life in Words Collected Novel Summaries . About the Author .. Nine decades of the challenging experiences of ROY JENNER laid the foundations for a platform of scintillating novels. Roy loves to write from the heart delivering a reading package designed to satisfy the most discriminative reader. Roy Jenner was born in the East End of London and has resided in New Zealand for more than sixty years. Having completed 17 full length novels he continues to write for your pleasure. ‘Roy Jenner Books,’ inserted in Google’s search window will expand your horizon. ✒️ A Note on the Work of Roy Jenner There is something unmistakable in the voice of Roy Jenner; a clarity born of experience, a grounded humanity that threads through each of his stories like a lifeline. His novels are not merely tales; they are testimonies — to love, loss, justice, memory, and the irrepressible will to endure. What defines his work most is its credibility. Whether writing of crime, romance, war, or time travel, Roy never leans on the artificial or the outlandish. Instead, he crafts characters who feel lived in, who carry their wounds and joys in equal measure, and who make choices as complex as life demands. His dialogue is lean and purposeful; his pacing, unhurried but never lagging. There is dignity in his prose — a quiet refusal to write anything he himself would not believe. Reading Roy Jenner is not like reading a book. It's like being spoken to - by a man who has seen much, felt deeply, and still believes that stories matter. {Charles Chattaway) DID MY FATHER PLAY GUITAR? Brad Mason had never known a father's love. Whenever he raised the question his mother's answer was always the same. 'He was a good man.' Tilly Mason was a hooker on Kings Cross. Brad left Sydney on her death to seek seclusion in the outback of Australia. Trees, a paddock, a stream, no electricity, and no people, all this enabled him to fulfil his dream; play guitar and paint. His landscapes were good. Lester Arnold, an ex-patriot Nashville musician, recognised the potential of Brad's paintings and displayed his work in his steak-house on the Princes Highway. Success created new friends for Brad. He was welcomed into a world of country music, romance and intrigue. Laurie Anderson was a Sydney police sergeant on late shift when attracted by smoke billowing from a boarding house on Darlinghurst. He entered the burning building and rescued a young woman, left her on the road and returned to the flames to save her companion. Tilly Mason watched as firemen carried Laurie from the blaze and was by his bed the day the bandages were removed from his sixty five per cent burns. She was not repulsed by the synthetic mask that was now his face. For Laurie the prospect of rehabilitation was long, but Tilly was there and supported him. She stood by Laurie and fell in love, but continued to work at her profession. When she lay with him she saw only the beauty within, but would not give up her profession and continued to do what she did best. Laurie grew strong enough to re-enter the work force. His reputation as a police officer bore him in good stead for a position with a security company. His daily routine saw him responsible for the collection of large sums of money. Life continued to be cruel for Laurie, but acceptable, but he lost the one thing in the world he cared about. Tilly died and left a legacy that tested his emotions to the full. She revealed she'd had a son by him many years before; her only child. The boy had no knowledge of his father. That child was Brad Mason, a young man running from life while grieving over a lost mother and yearning for a father he didn't have. Laurie Anderson, a ruin of a man, became inspired by the search for his son. Two torn individuals, each a vital character in a twisting tale of romance and intrigue. FAMILIAR SURROUNDINGS Joseph Scott became enrolled in the school of life in February1990, the younger brother of two. The school of life; the one big pool of knowledge where one starts to learn from the first breath taken. There Joe learned how to live, how to laugh, how to accept, how to forgive, how to understand and eventually how to grieve, but how to love? No. He had no need to learn to love for he was born with love in his heart as we all were and his pathway into adult years was enhanced by that love and the directions in which he chose to direct it. His love for his parents knew no bounds and his learning experiences grew more challenging as he moved into adulthood and was forced to contend with the demanding reality of their senior years. This story takes us inside Joe's head as he learns to accept the mother he adores, though mature and beautiful on the outside, is changing and moving away from him in her mind. You are invited to share the pictures in Joe's head as he takes control of the family unit and struggles to understand family secrets inadvertently exposed as senior years affect those loved by him. HOUSE OF SECRETS Terror and violent death are loose in the Catlins of the South Island. An animal's only reason for killing is food. The Catlin's killer is not an animal, but a monster with another reason to kill. What could that reason be? Gloria Stuart's dead body is found in her remote farmhouse in the Clutha Valley; brutally murdered, stabbed to death in a savage attack. In the main bedroom the unconscious form of her husband Angus is found, covered in blood and reeking of alcohol. The jury's verdict is delivered in a short time. Guilty as charged; 'life imprisonment,' said the judge. The one child of this marriage was son Andrew, sixteen years old and in his first year of extended study at University. Since the cradle father and son had been at odds with each other and on many occasions Angus had invited Andrew to leave home. 'Don't come back, ever.' With the death of his mother Andrew had more reason to hate his father. He broke from school and travelled the world. Angus serves fourteen years of a life sentence before being freed. He returns to his home, the scene of the crime where a week later he is found hanging dead in the hallway. A note to his son begs for forgiveness. Andrew's love for his mother was unequalled. He returns with bitterness in his heart unable to forgive. His purpose is to claim his heritage and sell the land with its derelict home, but he is puzzled by the fact someone has been tending his mother's grave. Andrew finds death and fear stalk the valley. IN THE SHADOW OF THE HAWK The stirring sequel to The Bringing Down of the Hawk. A gripping story involving industrial espionage in New Zealand and the effect it has on the lives of Auckland business man Ted Starling and his bride to be Dawn Graham. The opening chapter involves German fighter pilot ace Broer Altschul and describes the events that led to his relocation to New Zealand following his capture in North Africa. Dawn Graham, the founder of her own design and fashion organization, working only in New Zealand wool products, unknowingly becomes the target of lightning sketch artist Altschul who has the ability and means to reproduce her exclusive designs and present them to the New Zealand market before her own marketing processes can be established. Ted Starling's failing heart induces him to make drastic decisions in his life and we are introduced to New Zealand bushman Ryan Elliott in the backwoods of Taupo who becomes the donor of the life saving organ. Many of these characters overflow from the previous book and this story deals with the strength and love between a male and a female in more mature years of life. It also deals with the private lives of unscrupulous characters such as Altschul and his conniving colleague Slade who are the parasites of life who choose to grow fat from the pickings from people such as Ted and Dawn. Dawn Graham's designs are under threat as copyright thieves threaten her industry when she is most vulnerable with Ted in a life-or-death situation. Ted becomes the recipient of a new heart and this story exposes the personal feelings of those involved as relatively the subversive attacks on the structure of their lives take second place. Ted recovers and he and Dawn marry bringing into the story characters from the past who have always stood by Ted in difficult times. Ted's character is tested when Dawn conceives a child she is destined not to carry for nature's full term and heartache and despair tear the story line apart. In personal grief Ted forsakes everything and everyone close to him, but eventually finds the strength to seek the comfort from long time family friends. With his replacement heart failing he understands he has been on borrowed time and undertakes to reveal a few personal secrets and straighten the record. What do we have here? We have a story of love, of loyalty, of failure and extreme success and of course, recrimination. LOST IN TIME Retired Chief of Detectives Phillip Maynard finds life difficult to handle following the death of his wife after forty-five years of marriage. After waking in hospital from a near-death experience, he is told a young man brought him to the emergency department. Of course, it could only be young Robert Gardener, whom he had met recently. Keen to repay Robert for saving his life, Phillip goes to Robert's home to meet his mother Andrea. When accused of trespassing and told that Andrea Gardener had passed away months ago, Phillip cannot fathom this situation. Robert is in search of his father, an RAF Squadron Leader and Battle of Britain pilot. Robert knows his dad is lost and not dead and asks for Phillip's help to find him. Phillip Maynard is now a man given the power to travel through time and possibly change the course of history with startling consequences. MASTER OF THE HOUSE Charlie Lampton was a star; Master of the House and as he proclaimed on stage, 'the best innkeeper in town,' but he was a slave to his destiny as he lost his wife through a ruptured marriage, his house through the pressure of a massive mortgage and everything he owned to the hands of thieves. With life at its lowest things were destined to get worse when his best friend and theatrical understudy died in suspicious circumstances. It was then a chance meeting with retired Sydney police detective Stephen Haynes did much to restore Charlie's faith in human nature as the two work together to salvage love and logic from the shattered remains of a brilliant career. It all happens Downtown Sydney. Stephen Haynes, a top police officer whose overindulgence in everything resulted in him degenerating to a high degree, returns to Sydney after a rehabilitating experience on the hills of Tibet. His double agenda has him in town to sell his assets and reunite with his daughter. The indiscretions of earlier times have been lessons in life for Steve from which he has learned well and the years spent on the slopes of the Himalayas have fashioned him into a new and wiser person. Now he is in control to consolidate his relationship with his daughter, sell his property and return to Tibet. At breakfast he meets Charlie Lampton, thespian, who has a leading role in the top musical production in Sydney. Charlie intends to quit the show at the end of the season when it moves to Perth; which is now. There are too many ghosts in Perth for Charlie. Steve and Charlie strike up a sound relationship and Steve learns of the misfortunes that have befallen the actor. Charlie's best friend and understudy Leslie Due has gone missing in mysterious circumstances and Charlie's actress wife has run away to New Zealand with her leading man. Charlie's house has been burgled and everything he owned has been taken; even his car from the garage. He is left only with the clothes he wears. Steve Haynes explains to Charlie it is only a matter of time before all these problems will be solved by the police and those responsible taken to task; except for the wife problem which is a matter of the heart. Charlie tells Steve he has little faith in police methods for there has been a nil result until now. NOT WITHOUT REASON The dramatic disappearance and subsequent death of socialite and art critic William Bond Walshe when his pleasure cruiser The Owl was wrecked off the Devon coast was neither an accident, nor a random killing. It was a premeditated and precise act of murder planned by much sought after criminal Glenys Hasting. Glenys had fled New Zealand with hundreds of millions of NZ dollars accrued by a syndicate of criminals who themselves were unable to avoid the law before paying the ultimate price for their horrific deeds. Glenys ran free and with INTERPOL still seeking her after five years she settled in Torquay England under a new identity. There the weakness of the flesh introduced her to high flying Billy Walshe who excelled in filling her sexual needs, but in doing so he revealed to her a dark side to his character that when exposed by her through media associates shocked the world. Glenys was ready to repay her debt to society and a night of hi-jinks on the high seas aboard Billy's luxury cruiser provided the opportunity she required to execute her daring scheme. She constantly told her peers she was not a bad girl, but her new mission in life was one to make Billy Walshe pay for the injustices and obscenities inflicted on her family in her youth by his peers; and pay he did. Satisfied with the results of her actions Glenys's complacency led to a chink in her armour which when exploited by top CIB detective Abe Griffin had her blazing a trail of retreat through the West End of London and the Home Counties. With Detective Abe hard in pursuit she continued to switch identities and struggle with personal afflictions to which she accepted there was no remedy. At peace with herself once more and with Billy held to account for his sins Glenys was able to concentrate on the altruistic facet of her nature. Her final act was to dispose of the many millions of dollars available to her to deserving causes. It was no easy task to give away money anonymously. As her race against time became her final one she returned to her homeland of New Zealand where she made one final effort to prove to the law that indeed, she was not a bad girl. OFF THE WALL Ned Newman a potentially retired real estate agent and frustrated writer is an insignificant character in this tale of intrigue which thrives on the devious and life threatening actions of a select band of ruthless individuals inspired by greed. Unknowingly Ned has become the thorn in the side of one of New Zealand's richest men, Eric Dunsheath, who by his own admission will stop at nothing to fulfil his goals and dreams. Eric is a vertically challenged male from the wrong side of the tracks; a dwarf with an IQ of 191. At an early age as an unwanted child he chose to leave the orphanage where his superfluous being was deposited at birth, for life on the streets. He lived rough until his cunning led him to fortune. Riches are his; millions! Eric is aware his life expectancy is short and is ready to make the world pay for the manner in which it has treated him. Unfortunately Ned Newman is in his way. Ned's weakness for the opposite sex serves only to lead him deeper into a web of premeditated deception designed to systematically destroy the neighbourhood in which he lives and bring his hopes of a peaceful retirement crashing to the ground. Anyone who dares to offer an impediment to Eric Dunsheath's master plan, either knowingly or unknowingly, will suffer the same fate as the beautiful Amanda and the ruthless gay guy Alex whose devilish counter plot spirals to an unimaginable finale. But Eric himself is a target. Is it possible to capture a person's identity, relieve them of all worldly goods without raising suspicion, or give a hint to an outside world of any wrong doing? There are those who know it can be done and make it look scaringly easy. Devious characters with unscrupulous actions are ready to move on Eric with an infallible scheme of seizure and extortion. Where will Ned Newman feature in the process and what surprises doe Eric have for everyone concerned. There could be big winners in this battle for Shallows Lane; but it is conceivable that nobody will win. ON THE LIP OF A LION Kidnap and treachery on the streets of Auckland. Enjoying a respite between marriages TV personality Kris Nevan is reunited with his teenage daughter at the height of the Christmas season. Nevan is rich, successful and invulnerable, so he thinks. He is almost offhand in his down-playing of an ominous threat to separate him from his daughter and his money from his bank account. He is soon to become acquainted with the force of evil lurking behind the facade of a pantomime clown who, in the guise of Santa Claus, blatantly snatches the girl in an audacious act of villainy. Mortimer Kingsley, also known as Sunbeam the Clown, is the Gaffer, an ex-patriot Brit and vaudeville star, whose broken heart is held together by scars of bitterness and retribution. He and his select band of thugs have systematically plundered banks and payrolls with huge success in Auckland who remain hidden behind pseudonymous. They take Nevan's daughter and as planned they get their ten million dollars. The Gaffer is a generous, but hard master and those who make mistakes in his organisation pay the ultimate price. But mistakes have been made and a trail of devastation is uncovered to take the reader through the length and breadth of New Zealand's North Island, out onto the Waitemata Harbour where the ranks of the Gaffer's team are depleted in a serious act of housekeeping on his part. There is death on the high seas and death in the suburbs of Auckland as the Gaffer seeks to right things that have gone wrong for him. The perfect crime is suddenly not as perfect. The violence begins as the scales of poetic justice tip one way and then the other. All hell breaks loose at the Part-Time wrecking yard as discounted underlings break ranks and express opinions. It is suggested amid the fire and the fury that follows the curtain has come down for the last time on Sunbeam, the pantomime clown; but has it? Mortimer Kingsley has cashed up and is ready to move offshore and it is never clear who it was died that Christmas morning in West Auckland. One thing is sure, it wasn't Father Christmas. Maybe it was somebody pretending to be Father Christmas, but isn't that what normally happens? TAKEN BY EXPERTS It was too late for introductions. You don't shake hands with a dead man; especially one whose fingers and thumbs of both hands had been severed at the first joint. Phil Rudolph of Auckland CID knew he had the job ahead of him as he took stock of Anton Clegg Chairman of the Board of Air-Chill Cold Storage strapped in his chair in his private office at 3am on a disturbing Sunday in the middle of winter. Here was a man who was going nowhere other than the morgue from a place that resembled an abattoir more than a cold store. Chief Inspector Philip Rudolph didn't need a coroner to tell him Clegg had used up his life's supply of group something blood. A gory trail of investigation lay ahead for Auckland's top policeman. Prime suspect Greg Parkinson was drunk enough and sober enough to leave his car after a Saturday night birthday binge and wander into the loading bay of a city warehouse to relieve nature. He heard somebody's death cries and stumbled upon the butchered body of Anton Clegg. Clegg, a white collar criminal who excelled when misappropriating investors funds. The question had to be raised: Is it Anton Clegg? His identical twin brother was knight of the realm Sir Alexander Clegg, philanthropist. The two were often mistaken for each other . Who was the one slain in that Auckland City cold store? No fingers meant no fingerprints which made it hard to confirm the identity of the bloodied remains. And so began the chapters of corruption, murder and suspicion. Anton Clegg was not unknown to Greg Parkinson who with Clegg's blood on him was the immediate suspect. It was one of Clegg's investment companies those years before that had eaten up in excess of a million dollars of Greg's money and in the process destroyed his marriage. 'I was taken by experts,' Greg told the police who were keen to connect him to the crime in the cold store. This story is more intricate than that, however, with a string of dead bodies and savage deeds reaching from the Eastern Bay of Plenty to the Bay of Islands; from Hamilton City in New Zealand to The Rocks on the waterfront of Sydney. All this merely a beginning to an intricate story of murder and extortion. THE BRINGING DOWN OF THE HAWK A gripping family saga involving love, heartache, war, crime and retribution. The share market crash in October 1987 affected the lives of many New Zealanders. None more than that of Ted Starling, a childhood immigrant carried to those shores in 1946 in the wake of World War 2. Ted was ten years old when his father Staff Sergeant Eddie Starling was engaged with the 18th Battalion of the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force combating the might of Rommel's armour in the North African desert. Eddie survived the ravages of Dunkirk, but suffered severe injury. His shell-shocked body was transported in its amnesic condition to New Zealand where a new life with a new identity was established. Sixty years of passion and devotion are exposed as a father and a son grow together to form an inseparable relationship. Their story crosses five continents and five decades to culminate in a powerful, well planned and particularly personal act of retribution. A must to be read. < b>THERE IS NO HIDING PLACE World War 2, London 1940. For 76 consecutive nights Adolph Hitler unleashed the fury of his Luftwaffe on Britain's largest city in a nonstop hail of bombs that had helpless civilians wilting under their blast. Step Green was three weeks old and his sister Tess two years when the Green family of eleven siblings sought refuge from the bombing and in desperation were evacuated from London's East End and dispatched to sympathetic countries of the British Empire to evade the Fuehrer's wrath. Having been assessed as being too young to travel from their homeland, Step and Tess were sent to East Anglia to live with an aunt where they were reasonably safe from the war, but never safe from death which lurked in the hedgerows of Poplar Farm. Stepney Green dedicated his life to seeking the one responsible for the demise of his sister so that he could forgive him, creating a devastating outcome. THE SHADOW OF THE BLACK SHEEP From London to New Zealand Laurie Davidson spent twenty five years travelling the world with his guitar pumping out his music as a busker on the cobbles and in the markets, wearing the personal injustice heaped upon him like a badge of honour. There was no other way. He was a proud man and took the social rejections on the chin, picked himself up and was straight back into it. When down and out there was but one way for him to go and that was up and he wouldn't be stopped. Four years of prison was a hard school for a young man who lost most of what he loved when punished for a crime he did not commit, but he came to realise the friends who remained at his side were true friends who loved him in spite of what he did, or didn't do. TWO SIDES OF THE COIN Paul Walker, head teacher who when happily married to the love of his life, became widowed after twenty seven years. For three years he shouldered his grief, being unable to accept another woman into his lonely world, until he was drawn to the rescue of Sylvia Livingstone, a maiden in distress who was also facing challenging times with her life in crisis. With a mutual attraction the backgrounds of two devoted people are exposed in a traumatic revelation that focuses on the rehabilitation of two souls under threat.The other side of the coin? Greed and corruption and the way it can exist at the highest level to destroy society. Explore Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, and enjoy the tense climate that reveals how the mighty are fallen. WILD IN HIS SORROW His dream was Eden Park - Number 10 jersey. His nightmare Mt Eden Prison - cell block 10 with a promising All Black rugby career shattered. A sentence of a life behind bars can do much to change a man's thinking. 'A grave miscarriage of justice,' were the words on the paper the Minister of Justice had handed to Terry Stamp when it was decided after fourteen years of incarceration he had not killed his wife. 'Go home, my man. Start your life again. You have plenty of good years remaining.' Yes, plenty of good years to control the bitterness filling his heart and driving him on in his personal quest for his wife's killer. He and Cavanagh had been married ten years when she was taken from him in a brutal attack by a spurned group of rugby supporters at a time when Terry Stamp was a name on everyone's lips whenever All Black football was mentioned. WINTER’S SONG In retirement in Winter's Song sheltered accommodation village Adam Mulberry found each of his aged companions had an untold story to tell, an anthology of their life experiences, which he slowly extracted from them as respect and confidence grew. It had been hard at first, but gradually for many of them Adam had compiled a file in his laptop. Each was a walking history book which in some cases went back almost a full century and it excited him to know he had been accepted by them. With their permission he had converted that knowledge and documented in biographical detail, a series of short stories, cameos that depicted the change that had occurred in a dozen lifetimes on the converging trails that led people not known to each other to a common destination; Winter's Song. These are their stories. With admiration and care, Prepared by Charles Chattaway, 2025

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When you search the pages of Amazon and Google you will read plenty about me, Roy Jenner, but I want to use this time and space to tell you about my books; thirteen of them at time of writing. All have a strong New Zealand connection. Some happen in Auckland, the country’s largest city; others explore the heartland and heritage of our beautiful country. Two novels have Sydney Australia as their background. So where do we start on this inviting journey of crime, murder, subterfuge, kidnap, extortion, industrial espionage? They are the good bits as we move on to love, loyalty, family sagas, heart break, humour and forgiveness. Let us pick the first at random. Enjoy a taste of what is available to you for US$2.99 on Amazon for a short period. Then read the reviews that follow. Wild In His Sorrow. Thriller! Terry Stamp was strong All Black material and tipped to be the one wearing the number 10 jersey the next time the world beaters took the field. Such great potential was instantly defused when his wife Cavanagh was found brutally murdered following an after-match function. Cavanagh’s death changed everything, but worse followed when Terry, convicted of her murder was sentenced to life imprisonment. Fourteen years into his sentence his innocence was determined and all his waking hours from then on were committed to the fruitless search of identifying those responsible for her death. It took more death and heartbreak before after too many years Terry got a sniff of the truth and was able to confront the killer and implement his own version of justice. Suspense! On the Lip of a Lion. Thriller! Someone pretending to be Santa Claus demands ten million dollars from New Zealand’s top television personality. ‘Then you can have you daughter back. Alive! Or do you want her a finger at a time?’ Drama and suspense in Auckland as Santa snatches the girl and does a runner forcing Mr TV to come up with the money. Share the action, both sides of the fence, as a well drilled team of highly experienced criminals takes the money and runs. How far do they get? Thrills, spills and white knuckles as a cheeky chappy sails too close to the wind. Someone pretending to be Santa? Come on! Isn’t that what usually happens? Suspense/action. The Shadow of the Black Sheep. Family saga, love and heartache; musical theme. Tear Jerker. Four years in Maidstone prison presented a hard school for Laurie Davidson, a young man who lost most of what he loved when punished for a crime he did not commit. It was then he realised the friends who remained at his side were true friends who loved him in spite of what he did, or didn’t do. Caught in the act in front of an empty safe with a hold-all containing £48,000 at his feet, a security officer unconscious and bleeding in an alleyway; there could be little argument. It’s a fair cop, guv’ner. None the less the presiding justice failed to be impressed by his plea of, ‘Not Guilty, m’lud,’ and was further disturbed by his lack of remorse which inspired him to hand down a sentence of 5 years. When freed from prison Laurie’s new life became fulfilled with love and understanding, but after a traumatic experience he took his guitar and travelled the world, busking and searching for a man he could never forgive. He found many things in New Zealand; one being forgiveness; and so much more. Happiness? $2.99 0n Amazon. Heart wrenching family drama. Off the Wall. Thrills and chills! ‘Eric Dunsheath, vertically challenged, filthy rich and taller sitting than standing is determined to live out his few years remaining in the comfort and security of The Shallows, his reclusive luxury home on the inner harbour. With an IQ of 181 he is awake to most things, but is unaware of the team of executive criminals who plot his downfall. This white collar gang moves with precision as it schemes to steal his identity and his millions. Could it be they have underestimated the guile of Humpty Dumpty, a street wise dwarf who all his life has remained one step ahead of the play? When he eventually has his great fall they might find his wall comes tumbling down around them. Crime/suspense/action. House of Secrets. Thriller! With the death of his mother Andrew Stuart had more reason to hate his father. He broke from school and travelled the world. Twenty years on Andrew returned to New Zealand’s heartland to find death and fear stalked the valley as his family home burned to the ground. The legend was stronger than ever: ‘Drunken husband murders devoted wife in their Otago farmhouse. On release after serving a life sentence Angus Stuart took his own life in the same homestead that had stood empty for 15 years.’ Now Andrew was back despite his father’s searing words that had echoed in his brain for two decades: ‘Get out! Don’t come back ever.’ Back for what? His purpose was to claim his heritage and sell the land with its derelict homestead, but he was puzzled by the fact someone had been tending his mother’s grave since the time she was laid to rest. He was disturbed to learn in his absence the Otago towns had been troubled by the disappearance of children and strangers were met with the same distrust as that extended to locals. The prodigal found himself involved in events when the daughter of a local dignitary vanished from the scene as once again terror struck. The answers to all these problems could have been found in the House of Secrets which now had been destroyed. Meanwhile a killer is still out there. Suspense in New Zealand’s Heartland. The Walnut Tree. Fantasy, adventure, time travel. A boy climbing in an historic walnut tree fell and died. The tree was 250 years old and was seeded in the reign of George 3rd of England. His psychic mother deduces that if the tree hadn’t grown the child would never have climbed to his death and her spiritual advisors grant her the option of aborting the embryo of the beautiful Walnut Tree to enable her to be reunited with her son whose twin brother still lives. This task she delegates to a British air ace who in his Supermarine Spitfire has become lost in time whilst combating the might of Adolph Hitler’s Luftwaffe. At 52,000 feet and dicing always with danger Squadron Leader Bob Gardener is facing the challenge of his lifetime. Ice cold conditions for which his Supermarine Spitfire was never designed eat at his extremities as he puts the nose of his aircraft down and powers at full throttle into a cloud bank that for him holds the secret of the sound barrier. Is he fated to be the first to cross that frontier as the Battle of Britain and World War 2 rage below? Others in his squadron had tried and failed, never to return, but Bob Gardener is on the threshold of a dynamic discovery and has never flinched from a challenge. As an ace Battle of Britain pilot he is prepared for most things, but no one could predict what awaits him when he brings his aircraft to earth in the green paddock of a hop farm sixty years into the future. Huge drama evolves as Bob exists in a time warp and is swept up in a wave of ethereal voyaging that buffets him through centuries to the early 18th century. Continuing to be trapped in time Bob is confronted with the savagery of the Hawkhurst Gang as they claim Kent and Southern England for their own in a land where no judicial system He is then pursued through time by twentieth century wife Andrea Gardener who is determined to bring him home to 1941 and the sanctuary of Trillinghurst Farm. Squire Bob Gardener is now completely lost in time. Does he want to be found? And what of his original mission to abort the lush seed of an historic Walnut Tree to satisfy the maternal cravings of a woman waiting patiently in the twentieth century? Time will tell. A ticket through time to George 3rd’s reign. Dventure/fantasy. Master of the House. Crime thriller. The theatrical world of Downtown Sydney Australia is shocked by the brutal death of one of its leading exponents. The show must go on, but Charlie Lampton in his star role as Thenardier, the grimy innkeeper in Les Miserable, is devastated when his the body of his understudy is mangled in the dead of night on a busy city motorway. Bad luck seemed to stalk Charlie who had in recent times lost his wife to a fellow thespian, the contents of his home to thieves and very nearly his will to live. All is not lost. Charlie’s encounter with a retired police detective, Stephen Haynes, changes his whole life and romance is thrust upon him in the form of an international film actress; the daughter of his dead friend. Mystery and intrigue fill the pages of this story as a deep plot deepens before Steve Haynes systematically unravels the threads of a personal and in places, a light hearted dilemma that challenges Charlie Lampton’s determination to remain Master of the House. Suspense and mystery. Taken By Experts. It was too late for introductions. You don’t shake hands with a dead man; especially one who has had the fingers and thumbs of both hands severed at the first joint. Here was a man who was going nowhere other than the morgue from a place that resembled an abattoir more than a cold store where he was found. This was a gory introduction to a fast paced crime novel that guaranteed Chief Inspector Philip Rudolph of Auckland CIB had the job ahead of him when countering the job description laid down by the main players in this game of life, death and elimination. This is an exciting plot of extortion and corrupt activity; fast moving and seething with interesting characters trying hard to remain alive. All are members of the hardest school of criminals who know better than to turn their backs of those working beside them in their quest to relieve a knight of the realm of his expansive empire. Twists and turns will have you guessing through to the last pages. This is vicious crime at its most ruthless executed by hardened criminals who allow no one to stand in their way. Crime/kidnap/extortion/suspense. Winter’s Song. Historic adventure – love – laughter – romance – tragedy. Ten people of senior years reveal the secrets of their lifetimes. Read what brought them to Winter’s Song, a place for the aged and infirm, as they unlock their minds to reveal their personal stories of struggle and success on their journeys through the sensational 20th century. Personal tragedies and world wars left their marks on their hearts and minds. Life was good when we were young and we were never given reason to think otherwise, nor to consider the remote evolution of man such as late adult hood, retirement and futuristic conditions when the leaves would begin to fall from the tree of life. No way, that would be then and we were now and such things were too far away for the young and vital and not worthy of any thought. Old age was for old people, them not us; but how quickly the pages of the book of life turn before suddenly we find we are easing from the autumn of our lives and conceding to the comforting strains of winter’s song to find ourselves looking down and back. Then we are the ones confronted by the truth and the truth is, it does happen and has happened and is happening to us right now; it was happening to Adam Mulberry. Adam bore the label of old really well and had done so since being admitted to Winter’s Song Retirement Village four years earlier. Each of his aged companions had a story, an anthology of life experiences which piece by piece he had slowly extracted from them as respect and confidence grew. It had been hard at first, but gradually for many of them Adam had compiled a file in his laptop. Each was a walking history book which in some cases went back almost a full century and it excited him to know he had been accepted by them. With their permission he had converted that knowledge and documented in biographical detail, a series of short stories, cameos that depicted the change that had occurred in a dozen lifetimes on the converging trails that led people not known to each other to a common destination; Winter’s Song. These are their stories. Historic family cameos. The Is No Hiding Place. Family saga, love, romance, heart ache, retribution, forgiveness. World War 2, 1940. For 76 consecutive nights Adolph Hitler unleashed the fury of his Luftwaffe on Britain’s largest city in a nonstop hail of bombs that had helpless civilians wilting under their blast. Step Green was three weeks old and his sister Tess two years when the Green family of eleven siblings sought refuge from the bombing and in desperation were evacuated from London’s East End and dispatched to sympathetic countries of the British Empire to evade the Fuehrer’s wrath. 77 child evacuees drowned when a German U-boat sank the ocean liner City of Benares on which they travelled. Having been assessed as being too young to travel, Step and Tess were sent to East Anglia to live with an aunt where they were reasonably safe from the war, but never safe from death which lurked in the hedgerows of Poplar Farm. Tess was brutally killed and at twelve years of age Step’s loyalty and love for his sister committed him to a lifetime of retribution during which he travelled the world to satisfy his childhood vow to avenge her death. The killer was punished by the courts, but ‘never enough’, said Step who pursued that killer, released under a new identity along his trail of freedom to Auckland New Zealand. It was there Step learned to love and to forgive and begin a new life with a brother he thought had perished in a dramatic action on the high seas. With murder and arson in the headlines of Auckland newspapers it was judged Step Green had administered his own version of justice. Throughout the trial he refused to plead his innocence and was committed to Mt Eden Prison for life. Guilty, or not guilty? You be the judge. Crime/justice/injustice/vengeance/forgiveness. Did My Father Play Guitar? White collar crime, adventure and family love. Heartache and double cross in New South Wales Australia. Brad Mason had never known a father’s love. Whenever he raised the question his mother’s answer was always the same. ‘He was a good man.’ Tilly Mason was a hooker on Kings Cross. Brad left Sydney on her death to seek seclusion in the outback. Trees, a paddock, a stream, no electricity and no people! All this enabled him to fulfil his dream; play guitar and paint. His landscapes were good. Lester Arnold, an ex-patriot Nashville musician, recognised the potential of Brad’s paintings and displayed his work in his steak-house on the Princes Highway. Success created new friends for Brad. He was welcomed into a world of country music, romance and intrigue. Laurie Anderson was a Sydney police sergeant on late shift when attracted by smoke billowing from a boarding house on Darlinghurst. He entered the burning building and rescued a young woman, left her on the road and returned to the flames to save her companion. Tilly Mason watched as firemen carried Laurie from the blaze and was by his bed the day the bandages were removed from his sixty five per cent burns. She was not repulsed by the synthetic mask that was now his face. For Laurie the prospect of rehabilitation was long, but Tilly was there and supported him. Tilly continued to work at her profession, but stood by Laurie, and fell in love. When she lay with him she saw only the beauty within, but she would not give up her profession and continued to do what she did best. Laurie grew strong enough to re-enter the work force. His reputation as a police officer bore him in good stead for a position with a security company. His daily routine saw him responsible for the collection of large sums of money. Life continued to be cruel for Laurie, but acceptable until he lost the one thing in the world he cared about. Tilly died and left a legacy that tested his emotions to the full. On her death it was revealed she’d had a son by him many years before; her only child. The boy had no knowledge of his father. His name was Brad, a young man, running from life, grieving over a lost mother and yearning for a father he didn’t have. Laurie Anderson, a ruin of a man, became inspired by the search for his son. They were two torn individuals, each a vital character in a twisting tale of romance and intrigue. Enter Nick Burgess, a Sydney property developer renowned for his orchestrated failure of investment companies. Well engineered legal representation had seen him defy conviction. As a law-enforcer it was Laurie’s personal crusade to bring Burgess down. Laurie set up a meeting and used the developer’s greed to invite Burgess into an elaborate money-making scheme. Laurie convinced the man nothing could go wrong. Something did go wrong. Laurie Anderson, a senior security officer was convicted of theft as a servant. He walked free three years later to find Nick Burgess and his team of thugs waiting for him. There followed a battle of wits as the authorities and Nick Burgess competed for the millions of dollars missing four years before. Brad Mason was coming to terms with life. He no longer felt alone. The time he spent with Lester Arnold and his wife Alice became special. They welcomed him into their circle where the joy of country music opened up a new world to him. Lester explained how music was an hereditary trait. As fate guided father and son nearer to each other Brad was forced to ask of himself a burning question. ‘Did my father play guitar?’ This was an innocent question to which he would be handed the answer, once Laurie Anderson had settled his score with Nick Burgess. The Bringing Down of the Hawk. A gripping family saga involving love, heartache, war, crime and retribution. The share market crash in October 1987 affected the lives of many New Zealanders. None more than that of Ted Starling, a childhood immigrant carried to those shores in 1946 in the wake of World War 2. Ted was ten years old when this story began and his father Staff Sergeant Eddie Starling was engaged with the 18th Battalion of the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force combating the might of Rommel’s armour in North African desert. Eddie had survived the ravages of Dunkirk, but suffered severe injury in the wake of Rommel’s retreat. His shell-shocked body was transported in its amnesic condition to Auckland, New Zealand where a new life with a new identity was established. Sixty years of passion and intrigue, heartbreak and devotion are exposed as a father and a son grow together as New Zealanders to form an inseparable relationship. Their story crosses five continents and five decades to culminate in a powerful, well planned and particularly personal act of retribution. Young Teddy Starling had been distressed by the death of his mother in Flying Bomb attack that destroyed their home in South London, but was compensated when reunited with his father, thought dead in the African desert. Teddy Starling the boy grew to Ted Starling the man and life was good for the Starlings in Auckland. Eddie’s time in uniform in France and the desert is well documented as is Ted’s, as he matured to serve his two years for the queen in her khaki uniform. Exciting things happened in Egypt that re-established old relationships. Out of uniform once more Ted dedicated his life to that of his father and newly found friends in New Zealand. As a successful businessman Ted travelled to Sydney where he was is devastated by the sudden death of his father while away. On his return Ted decided his father, Eddie, had lost his life in suspicious circumstances and Ted’s one reason to live was to expose the one responsible. Ted’s plan is powerful and intrinsic, but became frustrated when he learned he had a terminal heart condition. He was advised his life expectancy was not sufficient to bring his adversary before the courts. His endeavours were further disrupted when the 1987 stock market crash claimed the life of the man he despised. Ted Starling recognised this death as fait accompli and now alone in the world he was satisfied his life after fifty years was at an end. Now the inexplicable happened; Ted fell in love. Dawn Graham, stunninhgly beautiful, ten years Ted’s junior and alarming rich and successful in her own right was smitten by Ted and failed to understand his reasons for rejecting her. Their story is a golden thread running through this family saga which is filled with delightful characters, visits colourful locations in Australia and New Zealand and explores local culture. It describes in detail The Bringing Down of the Hawk, how and why. It is a tale of love and laughter, of dedication and loyalty, pain and passion that reaches from London’s East End through to the wilds of New Zealand’s North Island to domicile in Auckland City. It lingers in the outback of Australia’s Snowy Mountains, the bustle of Paddy’s Markets and the fearful iced terrain of Mount Erebus. A powerful family saga in which life and death fail to discriminate. Action/adventure/drama/loyalty/life and death/romance/retribution/world war 2/much more. In the Shadow of the Hawk. The stirring sequel to The Bringing Down of the Hawk. Read the Bringing Down – then read the Shadow. Thrills-action adventure-drama-loyalty-life-death-romance. Read and enjoy any of these books on Amazon. US$2.99 to US$3.99 Reviews – Reviews :- Malcolm Twigg Aug 29, 2017 Bringing Down of the Hawk - Review Sit back, put your feet up and settle down for one of the best books you will ever have read in a long, long, time. Then reach for the whisky, not only to double the enjoyment but also to toast the artifice of the author. Emotionally charged and beautifully realised, this book transports you from wartime London via the war-torn Middle-East, to Auckland, New Zealand and back again in a cracking and moving tale of the Starling family over two generations. It slips down the gullet like an excellent honeyed single malt. If you have never been to New Zealand, you will feel that you have actually lived there after reading this book, which paints a vivid picture of life, love and intrigue amongst the Kiwis. And does it turn out all right in the end? Read it. You won't be disappointed. This book deserves much more than a digital platform. I would go so far as to say that it actually deserves a pedestal. A thoroughly entertaining and thought provoking book. Joeybrown Sep 30, 2017 Bringing Down the Hawk Amazing, brilliant read, very hard to put it down. Couldn’t wait to carry on reading it. Love to see it made into a TV drama. So cleverly written. So glad I’ve read it. Can’t wait to start another of Roy’s books. Bringing Down of the Hawk. Leslie Jones 10/12/17 This is a 'must' read! Stand by for a brilliant yarn! Most highly recommended! Elle Fran Williams Aug 9, 2017 Bringing down the Hawk I really liked the easy flow of the book, and was not 'discombobulated' by the time or place switches! I was, of course, influenced by my age and location (born in the middle of the 'Blitz' in London!) both of which gave me some kind of subconscious 'nostalgia' kick! The plotting was careful, the writing comfortable. I liked the book and would recommend it and its author. dfttyuuiii Aug 7, 2017 I liked the author's style Cool book. I liked the author's style. I suggest that you check it out. There is magic in these pages. 1 Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 0 jjhtrdftr Aug 5, 2017 Excellent style Very well crafted. Excellent style. Cannot recommend it enough. I was hooked to it from start to finish Laraine Smith Aug 1, 2017 Wow! :) I fell in love with the picture you chose the first time I saw it! Keep up the creativity! Reading about what happened to the guy at the start of the story broke my heart! It was not fair! It was exciting to read the other version of the English grammar! I learned about it from watching TV! I especially enjoyed the part about the Neil Diamond impression. Amanda Huddleston Jul 21, 2017 Wow This is one of the best novels I've read on Inkitt. It's brilliantly written, it's deep, thrilling, and full of passion from the author. Wish I could give it more than five stars. Wow, wow, wow. Rowan Gilbert-Walsh Jul 14, 2017 Winter's Song I can honestly say that I loved this, and that I've never read anything quite like it. All of these people's lives were so interesting and detailed. This story makes me want to talk to the seniors in my community and learn their histories. I especially loved the story of the first woman who had to give up her son, and the story of the two sisters, and I love the idea of an old man recording the histories of his friends. I also really appreciate getting a bit of a feel for New Zealand, seeing as I live almost as far away from it as you can get. Overall, it was quite slow moving, especially for a 17 year old who is used to reading fast paced, indulgent YA novels, and there were times where I felt slightly bored. But even then, I felt attatched to these people's lives. I think readers tend to be more impatient now and modern books are usually a bit more fast paced, but that doesn't really say anything about the quality of this story. Just so you know, I noticed just a couple grammar mistakes that were very minor. I think more typos than actual serious mistakes, like very occasionally the first letter in a sentence wasn't capitalized. Also, I think this must have been an issue that occured when you uploaded your story, but quite often a paragraph splits right in the middle of a sentence. Since these aren't real grammar issues but more typos and I think some kind of computer error, I'm still giving you five stars. Amazing job! Winter's Song Reviewed by AryaTara Overall Rating Plot Writing Style Grammar & Punctuation I enjoyed reading the lives of various individuals living in New Zealand. Their youth, family, struggles and old age have been brilliantly portrayed. The details of the characters' lives and their stories have been recorded meticulously. The Winter's Song sounds like the perfect place to be in our twilight years. Beautiful piece of work. Intricate and fascinating Reviewed by Alex Rushmer Overall Rating Plot Writing Style Grammar & Punctuation I don't think that I am exactly the intended audience for this story, but I really like it. The story itself is intriguing with good twists and mysteries. I love the way that you build the characters throughout the story; they felt very real to me. Your writing style is very detailed and gives the reader a strong sense of time and place. The pace was a little slower than I would usually like, but I think that mostly goes back to the fact that this is probably written for an audience above my age. All in all, a great work! I would definitely recommend this story! An entertaining crime thriller with some humour that twists and turns to the end. This descriptive and well-written book has characters you will love and hate as the plot progresses. The story flows nicely as you would expect from this seasoned New Zealand author, (who must have been a cockney in his previous life) making you want to read more to find out what happens next. A good read for anyone who enjoys an engaging, enjoyable, and thought provoking written who-done-it. https://www.amazon.com/Roy-Jenner/e/B001K8BKBO dfttyuuiii Aug 7, 2017 I liked the author's style Cool book. I liked the author's style. I suggest that you check it out. There is magic in these pages. Aug 5, 2017 Excellent style Very well crafted. Excellent style. Cannot recommend it enough. I was hooked to it from start to finish Aug 1, 2017 Wow! :) I fell in love with the picture you chose the first time I saw it! Keep up the creativity! Reading about what happened to the guy at the start of the story broke my heart! It was not fair! It was exciting to read the other version of the English grammar! I learned about it from watching TV! I especially enjoyed the part about the Neil Diamond impression. Amanda Huddleston Jul 21, 2017 Wow This is one of the best novels I've read on Inkitt. It's brilliantly written, it's deep, thrilling, and full of passion from the author. Wish I could give it more than five stars. Wow, wow, wow. I love the idea of an old man recording the histories of his friends. I also really appreciate getting a bit of a feel for New Zealand, seeing as I live almost as far away from it as you can get. Overall, it was quite slow moving, especially for a 17 year old who is used to reading fast paced, indulgent YA novels, and there were times where I felt slightly bored. But even then, I felt attatched to these people's lives. I think readers tend to be more impatient now and modern books are usually a bit more fast paced, but that doesn't really say anything about the quality of this story. Just so you know, I noticed just a couple grammar mistakes that were very minor. I think more typos than actual serious mistakes, like very occasionally the first letter in a sentence wasn't capitalized. Also, I think this must have been an issue that occured when you uploaded your story, but quite often a paragraph splits right in the middle of a sentence. Since these aren't real grammar issues but more typos and I think some kind of computer error, I'm still giving you five stars. Amazing job! I don't think that I am exactly the intended audience for this story, but I really like it. The story itself is intriguing with good twists and mysteries. I love the way that you build the characters throughout the story; they felt very real to me. Your writing style is very detailed and gives the reader a strong sense of time and place. The pace was a little slower than I would usually like, but I think that mostly goes back to the fact that this is probably written for an audience above my age. All in all, a great work! I would definitely recommend this story! An entertaining crime thriller with some humour that twists and turns to the end. This descriptive and well-written book has characters you will love and hate as the plot progresses. The story flows nicely as you would expect from this seasoned New Zealand author, (who must have been a cockney in his previous life) making you want to read more to find out what happens next. A good read for anyone who enjoys an engaging, enjoyable, and thought provoking written who-done-it. https://www.amazon.com/Roy-Jenner/e/B001K8BKBO Amazon.com Review "The writer has good story telling skills and I actually did not skip the car sections. Pace is easy, important backfill information is in the correct place, not crammed into the first page. Hospital information is minimized.( Americans would have beat that section to death with details)" –Vine Reviewer "Going from the pitch and the overall broad strokes offered by the excerpt, this is certainly an original idea and there's some imaginative approaches going on for sure. It's an intriguing opening scene, and it does a good job of introducing the characters - I'm not certain who the 'main' character is; the pitch is focusing on Robert, while the intro focuses on Philip. That's fine anyway - I don't need to know the "primary" character, and it's good to keep the reader guessing on what the ultimate direction will be. The dynamic between the two of them works well, and you do effectively generate some suspense with the 'deja vu' references." –Vine Reviewer John Cardwell Kent UK January 25 2017 Roy - I'm struggling for words to describe my impression of the book. Dark and dangerous as it was, I'm missing it already. Bless you Sir Roy. That must surely represent years of work, research and organizing. Built from blocks along different timelines which fitted seamlessly together. A bloody mosaic of a novel. You mentioned a long while back how Trevor was obsessive with his playing, four hours sitar practice a day ,perhaps I can see where he got that trait. I will be trawling the net for hard copies of all your books. The last few chapters I was almost panting the pace was such. It is an incredible piece of work.