Audio Books

Murder-at-Thornton-Park

Book 1 Murder at Thornton Park (previously The Dragon Sleeps) is set in 1927 at Thornton Park, near Melbourne, Australia.
There is a weekend house party and amongst the guests are Zhang Huo, the Chinese antiques dealer who, with his son, has brought a Ming dragon statue from China for Thomas Thornton.
Then a body is found in the orchard and, before the weekend is over, a priceless artefact is stolen.
What secret has remained hidden at Thornton Park for the last eighty years?
A Dragon statue. An ancient sword.
What treasure is worth killing for?

The Inca’s Curse
{Coming soon}

Book 2 The Inca’s Curse is set in 1928 in Victoria, Australia. The Thornton family made its money in the goldfields during the 1850s and the antiques trade. Thornton Park is their lavish mansion close to Melbourne. They also own a home and a goldmine in Daylesford, in the heart of Victoria, where their close friends, the Bassetti family, are part of a thriving Swiss-Italian community.
Alexandra Thornton has married Benedict Archer. On their honeymoon in Daylesford, Alexandra’s pearls are stolen and within days there are two murders.
Back at Thornton Park, Alexandra discovers a secret compartment in a desk. Inside is a gold and diamond necklace and a letter written by her grandfather, James Thornton. It’s a love letter, Alexandra assumes written to his wife after her death. He claims the necklace is cursed.
After further investigation, Alexandra uncovers the deaths of two miners at Thornton Goldmine.
The family return to Daylesford where Thomas Thornton is accused of murder.
Alexandra is determined to work out how it all connects.
What is the link to the Inca Emperor Atahualpa? Is it gold?
Is gold the curse?

The-Cook-The-Ghost-Her-Sister

Two timelines, one story. Gold, family secrets and an astrolabe bring them together across the years.

2023 When Danielle Roberts inherits a boarding house in Charters Towers, her first thought is that it’s a scam. Assured by the solicitor it isn’t, she decides to make a quick trip and sort everything out. She has no intention of staying. A pastry chef, she owns a café in Redcliffe.
The first person she sees when she arrives, is the last person she wants to see.
Brett Bainbridge, her first boyfriend, broke her heart when he walked out on her.
Now, here he is, standing in her garden bed.

1872 Eloise le Gerseul has travelled from Jersey in the Channel Islands to Australia with her father and sister. Gold brought them to Charters Towers where Eloise meets William Hatton, the wealthiest goldminer in the north. Then her father dies and Eloise is left with her sister, Emily.
Soon after her wedding to William, life takes a strange turn for Eloise. Her dear Bill goes away on business and Eloise waits and waits for his return. She worries that he’s had an accident. When he arrives home, he won’t speak to her. Eloise doesn’t understand what has happened.
Eventually, Eloise realises that she’s dead

The Ghost Rider

Has Catherine Lacey been kidnapped by human hands or has the ghost of Lacey Hall ridden away with her?

1879 Sophie, Catherine’s sister, can’t answer that question. Catherine disappeared overnight. Sophie knows that Catherine had fallen in love with the ghost of the first Sir Giles Lacey, who in 1676 had won Lacey Hall in a card game. Not content with his windfall, he reclaimed land from the village to build a lake. The story goes he was murdered for it.

2019 Australian Kate Dalton reads her three times great-grandmother Sophie’s letter and travels to England to discover if Catherine had been murdered, kidnapped or whisked away by a ghost. At first, Kate isn’t welcomed at Lacey Hall, particularly by its owner. She is warned to stay away from Old Widcombe Woods and the dilapidated cottage in its midst. Then Kate sees the ghost rider. The old tale claims that every night he rides up to the house and then disappears into the lake, his destiny sealed for eternity. Kate is determined to see him up close but the present Sir Giles prevents her from going outside to him. At every turn, Kate is foiled.

After a series of accidents find Kate with head injuries and more, she starts to wonder if they are mishaps or does someone want to prevent her from discovering what happened to Catherine and, ultimately, from uncovering a mystery that has its seed planted by the first Sir Giles.

Kate doesn’t see the final danger approaching.