A SWARMING OF BEES
Published by Acorn Independent Press
A SWARMING OF BEES is a murder/mystery.
The story opens in the year 664 after the famous Synod of Whitby (Streonshalh) and brings to life the everyday detail of the community perched high on the clifftops. A royal princess in her own right, Hild is a powerful, fair-minded and independent woman. Kings, queens, princes, bishops and commoners all seek her help and wise advice, but when Hild herself needs someone to confide in - it is to Fridgyth, the half-pagan herb-wife, that she turns.
When a devastating plague sweeps the land, Fridgyth begins to suspect that not all the deaths are caused by the devastating sickness. Rather like an Anglo-Saxon Miss Marple, she quietly sets out to investigate – and even when her friend the abbess warns her not to meddle – still curiosity drives her on.
Will Fridgyth herself fall foul of dark, political forces?
This is a new venture for Theresa Tomlinson. In recent years she has become fascinated by the Anglo-Saxon period and this is her first novel aimed at adults.
‘As I grow older, I have felt that I needed at least some of my heroines to grow older too. A SWARMING OF BEES contains some gruesome details of death and sickness, but there is nothing else in the novel which would make it unsuitable reading for a young person. My writing in this novel is similar in style to my books for Young Adults – indeed I think it is the only way that I can write. The difference is simply that the protagonist is a woman of about 60 - and perhaps I have allowed myself to give a little more space and time for what I hope is good, descriptive writing.’
A sample of the opening chapter of 'A Swarming of Bees' is available to read for free on Amazon - click here to view it.
Paperback RRP - £7.99
Kindle Edition - £3.99
ISBN 190912222X
QUEEN OF A DISTANT HIVE
Fridgyth the herbwife sets off on a second adventure. Abbess Hild's clifftop community must act as host to the unpopular widow of the fierce Mercian king. When a young local tanner is found dead, Fridgyth is determined to discover if there is a possible link between him and the new visitors.
Available from THE WHITBY BOOKSHOP and as a kindle and paperback on Amazon.
Paperback RRP - £7.99
Kindle Edition - £2.99
ISBN 978-1-912145-10-2
