R C S Hutching
THE CHÂTEAU SARONY BOOKS (Continued)
When Anna Freemont strode along Grantfield High Street in a seething fury she had no idea that her life was about to change out of all recognition. Her expletive-laden comment to the man working on road repairs outside The Magpie public-house was the start of a relationship that catapulted her from a middle-class academic life into the series of adventures that now form the Château Sarony Series of novels.
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The Centurion's Journey
ISBN: 9781731525048
When the initial excitement arising from the Boudica discovery by Grantfield University had died down, the final tidying up began. A void-test on one wall of the chamber revealed the existence of a small hidden area; Anna and Martin Price, having been heavily involved in the original discovery almost twelve months before are invited to attend as observers when the wall is breached.
Almost two thousand years earlier former Centurion Marcus Rustius Dexter set out on a mission of revenge. He is asked to lead a band of twenty veteran legionaries across Britannia to receive their official release from service at the port of Dubris. The small force is ambushed by a Belgae war band but thanks to the centurion’s leadership the heavily outnumbered Romans triumph. The bloody encounter sets Rustius off on a convoluted trail to uncover an astounding plot to detach Britannia from the Roman Empire. His initial mission then becomes entwined with the far more urgent need to prevent a conspiracy which if successful would create chaos and suffering throughout Britannia.
In April 2016 Martin’s order “Now, Dave. Sharp left. That's it, foot down. Don't tickle it, stamp on it” sent the old Land Rover in frantic pursuit of two men desperately attempting to escape with what they had stolen from the Visitor Centre and enabled the mystery of what had been hidden behind the wall of the old chamber to be resolved.
The Brandenburg Cipher
ISBN: 9798655558601
The English are not the favourite nation for much of the French population any more than the inhabitants of France are viewed with affection by the population of Albion. This tradition of mutual antipathy although practised enthusiastically by both parties on a national scale was not reflected within the microcosm of Sarony. The small Burgundian village honoured a tradition equally as ancient - a continuation of the almost feudal respect given to the owners of Château Sarony. The fact that the husband and wife pairing of Martin and Anna Price was wholly English in nature was something the Sarony villagers in their wisdom were prepared to overlook. The unlikely cause of the investigation into events occurring in the dark days of 1940 was the wedding reception in 2016 held at Auberge Fleurie in honour of the marriage of Monique Lascelles to Kev Johnstone. Alcohol and vibrant music often combine to encourage behaviour of an uncharacteristic nature and Anna, never much of a party girl, was having such an unusually stimulating time that she was less than sympathetic on hearing of the embarrassment caused to her mother on the dance floor. Unexpectedly, the incident would enable her, together with Martin, her husband, to seek refuge from the boring work on hand and look into the activities of a German sabotage unit in wartime Britain. As an added complication, the culprit who had pinched her mother's bottom at the reception then asked them for a favour, as owners of Château Sarony. Initially annoyed by Martin's ready agreement to look into the disappearance of an object dear to the hearts of the Sarony inhabitants, she became intrigued by the subject and accepted Martin's view that their immersion in Sarony life brought with it certain traditional social responsibilities. Two wartime mysteries being viewed from the year 2016 and very little in the way of hard evidence to assist in their resolution.
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The Dagobert Conspiracy
ISBN: 9798775384838
Aggie Cleburne and Colin Burstow, both serving US Marine Corps officers, decide to take their summer 2016 leave in Europe with their friends Anna and Martin Price at Château Sarony close to Dijon. The visit will also enable them to attend the wedding between Nikki Prendergast, who works for Anna and Martin's company Timewarp Ltd, and Gendarme Capitaine Jean-Paul Ricard.
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When a local dam is breached and sabotage by members of the US forces based at Dijon suspected, duty interrupts their vacation plans. Along with Anna and Martin, they become involved in what at first appears to be the discovery and theft of a long-lost item from the French Crown Jewels, last seen in 1795.
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Two subsequent murders then lead them to conclude that the matter is connected to a conspiracy that could result in the loss of hundreds of innocent lives and cause irreparable damage to relations between France and the United States.
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