by Holly Bell
You can also find me on:
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and Bookbub at https://www.bookbub.com/profile/holly-bell
See you soon.
About the Author
Cat adorer and chocolate lover, Holly Bell is a photographer and video maker when not writing. Whilst being an enthusiastic novel reader, Holly has had lifetime's experience in writing non-fiction.
Holly devoured all of the Agatha Christie books long before she knew that Miss Marple was the godmother of the Cosy Mystery. Her devotion to JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings meant that her first literary creation in this area would have to be a cosy paranormal.
Holly lives in the UK and is a mixture of English, Cornish, Welsh and other ingredients. Her favourite animal is called Bobby. He is a black cat. Purely coincidental. Of course.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Pravin Jootun, whose encouragement and support have been unstinting. You are a brother in the truest sense. Thank you to Philippa Shallcrass for encouraging and reassuring me throughout the writing process, to Flora Gatehouse, for constant support, keen-eyed and intuitive editing and publicity, to Judes Gerstein, my Canadian gem of an advance reader, for noticing issues and offering ideal solutions.
Thanks are also due to the rector of of St Mary the Virgin, Monken Hadley whose fund of information helped me to shape the village of ‘Sunken Madley’, and to Stephen Tatlow, the Director of Music there and the churchwardens for their kind welcome and delight at being fictionalised.
Praise and thanks go out to my talented and immensely patient illustrator Erik Patricio Lúa (Instagram: tripaciolua) for his beautiful book cover art. Your dedication to the project was truly remarkable. Thanks and admiration are also extended to my map maker Methmeth who skilfully turns my sketches and mockups into exquisite works of art.
I would like to express sincere appreciation to the curator, engineers and other staff at the de Havilland Aircraft Museum, Hertfordshire, for their immense kindness, wealth of information, and support in making the events depicted in the story as feasible as possible. Thank you for the happy hours that I had the privilege of spending in your company and among the vintage aeroplanes themselves. Dear Reader, if you have not yet had the pleasure of a visit, you have a memorable treat in store.
Many thanks to expert Jim Cardoza of Hmsantiquetrunks.com for identifying the correct trunks for the cellar of secrets. I would like to make special mention of Clifford Jack for his inspired suggestion of an eccentric’s choice of car, the VW Beetle with the Porche engine, in metallic purple, for which Mrs Irma Uberhausfest, relinquishes her Mercedes.
Thanks to HUF HAUS for generously allowing me the use of images and clips of their beautiful buildings and construction process. Appreciation also is due to Carwow, who kindly supplied three excellent clips of the red Jaguar I PACE. The description of the first appearance of the car in the story would not have been possible to complete without their contribution.
Thank you, in fact, to all those without whose support this book would not have been possible.
Finally, in whatever dimension they are currently inhabiting, thanks go out to my cat who inspired Tempest, and to my grandfather and brother for Perran and Trelawney. Your magic endures.
Questions for Reading Clubs
What did you like best about the book?
Which character did you like best? Is there one with whom you especially identified? Whom would you like to know more about and why?
If you made a movie of the book, whom would you cast and in what parts? Have you chosen any recasting over Book 1? Would you still have the same actress play, Amanda, for example, as you did in Book 1?
Did the book remind you of any others you have read, apart from the first book in the series, either in the same or another genre?
Did you think the cover fitted the story? If not, how would you redesign it?
How unique is this story?
Which characters grew and changed over the course of this book, and over the first book and this one, and which remained the same?
What feelings did the book evoke?
What place in the book would you most like to visit, and why? Any additional ones to book 1?
Was the setting one that felt familiar or relatable to you? Why or why not? If you read the first book, how at home did you feel revisiting the locations?
What did you think of the continuity between the first book and this sequel?
Was the book the right length? If too long, what would you leave out? If too short, what would you add?
How well do you think the title conveyed what the book is about?
If you could ask Holly Bell just one question, what would it be?
How well do you think the author created the world of the story?
Which quotes or scenes did you like the best, and why?
Was the author just telling an entertaining story or trying as well to communicate any other ideas? If so, what do think they were?
Did the book change how you think or feel about any thing, person or place? Did it help you to understand someone or yourself better?
What do you think the characters will do after the end of the book? Would you want to read the sequel?
The de Havilland Aircraft Museum Mosquito Mission Quiz
1. Where was the Mosquito Prototype designed and built?
A. De Havilland’s factory at Hatfield
B. Salisbury Hall
C. Hatfield House
2. What was the de Havilland type number allocated to the aircraft?
A. DH 82
B. DH 94
C. DH 98
3. Where would you find this window on the Prototype Mosquito?
A. In the nose
B. In the fuselage
C. In the cockpit
4. What was the original paint colour of the Prototype?
A. Trainer Yellow
B. Trainer Yellow underside/camouflage upper surfaces
C. Duck egg blue underside/camouflage upper surfaces
5. What was the total number of crew?
A. 1
B. 3
C. 2
6. What was the military code for the prototype?
A. U3040
B. W4050
C. X5030
7. How many machine guns did the Mosquito FBVI have?
A. 2
B. 4
C. 6
8. Who was the pilot of the first flight?
A. Neville Duke
B. Geoffrey de Havilland Jnr
C. Amy Johnson
9. What were the names of the engines that powered the Mosquito?
A. Gremlins
B. Merlins
C. Perkins
10. What was the nickname of the Mosquito?
A. Wooden Wonder
B. Sky Blazer
C. Flying Finger
11. What were the fuselage and wings made from?
A. Aluminium
B. Wood
C. Steel
12. Who was the chief designer of the Mosquito?
A. Eric Vicar
B. Eric Priest
C. Eric Bishop
13. When did the Prototype return to Salisbury Hall?
A. September 1958
B. October 1957
C. January 1959
14. What was the date of the Prototype’s first flight?
A. 1st November 1940
B. 14th November 1940
C.
25th November 1940
15. What was the weight of the biggest bomb carried by the Mosquito?
A. 2000lb
B. 3000lb
C. 4000lb
16. How many Mosquitos were built?
A. 6001
B. 7781
C. 9004
17. What was the biggest gun on the Mosquito?
A. 40mm Machine Gun
B. Molins “6-pounder Class M” 57mm cannon
C. Hispano Mk II Cannon
18. Where would you find these stats on the Prototype Mosquito?
A. On the tail
B. On the fuselage
C. On the wing
19. Who turned “green and yellow with envy” when describing the Mosquito’s performance?
A. Adolf Galland
B. Adolf Hitler
C. Hermann Goering
20. Which countries built the Mosquito?
A. UK and Australia
B. UK and Canada
C. Australia, Canada and UK
The answers to several of these questions can be found in the story. Others can be found on the museum website. For the rest, when you get the chance, visit the De Havilland Aircraft Museum, Salisbury Hall, London Colney, Hertfordshire AL2 1BU. dehavillandmuseum.co.uk. There you can ask for a proper printed quiz. Then, when you have completed it, take it to the Aeroshop for checking and to collect your prize! The museum closes for the winter and reopens in February.
