The Black Thread

"Fast-paced historical novel. The story telling is taut and smartly plotted.
The canal research is good and really shows."

Andrew Denny, Granny Buttons

The Black Thread is a dramatic historical fiction story threaded with romance to lighten the dark. It is set on the Leeds and Liverpool canal in 1898.

As young teenager, Amy longs to meet her father who left home before she was born. But when Amos Dodd appears on the doorstep, one wet afternoon, her dreams are shattered. He is not the rich adventurer she had expected, but a killer recently released from Armley Jail. So when her mother dies, Amy knows that if she is to survive, she must escape her father’s clutches.

Following the tow-path of the Leeds/Liverpool canal, Amy encounters a bargee and his wife and travels with them to Saltaire. Here she meets a young engineer from the mill and makes a shocking discovery.

Determined to uncover the bitter truth about the man she hates, and unravel the mystery surrounding her birth, Amy returns to Leeds. But by doing so she steps straight back into the Lion’s den.

"The story gives a true feeling of factuality, rather than fiction. The supporting characters subtly appear out of the pages right at the beginning of the book and keep turning up, some like bad pennies!
A well written book with mysterious twists and shocking turns and I would thoroughly recommend it."

Jean Beven, JeGraNet.com

THE BLACK THREAD was first published in hardback in 2007.

It is now available in paperback from www.amazon.com or www.amazon.co.uk

Also released as an E-Book on www.amazon.com for KINDLE and www.belgravehouse.com in 10 other electronic formats.