Daisies Never Die (A Rose Rountree Mystery Book 1)

“My darling Edith…”Averil read the impassioned words in disbelief and astonishment. A love letter, here among her spinster aunt's possessions? What could it mean?When Averil Matthews arrives to sort out her deceased aunt's estate, she expects to find a neat bundle of papers in a drawer somewhere suitable to her aunt's unassuming life. Instead, she finds a passionate love letter. A letter worn by years of reading and re-reading…

From the Inside Flap

Averil nodded, and they walked through the house and out to the gate. They said goodbye to each other, and Rose started back along the street. When she reached the end, she decided she would take the path along the riverside to her house. The tide was coming in. In the late-afternoon light, the river appeared dark and mysterious. Pohutukawa trees leaned their giant silver-gray branches out over the water in graceful embrace. A kingfisher, perched among the branches, spied something in the secret depths below and dived in a flash of iridescent blue. Rose paused to survey the scene before her. Across the river, the mountain was shadowed, the sun behind it. As she watched the clouds turn pink, she experienced a thrill of excitement as she thought of her afternoon's adventure. What would the following day reveal? She turned to unlatch the gate to her yard; and as she did so, a monarch butterfly alighted on the worn post beside her hand. For one incredible moment, she looked right into the creature's eyes. Then it was off, sailing into the air on its jaunty flight. A strange shiver went all the way through her, and for fully thirty seconds, she didn't move. Her heart raced uncomfortably, and the skin on the back of her neck prickled. In her mind's eye, she could still vividly see the butterfly's bright dark eyes. It had been like looking into a pool of infinity.

From the Back Cover

When Averil Matthews arrives to sort out her deceased aunt's estate, she expects to find a neat bundle of papers in a drawer somewhere, reflecting her aunt's unassuming life. Instead, she finds a passionate love letter, worn by years of reading and re-reading. driven to learn the truth, Averil enlists the aid of mystery writer Rose Rountree, and what they discover changes Averil's life forever.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

If she could just get to her chair...the letter was on the little table...Read it one more time... She gasped in a breath, leant against the door. So dizzy...But there... She almost smiled. Sunlight spilled in through the windows, touching gold to all the room. Her beloved paintings, the cushion she had started last week. Wouldn t finish now. She was crossing the room...Floating...Legs all funny. That horrible rasping sound in her throat again. This is how it is, she thought as she made it to her chair. The satin cushion was as smooth and cold as her skin. She fumbled to place it against the pain at her side. Shaking, she reached for the letter. The pages were worn smooth from so many readings, the words almost faded away. But she knew them by heart... "My darling Edith..." Her vision blurred, and she wished she had the strength to put on her glasses. Ah! Pain! Such a sharp, sharp pain. She slumped sideways in the chair...slowly folded forward over the armrest. The letter floated from her hands and came to rest on the embroidered footstool at her feet.

About the Author

Judy Lawn has been writing for nearly thirty years. Her ideas for her stories come from her love of animals and nature, and a childhood spent in the country where she and her two brothers spent every weekend and school holidays exploring the countryside and beaches of New Zealand's North Island.  A keen fisher, Judy's first published short story was a 'fishing yarn'.Other short stories have been published in various magazines, including the New Zealand and Australian Woman's Day, and Takahe Magazine. Two children's stories were produced on National Radio. Three adult novels have also been published, with 'Progressions' winning the 2005 EPIC Award for Best Single Title/Mainstream. A third novel, 'Watch Over Me', the second in the Rose Rountree Mystery series, is now available.Her first children's picture book was 'The Shrimp Who Wanted to be Pink', Reed Publishing (NZ) Ltd 2003. 'Sebastian's Tail', Penguin Group (NZ) was published in 2008.  A long-held dream of starting her own publishing company came to fruition in 2011, with the launch of 'Jupiter Publishing NZ Ltd'. The first publications are a non-fiction book on Creative Writing, a children's picture book, 'Jossie's New Home' and  a book of short stories, some published before, others published for the first time. Her first YA novel 'Time Boy Book One: Gondwana' is now published.

Reviews

News