Charlie Priest's Telegram

The telegram itself was a surprise: its contents explosive. In its few words, Charlie Priest's carefree life was turned upside down.

It set in motion a spiral of events that took in a massive bank fraud and murders on the far side of the world, and included a frenetic love affair.

It brought him a grandmother he didn't know, or want. Amelia Priest, old but sprightly, immediately set about shaking his world to pieces – but her calm face masked a dark secret.

It was another telegram that introduced Rose Bramley – far too young to be a widow, not with those eyes like polished chestnuts – on to the scene as his gardener. But her gorgeous eyes hid a secret, too.

It was perhaps inevitable that Charlie would fall in love with her, and she with him… yet, when he proposed – twice, once on bended knee, she rejected him though it was like stabbing her own heart. That dark secret of hers was stronger even than her love.

The story revolves round the creation of a great garden as Charlie, an accountant, delves into a gigantic bank scam in France, where he makes a second home – in between chasing a serial killer and the missing millions … and finding time to pursue Rose, who keeps vanishing.

But, the key to the story is the secret the two women back home find too unbearable to share. How it is all resolved involves many loveable characters who are heroes in their own right; perhaps the garden is a hero, too.

You decide.