The Hand Over the Candle: Widdowshins Volume 1 (Unabridged‪)‬

This is the first of the tales, but not the last. When bookdealer Malcolm finds himself hungover in the privy of the church, he realizes he has more to be forgiven than his trespasses, due to the mayhem his nocturnal acts have put in motion. Based on the village he lives in and the history he found there, Richard Ainsworth has created Widdowshins. A village where all possible universes collide and where real verifiable history may just make you think twice about how fantastic the claims in the stories actually are. The witchcraft is based on real practices, the history is based on fact (a lot of the time) and the jokes are bad. Widdowshins is where a cast of unlikely characters are the guardians of all our fates. The unlikely guardians are: an elderly female Celtic magic practitioner; a lazy young student; her seedy book-dealer boyfriend; an ascorbic monkey skull; a wise goldfish; and a very stupid tabby cat. Throw in an Art-Deco obsessed Police Inspector, relocated from the Met, a nervous country Vicar, his improbably exotic French wife, a venal, self-serving Mayor and the stage is set for a uniquely British battle between Good and Evil.