Untangling the Webs

Untangling the Webs is a page-turning suspense novel exploring the indomitability of the human spirit, following parallel lives of four women: two in their early forties, one in her sixties, and one of seventy-six - Alison (an unlucky-in-love interior designer), Julia (a beauty therapist married to her second husband), Trudie (a widowed stress counsellor) and Phoebe (an upper-middle class widow). Though they have had diverse backgrounds and events in their lives, their bond is strong loyalty and unconditional loving support to friends with whom they are closest. The women must overcome conflicts, toxic behaviour, unexpected emotional shocks, treachery and grief. Having to show grit, and aided by the common thread of a close female `rock', each one struggles on towards overcoming huge obstacles assailing them, untangling strong threads of mystery, intent on achieving joy again. Humour, wisdom, music, cats, a determined female stalker, are shared with the reader - the invisible privileged guest drawn ever deeper into the colourful characters' lives. The relevance of the men in their lives is deeply explored and the story offers many riveting cliffhangers. Lost letters found four years after Trudie's married lover, Laurie, disappears without trace, offer a few clues, but a serendipitous discovery in a Cornish church reveals vital information, if Trudie is brave enough to act upon it. Alison has to deal with repercussions from unearthing vicar Henry's and police inspector Phil's mendacious betrayals, before meeting lovely Stephen. Her discovery of Julia's brutish husband David's deep secret, breaks the impasse of her friend's stressful situation. Phoebe's cossetted life appears idyllic, but her late husband's previously out-of-bounds den holds a breathtaking shock, needing Alison's help to solve the enigma. Set in Cheshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Cornwall and the South of France, this debut novel captivates the reader with warm humanity through the author's natural gift for storytelling.