When Nancy opened her dream bookshop overlooking the golden sands and shimmering waters of Driftwood Bay, she may have taken on a little too much. She might know all about books, but doesn’t know the first thing about business! She did however, want to do something meaningful with the inheritance money she got from her beloved Aunty Theresa.
When Dennis, visiting grandson of one of her dearest friends, offers to help, Nancy knows she can’t say no. Dennis is a high-flying businessman, with a fancy London job and a successful banking portfolio to prove it.
Trouble is, he makes the worst first impression. Nothing short of an insufferable know-it-all, Dennis takes every opportunity to remind her how out of her depth she is.
But Nancy knows her strengths, and just as much as she needs Dennis, he needs her too. There’s plenty she can teach him, and the more she shows off her world of Driftwood Bay, where the pace of life is slower and the morning sunrises are the most beautiful thing you can witness, perhaps they could become more than just business partners?
Gina Knight is looking forward to the prospect of retirement with her husband of forty-three years. Until, to her surprise, said husband decides he needs to ‘find himself’ – alone – and disappears to Santa Fe, leaving a Dear John letter in his wake.
Now Gina needs a new role in life, not to mention somewhere to live, so she applies for the position of Companion to elderly Dorothy Reed. At eighty-nine, ‘Dot’ needs someone to help her around the house – or at least, her family seems to think so. Her companion’s first role would be to accompany Dot for a week-long extravagant wedding party.
But when Georgina arrives at the large Norfolk estate where the wedding will take place, she quickly discovers Dot has an ulterior motive for hiring her. While the other guests are busy sipping champagne and playing croquet, Dot needs Georgina to help her solve a mystery – about a missing painting, which she believes is hidden somewhere in the house.
Because, after all, who would suspect two old ladies of getting up to mischief?
The story revolves around Gina, a woman in her 70s whose life is turned upside down when her husband suddenly leaves, forcing her to sell their home. Having spent years focused on her family instead of her career, she’s not sure what to do next. When she answers an ad to be a companion at a week-long wedding, she sees it as a potential opportunity.
However, Dorothy, the woman who placed the ad, doesn’t actually need a companion; she needs someone to help her find a stolen painting at the country estate where the wedding will be held. Dorothy discovers that Gina was once an antiques expert and decides she’s the perfect person for the job. Gina only learns about this hidden agenda when she arrives in Norfolk and reluctantly agrees to help.
What Gina thought would be a simple job turns into a complicated mystery. She and Dorothy begin following clues, discovering unusual happenings, and realizing that other wedding guests might be hiding secrets. There’s even a priest from the local parish whose behavior raises suspicions. The plot thickens with twists involving blackmail and other shady dealings.
The narrative feels like the start of a series of mysteries featuring Gina as a modern Miss Marple. The mix of quirky energy, sleuthing, and intriguing characters suggests that Gina’s adventure-solving journey has just begun.
My Sanctuary 