ANN se OORLOG: ANN se Oorlog Reeks, #3

By Hannah Howe

Met haar man, Emrys, wat steeds in aksie vermis word, moet Ann Morgan die realiteit aanvaar dat sy hul eerste huweliks herdenking, en Kersfees alleen moet deurbring.  Maar, ‘n telefoon oproep van Aistair Blythe, ‘n jongman met wie sy kortliks,  voor haar huwelik met Emrys, uitgegaan het sit Ann op ‘n pad wat na moord lei, ontmoetings met handelaars op die swart mark en wat lewensgevaar vir haar inhou.   

Met die hulp van bobaas spioenmeester Charles Montagu en Speurder Inspekteur Max Deveraux, krap Ann ‘n groot oorlogs geheim oop.  En, saam met die wonderlike sneeu wat oor die Kerstyd val, kry sy ‘n geskenk wat sy nooit sal vergeet nie. 

• Language: Afrikaans
• Publisher: Goylake Publishing
• Release date: Dec 29, 2020
• ISBN: 9781071582022

Hannah Howe

Hannah Howe is the bestselling author of the Sam Smith Mystery Series (Sam's Song, book one in the series, has reached number one on the amazon.com private detective chart on seven separate occasions and the number one position in Australia). Hannah lives in the picturesque county of Glamorgan with her partner and their two children. She has a university degree and a background in psychology, which she uses as a basis for her novels.Hannah began her writing career at school when her teacher asked her to write the school play. She has been writing ever since. When not writing or researching Hannah enjoys reading, genealogy, music, chess and classic black and white movies. She has a deep knowledge of nineteenth and twentieth century popular culture and is a keen student of the private detective novel and its history.Hannah's books are available in print, as audio books and eBooks from all major retailers: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Google Play, Kobo, iBooks, etc. For more details please visit https://hannah-howe.comThe Sam Smith Mystery Series in book order:Sam's SongLove and BulletsThe Big ChillRipperThe Hermit of HisaryaSecrets and LiesFamily HonourSins of the FatherSmoke and MirrorsStardustMind GamesDigging in the DirtA Parcel of RoguesBostonThe Devil and Ms DevlinSnow in AugustLooking for Rosanna MeeStormy WeatherDamagedEve’s War: Heroines of SOEOperation ZigzagOperation LocksmithOperation BroadswordOperation TreasureOperation SherlockOperation CameoOperation RoseOperation WatchmakerOperation OverlordOperation Jedburgh (to follow)Operation Butterfly (to follow)Operation Liberty (to follow)The Golden Age of HollywoodTula: A 1920s Novel (to follow)The Olive Tree: A Spanish Civil War SagaRootsBranchesLeavesFruitFlowersThe Ann's War Mystery Series in book order:BetrayalInvasionBlackmailEscapeVictoryStandalone NovelsSaving Grace: A Victorian MysteryColette: A Schoolteacher’s War (to follow)What readers have been saying about the Sam Smith Mystery Series and Hannah Howe..."Hannah Howe is a very talented writer.""A gem of a read.""Sam Smith is the most interesting female sleuth in detective fiction. She leaves all the others standing.""Hannah Howe's writing style reminds you of the Grandmasters of private detective fiction - Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler and Robert B. Parker.""Sam is an endearing character. Her assessments of some of the people she encounters will make you laugh at her wicked mind. At other times, you'll cry at the pain she's suffered.""Sam is the kind of non-assuming heroine that I couldn't help but love.""Sam's Song was a wonderful find and a thoroughly engaging read. The first book in the Sam Smith mystery series, this book starts off as a winner!""Sam is an interesting and very believable character.""Gripping and believable at the same time, very well written.""Sam is a great heroine who challenges stereotypes.""Hannah Howe is a fabulous writer.""I can't wait to read the next in the series!""The Big Chill is light reading, but packs powerful messages.""This series just gets better and better.""What makes this book stand well above the rest of detective thrillers is the attention to the little details that makes everything so real.""Sam is a rounded and very real character.""Howe is an author to watch, able to change the tone from light hearted to more thoughtful, making this an easy and yet very rewarding read. Cracking!""Fabulous book by a fabulous author-I highly recommended this series!""Howe writes her characters with depth and makes them very engaging.""I loved the easy conversational style the author used throughout. Some of the colourful ways that the main character expressed herself actually made me laugh!""I loved Hannah Howe's writing style -- poignant one moment, terrifying the next, funny the next moment. I would be on the edge of my seat praying Sam wouldn't get hurt, and then she'd say a one-liner or think something funny, and I'd chuckle and catch my breath. Love it!""Sam's Song is no lightweight suspense book. Howe deals with drugs, spousal abuse, child abuse, and more. While the topics she writes about are heavy, Howe does a fantastic job of giving the reader the brutal truth while showing us there is still good in life and hope for better days to come."

Book preview

Ann se Oorlog

AFPERSING

Ann se Oorlog

AFPERSING

Hannah Howe

Goylake Publishing

Copyright © 2018 Hannah Howe

All rights reserved.

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, or stored in a retrieval system, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Goylake Publishing, Iscoed, 16A Meadow Street, North Cornelly, Bridgend, Glamorgan. CF33 4LL

Print ISBN: 978-1-9999619-1-6

EBook ISBN 978-1-9996017-4-4

Printed and bound in Britain by Imprint Digital, Exeter, EX5 5HY

Hierdie boek is ‘n werk van fiksie.  Name, karakters, besighede, organisasies, plekke en gebeurtenisse is of ‘n produk van die skrywer se verbeelding of fiksie.  Enige ooreensteming met regte mense, lewendig of dood, gebeurtenisse is bloot toevallig. 

Ann’s War by Hannah Howe,

is beskikbaar in druk, as eBoeke en audio boeke

––––––––

Betrayal

Invasion

Blackmail

Escape

Victory

The Sam Smith Mystery Series by Hannah Howe, is beskikbaar in druk, as eBoeke en audio boeke

Sam’s Song

Love and Bullets

The Big Chill

Ripper

The Hermit of Hisarya

Secrets and Lies

Family Honour

Sins of the Father

Smoke and Mirrors

Stardust

Mind Games

Digging in the Dirt

A Parcel of Rogues

––––––––

Alleenstaande boek

Saving Grace

Aan my familie, met Liefde

Hoofstuk Een

Ann Morgan het die steel van haar verfkwas teen haar lippe gedruk om haar handewerk te bewonder.  Waarlik, die tweede ‘N’ in die opskrif ‘Ann Morgan – Privaat Speurder’ was ‘n bietjie windskeef. Maar, in die geheel was sy taamlik tevrede met haar poging en die eind resultaat.

Ann het die golf van hartseer onthou wat oor haar gespoel het toe sy Trevor Bowman se naam van die kantoor deur moes verwyder.  Sy sou die woorde ‘Diskrete Navrae’ op die deur laat bly, ter herinnering aan haar gewese baas, ‘n gedenkskrif en om haar te help onthou, om sy hoë standaarde te handhaaf. 

Nadat sy haar hande aan ‘n ou lap afgevee het, gaan sy haar kantoor binne.  Daar, het sy by die venster gestaan en tuur na die wolke wat met sneeu gelaai was.  Die sneeu sou net betyds vir Kersfees wees en bydra tot die feestelikheid van die gety.  Boonop was dit vandag haar eerste huweliks herdenking, ‘n herdenking wat sy alleen sou vier, want haar man, Emrys, was steeds vermis in aktiewe diens.  Nege maande gelede, het die Duitsers sy vliegtuig êrens oor Frankryk afgeskiet.  Emrys was op ‘n geheime sending, besig om inligting te versamel vir die Geallieerde inval van Normandië.  Daardie inval was ‘n sukses en nou het die geallieerde magte reeds deur Frankryk na Duitsland marsjeer. 

Ann sou haar huweliks herdenking alleen deurbring.  Tog, was sy nie uniek of enig in haar soort nie, baie vroue het in haar lot gedeel, met hul mans wat of vermis of dood was.  Die Vroue Instituut het haar na hul Kersparty genooi, maar sy kon nog nie besluit of sy dit sou bywoon nie.

Die vroue by die Instituut het hul rantsoen boekies bymekaar gesit om te verseker dat hulle Kers ete ‘n ware fees sou wees. Murkey was op die spyskaart,  nagemaakte kalkoen gemaak van maalvlies, bedek met spek en dan witwortels wat die kalkoen se bene voor stel.  Die Murkey het soos die ware Jacob gelyk en as jy ‘n voorliefde vir vulsel gehad het was dit ‘n seldsame genot.

As gevolg van die oorlog, was Ann se kliënte maar skaars.  Daarom het sy haar tyd spandeer deur haar kantoor te versier met seisoenale blomme en spatsels vars verf.  ‘n Takkie Kershuls het op die liaseer kabinet gelê.  Maar, sy het die streep by mitsels getrek, net ingeval ‘n toekomstige manlike kliënt dit as ‘n teken van ‘n uitnodiging sien en tot verkeerde gevolgtrekkings kom. 

Ann het by haar lessenaar gesit.  Sy het gesug en nabetragting gehou van onlangse gebeure.  Ten minste het die oorlog nou einde se kant toe gestaan.  Die regering het formeel die ‘Home Guard’ ontbind en gedurende die afgelope maand het die Agtste Britse Weermag die Lamone in Italië oorgesteek, die Derde Amerikaanse Weermag het beslag gelê op ‘n V-missiel fabriek in Wittering, Oos Frankryk en die Amerikaners het oorwining behaal in Metz.  Hoe sou die lewe na die oorlog wees?  Was dit dalk te vroeg om aan iets soos vrede te dink? 

Ann het aan daardie vraag gedink toe haar telefoon skielik gelui het.  Sy het die gehoorstuk opgetel en, Hello, gesê.

Ann, het ‘n manlike stem gesê; hy het gespanne geklink.

Alistair? Ann het gefrons toe sy die stem ‘n naam kon gee.  Ja, dit was werklik hy; dit was Alistair Blythe, ‘n jong man met wie, sy voor haar troue met Emrys, skrams uitgegaan het.  Is dit jy?