Oorwinning: ANN se Oorlog Reeks, #5

By Hannah Howe

Die oorlog is verby en Ann se gemeenskap is besig met voorbereidings vir die VE Dag vierings.  Maar, nie almal is in die bui om fees te vier nie.  Ann se man, Emrys, het uit Frankryk teruggekeer, ‘n skaduwee van die man wat hy eens was.  Wat het in Frankryk gebeur? Wat het so swaar op Emrys se gemoed geweeg?

Intussentyd, het Doris Michael vir Ann gehuur om haar broer Glyn op te spoor, ‘n man wat sy vir twee jaar glad nie gesien het nie.  Wat het met Glyn gebeur? En watse sleutelrol het hy gespeel wat die uitkoms van die oorlog sou bepaal?

Terwyl Ann na antwoorde soek, besef sy dat al was die oorlog verby, die ware geveg het maar slegs begin.  Die geveg om die vrede te wen.

• Language: Afrikaans
• Publisher: Goylake Publishing
• Release date: May 7, 2021
• ISBN: 9781071599396

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

OORWINNING

Ann se Oorlog

OORWINNING

Hannah Howe

Goylake Publishing

Copyright © 2019 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: 978-1-9993709-4-7

eBook ISBN: 978-1-9993709-3-0

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,

available in print, as eBooks and audio books

Betrayal

Invasion

Blackmail

Escape

Victory

The Sam Smith Mystery Series by Hannah Howe, available in print, as eBooks and audio books

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

Boston

The Devil and Ms Devlin

Stand-alone Novel

Saving Grace

Aan my Familie, met Liefde

Hoofstuk Een

Ann Morgan het vanuit ‘n droom wakker geword.  In haar droom het sy en haar man, Emrys, op die strand gestap terwyl hul hond, Baskerville, waterpoele, skulpe en seegrasse verken het.  Die son het helder geskyn en die seemeeue het lawaai.  Die sand was glad en ongeskond, sonder enige letsels van die oorlog.  Dit was ‘n eenvoudige maar perfekte droom.

‘n Strand vol skulpe het Ann gemymer, haarself uitgestrek en haar oë geknip om behoorlik wakker te kan word.  Sy het nagedink oor die dubbelsinnigheid van haar droom.  Alhoewel die vyand nooit voet op hul strande gesit het nie, was dit bestrooi met koeël doppies en onwelkome bomdoppe wat deur die geallieerde soldate uitgegooi was.  Daardie soldate het hard geoefen as deel van hul voorbereidings vir die D-Dag invalle.  Afgesien van al die opofferinge en die grusame verlies van lewe, was die invalle suksesvol, en daarom het hulle vandag, 5 Mei 1945, op die vooraand gestaan met oorwining wat sigbaar was.

Die sonstrale wat deur die gordyne loer, het sag oor Ann se wange gestreel, en heerlik op die slapende Baskerville in sy bedjie neergebak.  Ann het sy bedjie met ‘n tikkie trots bewonder want dit was ‘n nuwe rietmandjie wat sy self gevleg het.

Ann het op haar sy gedraai en haar arms om haar man, Emrys, geslaan.  Sy het hom styf vasgehou, met die hoop op ‘n intieme oomblik.  Maar Emrys het dadelik opgestaan en in die badkamer  verdwyn.

Nadat die Duitsers sy vliegtuig gedurende ‘n verkennings opdrag afgeskiet het, was Ann en Emrys vir meer as ‘n jaar van mekaar geskei.  Hy het vir maande lank moes wegkruip, voordat hy by die Franse Weerstandsbeweging kon aansluit.  Meer as net dit, het sy nie geweet nie.  Niks oor die fynere besondehede van sy jaar in Frankryk nie, want hy het geweier om daaroor te praat.  Sy het dikwels gewonder oor wat presies in Frankryk gebeur het, met die hoop dat hy in die nabye toekoms die moed sou bymekaar skraap om oor sy ervaringe te praat.

Ann het geluister hoe Emrys die krane oopdraai en lugborrels in die waterpype raas.  Hy sou die probleem in ‘n oogwink kon regmaak; oplossings vir meganiese probleme het natuurlik vir hom gekom.

‘n Vloerplank wat kraak was vir Ann ‘n aanduiding dat Emrys oppad ondertoe was.  Dus het sy na die badkamer  gegaan, om te gaan was en aantrek, voordat sy in die kombuis by hom sou aansluit.

Alhoewel dit ‘n nuwe roetine was, het Ann en Emrys hul huishoudelike pligte met natuurlike gemak verrig- Emrys het vir Baskerville in die agtertuin uitgevat, waar die hond sy draaie kon loop, terwyl Ann die ontbyt gemaak het.  Vandag sou hulle eiers, vanaf ‘n plaas in die omgewing,  saam met brood wat Ann gebak het en die laaste van hul weeklikse spek rantsoen eet.

Ann het ‘n gedeelte van die spek rantsoen eenkant gehou, vir die groot verwagte VE Dag feesvierings.  Die hele land was op hete kole, in afwagting op Churchill se formele aankondiging. Ann het uitgesien na daardie aankondiging, na die amptelike bevestiging, en ook na die partytjie daarna wat deur die plaaslike tak van die Vroue Instituut gereël word. Dit sou die plaaslike inwoners goed doen om vir ‘n slag hul hare te kon losmaak, het Ann gedink, om hul emosies te kon