DUSTCOVER EXCERPT: From the moment Bill Bailey arrived to take up residence at Fiona Nelson’s home in the Tyneside town of Fellburn, he made his presence felt in no uncertain terms. As a young widow left badly off, and with three children to bring up, Fiona had come to know all the problems of trying to make ends meet in this taxing day and age. So despite the inevitably disapproving comments of her own mother, reckoned locally to be an interfering woman, she advertised for a lodger - a paying guest. The result was Bill, somewhat rough around the edges perhaps, but nobody’s fool and doing very nicely with his own business as a builder.
Bill often described himself as a middle-of-the-road man, valuing his freedom where personal matters were concerned, but it was not long before Fiona found she was wondering just what her world would have been before he came into it. He might be outwardly an ordinary enough bloke, but undoubtedly possessed of some pretty extraordinary qualities and those qualities could indeed prove to have a great and lasting effect on the future lives of Fiona and her young family.
Catherine Cookson's new novel is a richly entertaining tale of human relationships in the same tradition as her immensely popular Harold and the Hamilton stories. Warm hearted, full of humour, and often powerfully dramatic, it has this internationally acclaimed author's magic touch that makes it a joy to read and Bill Bailey himself a special pleasure to meet.