Water Gypsies

It is 1942, and after a childhood of suffering in Birmingham, Maryann Bartholomew has built a life of happiness and safety with her husband Joel and their children, working the canals on his narrowboat, the Esther Jane. But the back-breaking work and constant childbearing take their toll on Maryann, and the tragic loss of her old friend Nancy, followed by a further pregnancy lead her to a desperate act which nearly costs her her life.

The walls of her security are broken down when Joel suffers an accident, and to keep the boats working, Maryann is forced to allow Sylvia and Dot, two wartime volunteers, into the privacy of their life. And when she discovers that someone keeps calling for her at Birmingham's Tyseley Wharf, the dark memories of her past begin to overwhelm her life. For that someone, who seems to be watching her every move, is becoming more dangerous that even she could imagine...

Annie Murray was born in 1960 in Berkshire, and studied English at Oxford University. Her first job took her to Birmingham where she met her husband, John. They have four children. In 1992 she began writing her first Birmingham novel, Birmingham Rose, which made the Times bestseller list when it was published in 1995. She has written six subsequent novels including, most recently, the highly successful Chocolate Girls.

Birmingham, 1942. After a childhood of suffering, Maryann Bartholomew has built a life of happiness and safety with her husband Joel and their children, working the canals on his narrowboat, the Esther Jane. But the back-breaking labour and constant childbearing take their toll on Maryann, and following the tragic loss of her old friend Nancy, and a further pregnancy, Maryann is forced to take desperate measures - with horrifying consequences. When Joel suffers an accident, Maryann's security is threatened further and, to keep the boats working, she is forced to allow two wartime volunteers, Sylvia and Dot, into their lives. When she discovers that a mysterious caller keeps asking for her at Birmingham's Tyseley Wharf, the dark memories of her past begin to overwhelm her life. For it seems that someone is determined to find her . . .

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