Tales from Turnham Malpas Books In Order
- The New Rector (1994)
- Talk of the Village (1995)
- Village Matters (1996)
- The Village Show (1997)
- Village Secrets (1998)
- Scandal in the Village (1999)
- Village Gossip (1999)
- Trouble in the Village (2000)
- A Village Dilemma (2002)
- Intrigue in the Village (2003)
- Whispers In The Village (2005)
- A Village Feud (2006)
- The Village Green Affair (2008)
- The Village Newcomers (2010)
- A Village Deception (2011)
- A Village in Jeopardy (2012)
- Village Fortunes (2013)
- Village Rumours (2014)
- Mystery in the Village (2015)
Barleybridge Books In Order
- A Country Affair (2001)
- Country Wives (2001)
- Country Lovers (2003)
- Country Passions (2004)
- One Hot Country Summer (2007)
- Love in the Country (2009)
Novels
- The House at Spinnaker Cove (2014)
- Curtain Up (2014)
- The Love of a Family (2018)
Omnibus
- Rebecca Shaw Omnibus (2001)
Tales from Turnham Malpas Book Covers
Barleybridge Book Covers
Novels Book Covers
Omnibus Book Covers
Rebecca Shaw Books Overview
The New Rector
When Peter Harris arrives in Turnham Malpas as The New Rector, he finds the village people welcoming but set in their ways. Yet despite his own weaknesses and the sadness of his childless wife, he comforts and advises his new parishioners, growing more and more involved with the rural way of life. Then the whole village is rocked by spiteful trick that goes terribly wrong, and a gruesome murder that points to a killer in its midst. Now, more than ever, Peter’s pastoral role is crucial and yet he is wrestling with his own private hell that may still wreck his own life.
Talk of the Village
The village is bedevilled by talk and all is not as it seems in the village of Turnham Malpas…
Does pushy newcomer Venetia have her eye on Peter, the handsome rector? Is Jeremy, her husband, really making a success of the new health club? And why does Willie’s new love set a vicious tongue wagging? In the Royal Oak, the usual banter has turned to bitter wrangling as the rector’s wife Caroline makes a challenge over an ancient country tradition and splits the village her husband had so recently united. As the people of the village use the power of words to reconcile or divide, Peter finds it is what isn’t talked about that threatens to cause madness, confusion and tragedy.
Village Matters
Times are changing in Turnham Malpas…
Brash Craddock Fitch up at the Big House seems determined to make his mark on the village and the village is determined to put him in his place. Sir Ralph is having trouble adjusting to his more modest status and timid Muriel to her exalted one while a change of fortune surprises Jimmy Glover too. It’s all Jimbo Charter Plackett, fount of all gossip, can do to keep up. But these concerns are eclipsed by tragedy when Flick, Jimbo’s daughter, is knocked down by the unpopular barman Alan. And before the shock of the accident has passed, a bitter dispute springs up that could affect the entire village…
The Village Show
Newcomer to the village Craddock Fitch is keen to make a splash by holding a village show the best ever in the grounds of his large house. Co ordinator of the show Louise Bissett is in deep personal trouble. As the weeks roll by into summer and nerves tighten in anticipation of the great day, romances heat up and then cool down and misunderstandings multiply.
Village Secrets
The village school is to get a new head, and the inhabitants of Turnham Malpas await her arrival with curiosity. At first sight, Kate Pascoe seems ideal. She’s young, pretty and obviously loves her job. But when she introduces meditation clas*ses for her ten year olds, and even tree hugging, the villagers begin to think again. Then a strange malaise afflicts the whole village: lights are seen in Sykes Wood at night; a dog long dead appears to come to life, and a sudden shocking death plunges the village into a state of superstitious dread. And always at the eye of the storm is Kate Pascoe…
Village Gossip
For the locals of Turnham Malpas the rural peace is disrupted when a famous actor comes to stay to recuperate from illness. Before long he is bored by village life and when he meets Caroline, the rector’s wife, he is instantly attracted to her. He agrees to direct and star in a play with the villagers as his supporting cast and Caroline as his leading lady…
Before long, the villagers’ lives are turned upside down: a marriage is wrecked, a proud man humbled and two people are brought closer together as gossip, scandal and jealousy mount…
Trouble in the Village
When the people of Turnham Malpas realise that all is not as it should be between Peter, the rector, and his wife Caroline, the smooth running of the village falters. Then the appointment of a new verger causes trouble when events from his past return to haunt him, bringing violence and danger to the peace of the village. And there are the strange goings on in the church at night, one of the villagers’ houses is ransacked; a couple is beaten up…
But troubles in Turnham Malpas are put to rest as Bonfire Night at the Big House arrives and the celebrations unite the village once again.
A Village Dilemma
The Rector’s wife, Caroline, was never able to have children. It was an indiscretion by her husband Peter when he was the new rector just arrived in Turnham Malpas that led to the birth of the twins. Their mother Susie gave them up for adoption to Peter and Caroline, and they have always been treated as Caroline’s own children. Peter’s affair was one of the hardest things Caroline has ever had to deal with but the children, who are now eleven and know that Peter is their father, are asking who their birth mother is. This is not the only problem in the village, and of course everyone has a view as to how this and everything else should be handled. Usually it is Peter who calms troubled waters, but this time he is at the heart of the problem…
Intrigue in the Village
‘He is a changed man, Greta. A changed man. Those frosty blue eyes of his are not nearly so chilling as they were.’ There is a mystery surrounding the invitation by Craddock Fitch to the Big House. It is billed as a celebration of his business, but as everyone in the village has been invited, it is obviously more exciting than that. When everyone is assembled, they find that it is a lavish wedding reception for two very surprising people. With these festivities over, the inhabitants of Turnham Malpas are thrown into preparations of a different nature. It is the 150th anniversary of the village school and Kate the head teacher is arranging a big event. There is the problem of accommodating everyone’s enthusiasm as they plan a cricket match, buffet teas, maypole dancing, plays and singing on the green. But there is one problem of which she is unaware. In asking the previous head teachers to attend she has unwittingly placed the rector and his wife Caroline in an impossible situation…
Whispers In The Village
When the rector, Peter, and his wife Caroline, decide to go to Africa for a year to work in a mission, they take their twins with them. The village inhabitants whose lives revolve around the church and this family are bereft. They don’t immediately take to the woman locum, Anna, who has modern ideas happy clappy hymns and so forth but she does fill the church with parishioners determined to keep an eye on her. And then she brings Paddy, a down and out petty thief, into their midst. He lives at the Rectory and there is speculation as to whose bed he shares. However, Anna is smitten by someone else, but he is a married man. The Women’s Institute comes up with the idea of raising funds for Peter’s Mission. There’s an upmarket pyjama party, a hair dyeing competition, midnight skinny dipping and an afternoon at the Big House watching horse racing at Longchamps on a huge screen, drinking champagne, with more race money than they dreamed of riding on a horse called Major Malpas. Peter keeps in touch with the people of Turnham Malpas by email. When a message arrives to tell them that the twins have been kidnapped they are devastated and are more determined than ever to raise a substantial sum for Peter’s Mission. Once again Rebecca Shaw has given us a hugely readable and enjoyable novel. She is a master at mixing pathos with humour and the excitement she instils in this engaging story makes it one of her very best.
A Village Deception
When Harry Dickenson arrives in Turnham Malpas, the warm welcome he receives convinces him to stay. Handsome and charming, Harry quickly earns his place in rural life. But despite his outward friendliness, Harry is a troubled man, hiding memories of a tragic past from which he is desperate to escape. Just as Harry finds some measure of peace, he encounters the one woman in the village likely to turn any man’s head. Soon, Harry is caught in an obsessive love that threatens to ruin everything that he has accomplished and reveal his shocking secret to all. But Harry isn’t the only man in the village to fall head over heels. Paddy Cleary, the shy gardener, is smitten. But will Paddy find the confidence to reveal his true feelings? And will the young lady return his affections? The villagers must wait and watch, hoping the burgeoning friendship will lead to something more…
Rebecca Shaw is a storyteller like no other. Packed with tales of love and heartbreak, passion and regret, A Village Deception is alive with incident and drama a perfect, glorious escape from the stresses of modern life.
A Country Affair
Welcome to Barleybridge, a small village nestled in the Dorset hills of England, where sheep graze on the nearby slopes and everybody knows their neighbors. Young, inexperienced, and somewhat shy, Kate Howard arrives in this idyllic setting to embark on a new adventure and begin a job as a receptionist at the Barleybridge Veterinary Hospital. The busy practice sees creatures large and small, from pets to farm animals, and the staff she meets there is friendly and welcoming. As Kate learns the ins and outs of her job from who to never let through on the phone to which dogs and owners need to be kept away from each other, handsome Australian vet Scott Spencer takes an interest in her and encourages Kate to pursue her dreams to become a vet herself. His advice is solid, and his charm is intoxicating, but Kate is well aware that she is hardly the only woman to fall under the dashing doctor’s spell. Add to this the pressure of her longtime but rather dull boyfriend, Adam, who is not at all happy about her newfound aspirations to return to school, and Kate has some decisions to make, decisions that are growing more complex at every turn. Tender, funny, and full of warmth and simple joys, A Country Affair is the perfect introduction to a delightful place and its witty and lovable inhabitants. Watch for the next two novels in Rebecca Shaw s Barleybridge series coming soon. You will want to return to Barleybridge again and again.
Country Wives
Welcome back to Barleybridge, the picture postcard English village where everybody knows their neighbors…
Kate Howard is still working as the receptionist at the Barleybridge Veterinary Hospital, but now she is determined to attend veterinary college. Things are running smoothly, both at work and in Kate’s life, especially now that Scott Spencer, the handsome Australian vet who stole Kate s heart, has left town. But Scott s replacement, Daniel Brown, is quickly making enemies of the staff and clients alike with his abrupt style and unreasonable demands. When Dan causes the loss of an important client, the wives connected to the practice determine that something must be done to stop him. For her part, Kate secretly appreciates Dan s no nonsense approach, despite everyone else s ongoing annoyance. When Kate is faced with a devastating tragedy, Dan reveals a sad secret of his own and helps her through her crisis. But what will the rest of the town think of their newfound friendship?Delightfully warm, engaging, and filled with the simple joys of small town English life, Country Wives will inspire readers to return to Barleybridge again and again.
Country Lovers
The lively Barleybridge Veterinary Hospital is bustling with energy. Everyone is working hard to make sure that disruptive and sick animals in the surgery and on the farms are treated. But at the same time some of them are coping with crises in their personal lives. Kate is worrying about her exam results and hoping she can get into Veterinary College. Dan’s wife’s baby is due any moment. Letty is worried that she may be terminally ill but is afraid to tell anyone. Joy finds that she is still in love with Mungo, a fact that finally compels her husband Duncan to leave home. Rhodri is deeply in love with Megan, a local farmer’s daughter, but she can’t marry him because she is committed to caring for her elderly father. A wonderfully pacy, funny but tender novel about life in the country.
Country Passions
When Dan, one of the farm vets, is seriously injured in a car accident everyone at Barleybridge Animal Hospital is shocked. But they have even more to cope with when Scott Spencer, back from Australia, steps in to cover for him. Joy, the Practice Manager, remembers the hearts he broke when he last worked there and also his abrupt departure. She refuses to agree to this appointment, however temporary it turns out to be. So Joy leaves, and Scott slips seamlessly into the Practice routine. But Scott is in for a shock himself, when secrets are revealed which turn his life upside down and amend his attitude to women…
Country Passions is a wonderfully compelling and tender novel in which Rebecca Shaw weaves her magic around the animals and the people in this busy veterinary hospital, bringing them to life and sharing with us their troubles and triumphs.
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