Jack-Knifed

Wonny Lea

Dec 2013 · Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

Meticulously-researched...warming the hearts of millions of readers.' Historical Novels Review 'Collier has a gift for bringing her characters to life that will keep the reader engrossed until the end' Daily Mail Beggars and Choosers - Book One in the Brothers and Lovers Series Pontypridd, Rhondda 1905: Coal is king and the families who sunk the first collieries are rich. No-one is wealthier or more generous than Harry Watkin Jones. His daughter Sali is about to marry her childhood sweetheart, but tragedy strikes. Four years later Sali is a penniless outcast, fleeing from a violent husband and struggling to support herself and her son in a world very different. Sali finds work in the home of family of colliers and she and her son find the warmth and love missing from their lives for so long. But unrest and violence have come to the valleys. Caught up in the conflict, Sali finds herself denying her roots, her class, and even sacrificing her son's future, for the sake of the people she loves and the cause they are prepared to die for...

About the author

Wonny Lea’s career as a nurse started in the ‘Swinging Sixties’ and she went on to become a midwife, managing breech deliveries, twins, and various other complications without an obstetrician in sight and loving every minute of it. After her marriage, and with a young family, she changed direction professionally, variously managing her own florists, working in the tourist trade, and running a pub. She also worked on and off for the NHS and worked her way up to the position of Chief Nurse at one of the largest NHS Trusts in the UK before retiring. Wonny Lea lives near Cardiff in Wales and is a passionate Welshwoman. Her Cardiff Bay Investigation series of detective novels featuring DCI Martin Phelps is set in the Welsh capital and features the darker – and lighter – sides of life in one of Europe’s most vibrant cities.