(Headline, $38.99)Last time I met Penny Vincenzi the conversation somehow turned to petrol. I admitted to being too nervous to pump my own gas, and explained that I simply drive off if a nice man doesn’t appear to help me. Penny was taken aback. “You wouldn’t get far in the UK then Louise,” she said in her elegant accent. “Everyone has to fill their own cars there.” our conversation came flooding back when I picked up Penny’s latest novel and found it set on Britain’s notorious o1 motorway. What’s more, there’s even a scene in a petrol station – and yes, the person concerned fills his own car.
Anyway, here’s the cast – all well-drawn and truly believable Vincenzi characters – Jonathan the surgeon and his wife Laura have an ecstatically happy marriage. So why is there someone named Abi in his car on this hot summer’s day? Mary Bristow is on her way to the airport for a reunion with her wartime love Russell. She wonders if he’ll still feel the same as he did 60 years ago. Bridegroom Toby and his best man Barney are rushing to get to the church on time, but soon their lifelong friendship will be tested in a way they couldn’t imagine. Georgia, a teenage actress must get to London if she wants to land a part in an up-coming TV drama. Her agent Linda Di-Marcello is starting to get anxious. Pat the lorry driver is heading home for a family celebration. But he’s been on the road for hours and hours and suddenly, he feels awfully tired. In a field overlooking the motorway, farmer William Grainger sees these very diverse lives intersect in a sudden, tragic event, with far-reaching consequences.
I always look forward to Penny Vincenzi’s novels, which appear on a semi-annual basis. This book lasted me a week – and I’m a very fast reader so that’s good value! And in these days of often predictable and formulaic chick-lit offerings, the central plot is refreshingly different. Whether you’re an old fan like me or a new reader discovering Penny Vincenzi for the first time, I can heartily recommend this book for cold winter evenings.
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