Booklist

Here are all the books published by Alex Martin to date. It will be constantly updated as new stories become available. You can see all my books on my author page on Amazon by clicking here.

The Twisted Vine

Every journey is an adventure.
Especially one into the unknown.
Join Roxanne on her journey travelling in France as she discovers the pitfalls of falling in love, the trials of winemaking and unmasks a tragedy. Taste the wine, feel the sun, drive through the Provencal mountains with her, as her courage and resourcefulness are tested to the limit in this exciting vineyard romance.The Twisted Vine is a 1980s romance set in the heart of France and is full of mystery and suspense. Roxanne Rudge, a feisty heroine, escapes her cheating boyfriend by going grape-picking in France. She feels vulnerable and alone in such a big country where she can’t speak the language and is befriended by Armand le Clair, a handsome Frenchman. Armand is not all he seems and she discovers a darker side to him before exposing a dreadful secret. She is aided and abetted by three new friends she has made, charming posh Peter, a gifted linguist, the beautiful and vivacious Italian, Yvane, and clever Henry of the deep brown eyes with a chocolate voice to match. Together they unravel a mystery centred around a beautiful chateau and play a part in its future.
Review by http://www.bookviral.com strongly recommends The Twisted Vine. They are a quality control website for authors and said “Wonderfully atmospheric and enticingly mysterious, The Twisted Vine is the debut novel from author Alex Martin. An evocative mystery that takes a delightful foray into the heart of France, where the best laid plans take an unexpected turn. A journey of self-discovery, love and tragedy that elegantly contrasts the essence of French life with darker and infinitely more sinister overtures. Cleverly constructed and written with an acerbic pen, Martin transports her readers to a transient world that she imbues with life through inspired character development and an ear for authentic dialogue. It’s a truly engaging tale which turns a simple journey into an all-encompassing adventure that tests the boundaries of courage and resourcefulness at a time of vulnerability. Impeccable in detail, memorable and enthralling, The Twisted Vine is a notable debut from an author with a bright future ahead of her and is strongly recommended.”

The Katherine Wheel series (6 Book Series)

Book 1: Daffodils is essentially a love story, whose tender heart is almost torn apart through the tumultuous challenge of World War One.
“A profound meditation on love and loss and the perils of war”: Bookbub. Daffodils is the Winner of the New Apple Literary Award for Excellence in Independent Publishing 2019 Medallist Winner E-Book.
“Absorbing, involving, unputdownable, honest, great characterisation”. Indie Book Bargains Featured Author Book of the day June 25th 2013 and was chosen to be in the first edition of the Fussy Librarian’s selection.

Katy, a maidservant at Cheadle Manor, longs to escape her narrow life but events unfold slowly in her rural village in Wiltshire. Jem Phipps has always loved Katy. His proposal of marriage rescues her from scandal but after tragedy strikes Jem becomes a reluctant soldier on the battlefields of The First World War, leaving Katy behind, restless and alone. Lionel White, the local curate, has just returned from India bringing a dash of colour to the small village and offers Katy a window on the wider world. Only when Katy joins up as a WAAC girl does she finally break free from the stifling class-ridden hierarchies that bind her but the brutality of 20th-century global war brings home the price she has paid for her search. Through the horrors of WW1, Katy discovers only love brings freedom.

Find out how these characters fared after the Armistice when they entered a new, modern age in its sequel, PEACE LILY. They have to carve out new lives in a changed world, having survived the war only to face new, unexpected challenges when they return home.
A third book, SPEEDWELL, takes the characters into the daring arena of motor racing in the 1920s and Katy’s defiant bid for independence. Book Four, WILLOW, (novella-sized) bridges the gap between the generations as the children of Cassandra and Douglas, Jem and Katy embark on a summer adventure that goes disastrously wrong, with dire consequences. The four children, Lottie and Isobel, Al and Lily, are on the brink of adulthood and the outbreak of the Second World War in Book Five, WOODBINE. Their lives separate as they are each forced to follow different paths through the war. Lottie is stranded in occupied France and gets drawn into the French Resistance; Al faces many dangers as he flies planes for the ATA, and Isobel, torn between duty and love, becomes a Land Girl. Can they come back together in Book Six, IVY? You must read the final book in The Katherine Wheel Series to find out how the whole saga reaches its dramatic and satisfying conclusion.

Alex Martin has written a quite different series called SPIRIT LEVEL, where time slips between worlds and spirits speak through Fay and Percy, two mismatched psychic detectives who interpret their messages.

The first is The Rose Trail, and its sequel, TRISKELION, is now published!

Award winning B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree
WINNER OF ‘CHILL WITH A BOOK AWARD’ June 2017
Can a golden pomander contain the power of the past through the scent of roses it carries?
Fay, lost and lonely, feels trapped and unable to move on from tragedy. Haunted by restless spirits her life is not her own. When she meets an old rival she is drawn into a chain of events that both terrifies and fascinates her.
Meadowsweet Manor is also unable to escape its own tragic history from the English Civil War. Only when Fay follows a trail of roses back through hundreds of years can she unlock its secrets and redeem her own.

Is it chance that brings Fay and Persephone together?
Or is it the restless and malevolent spirit who stalks them both?
Once rivals, they must now unite if they are to survive the mysterious trail of roses they are forced to follow into a dangerous, war-torn past.

After setting up their website, ‘Spirit Level’, in an abandoned moment of hubris, the two amateur sleuths are astonished to find a rock star requesting their services on a professional basis. Rick O’Shea claims he is unable to record a new album on the island of Anglesey, just off the coast of North Wales, due to inexplicable mayhem in his music studio. Throwing caution to the wind, they answer his plea and embark on an adventure that takes them back 2000 years to when the Druids and Romans faced each other in battle. Can Fay and Percy communicate across such an enormous length of time with the determined spirit who is causing so much disruption? Only slowly do they realise the significance of the triskelion symbol that keeps appearing as they uncover its mystery, and hear the message this ancient soul is so desperate to convey to the entire world.