One might suggest LAST RIGHTS was the swan song of a disgruntled police inspector who not only solved the most bizarre string of serial murders in 'Carter's Boys', but he broke every rule in the book in doing so. Despite a conciliatory promotion, Hammond was determined that Scotland Yard had not heard the last of him.When Superintendent Jack Hammond took early retirement- imagining a new life in the country would be an idyllic and peaceful one-he was not prepared for reality. He didn't take into account he would be left to the mercy of his wife Marjory, and indirectly, a bunch of the most eccentric characters you could ever wish upon anyone: Reverend Peter Jay, a scheming, evangelistic vicar; Janet Donald, a pariah of a headmistress obsessed with a gender fixation; Dick Meadows, the jolly grocer, who discovers he has unsettling psychic powers and Arthur Sandhurst, the charismatic real-estate agent. Last Rites is a bizarre crime-thriller preoccupied with past London memories, and has all the intriguing mystery of breaking codes and bizarre clues led by an astute, die-hard retired policeman, forced to work with a bunch of wanna-be amateur crime sleuths. Reverend Peter Jay is the nemesis-interested in solving old crimes and standing in as a prison Chaplain, where an inmates death-bed confession leads the group on a hunt, high and low to uncover an assassin hidden past and give his victims the dignity of the Last Rites.
As a child in the London blitz, Charles Beagley distracted himself from the horror of his family's situation by making up stories or drawing. His eventual training was at Art School, which equipped him for the many years he spent working in advertising and design. He lived in London initially, did two years National Services in the RAF, worked in Ireland and Belgium and then set up a Design Consultancy back in England for twenty years. He married and had two sons whose futures concerned him as things were grim economically in 1982 England. He jumped at the opportunity to move his family to Australia when he was offered a managerial position in design. During his years in England, his writing developed as he wrote promotional text and an occasional short story. Since coming to Australia he has honed his skills, writing many fictional stories, mainly mysteries. Last Rites is one such novel that mixes fact with fiction and unites a village to solve a dead mans promise.
Michelle Hessing has had a successful and colourful 25 year career in graphic design, publishing, print and marketing. Working for Australian Geographic in Sydney managing visually rich Australian travel books, guides and calendars before going on to open Accentia Design in 2004. Michelle's passion for books and publishing now focuses on assisting independent writers and authors along the path to self-publishing and achieving their dream; by turning their written words into eye-catching printed books and ePubs that connect with people and their audience.
