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Dark Visions: A Meg & Clyde mystery
Death, drug dealers and deception… Retired couple, Meg and Clyde Pilley, enjoy a quiet life in a their suburban Sydney home. Or do they? After a friend asks for help with a philandering husband, card reader Meg solicits Clyde as an amateur private eye. While following the errant husband Clyde is devastated to discover some unpleasant truths about his brother, and he determines to rescue him. To make matters worse, police are watching drug dealers who move next door. Then Meg's psychic powers escalate, and she visualises a gory pool of blood. She knows someone will be killed, but can't work out who it is. Will it be someone she knows? And who is the murderer? Before Meg and Clyde can feel safe there are many questions to be answered. They decide they need to become involved, and Meg digs deeper into the spirit world for answers. Who is the kingpin drug lord? How is Clyde's brother involved? Who can they trust?
211 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 6, 2014
About the author
Janice Gallen
11 books6 followersGrowing up on the coalfields of the NSW Hunter Valley, Janice developed a passion for writing after winning an inter-school essay contest on unionism at age eleven.
She graduated from Kurri Kurri High School in 1961 and went on to study teaching at Newcastle Teachers’ College.
After she taught for a few years Janice and her husband decided to enter the business world. They bought and sold a small newsagency, petrol station, butcher shop, chemical sales business and grocery store. Janice also ran a postal agency in West Cessnock.
The desire for creative writing was always there and Janice signed up for a correspondence writing course. But family commitments and work got in the way of fulfilling her goal to become an acknowledged author.
However, that spark remained, and over the past 10 years she has managed to fit many creative writing workshops into her busy life. She was also privileged to be mentored by a published author for more than three years.
When the inaugural Redlitzer anthology was promoted by Redlands Library, Janice won a place in it with her short story, Always. This success, accompanied by encouragement and critiquing from two writing groups, has allowed her to follow her dream and complete and publish her first novel, All Naked and Bare.
Janice Gallen lives in Brisbane with her husband Ron. They have three children and 11 grandchildren.
Apart from writing, she also has a keen interest in Toastmasters, an accredited public speaking organisation. She has been an active member for nine years.
She graduated from Kurri Kurri High School in 1961 and went on to study teaching at Newcastle Teachers’ College.
After she taught for a few years Janice and her husband decided to enter the business world. They bought and sold a small newsagency, petrol station, butcher shop, chemical sales business and grocery store. Janice also ran a postal agency in West Cessnock.
The desire for creative writing was always there and Janice signed up for a correspondence writing course. But family commitments and work got in the way of fulfilling her goal to become an acknowledged author.
However, that spark remained, and over the past 10 years she has managed to fit many creative writing workshops into her busy life. She was also privileged to be mentored by a published author for more than three years.
When the inaugural Redlitzer anthology was promoted by Redlands Library, Janice won a place in it with her short story, Always. This success, accompanied by encouragement and critiquing from two writing groups, has allowed her to follow her dream and complete and publish her first novel, All Naked and Bare.
Janice Gallen lives in Brisbane with her husband Ron. They have three children and 11 grandchildren.
Apart from writing, she also has a keen interest in Toastmasters, an accredited public speaking organisation. She has been an active member for nine years.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 6, 2015
Review of Dark Visions
Janice Gallen
Amateur sleuths on the job
Dark Visions is a one-sitting read. The overlapping threads of mystery within a family and a neighbourhood draw the reader in.
The Pilleys are a regular, affectionate and newly-retired couple.
Meg has her children, her friends and a good relationship with her sister-in-law. She plays with the Tarot and gives ‘for fun’ readings over coffee and cake, and enjoys playing bowls.
Retirement isn’t suiting Clyde. He has changed from easy-going to negative - is bored and a little bit testy, starts eating too heartily and resists joining Meg at the Bowls Club even though police mate Ross Delaney is a member - bowls is for old people. And he really dislikes his sister-in-law Enid, because in looking to better themselves Clyde feels she puts undue strain on his brother Mick.
It takes a while before Clyde succumbs to Meg’s encouragement to get out and about, but it works. He strikes up a friendship with a fine younger man who seems to epitomise strong family and ethical values; and as Clyde gets around the neighbourhood his health improves.
Meantime Meg is uneasy that her developing psychic skills could be taking her out of her depth. But continuing encounters seem to confirm the accuracy of what she sees and feels, even if some of the interpretations are in hindsight. Because Clyde is openly cynical and critical of Meg’s flirtation with the occult, she tends to downplay what is happening at first. Quietly though, Clyde is not so sure after a few creepy events and some situations turn out as Meg predicted.
Chapter by chapter, readers become aware of a menacing presence that seems to be pulling many strings under the radar.
When Clyde crosses paths with their new and mysterious neighbours he becomes suspicious because of their rudeness and undue efforts to maintain privacy. Ross Delaney tells him in confidence that the men are under surveillance and warns him to keep clear.
From there, life becomes complicated for the Pilleys - each having their own worrying experiences and only sharing some of them.
But Clyde turns amateur sleuth and discovers a number of puzzling connections in the neighbourhood. He worries about his brother’s activities, especially when he and Enid set off on an expensive overseas jaunt. Is a criminal manipulating them?
Meg has concerns about the tarot readings for some of her neighbours, but has to make a dash for the Gold Coast when her daughter’s relationship is in strife. After seeing one of Mick’s acquaintances there, and suspecting criminal connections, Meg wants the comfort of familiar surroundings and to seek more information from her unseen connection. This need increases when she learns that Clyde has been violently attacked and landed at the hospital emergency department. It is high priority to know more - from the spirit world or Clyde - it doesn’t matter.
After this Meg and Clyde share information and experiences, determined to help family and neighbours. But everything becomes complicated as they don’t know who they can trust - Clyde even has minor reservations about Ross Delaney who has personal problems and is about to retire.
A photo mysteriously falls from a wall, there are premonitions of death, strange objects in the garage next door, a woman’s story of abuse, snakes hidden in a glass container, Meg’s nightmare nap of being trapped. Does it all fit together - and if so, how?
Against time, and sometimes in danger, the two civilian detectives solve it all in cahoots with Ross Delaney. Justice appears to be done.
And Clyde takes on the bowling after all. Safer?
An enjoyable set of puzzles for anyone who enjoys pulling the clues together.
I suspect more mysteries will come the Pilley’s way.
Janice Gallen
Amateur sleuths on the job
Dark Visions is a one-sitting read. The overlapping threads of mystery within a family and a neighbourhood draw the reader in.
The Pilleys are a regular, affectionate and newly-retired couple.
Meg has her children, her friends and a good relationship with her sister-in-law. She plays with the Tarot and gives ‘for fun’ readings over coffee and cake, and enjoys playing bowls.
Retirement isn’t suiting Clyde. He has changed from easy-going to negative - is bored and a little bit testy, starts eating too heartily and resists joining Meg at the Bowls Club even though police mate Ross Delaney is a member - bowls is for old people. And he really dislikes his sister-in-law Enid, because in looking to better themselves Clyde feels she puts undue strain on his brother Mick.
It takes a while before Clyde succumbs to Meg’s encouragement to get out and about, but it works. He strikes up a friendship with a fine younger man who seems to epitomise strong family and ethical values; and as Clyde gets around the neighbourhood his health improves.
Meantime Meg is uneasy that her developing psychic skills could be taking her out of her depth. But continuing encounters seem to confirm the accuracy of what she sees and feels, even if some of the interpretations are in hindsight. Because Clyde is openly cynical and critical of Meg’s flirtation with the occult, she tends to downplay what is happening at first. Quietly though, Clyde is not so sure after a few creepy events and some situations turn out as Meg predicted.
Chapter by chapter, readers become aware of a menacing presence that seems to be pulling many strings under the radar.
When Clyde crosses paths with their new and mysterious neighbours he becomes suspicious because of their rudeness and undue efforts to maintain privacy. Ross Delaney tells him in confidence that the men are under surveillance and warns him to keep clear.
From there, life becomes complicated for the Pilleys - each having their own worrying experiences and only sharing some of them.
But Clyde turns amateur sleuth and discovers a number of puzzling connections in the neighbourhood. He worries about his brother’s activities, especially when he and Enid set off on an expensive overseas jaunt. Is a criminal manipulating them?
Meg has concerns about the tarot readings for some of her neighbours, but has to make a dash for the Gold Coast when her daughter’s relationship is in strife. After seeing one of Mick’s acquaintances there, and suspecting criminal connections, Meg wants the comfort of familiar surroundings and to seek more information from her unseen connection. This need increases when she learns that Clyde has been violently attacked and landed at the hospital emergency department. It is high priority to know more - from the spirit world or Clyde - it doesn’t matter.
After this Meg and Clyde share information and experiences, determined to help family and neighbours. But everything becomes complicated as they don’t know who they can trust - Clyde even has minor reservations about Ross Delaney who has personal problems and is about to retire.
A photo mysteriously falls from a wall, there are premonitions of death, strange objects in the garage next door, a woman’s story of abuse, snakes hidden in a glass container, Meg’s nightmare nap of being trapped. Does it all fit together - and if so, how?
Against time, and sometimes in danger, the two civilian detectives solve it all in cahoots with Ross Delaney. Justice appears to be done.
And Clyde takes on the bowling after all. Safer?
An enjoyable set of puzzles for anyone who enjoys pulling the clues together.
I suspect more mysteries will come the Pilley’s way.
July 25, 2015
When you start this book it is difficult to put it down. The author keeps the reader guessing at who the murderer is and I found that I was constantly changing my mind as new twists and clues were added. The story centres around Meg and Clyde who are your typical suburban husband and wife. But are they? Clyde has recently retired and is finding it difficult to adapt to all the spare time he has while Meg, who dabbles in tarot cards has ever increasingly vivid visions. Reluctantly at first, Clyde comes to accept Meg's visions and together they embark on an adventure that includes Clyde's brother, ex policemen and all manner of other shady characters. Easy and compelling reading.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews