Cardamine

by Jennifer Barraclough

Where is the mail order bride?

Summer 2019 in New Zealand. On the last day of a backpacking holiday, Kate loses her bag on a vineyard tour and misses her flight home to England. An eccentric elderly man comes to her rescue and invites her to stay on as his paid companion in his country home, called Cardamine after the flowers around the pond in the garden. His wife is away, said to be visiting her home country, but Kate comes to suspect that her absence has a more sinister explanation. The idyll of sunshine, swimming, wine, and budding romance becomes overshadowed by mystery and fear and rumours of a coming pandemic.

"An intriguing combination of travelogue and cosy mystery, author Jennifer Barraclough has created an excellent cast of characters with a neat plot twist and unexpected ending." GBW

"It's a delightful read, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and great for holiday reading. I enjoyed the Auckland connection and also the plot, the attention to an autistic character, and the twists at the end." NP

Jennifer Barraclough, formerly a medical doctor in England, now lives in Auckland.

244 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2021

About the author

My first career was in orthodox medicine. I worked in the hospital specialties of cancer care and general psychiatry, and spent some time in rural general practice. From 1991-2000 I held the post of Consultant in Psychological Medicine at the Churchill Hospital, Oxford, England. I published a number of medical books and research papers. Then I moved to Auckland with my New Zealand-born husband, and trained as a Bach Foundation Registered Practitioner and Life Coach. Writing is now my main pursuit, with several books on holistic healing and natural therapies, three short novels and another on the way. I also edited my uncle's memoir 'Geoffrey Guy's War: Memoirs of a Spitfire Pilot'. Other interests are choral singing and animal welfare.

Reviews

[Gretchen Bernet-Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in 2019, backpacking tourist Kate explores Auckland in New Zealand’s North Island, sampling food and wine pre-Covid unaware she will become involved in a mysterious incident. It all starts on a vineyard wine-tasting tour when Kate meets Vivian Anderson, an eccentric and wealthy older man who talks in great swathes of dialogue. When calamity strikes, causing Kate to miss her flight back home to UK, Vivian suggests a stopover in his out-of-town residence ‘Cardamine’.

Kate weighs up the pros and cons and accepts Vivian’s accommodation offer which certainly makes her holiday more enjoyable. However, not everyone is happy with this open-ended arrangement. Outspoken housekeeper Elly thinks her boss Vivian is yet again being taken advantage of by a woman. Also Elly doesn’t have a good word to say about a previous housekeeper or Vivian’s wife Tatyana who suddenly vanished, leaving everything behind. Question is ‘Where did she go?’

Back home in UK, Kate's boyfriend Orlando would like her to come home. Kate is undecided on this, having developed a major crush on Silvio who works in the local Red Lotus café. But it's not all beach swimming with Silvio, driving an Aston Martin, playing a baby grand or cooking meals for Vivian. Kate realises Vivian misses his wife Tatyana and decides to investigate her disappearance. Events quickly heat up leading Kate into a messy and dangerous situation.

For me, the tension could have been stronger, particularly with background themes of xenophobia, drug references and immigration fraud but overall 'Cardamine' is an intriguing combination of travelogue and cosy mystery. My favourite chapter is Kate’s first hot southern climate Christmas! Author Jennifer Barraclough has created an excellent cast of characters with a neat plot twist and unexpected ending. Perhaps there is a chance of Kate having another NZ adventure.

My full review and photos https://thoughtsbecomewords.com/2021/...