A Bountiful Lot
Amber Jo Illsley

THE BOOK

A small diverse group of people on New Zealand’s West Coast gather together and cause their own varying forms of mayhem. From Grannie the self-important little Irishwoman, to Dr Kavoski the suspected Russian spy, Jock the wily Scotsman, Nellie the schoolteacher and Eliza the maidenly lady, they interweave with other West Coast characters in an amusing drama. Bungling police become involved, and so too, does the spaced-out hippy couple, forever searching for their Utopia, their cosmic destiny.

The intuitive and cunning Dr Kavoski and his sidekick Jock move to a small West Coast town where they feel at home, and in control of their nefarious activities. Several spanners in the works come in the form of the hot-tempered, bold and suspecting Grannie O’Shaunnessy, schoolteachers Nellie and the gay Rupert, as well as love-starved Miss Eliza Spinks, and a crime busting operation set up on the West Coast to catch drug peddlers. Rupert bewails his broken relationship, but takes a shine to the handsome cop. Full of mischief to help ease his boredom, Dr Kavoski becomes involved in all sorts of incidents, including the scandalous incident at the kiddies’ concert, and being under deep suspicion by local police. This only adds to the doctor’s joy in creating more mischief and drama to keep everyone on their toes. A few days’ respite out at a farm almost turns into disaster, but is saved by the diversion of a reeking hippy couple, arriving at the farm in the nick of time. This story is the first in a series.

Selected Review

"..found myself pleasantly surprised by the storytelling and vivid character descriptions. I like a bit of a mystery, so to have something suspicious happening in the first few chapters got my attention, and the bizarre ramblings of Granny had me in giggles. The quirky charcters kept me interested until the final page."
—Melanie Wheatley -'The Citizen Today' (Newspaper)

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my dear and amusing friend Arthur (Hubie) Roope, for his keen wit, his inspiration and his encouragement.

 

THE AUTHOR

Amber Jo Illsley was born in the South Island of New Zealand, and up until last year, was a freelance journalist for 12 years, travelling widely nationally and internationally in the course of her work. Apart from freelance writing for local, South Island-wide and national newspapers and magazines, her other publications include two historical works, three books of poetry and several novels, as well as being included in poetry anthologies. Now living in Christchurch on the East Coast of the South Island, she is currently working on several other novels.

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