Kilingiri’ will appeal to readers who enjoy sagas with elements of romance, mystery and drama, loss and gain, religion and redemption played out in exotic locations over a timespan of thirty years. It addresses the issues of celibacy within the Catholic church, the heartbreak of rejection and separation, the difficulties of raising a child as a single parent, the effects of post natal depression on a marriage and the family, the healing power of forgiveness, and culminates in what we all dream of … a happy ever after scenario
Excerpt:
Thongkla Prison squatted like a malevolent toad in a swamp of stinking mud, the walls crumbling like cream-crackers where inclement weather and pollution had eroded its fabric, staining the formerly pale grey stone with leprous patches of grime and mildew. The stench of sewage and unwashed bodies filled nostrils and lacquered throats with a stinking, oily film.
After being accused of possessing marijuana in a quantity that indicated trafficking, Nina had been incarcerated in this hell-hole for the past three months. Greg had arranged for James Pembroke, one of Bangkok's finest legal brains, to take her case. Having been raised in Thailand he spoke the language fluently, thus avoiding the need for an interpreter which was a vital asset in a country where all legal transactions were carried out in Thai.
The prognosis for was not promising.
‘Your fiancée is in a devil of a mess, Dr. McKinley. I'm sure you realise that trafficking is a criminal offence in Thailand. Our country has a very real problem with drug smuggling across the borders with Burma and Laos and officials here are determined to stamp out this illegal and highly dangerous activity. I don't need to remind you that if found guilty, Miss Maitland will be executed or serve a life sentence?’
About the author:
Janna Gray grew up in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and was educated at boarding schools in Kodaikanal, South India and Derbyshire, England. She trained to be a teacher in London where she met and married her husband Simon. His job took them to Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand where she raised two sons, worked at British and International schools and wrote articles for newspapers and magazines.
Currently living in the UAE, Janna was the Senior Mistress (a title which caused much merriment among her colleagues!) and Head of Pastoral Care at Repton School before trading her marking pens and report cards for the world of writing novels. She enjoys travelling and sailing and had a love-hate relationship with exercise until she discovered the joy of Zumba where the trainers turn a blind eye to her inability to remember dance sequences. She sings in the shower and with choirs, has an allergy to golf and recently discovered the allure of oils and acrylics – a delightfully messy way to express her inner artist.
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