Isis Update

Isis Update

Two books are out so far in the Isis series.
These are, in order of publication;
 
1 Isis, the days of the voles
In which acrobats are taken from Oxford to Las Vegas.
ISBN 978-0-9582939-9-0
 
2 Isis, the dancing tramp
In which the Tramp is kidnapped and his background revealed
ISBN 978-0-9582939-1-4
 
Coming up is;
3 Isis, Giselle plays croquet
In which Giselle nearly loses her trust fund and gets to play croquet.

A set of ten books are planned. As imagined at this stage, the remaining seven are;
 
4 Isis, swimming with the Dons
In which the Dons swim naked in the Isis and research contracts are abused.
 
5 Isis, Julio and the fire
In which Julio leaves his private zoo in Bogata and chances the flames of the world outside.
 
6 Isis, fishing for spies
In which there is a mix up over spies and we find out who the angler is.

7 Isis, paths of time
In which Rob sketches something that Paul, the runner, finds in the Isis.
8 Isis, Juan runs and falls
In which Juan stows away on a freighter and eludes Simon for a while.
 
9 Isis, dreams and spires
In which a librarian finds a rare book and Simon traces the book's original owners to Piraeus.
 
10 Isis, High Wire at the May Ball
In which someone wants to sabotage the May Ball and Simon finds the culprit in the Joiner's Arms.
 
From Chapter One of Isis, the days of the voles;
 
They say that if you sit by the river long enough you will see the bodies of your enemies float by. Is that an old Chinese saying? Was it meant to apply to the Isis? In flood with the punts awash and drifting. Or flat with the sculls hissing along. Down at the Joiner's Arms feeling the first cool of night as the sun set on it or just waiting quietly, hoping for a glimpse of a vole, the Isis was always a river to sit by.

Our man Simon Lodge was doing exactly that, staring at the river as though it had something to tell him. Oxford does that to you. North Oxford is otherworldly. The dreaming spires have nothing on what the landscape especially the riverbanks do to you.

Lewis Carrol drew all sorts of pictures on picnics by the river but our man was thinking about a crime. Something that bit rather more than a childrens fantasy, something that was clearly for adults, certainly something without the veil of childhood.

People were missing. There was a ripple of hurt from this that got to a lot of other people. Simon, sat, figuring and wondering as the early evening came slowly to the Isis.

The panther snatched the morsel of meat and gulped it down. It prowled from side to side in its cage.The panther always seemed to be too big for its cage.

In this small private zoo the panther always seemed big anyway.

The man who had thrown the meat, the owner of the zoo, walked up a path and sat by a fountain. His name was Julio. His heart settled down and he began to plan his day. Small birds hopped around on the ground. They were the only free creatures in the area.

He picked up the phone.

It was quiet except for a contented, low purring sound from the panther.