Books by Ray Hobbs

In this sequel to Roses and Red Herrings, William Stamford is still working for the Admiralty's deception planners, but now without the help of Lucy, his assistant and fiancée. He has no idea of her whereabouts, except that she is somewhere in the USA and involved highly secret work.As if being parted from Lucy is not enough, William falls foul of a senior allied naval officer, who is resentful at being hoodwinked by one of his stories. An additional threat is the return of his old adversary Commander Bonnington. With those impediments, William must apply himself to the greatest deception of the war. The success of the invasion of Europe depends on the enemy being convinced that the landings will take place somewhere other than in Normandy. Agents on both sides play a deadly guessing game, culminating in a desperate bid to prevent the enemy from learning the truth.

In the four years since his wife's death, Adam Watkinson has concentrated his efforts on helping his children cope with their loss. Now, he realises the time has come for him to find a new direction.He buys a house in Netherdale, which has become his family's refuge, and moves there with his 18-year-old daughter Leanne. With occasional visits from his son Jimbo, a free-spirited music student, they settle into their new home.Adam becomes involved in local matters, beginning with frequent visits to a care home to read to the grandmother of newfound friend and neighbour Jennie Thorpe, and then taking over as conductor of a dwindling and disheartened choral society.Encouraged by early success, he suggests revitalising the Dale after the devastation of foot-and-mouth disease, by creating a choir festival that he hopes will attract visitors and revive local businesses.It seems Adam has found his new direction. All that remains for him is to fill the void left by his late wife, and that is no easy task.

In this final part of the Dales trilogy, Leah Hinchcliffe is now 24 years old. With her dreams of a dancing career hopelessly dashed, Leah is now teaching dance at the failing Nidderdale College of Performance Arts.

While recovering from injuries sustained in the war, William Stamford, a natural storyteller, learns that he is to join a Naval Intelligence team whose sole purpose is to deceive the enemy.

It is January 1944. Pilot Cliff Stephens and linguist Laura Pembury meet for the first time on a rain-swept night in Hampshire and are immediately attracted to each other. They meet again three times and their relationship blossoms. The future looks inviting until Cliff is posted missing over the English Channel.

In this sequel to An Act of Kindness, Freddy and Sylvia are now married and living in Wensleydale, Yorkshire.

Recovering from a disabling injury, ninety-five-year-old Kate Whitehead can take no part in the VE Day seventieth anniversary celebrations, but a meeting with hospital visitor Rachel sends her on her own journey of recollection.

Devastated by the accident that robbed her of her husband and her career, pianist 'Plum' Linthwaite returns to her northern roots to help her struggling granddaughter Nicola and to take stock of her otherwise empty life. However, when she discovers letters belonging to her great-uncle Hugh she becomes engrossed in the mystery and intrigue surrounding his supposed disgrace. With Nicola and her neighbour Paul sharing her curiosity, she learns of Hugh's return, physically and emotionally scarred, from the Great War, and his employment under a harsh and insensitive regime. It seems his life lacks purpose until he meets Ellen. Plum learns of their deep and touching romance and traces the early steps of their performing career. She now faces three challenges. She is determined to discover the truth about Hugh, she has to help Nicola make sense of her troubled life and, most perplexing of all, she must find her own way forward.

When twelve ageing musicians are devastated by their exclusion from a breakaway orchestra, TV film composer Frank Morrison sets out to repair the damage and give them a new sense of purpose, by forming a retro dance band. After a hesitant start, they are soon reproducing the wonderful romantic sounds of the 1930s and before long, dedication and soaring enthusiasm lead to a string of successful engagements. Meanwhile, Frank's personal life becomes increasingly complex with the involvement of the athletic and appealing Regional Produce Candidate and the enigmatic Sarah. His professional life is no less hectic: he is soon working flat out with an impossible workload and, in his exhausted state, he still has to prepare the band for the most demanding gig of all.

It is October 1943, and barely a year has passed since the air raid that destroyed Freddy Hinchcliffe's home in Yorkshire. Now a prisoner in German-occupied Poland, his bitterness at the loss of his family leaves him indifferent to the world outside his barbed-wire enclosure. That is until he receives a letter from Sylvia Charlesworth, a Wren serving at the naval base HMS Wasp in south-east England. They exchange letters and their correspondence soon becomes a vital part of their lives. They learn more about each other and, as their feelings intensify, they long for the day when they will meet face to face. But they have no way of knowing how they will cope when they meet as physical strangers.