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C F Dunn

FINALIST in FOREWORD BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDS, 2016

'Run, Rosie, run!' I cried, gasping for breath, as my daughter spun around and dashed towards the steps. From the perimeter fence behind us, strong, thin beams of light jerked wildly as black-coated figures climbed over and advanced at a steady run, spreading out like spiders on a web.' 

How can Emma and Matthew escape when the past is only one step behind them and the enemy unknown? When history catches up and past and present collide, where will there be left to hide in the future Fearful Symmetry is the thrilling conclusion to The Secret of the Journal series.

'An addictive mix of suspense, romance, and the supernatural.' Jane Bidder, author of Guilty

Lion Fiction

The Secret of the Journal

Fearful Symmetry

Mortal Fire winner of GOLD in Adult Romance, ForeWordBook of the Year Awards, 2012

Nominated:Best Fiction Book of the Year, CRT 2012

In this award-winning debut novel and the first book in The Secret Of The Journal series, historian, Emma D’Eresby escapes the predictable safety of her life in Cambridge to seek the journal – the Seventeenth-century diary of an obscure Englishman – a portion of which was left to her by her grandfather. Secreted in the library of a university in Maine, USA, the journal is Emma’s lifelong obsession but, as she takes up the year-long teaching post at the university, she realises that the journal has a rival as she is irresistibly drawn to the enigmatic figure of surgeon, Matthew Lynes. As Emma evades the romantic advances of seductive colleague, Sam Weisner, she becomes aware of a more sinister presence haunting the university. Attacks on woman heighten tension on campus and Emma fears that she is the focus of a stalker’s attention. Suspense mounts on the eve of Halloween with horrific consequences; but where there is darkness there must also be light. Who is Matthew Lynes and what is his connection to the journal?

'If I could say one thing…Read this!' Colin Dexter, creator of ‘Inspector Morse’

'The sense of growing menace will have readers gripping the edge of their seats. The hairs on my neck started to rise as I realised there was only one possible answer to the mystery. A tense and accomplished debut novel blending romance with thriller.' Fay Sampson, award-winning author ‘The Hunted Hare’

'I began MORTAL FIRE one winter evening, with a cup of hot chocolate near at hand. Within a few chapters the chocolate was ignored and had gone cold. CF Dunn writes vivid prose which will hold a reader’s attention to a riveting conclusion.' Mel Starr, author of ‘The Unquiet Bones’

Monarch Books

Mortal Fire

‘”It would be so easy just to stay there, submerged and warm where the world couldn’t touch me and I would’t have to face tomorrow, or the next day, or the next. So easy. To let go. Painless. Quick.”‘

Following the vicious attack that nearly killed her and reeling from the discovery that mysterious Matthew Lynes – the man with whom she has inadvertently and irresistibly fallen in love – is lying, historian, Emma D’Eresby flees the college in Maine for her ancient home town in England. With her she carries a precious Seventeenth-century journal and the secrets bound within its pages. Once home, she comes to terms with a shattering revelation, and, just when she thinks she has the answers, faces a future where past and present collide.

Set in England and in Maine, USA and steeped in history and atmosphere, Death Be Not Proud – the second book of The Secret Of The Journal series – continues the romantic mystery begun in Mortal Fire as Emma and Matthew reveal the turbulent truth of his past.

‘Dunn vividly evokes a range of characters and the tense and tender relationships between them.’ Fay Sampson, award-winning author, The Hunted Hare.

Death Be Not Proud

‘An addictive mix of suspense, romance, and the supernatural.’ Janey Fraser, Guilty.

‘A triumph of storytelling.’ Eric Delve, To Boldly Go

In the third installment of The Secret of the Journal series, Christmas approaches and the relationship between British historian, Emma D'Eresby and American surgeon, Matthew Lynes deepens as she readies herself to meet his family in rural Maine. But tensions are simmering beneath the surface. 

What does sinister Maggie have against her, and what might she be prepared to do to keep Matthew and Emma apart? Emma has discovered Matthew's origins, but that is only the beginning; in order to prepare for the future, she must also understand his past.

Rope of Sand

'“What’s it worth, Emma? What are you willing to give in exchange?” 
He brought the journal within tantalising reach and, with each breath, I inhaled its age like incense, its secrets bitter-sweet and lethal.’

In the fourth book of The Secret Of The Journal series, historian Emma D’Eresby has done everything she can to put the past behind her. Now she has every reason to look forward to a future with Dr. Matthew Lynes and his family in the beautiful state of Maine. But, in making peace with her past, she has to face uncomfortable truths in the present. As a shadow from her undergraduate days in Cambridge threatens her happiness, history catches up with terrifying results.

'Captivating and compelling.' Liz Fenwick, author of The Cornish House

'An ancient secret and an eternal love are intelligently woven through this addictive series.' Fiona Veitch Smith, author of The Jazz Files.