In 1796, Martha becomes the mistress of the struggling Plas Ingli estate, at only 18 years old. She is pregnant and suicidal. Though she loves her husband David dearly, she is desperately lonely in a strange house and her quick wit and cutting humour make her as many enemies as friends. But her reputation, and her self-esteem, are enhanced by her involvement in resisting the French invaders in 1797. There are mysteries surrounding the great fire that devastated the estate but Martha's questions about it remain unanswered. Furthermore, she has premonitions that she does not understand, until she is befriended by the mysterious wizard Joseph Harries. Nobody else seems to realise that the haughty servant Moses Lloyd, the disinherited son of the local squire, is not as trustworthy as the rest of the family would like to think. The local gentry consider that Martha is far too clever for her own good and it seems inevitable that she will fall into a trap, designed to send her to the gallows. How can she possibly escape? And even if she does, what will happen when Moses Lloyd catches up with her?
On Angel Mountain by Brian John, Greencroft Books
Book 1 in the Angel Mountain Saga
2001. ISBN 978-0-905559 80 3. A5 paperback, 328 pp.
£6.99. First Published 30th September 2001. Reprinted ten times (all editions including Corgi).
All copies sold via this site are signed by the author.