Welcome to Front Page Fridays Week-68. On Fridays I showcase the first page of a new book.
My Front Page Fridays Week-68 guest is Anthony Aberford with the second book in The Aunt Lily Yorkshire Dales Mysteries.
Prologue
KIRKBY STEPHEN, CUMBRIA
Aunt Lily knew two things. First, she had been alive far longer than most other people she met. Secondly, although her memories were clouded and incomplete, she was sure her existence had a purpose. What that purpose might be depended on the nature of the disturbance she was investigating at any given time.
The sign of such a disturbance could take many forms: a fleeting, unsettling shadow racing across her line of sight, or a tingling sensation in her toes that ran from her sturdy boots, up her stout calves. Once, it was a terribly vivid dream; on another occasion, a persistent itch on the sole of her left foot. It was always different, but it always meant the same thing – there had been a disturbance.
This time, it was a random shudder, a reflex, an instant in which her whole body twitched. Not a momentary spasm, but an episode lasting several seconds. Had she been holding a cup of her favourite herbal tea, it would have been catapulted out of her hand. Fortunately, no such adverse consequence had occurred. But there was still a disturbance, which was much more serious than a flying mug of tea.
It was late one morning that Aunt Lily had a sudden, strong feeling she was heading towards where she ought to be. There was, or had been, something dangerous and inappropriate happening there.
About The Spiral Path
When a ley line is discovered running between York and Carlisle, the women of the Ilkley Wellness Centre can't resist organising a tour to explore it. But the path they follow leads somewhere far stranger than any of them bargained for.
A series of mysterious encounters draws them and their guests deep into the Yorkshire Dales, where ancient monoliths, abbey ruins and cave carvings hold secrets that have lain hidden for centuries. With the enigmatic Aunt Lily's help, they must piece together the truth before it's too late.
Their past adventures have taught them that hidden passages between realms exist, and some would exploit them for their own ends. As dark forces close in, the friends must believe the unbelievable, follow the Tarot and trust each other completely, as the strength of their friendship and the limits of their belief are tested to the extreme.
Full of white and dark magic, strange apparitions, hapless witches and women with old knowledge, The Spiral Path is a magical mystery tour through the Yorkshire Dales with surprising consequences.
This wonderfully engaging cosy mystery with a thriller's edge is perfect for fans of Janice Hallett and Richard Osman.
Purchase Links
UK: The Spiral Path (The Aunt Lily Yorkshire Dales Mysteries Book 2)
US: The Spiral Path (The Aunt Lily Yorkshire Dales Mysteries Book 2)
About Anthony Aberford
Anthony Aberford is a former corporate lawyer who left the law to found one of Yorkshire’s leading craft breweries. For over ten years, he has lived in Malta, although he still keeps a house in Yorkshire. In the time he spends travelling between the two, he likes to write and has already published a six part crime thriller and action adventure series, featuring hapless Maltese detective, Inspector George Zammit, under the name, AJ Aberford. The Spiral Path, written under the pen name Anthony Aberford, is the second book in his Aunt Lily Yorkshire Mystery trilogy and follows The Conservatory, which was published earlier this year.
He lives with his wife Janet and has two grown-up sons and two pesky granddaughters!
Social media links
X: @AJAberford
FB: AJ Aberford
Insta: @ajaberford
Threads: ajaberford
TikTok: @ajaberford109
Bluesky: @ajaberford.bsky.social
Other books by Anthony Aberford/ AJ Aberford
I hope you enjoyed reading Front Page Fridays Week-68. Please come back next time when I’ll be featuring a different author and the first page of their book.
And please take a look at books already featured on Front Page Fridays:
1. Blood Ribbons by Lin Le Versha
2. Fatal Blow by Brian Price
3. Can I Trust You? by Rob Gittins
4. The Last Bird of Paradise by AJ Aberford
5. Never Forgive You by Hilly Barmby
6. The Mists of Pencarrack Moor by Terri Nixon
7. The Thief of Joy by Stacey Murray
8. Edge of the Land by Malcolm Hollingdrake
9. The Mind of a Murderer by Michael Wood
10. The Midnight Man by Julie Anderson
11. Dark Road Home by Sheila Bugler
12. Her Charming Man by Rachel Sargeant
13. Wedding Bells at the Lakeside Hotel by Linda Huber
14. Dark Island by Daniel Aubrey
15. The Shame by Maureen Myant
16. Dead Mile by Jo Furniss
17. The Violin and Candlestick by David Jarvis
18. New Memories by S.E. Shepherd
19. Young Blood by Victoria Gemmell
20. Private Investigations by Rob Gittins
21. The Car Horn revolution by A.J. Aberford
22. What Lies Beneath by Maureen Myant
23. A Safe Place by Stephanie Carty
24. Fatal Image by Brian Price
25. Run For Your Lies by A.A. Abbott
26. A Walk in the Park by Natalie Kleinman
27. A Storm in a Teacup by Rachael Gray
28. The Midnight Bookshop by Amanda James
29. A Death in the Afternoon by Julie Anderson
30. Justice by Madalyn Morgan
31. Let Me Out by Amanda Brittany
32. A Pocketful of Poisons by Brian Price
33. Tribute by Madalyn Morgan
34. Mistress of the Manor by Cara Clayton
35. Waves of Change in Pelican Crossing by Maggie Chistensen
36. A French Inheritance by Jennifer Bohnet
37. Beneath the Same Moon by AS Andrejevic
38. The Fallen by Maureen Myant
39. The Bad Women by Jennie Ensor
40. Lies Between Friends by AA Abbott
41. Fatal Shot by Brian Brice
42. The Alibi by Katharine Johnson
43. The Croatian Island Library by Eva Glyn
44. If I Were You by Helen Matthews
45. (Not Quite) Done With Dating by Bella Osborne
46. Poison at the Wild Haggis Bookshop by Jackie Baldwin
47. Beattie Cavendish and the Highland Hideaway by Mary-Jane Riley
48. Missing… Rose Malone by Linda Huber
49. Fiasco by Nicola Kelsall
50. 27 Church Street by A.J. Hobart
51. The Girls of Maple Close by Amanda Brittany
52. Growing Old Disgracefully by Karen King
53. Meet Me At Apple Blossom Lane by Anita Faulkner
54. Festival Days by Julie Anderson
55. The Conservatory by Anthony Aberford
56. Her Rising Star by Rachel Sargeant
57. Wonderful by Louise Beech
58. Safe Space by Beck Lewis
59. The Boy in the Photograph by Hilly Barmby
60. One Little Lie by Charlotte Leonard
61. Come Fly With Me by Natalie Kleinman
62. The Silent House by Lynda Renham
63. An Ordinary House by Rae Starling
64. House of Lies by Helen Matthews
65.The Friendship Circle by Amanda James