Joanna has lived in the UK, the USA and France. In New York, she worked for the Institute of Fine Arts of NYU and became interested in archaeology. While in France, she bought a 14th-century house and brought it ‘back from the dead’. She has written several historical books and many articles. Now living in England, she gardens and writes.
On honeymoon, an archaeologist couple, Toby and Lucy, meet an emergency on Lake Nasser. A man, Hassan, was being attacked by a crocodile. Can they rescue him? Will he survive?
Leaving the lake for the Western Desert and its oases. They go to Kharga and have a wonderful party. A fantasia entertains them with whirling dervishes, Nubian dancers and pipes of hashish being handed around. Then back on to the White Desert, a “Wonder of the World”. They get stuck in the deep sand and freeze in the cold night; dug out, a surprise in the hole left by their rear wheel.
Is it what they hope? Is it part of a temple? Is it an archaeologist’s dream or just a lump of stone?
Lucy bewitches a colonel in the Baharyah Oasis; he brings manpower to raise the block. Suddenly, the edge of the deep trench crumbles and sand and rubble collapse into the hole. What will become of the young couple?
When Jasper unexpectedly inherits an enchanting Elizabethan house from his late Uncle, he embarks on a journey filled with unforeseen challenges. As he settles into his newfound ownership, he discovers that the house harbours a unique mix of elderly residents whose lives are far more complex than meets the eye.
Intrigue looms as Jasper wonders: has he stumbled upon a hidden nest of spies? And if so, who do they serve? The answers elude him, weaving a web of mystery and uncertainty. Caught in a tangle of secrets and deception, Jasper must navigate treacherous waters to uncover the truth.
Will the tangled threads of espionage be unravelled? Can Jasper find a way to untangle the complexities of the spies within his inherited home? In this captivating tale, the stakes are high, and the world of spies proves to be as enigmatic as it is complicated.
A huge archaeological site in the Egyptian delta is being excavated. The work disturbs a team of Russian scientists/thugs who were using this previously unused site for their own purposes.
Archaeology students, Lucy Phipps and her cousin, Toby, arrive to help her father, Professor Donald Phipps. They cause problems for the Russians, with unforeseen results. Kidnapping and a near drowning follow.
A previously unknown tomb is guarding Russian secrets. Will the Russians blow it up before it can be documented?
Will Don’s super rich American patron be impressed?
Will Toby and Lucy’s relationship flourish or finish?
Are there emeralds still to be found at Sikait in the Mountains of the Eastern, Red Desert of Egypt bordering the Red Sea?
Donald Phipps, archaeologist, is fairly confident there must be some good stones left there although, since the time of Cleopatra two thousand years ago, nobody has really bothered to search for them. His ‘patron’, Solomon Hunter III, is arriving from New York, to see the stones. Where is Donald? He has vanished.
Donald’s rogue brother, Alistair, comes to Egypt hoping to cash in on Don’s fortune. He steals the stones that have already been found, bolts and is found dead. His brother tries to report him dead, but gets locked up himself. For 6 weeks nobody knows where he is; is he dead or what?
Don’s daughter and nephew travel to Egypt searching for him. Nobody knows anything.
This story ranges from the Red Sea, East of the Nile, to the West Bank and the Valley of the Kings.
Nicked unfurls a riveting tale of high-stakes art theft, where the worlds of crime and culture collide. A Parisian van, laden with precious fine art destined for a London sale, falls prey to a cunning heist. Amidst this chaos, Alistair, a casual holidaymaker, finds himself thrust into the heart of the intrigue. Urged to chase the thieves, his pursuit catapults him across the Channel, back to France.
Set predominantly in the picturesque southwest of France, Nicked invites readers to explore the enchanting ambience of a 14th-century village perched atop a hill, a locale unwittingly entwined in the heist. By a twist of fate, this village, steeped in history and mystery, is where Alistair owns a summer retreat.
As the narrative weaves through the cobbled streets and ancient architecture, suspense builds: will the art thieves’ paths cross with that of Alistair, the impromptu investigator? Nicked masterfully combines the allure of a rustic French village with the adrenaline of a crime thriller, keeping readers on the edge of their seats as they ponder whether the art and its pursuer will converge in this unexpected haven.
Once again Alistair Devenish is involved in a cross-Channel chase following the heist of valuable bronzes from a church outside Milan. Sold at auction, these have vanished before the new owner could pick them up. A whisper tells him that they have been taken abroad perhaps via a yacht berthed in Monaco, Alistair picks up the chase. He must interview people in Milan but the chief suspect has vanished. The old curate at the church is feeble and frail; does he know more than he is letting on?
Alistair’s exotic French fiancée, Isabelle, arrives in Monaco for the weekend. Out for a walk in the harbour, she mistakenly goes on board the huge yacht which Al has spoken so much about. The yacht leaves, she panics and hides on board; in the same space, is an Italian secret police man who has stumbled on a few of the bronzes; both their phones die after a few scrambled words; what to do?
Alistair learns in Milan that the old curate, together with a young man, have left for Genoa to rendezvous with the yacht, taking sacks of apparently heavy goods. He races to the Port at Genoa and with the Italian maritime police they pursue the yacht to sea.
Finally, caught out at sea and held to account, the bronzes on board are recovered but are they the bronzes? Not what they seem; one of them leaks a substance; what is it?
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