The Waldo Wise Series
Book 1: The PI Shop Open for Business
The book is available in paperback and kindle formats from Amazon.
Waldo Wise and Jac Beauley were academics at a local university, when one drunken evening they came to the conclusion that their lives were boring and that they had become boring people. Within three months, they became private investigators and opened The PI Shop in North Street, a trendy part of the City of Bristol.
When they first opened The PI Shop, Jac was in a long-term relationship and she and her partner shared a house in Langport, Somerset, some fifty miles from the office. This meant that Jac often had to stay in Waldo’s spare room, in his flat above the shop. Jac and her partner had been together for nearly three years. Tensions were building. Waldo was not in a relationship in the early days of The PI Shop but it wasn’t long before he fell for Polly, a local councillor and an active force in local issues.
In their first year, they dealt with three significant cases. The most important was that of Robert Harmsworth, who was anxious to face up to having sexually abused his daughter, Lucy, throughout her teenage years and whilst at university. Lucy did not consider what her father had done as abuse but viewed their relationship as very special. The matter was finally resolved, with the team’s help, but it would be an exaggeration to say they solved it. Perhaps, a 1-1 draw would be a fair result. On the other hand, they succeeded in resolving a relationship difficulty between two gay men but it had many unforeseen consequences, including Waldo being mistaken for a gay man and with another member of staff, being attacked by a couple of gay-bashers. Despite a few setbacks, the team regarded the case as a real success. 3-0 to The PI Shop. The Woodry case, however, was a total failure but, it should be stressed, they were not to blame. Mrs Woodry sought the help of The PI Shop, because she could not persuade the mental health team that her schizophrenic son was becoming a danger to the community and he needed urgent help. I am sorry to report that the situation ended tragically. I think a fair judgement would be, match abandoned, owing to a waterlogged pitch.
The Waldo Wise Series
Book 2: The PI Shop Mourns
The book is available in paperback and kindle versions on Amazon.
The mourning begins with the death of a fine South Devon bull. Cliff and Angela Drew, own a farm in the hamlet of Dulow, some ten miles south of Bristol. Cliff is a hugely successful businessman. His difficult childhood and the severe illnesses that have dogged his life have shaped the way he thinks and acts. He has an awesome reputation as a hard-edged operator, who does not suffer fools gladly.
Cliff and Angela had just settled down for dinner and their evening catch-up, when they heard two gunshots from the farmyard, which is less than thirty yards from the main house. They were told to withdraw into the safe room by their son, Nick, who took charge of events with the Farm Manager. The two men found the bleeding body of Basil the bull, lying in his pen. He had come in from the fields for a rest, having performed his insemination duties with alacrity. There was, however, no sign of the killer just the large dead body of a very fine South Devon bull. For some months, Cliff had been receiving anonymous notes but he had not made the matter public, for fear it might cause consternation. In the family, only Angela was aware of what had been happening. They had informed the police but their investigations had revealed nothing. They then employed a private detective agency but it was equally unsuccessful. With the death of Basil, the investigation took a more sinister turn, even more so, when the police revealed that the gun used by the killer was no ordinary shot gun but a semi-automatic military weapon. Once again, however, the police were unable to find the culprits and soon lost interest in the case. Angela decided to ask her friend Jac, if she was able to help. Jac and Waldo were invited to lunch. They were not forewarned how difficult Cliff could be but it did not take them long to find out. “I’m not looking for treatment, I’m looking to find out who shot my fucking bull, for Christ’s sake.”’Jac and Waldo wove their magic and by the time lunch was over, Cliff was convinced that they should be given a chance to solve the mystery.
As one might expect with The PI Shop team, there were a few hitches in proceedings and investigations were often impaired by relationship interest. Miranda fell in love with Nick. Cliff became distracted by helping Yvonne build a business. Jac found love. Harriett, subjugated her lesbianism, in order to find a husband within the Jewish community, after an interesting skirmish with Jem. Carol asked Waldo if he would be willing to help her conceive a second child. Waldo and Polly had good times and bad times, and it must be said, Carol didn’t help.
The Waldo Wise Series
Book 3: Tales from the PI Shop
Tales from The PI Shop has just been published and is available in paperback and kindle versions.
Book 3, though entitled, Tales from the PI Shop, is not a continuation of the team’s investigations. It is a series of short stories, – autobiographies, if you like, for each is written in the voice of the character – about the lives of seven characters, who appear in the first two volumes.
Jean Pierre’s Tale centres on his life with his new partner, Cam. It all began when Cam’s life-model went sick and he asked Jean Pierre to stand in. All was well until the tea break, when JP went wondering naked amongst the artists.
Yvonne’s Tale begins with her struggle to find a man with whom she can spend the rest of her life. Her new adventure into music and becoming the lead singer for a local group brings great fulfilment, until the group leader seriously abuses her.
Nick’s Tale is the key story within Book 3. It tells of his journey in becoming a monk and how he his helped by his good friend and fellow postulant, Dominic. He has a delightful meeting with the Pope.
The other stories are told by Jem, Jac, Lucy and Waldo.
