Gearoid (pronounced Garod) McCardle is a former crime journalist who is dying from a brain tumour. He has decided to return to his home in Balham to die in peace and quiet. Unfortunately, no peace and quiet comes because he’s haunted by Dr Aoife (pronounced Eefa) Boyake, who was brutally murdered in his home forty years ago.She shows him her death in a variety of ways to convince him to help her find her murderer. Short of telling her that he doesn’t have enough time to help her, Gearoid concedes and begins to investigate the details of her death. The closer he gets to finding her murder, the more he finds that he doesn’t want Aoife to leave for the afterlife nowing that there’s a chance they’ll never see one another again. It’s all from Gearoid’s point of view, he can be persuasive, impatient, compassionate and passionate. Aoife is pragmatic, smart, sweet, professional with Gearoid’s condition and sexy as hell. Between the countdown to the anniversary of Aoife’s death and the ticking time bomb of Gearoid’s tumour, they see hope in the other and despite the futility of love between the dead and the living, they make it work.
Author
Ah, poor Billy. The only girl between two boys who each have nearly a foot on her. Didn't stop her from starting physical fights with them. She still thinks she can take them. So while she used to hide away in her wardrobe to read a book or four, she started to question why the heroines in those books would just lie there and take it. No, not just sex, but downright James-Bond-backhand-slapping, do-as-you're-told-woman, inappropriate lie there and take it. She couldn't understand it. These women were just playing that mental woman from Coming to America, Miss “Whatever You Like” who barked like a dog and hopped on one foot. Billy didn't want to do that. Definitely not because one empty-headed fool with different anatomy told her to. So she started to create characters and worlds where the women could own their sexuality, their intelligence, their right to turn around and say “jog on, mate” without apology. The small problem was that other people wanted to read what she was had written. “Er...why?” didn't cut it as an answer. After years of prodding and pleading and come on and for goodness’ sake, what's the point otherwise, she closed her eyes and pressed “submit.” Actually, she had Prosecco, limencello and white wine, then pressed “submit.” Who would have thought people would actually enjoy reading about the crazy characters who live in her head? But they have done, and Billy feels rather proud of that connection with her fellow man. Billy lives in London with the most patient family in the world and doesn't forget for a minute how lucky she is. Well, she wouldn't mind a BBC adaptation of one of her novels... Ooh, with Richard Armitage!
