The truth can be damaging

I’ve just re-read one of my own books. It’s the fourth in my Radwinter series, “Beyond Hope”, and this is what the blurb says:

‘Beyond Hope’ is the fourth in the series of books following the life and genealogical investigations of Thomas Radwinter; in previous stories he has followed family’s history back several centuries and also found some uncomfortable and very painful truths in more recent times.
In ‘Beyond Hope’, Thomas decides to share with his three brothers what he has learned about their mother and father… but telling the truth can be damaging, the truth can hurt, and as Thomas later reflects, “I know at first hand, a very, very painful first hand, how old secrets have the power to wound and how sometimes those dogs snoozing away should be left doing exactly that, sleeping dogs should sometimes just be let lie.”
His revelations cause the close family ties to be tested which doesn’t help Thomas as he struggles with the other commissions he is being paid to undertake; he has been asked by a very elderly lady to find out who leaves lilies on a grave she visits, he has undertaken to investigate a mysterious lama who has a dangerous power over a hard-working teacher and devoted father, and he continues his search for the daughter of a friend who has become involved with a very dangerous man… And all the while his own little family has to face difficult decisions. The fall-out between Thomas and his brothers may only be healed if he can find out what happened to their father who disappeared thirty years ago.

When I wrote the first Radwinter story, I had no intention of there being a sequel, let alone a series; however, when I finished, it I felt as if I’d only told half of Thomas’s story  – about his Radwinter ancestors. I realised that there was a whole other story about his maternal side, the Magick family. It’s very usual for me, when I complete writing a novel, to carry on the characters’ story in my head – the people don’t leave me just because I’ve finished writing about their lives! However, there seemed to be so many unanswered questions about Thomas’s own life that the next part flowed naturally and became Book 2 – ‘Magick’. It came as no surprise to me (and I’m flattered to say the delight of people who’d read about Thomas Radwinter) that Book 3, ‘Raddy and Syl’ almost wrote itself, and so indeed did the aforementioned fourth in the series.

It’s ages since I wrote it – obviously since we now also have “Earthquake”, “Saltpans” and “Winterdyke”. A hitherto title-less Radwinter #8 is being edited and proofread right now, so reading #4 again was very interesting. I can see that Thomas’s character is changing, although he’s still essentially  a bumbling idiot, as he would describe himself. He still sees the funny side of things, but his responsibilities as a father of a large family and the fact he has been commissioned to solve a mystery which can have no happy ending, whatever he discovers, weighs on him. I really think this should be the final Radwinter story – there’s nothing worse than a series which goes on too long, and now certain plot-lines are tied up and completed. However… (there’s always a however) another Radwinter adventure, a post-lockdown story is percolating, so as someone (probably many people) said – never say never!