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THE ROSE of THE RIBBLE VALLEY
by GRAHAM DIXON was in print from 2002-2005 and sold over 1200 copies
Folk
Singer, GEOFF, is the ‘Front man’ with ELDERFLOWER PUNCH – a four-piece
musical group who, when they perform, pack the pubs and folk clubs of
Northwest England. WAYNE plays bass; CHLOE, a student archaeologist is
the singer and LUTE is the mandolin player.
The band are plagued with cancellations, due to the ‘ridiculous’ law
which allows no more than two performers to play at any one time, in
venues that do not hold a very expensive ‘Public Entertainment License
BRIAN CLAYTON, an old folk-singing friend comes to the rescue when he
opens a new ‘Live Music Venue’ in the area.
Brian’s wife TINA is from a ‘well to do’ family, her father FRANK
CROXLEY and her devious brother STANISLAW run a large company and own
much of the land and property in the Ribble Valley. The Croxleys have
many secrets and past indiscretions locked away with other skeletons in
the family cupboard.
The beautiful ROSEMARY appears to Geoff, first of all in a vivid dream
experienced after sampling a strange drink made from the rose petals
collected from Croxley’s Wood, and then (apparently) in the flesh on a
car park after a gig. From the ensuing conversation it appears that
Rosemary is a ghost and has been dead for almost three hundred years.
Rosemary is trying to find out what happened to her fiancé BRYAN of
CLAYTON who was an eighteenth century street musician come minstrel and
the author of the song THE ROSE OF THE RIBBLE VALLEY.
The story, sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic sees Geoff and Chloe
getting mixed-up in a clever illegal drugs operation as they try to
solve the mystery of Bryan of Clayton and his beloved Rose of The Ribble
Valley.
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