A novel of Boudicca’s daughter: set in SOUTHERN ENGLAND and ROME
A novel of suspense. From Dulwich to the wilds of Hampshire.
9th September 2026
The Move by J P Delaney. A novel of suspense. From Dulwich to the wilds of Hampshire.
Matt and Kate have two young children and now feels like the right time to leave London. They fall in love with Trade Cottage, an older property dating back originally to Tudor times, that needs considerable work. The current owners are an elderly couple, Paul and Rosemary, and the latter particularly wants to hand over the reigns to a family, who will be worthy incumbents, trustees, as it were, of the wonderful property.
In the Author’s Note, Delaney describes his own attachment to various properties he has inhabited over the years, and how Trade Cottage is a composite of past and present dwellings that have been more than roof over his head. He has also been charmed by homes that have enriched literature, parituclalry those portrayed by Daphne du Maurier and E M Forster, who were obsessed with the properties they themselves lived in.
“House are like marriages …one cannot just walk out and leave them” (Daphne du Maurier)
Paul and Rosemary, who are the vendors, are moving to a new build on the old tennis court, thus not far away. Kate is seduced by their friendliness and the potential for having grandparent surrogates for the children. A blossoming friendship with Rosemary ensues. Readers who have well honed boundaries will soon be raising an eyebrow as Kate embraces the proximity of the previous owners, not only metaphorically but physically. Rosemary is soon pruning the lavender (uninvited) in her old garden and using the gate through the hedge to resume her old horticultural pursuits in “her” garden.
And then the older couple’s son appears and is adamant his parents were wrong to sell, as he and his family wish to return from the USA and take up their rightful place in the glorious old property. And Jamie is not a fellow to be crossed, it seems, given he can rally local support against the incomers.
I was gripped by the story, keen to see what would transpire next in this traditional village, keen to see how Kate and Paul would respond to the growing pressure that has been whipped up.
Surely their solicitor would have instructed them on the pitfalls of owning a listed property, but somehow the detail around renovation prerequisites seem to have bypassed the couple, leading them further into a veritable mire. Kate indulges in some ludicrous hypothesising and sleuthing about how things have come to pass but the more she digs, the more determined she becomes to stick to her guns.
The cover has been designed to fit with the author’s previous books, but putting a modern interior on the front of a book, when the house in question is clearly old, seems a little misleading.
A very readable and compelling storyline.
Tina for the TripFiction Team
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