AILSA, WITH GHOSTS

Ailsa is on a journey into the past. What she finds there will change the lives of her husband, her lover and millions of others forever.

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Oxford, 2019. Ailsa’s life is good. Husband Peter dotes on her and her career in finance is flourishing. Then she bangs her head and ghosts start appearing. Isambard Kingdom Brunel pops up at Paddington station as she takes the train home. She sees Robert Catesby at Worcester College. Oscar Wilde joins her and Peter for dinner.

 

At first, she finds the ghosts entertaining. But her mood darkens as the ‘visitations’ grow more disturbing and episodes from her own past resurface. The ghosts, she realises, have a message. Peter and their friends rally round. Meanwhile romance blooms with Alex, a historian at Oriel College. As their friendship develops into more, she meets Alex’s student Zenab and has a vision of Zenab starting a nuclear war in the future that kills millions.

 

With ghosts crowding in on her, should Ailsa choose love or commit a shocking act that will help all humankind?

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​Shortlisted, Retreat West First Chapter Competition

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“Cookson's plot is daring and shows tremendous potential”

Judge comment, The BookLife Prize