Daphne

The Seer Spoke Daphne

Craig, a dentist, and Laura, an art teacher haunted by her experiences in Africa, have arrived independently to live and work in Flauville on the coast of Southern France. Why is Laura afraid? What made Craig flee Britain? What are they trying to escape? AIDS? Bigamy? Murder? - Worse? Who is the terrifying Grey Man? The answers are dramatic. In a trance, Laura's friend Fiameta, a breathtakingly beautiful Ethiopian fashion designer and clairvoyant, utters mysterious predictions about Laura and Craig. It spins a spell that enmeshes weird, increasing tensions between the three of them and the Seer's partner - The Druid. While members of The Music Society prepare and put on a Show, they and Flauville residents enjoy traditional local events eg: the arrival of the Three Kings; and experience ups and downs of normal life. There is an accident on an island Game Park;; Mediterranean scenery is evoked when people march off on mountain hikes; a tragedy; an A & E mix-up; a visit to an historical site... but people also discover that drama happens in real life just as much as on stage. There are swastika-sprinkled sub plots and undercurrents. Young Jewish women are being found gruesomely murdered. Who is committing the horrific serial killings? Why does Jacob, an elderly Austrian Jew, wear Gestapo emblems? Tattooed onto his forearm he has an Auschwitz number that he did not acquire in any concentration camp. He manipulates tall, handsome, but slow-witted Stefan, who looks unmistakably Teutonic. Why can Stefan speak only Arabic? We cannot help smiling at some of the antics that the story describes, yet there is pathos when fishermen catch a dying seal. Helping to gradually rehabilitate the wounded creature Craig becomes a town hero but the police suspect him of murder. Good-natured Mario, the Italian restaurateur, who knows everything about everybody is also suspected of being the serial killer. The gendarmes are also watching Jacob, Stefan and Laura's Greek friend, Aleksei. French Céline is large, strong and nasty. A visit to Casablanca is romantic in every sense of the word. Meanwhile the sinister presence of a terrifying Grey Man is drawing ever nearer to Flauville. What will happen when he arrives? The gripping end unravels full of action and excitement.