I just wanted to tell you how much I’ve enjoyed Tamarisk. The details, the hardship, the terrible journeys, the places, the heartbreaking characters, Rebecca and Pierre so well defined, the children, I could see them, knew them. Such a very good read and more. Congratulations on this wonderful story. I was in tears and couldn’t wait to find out how it would end. It will stay with me. I’m so pleased this is out in the world and I hope it gets the recognition it truly deserves. ~ Kerry Darbishire: A Lift of Wings, Distance Sweet on my Tongue, A Window of Passing Light, Jardiniere, Kay’s Ark ( biography)

Praise for Dreams of the Blue Poppy: I have read over 30 books this summer whilst sailing to Spitsbergen and back. This was by far the best read in a long time. I wept from page 62 at the beauty of the story as it unfolded. It has a freshness in the way it is written, and the well researched settings shows that the author has taken a great deal of care to ensure a good read. Deserves to be widely read. ~ Robert Hale, Amazon

For every journey there has to be a first step. When, in 1992, Angela Locke travelled to Nepal for the first time, she had never been anywhere in the Developing World. This first journey would be a life-changing experience that would culminate in the founding of the charity Juniper Trust, of which I am the Patron, which now works to provide basic facilities for the poorest and most disadvantaged communities across the world. This is a book about an inner journey, not an adventure in a conventional sense, but a journey of discovery nonetheless. No mountains were summitted, but there is real adventure, told against a background of the sublime beauty of the Himalayas and of the gentle people who inhabit the foothills of Nepal. ~ Sir Chris Bonington

Praise for Mr Mullett Owns a Cloud: An original idea. Angela Locke simply tells what she has seen. Her writing flows sweetly... ~ The Guardian

Praise for about Search Dog: Movingly records the faithful beast's greatest triumphs ~ Daily Mail

I just wanted to tell you how much I’ve enjoyed Tamarisk. The details, the hardship, the terrible journeys, the places, the heartbreaking characters, Rebecca and Pierre so well defined, the children, I could see them, knew them. Such a very good read and more. Congratulations on this wonderful story. I was in tears and couldn’t wait to find out how it would end. It will stay with me. I’m so pleased this is out in the world and I hope it gets the recognition it truly deserves. Kerry Darbishire: A Lift of Wings, Distance Sweet on my Tongue, A Window of Passing Light, Jardiniere, Kay’s Ark ( biography) ~ Author Kerry Darbishire, email

I sold military books for more than two decades, and I read many. This gripping novel slow-burns its way into your heart. Angela Locke understands the difference between how people endure and why. Fear haunts the told; regret, the telling. Not only fiction, but a hundred realities are being retold. You will dread the ending, but like them, you will go on. ~ Brindley Hallam Dennis, author of A Penny Spitfire

You might want to fasten your seat belt as you're drawn into Pierre’s story from the moment his parachute opens until the very last page of Angela Locke’s Tamarisk. Her characters are so finely drawn, so real, that they will stay with the reader for a very long time. She has masterfully created a world that takes us into the lives of displaced persons in every walk of life, including the Romany people, whose stories were woefully unknown to us, and the beyond-brave people of the French Resistance. In this novel, we run the gamut of kindnesses toward strangers to the unspeakable horrors we humans can inflict upon each other. It’s a story of survival - even for the most vulnerable of us. Angela skillfully unfolds and intertwines the stories of seemingly disparate people. Tamarisk is, sadly, a timely piece, even though it is set during and post-World War II. Angela has created a world of hope and resilience despite all odds. She reminds us that the human spirit is a beautiful thing to behold. It is her gift to us. A gift that continues to give, even after we close the book. ~ Rebekah Spivey, author of Marigolds in Boxes, Flight Plan, and Rugburns, editor, writing coach, and a certified facilitator for Women Writing for Change

Tamarisk is magnificent. Gripping and beautifully written by an author who has a deep understanding of France and the Roma people. It comes from the heart but is deeply and lovingly researched. Suspenseful, compassionate and full of hope, and also moving and wise: The perfect novel for our difficult times. ~ Grevel Lindop, former professor of English, Manchester University, and author of Travels on the Dance Floor, A Literary Guide to the Lake District, Charles Williams: The Third Inkling

Angela Locke takes us back in time, through one of the greatest tragedies history has ever seen, and leads her characters, and the reader, gently to safe ground. Rural France is so beautifully evoked, 'Le Tamaris' a haven of peace and healing. ~ Kathleen Jones, author and poet, Royal Literary Fellow

Angela Locke’s latest novel is dramatic and vivid, a story of loss and regrowth set in a Europe recovering from the destruction of the Second World War. Through the strength of their love for each other and for their daughter, Marie, and for Aishe, a Roma girl whom they have adopted, Pierre and Rebecca recreate a life of hope for a new future. Pierre rebuilds the ruined farmhouse in Normandy where, on Special Operations behind enemy lines, he fell in love with Rebecca. Tamarisk has an authenticity that comes from many years of detailed research, from a close acquaintance with the Normandy countryside and from an emotional sympathy with the times. The years after the War were years of stress and dislocation. This remarkable story, symbolised by the miraculous recovery of the tamarisk tree, shows how one family found renewed hope after the traumas they had faced in the brutality and inhumanity of that most terrible of all wars. ~ Steve Matthews, bookseller, bookshop owner, publisher, author, reviewer, and historian