Amazon / Goodreads / LibraryThing / Reedsy
Book Blurb:
In this egg-straordinary
tale, Jim Godwin has an unexpected delivery that takes a
hilariously unexpected turn.
Imagine a world where ancient
creatures collide with everyday life, and you’ll find yourself in the midst of
this dark comedy.
The story revolves around Jim Godwin,
who finds himself with an unexpected and ancient guest—a
pterodactyl!
As the plot unfolds, mishaps,
humour, and perhaps a touch of cheese await readers.
So let’s meet
Ollie! The cheese-eating Pterodactyl.
Caldwell Ellis commissions a
'find and retrieve' mission in Papua New Guinea to locate Ropen eggs and prove
to the world that Pterodactyls still exist. (Ropen is the local name for
Pterodactyls).
An egg is stolen from a Pterodactyl’s
nest and sent back to the UK but is delivered to Jim Godwin by mistake.
Jim is advised to dump the egg in
a waste bin, but he is too kind-hearted to do that to a living creature.
Then the egg hatches and Jim
and Moira call the new-born baby “Ollie”.
But Jim is filled with
trepidation.
Will Ollie grow into a monster
with a 30-foot wingspan?
Will Ollie become the second
Tipham Vampire?
Then there’s the food issue.
Ollie develops a liking for cheese.
Is she going to eat them
out of house-and- home?
But most of their fears are
groundless.
It turns out that Ollie is
a clever soul, who bonds with Jim and Moira and communicates telepathically and
verbally.
However, Ollie’s existence
creates all kinds of trouble and adventures for the Tipham crew!
Review
Secrets, greed, and old pals are
all back in this tongue in the cheek fantasy story from the author Andrew
Williams.
Jim and Moira’s story really
captures the imagination of any reader. I have learned about them in Jim’s
Revenge, a heartfelt and interesting plot with lots of mayhem and unsavoury
characters. In Jim’s Revenge, Moira was the victim of a conniving blackmailer,
and Jim helped her in a very nifty way. Teaching us that there is still room
for old school heroism.
In Jim’s Pterodactyl, the two are
at it again. Some of the old characters are back and new ones are introduced
with the author’s typical English humour style and good plotline.
This time we are taken to a
cottage in the countryside where all kinds of interesting and crazy things
happen when Moira inherits this place. Upon investigation of the cottage, Jim
realizes early on that something is up to this place. Especially when they
receive a package from Papua New Genia with a very sinister message attached to
it. A package that will keep them on their toes and defy all scientific logic.
The Tipham vampire and the ghost
of Cunningham added to the adventurous plotline as the pair delves into the
many clues, and secrets left by Caldwell Ellis.
Ollie’s antics and understanding
of human behaviour added another layer of intrigue and adventure as you get to
know the people and their motives.
A fun read that every reader will
enjoy.
Excerpt:
“Snakes!” Sam said.
“What type of snakes?”
Jim smiled at his youngest
grandson and shrugged, “I don’t know. A man is coming to take them away
shortly.”
“Will they bite him,” Sam said.
Jim’s smile increased, “I hope
not. Besides, he’s used to handling snakes.”
Ian cut in, “Can we see the
snakes before they go, Grandpa Godwin?”
Tommy Godwin, the boy’s father,
stuck his oar in, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Snakes can be dangerous.”
“They’re in tanks with lids on
top,” Jim replied. “The snakes can’t get out and harm anyone.”
Tommy deliberately changed the
subject, “So, is Moira moving out then?”
The question annoyed Jim. Ever
since Moira had come to stay with him, Tommy had been sniping and making
unsubtle suggestions that she was a gold digger, only interested in his money.
Worse, Tommy’s comments lacked subtlety, leaving Moira with little doubt that
he wanted her to leave Jim’s apartment. Not wishing to start another argument,
Jim didn’t lock horns with his son. Instead, he pointed out the obvious, “We’ve
got to clear Cunningham Cottage out first, and that could take some time.
That’s why Moira’s gone there today to start sorting things out.”
“So she’s down there now, eh!”
Tommy said.
“Yes,” Jim replied, avoiding the
real truth. Although the cottage needed sorting out, Moira had decided to go
shopping when she knew Tommy was calling. She’d high-tailed it to avoid another
confrontation.
Sam repeated his request, “Can we
see the snakes before the man takes them away, Grandpa?”
Jim said, “If your Dad says it’s
okay. Then, yes.” When Tommy finally gave in, Jim glanced at Ian and said,
“Would you and your mates like to earn a bit of money?”
Ian was suspicious, “Doing what?”
“Helping us get stuff out of the
loft at the cottage,” Jim said, “Moira doesn’t want me to go up there. She
thinks I’m too old. She thinks I’ll fall out of the loft hatch. It won’t take
long, and I will pay for your time.”
When Tommy opened his mouth,
wanting to throw in his six pennies worth, Jim quickly added, “It’s only moving
boxes of books and things like that. Nothing heavy.”
Ian asked, “Can Gerry Fulstrum
and Mick Ormrod help, too, if they want to?”
“That’s why I said you and your
mates,” Jim replied and began negotiating pay rates. Once Ian had telephoned
his friends and the helper’s rates were agreed upon, Ian said, “When we come
around to help, can we look at the snakes?”
“As long as they haven’t gone
before you get there,” Jim replied. Sensing he might miss out, Ian said, “Can
we come down on Saturday?”
Jim
smiled, “I’m sure that would be fine.”
***
Cunningham
Cottage Tipham Tommy Steals a Key
When
they arrived at Cunningham Cottage on Saturday, Moira ignored the drive and
pulled up at the kerb because she wanted to be away before Tommy, Jim’s son,
turned up.
Jim
matched her thoughts by glancing at his watch and saying, “Tommy said he would
drop the boys off at eleven o’clock. Are you going to go shopping as I
suggested?”
At the
mention of Tommy’s name, Moira reacted like a gazelle picking up the scent of a
lion on the wind. She said, “That’s what we agreed.”
Jim’s
mind flashed back to the last confrontation between Moira and Tommy. It had
been most unpleasant in the extreme. It had been so bad that Jim thought Moira
might move out to avoid the constant sniping. But amazingly, she hadn’t.
She
added, “Just one thing. While I’m away, don’t let the boys run wild.”
“Don’t
worry. I won’t let the boys interfere with anything,” Jim promised. “I’ll set
the tables up in the garage and label them as agreed. Then we will just bring
everything downstairs and put them in the garage for sorting, as discussed.”
Satisfied
that Jim would follow her instructions, Moira waited for Jim to unload the
portable tables they’d borrowed from work. Once the car was unloaded, Jim
glanced at his watch again, “It’s nearly half ten. Knowing Tommy, he’ll
probably turn up early. I bet he’ll be wanting to look around.”
“Okay,”
Moira said, “I’ll go, but if anything is damaged, I’ll hold you responsible.
And make sure that no one falls through the ceiling. Some of the floorboards in
the loft are very flimsy.”
Jim
walked towards the cottage, key in hand and shouted back, “Stop fussing, woman;
we’ll be fine, and I’ll call you when Tommy leaves, and you can come back.”
Once
Moira had driven off, Jim let himself in and noted a letter on the hall floor.
The name on the envelope was Ellis Parkinson, and it had been sent from Papua
New Guinea. After wondering if he should open it, Jim changed his mind. As the
letter looked as if it had been wrongly delivered, he tossed it on top of the
meter cupboard.
He
carried the tables into the garage and labelled them. He then went to the
kitchen. Feeling a draught, Jim let his senses guide him. Finding the brick
with the message attached, Jim knew who was behind the attack. Although the
note on the brick didn’t provide a full name, only someone like Paul Tupal
would continue a vendetta even though he was banged up in the clink. He
considered what he should say to Moira if she asked questions. As Paul Tupal
had made Moira’s life hell when they’d worked in the same office and had tried
to rape her, Jim decided the least said the better. Wanting to remove the
evidence, he took the brick outside and dropped it into the dustbin, cleared
the broken glass and blocked the window internally with a sheet of stout
cardboard; he then called Jamie Berry, an odd job man he knew and arranged to
replace the glass.
***
Jim
shook his head, “Edmundo J. Cunningham was a wealthy man; he built Cunningham
Hall. Why would his ghost be here?” Moira pointed to another formal picture
showing Cunningham with two children and a younger woman dressed in
old-fashioned clothes.
She
said, “I’m guessing, but I think Cunningham had a mistress who lived here.”
“In
those days,” Jim said, “Living over the brush was frowned upon.”
“This
cottage is in the middle of nowhere,” Moira replied icily. “In those days, the
road probably wouldn’t have even been macadamized. It would just have been a
farm track. Besides, people like Edmundo J. Cunningham wrote their own rules.”
“It
still doesn’t answer why Cunningham’s ghost may be haunting this place,” Jim
replied.
Moira
tugged his arm again and pointed, “Look at this.” Jim glanced at the next
frame. Inside, there was the reproduction of an old newspaper cutting.
The
headline said, “The Tipham Vampire Strikes Again!” Underneath was an artist’s
sketch and a lurid tale of a large, winged creature chasing a man through the
woods. According to the report, the beast eventually caught his victim and
attacked him.
The
article concluded with the note that the victim might have been killed if a
local farmer armed with a shotgun hadn’t scared the winged attacker away.
While
they were still staring at the sketch, Ian walked into the room with an old
laptop computer in one hand and said, “We found this in the loft.”
Jim took
it off him and said, “I wonder if it works?”
“You’ll
have to charge it up and see.”
.png)
