Jane McCulloch

Still suffering from injuries he sustained in Afghanistan, E.G. Rawlings, the veteran war correspondent, is balancing writing his new book with the very different demands of two strong women, and those of his delightful grandson Felix. As if things weren't already complicated enough, Rawlings' life is turned upside down when Covid hits the UK.

It is 2018, and Rawlings is ready to make a fresh start - but his life rarely goes to plan.Lying in hospital after what he hopes will be his last leg operation, Rawlings reflects that he is now free and without any responsibilities. His brief affair with Marnie is over and his grandson Felix is in Australia with his aunt's family. As soon as he is out of hospital, he will move into his new London abode, the garden flat of his friend Max's Putney house, and make plans for his future. The year begins well. Always wary of family life, Rawlings meets Max's sisters Hetty and Bel, and to his surprise enjoys their company. He also makes a rewarding trip to see his long-neglected sister Stella in Scotland. But on his return, things start to go awry. From his Skype calls to Felix, it is obvious the boy is unsettled and unhappy. A visit to the family in Australia confirms his worst fears and he discusses with Isobel (his great friend and also Felix's guardian) how they can get the boy returned to them and save him further distress. At the same time, he finds himself under pressure to write another book about the Sarajevo Siege. This means making a visit to the City, which reawakens traumatic memories and the ghost of his lost love Mia. He then makes the decision to visit Mia's family in Vermont and use her notebooks and photographs. This visit is a revelation and produces many surprises, some of them disturbing and shocking. As the year of trials unfolds, many questions arise. Will Rawlings manage to get Felix returned to England before real damage is done? Will he get the Sarajevo book written? Will he be able to withstand the advances of two unstable and neurotic women? Will Isobel, the only person he relies on, finally lose patience with him? Throughout it all Rawlings, still suffering from PTSD, remains the same taciturn, difficult but charming character. However, as the year progresses, he changes, becoming far more reflective and soul-searching. He knows there is something missing from his life...

January 2017. Rawlings, a noted war reporter forced to retire after a serious injury, arrives by boat at a vacant Thames mooring. It is owned by an old friend, Isobel Mallinson who allows him to use it to finish his war memoir. Little does the jaded reporter know that another event is about to profoundly affect his life, and also those around him.

Rawlings, a noted foreign correspondent, arrives by boat at a vacant peaceful Thames mooring. He finds it is owned by an old friend, Isobel Mallinson who, on learning that he is writing about his war experiences, allows him to stay to finish his memoir. But little does the jaded reporter know that his life will take a traumatic turn once again.

In the 1970s, beautiful but unhappy Celia Roxby Smith reaches a crisis in her life and seeks help from a famous psychiatrist. During her intense sessions, she reveals a painful past that includes a bleak childhood in the postwar fifties, neglect from her parents at home in Oxford, and constant bullying received while at boarding school. Now Celia is in her thirties and finds herself in a tragic and loveless marriage that resembles the same one her parents had. She sees frightening parallels between the past and present events of her life and is desperate to break away from her abusive and controlling husband. With the help of her psychiatrist and her new lover, she takes the first steps toward freedom and independence. But a shocking turn of events changes everything and leaves more questions than answers. As intense as it is real, Parallel Lines is the first book in the Three Lives Trilogy. Author Jane McCulloch permeates this absorbing story with deeply relatable characters and situations that will appeal to fans of Daphne du Maurier, Elizabeth Jane Howard, and Nicholas Sparks, along with anyone struggling to find their way in life.