THE BLUE TURNNEL

Chapter 1

Friday was a day just like all the others. Once again, the sun was shining in the beautiful Italian city of Verona. Dressed in a simple brown suit, covered with a blue blouse, Mrs. Brostani Branco, Rebecca, pulled out weeds from her garden.

That was April 18th, 1998, four years af-ter her fifty-fourth birthday; Rebecca gardened in the back of the left facade of her spacious property. During the previous five years, the small industry of flowers which Rebecca had created was enriched by the services of six employees and the semi-annual consultations of an American specialist. Spring was a very active season, but very stressful for the boss which Rebecca had become.

Although the flower market was dominated by florists of the South, the roses of the Brostani gardens did not have any problems being sold in Verona. Since her marriage with Mr. Brostani Branco Govani, and her relocation to Italy, this pretty Frenchwoman, born in Bordeaux …

THE LAST CHAPTER

THE MURDER CASE

« Ouah! Ouah! »… Isidore barked. He had been starving all day. Upon emptying his fourth sixty centiliters whiskey bottle, his master Eric Leeman, had been immersed into an unfathomable sleep that had lasted more than twenty-four hours.
Isidore wasn‟t really worried about his master; it wasn‟t the first time the latter was in such a state. Long before his lover, Jenny, left him, the American writer had become addicted to alcohol. All the good memories of Isidore and Eric roaming around the major carriage ways of New York had gone down the lane; just like the caresses from fans and flashes from photographers who erstwhile chased them just to obtain a photograph or autograph. At one time, admirers stopped them on the way just to have a chat with the brilliant novelist. Unfortunately, all this had gone down memory lane for this German dog that had remained faithful to his master.But the dog was hungry. « Ouah ! Ouah ! »… so the dog kept barking. Eric wouldn‟t still wake up from sleep. Wearing pyjama trousers and a shirt, he lay on a carpet, stuck between a coffee table and a couch. It seemed like he had rolled on the ground. All of a sudden, while Isidore was carefully watching Eric by wiggling his tail and uttering little plaintive moans, he heard a knock on the door. While staring at Eric, he galloped towards the main door, sniffed the edge of the jamb, and then returned next to his master. Isidore had guessed who was knocking. The old Florence Dregfusse, the neighbor across the street, knocked in a Wagnerian manner. Over the last years, Ms Dregfusse had saved Eric‟s life on several occasions by calling the police just on time. And these prompt interventions were usually made possible thanks to Isidore …

MY LIFE MY SECRET

SYNOPSIS

A rebellious and fiercely independent teenager uses her newly found musical talent to block out the memory of the horrible abuse she suffered at the hands of the one person she should have been able to trust. A manipulative and cunning police officer commits crimes far worse than those of the criminals he puts away. For years he’s gotten away with it, but will he get away with murder? A mother desperately tries to rebuild her damaged relationship with her children but time is against her. A young man who has only ever desired normalcy witnesses a shocking crime that could tear his family apart. As it all spirals out of control, murder is not the worst that can happen. Crime and cover-up, deceit and revenge, passion and forgiveness and ultimately, hope and new beginnings. In the midst of it all, inner strength and beauty emerge in the form of the world’s newest pop music sensation.

Pétale de sang

Resume

Qui a tué les directeurs locaux des Brasseries Theng’eta, appartenant à des étrangers ? La police interroge quatre personnes d’llmorog Ville-Nouvelle. Le maître d’école, Munira, est confronté avec trois autres suspects : Wanja est une serveuse très séduisante et ingénieuse ; Karega, toujours en révolte, a été enseignant puis syndicaliste ; Abdulla, le petit commerçant, a un passé héroïque dans la lutte pour l’indépendance du Kenya. Leurs relations intenses mais difficiles, leurs expériences et leurs amours secrètes se déroulent sur un arrière-plan mouvementé : c’est l’évolution des forces sociales du village sous un capitalisme nouveau ; c’est l’histoire des luttes passées contre la domination et l’oppression coloniale ; c’est la résistance d’un peuple contre une exploitation de plus en plus féroce et mortelle, créée par la collaboration des étrangers avec une nouvelle classe de propriétaires africains. Le roman ne voit d’issue pour l’Afrique que par la lutte des populations contre cette alliance, afin de venir à bout des sécheresses dévastatrices aggravées par la désertion des campagnes pour les villes. La pluie tombe sur des fleurs aux pétales de sang, mais quels fruits ces fleurs donneront-elles ?