It's Only a Moonflower

It's Only a Moonflower—the first book in The Thighs Trilogy—is a work of fiction for broad-minded adults.Set in South Africa in the early 1950s, it is the story of James Sothford, an Anglican priest who is sent from his home in England to allow him the opportunity to overcome a deep-seated personal problem. In the only year of his ministry in a troubled land, he encounters the precocious teenage son of an undertaker, a ghost, and a rival priest, Stephen Bardnor. Father Bardnor has a peculiar connection with the protagonist's church, and he is driven to do everything he can to hide his past. In his journal, Father Sothford records his own plight, not knowing that what he writes will become a key for others, decades later, to understand their incarnations. Both priests have to face the inescapable consequences of their deeds. There is inner turmoil for both. Will important evidence be revealed or remain buried? Will the contending priests resolve their problems or will there be an unexpected outcome for each of them? The ghost's role is crucial. The undertaker as well as his son and his daughter and a gardener provide colourful supporting roles. Desire, intrigue and murder come in to play as this drama unfolds and reaches a conclusion that will leave you wanting more.Intrinsic to the plot is a comparatively mild eroticism here and there, but the story as a whole (just over 49,000 words) could hardly be categorized as erotic.