Death by Indulgence

  Through a thin oblong panel of glass in a grey painted door to his right, Konrad could see Ella, standing in the room, smiling, conducting proceedings. Her face was instantly recognisable as was her long chestnut hair. She wore a bright headscarf holding it back from her face. Konrad stared, taking in the scene, knowing it was her, but shocked to see how much she’d changed since he saw her last.

  ‘She’s put on a few pounds,’ he whispered.

  ‘It’s the medication I’m afraid. An unfortunate compromise; mental stability achieved for now, a physical health time bomb on the horizon.’

  The pair stood in the doorway listening to the sounds drifting from the room.

  ‘Two little ducks …’

  ‘Twenty-two!’

  The End

  With Thanks

  To each and everyone who gave time and valuable opinion in reading the draft versions of Death by Indulgence. It would not be the book it is without you all.

  To my long-suffering husband for helping with research into the strength of coaxial cable and coping with my vagueness as I plotted this one.

  To Ampthill Writers’ Group for a warm welcome and a safe place to witter on about all things writing.

  To Marika, editor extraordinaire.

  Thank you all.

  About the Author

  Alison Morgan lives in rural Bedfordshire, UK, with her engineer husband and bonkers dog. Life is never boring and they are usually planning the next adventure. Alison spent several decades working on the front line of mental health services as a specialist nurse and latterly as manager of an early intervention service for first episode psychosis. However, when a heart problem brought her career to a juddering halt, she had to find a way of managing her own sanity, so she sat down to write some useful clinical guidelines for student nurses. Instead, a story that had been lurking in her mind came spewing forth onto the pages of what became her first novel. Since then she has been unable to stem the flow of ideas and writes full-time from a luxurious shack at the top of the garden. Alison writes under the name A B Morgan and. within her storylines, she continues to make good use of her years of experience in mental health services, where the truth is often much stranger than fiction. www.abmorgan.co.uk

  Some Suggested Book Club Questions

  •How did the opening chapter capture your interest?

  •What are the key themes within the story?

  •How did the writing style and structure support the overall feel, flow and pace of the book?

  •Who was your favourite character and why?

  •As a reader, which issues provoked the most uncomfortable thoughts?

  •What did you learn from reading this book?

  •What are your opinions regarding the ending?