Marie Keates Books In Order

Publication Order of Between the Wars Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Marie Keates is a walker, blogger, and bestselling author who is mad about history and could never resist the mystery of a new unexplored trail.

She currently makes her home in Southampton and spent much of her life writing copy on a range of subjects such as coffee, travel, running, and canals in addition to working in the travel industry.

In addition to her novels, she also runs “I Walk Alone,” a blog where she shares her interest in the history of Southampton. Given the popularity of her blog, she has become well-known and popular among visitors to the city, former residents of Southampton, and local history groups.

“Plagued” her debut novel found inspiration in the research she did into her family story, combined with stories that her father used to tell her when she was little.

Her love for books started with her mother and her father reading her bedtime stories at night and chapters of books on weekends. Since a chapter never could be enough she began reading books for herself and was soon devouring Alice in Wonderland and Winnie The Pooh.
Given that there was a great children’s library near her home she loved going there to read every week. By the time she would write she started to dream of becoming an author even though life would ultimately get in the way.

Keates started as a walker who sometimes put her stories down on paper. She had always been a curious person and hence, she often found herself comically lost whenever she stumbled on a new footpath, she just had to explore.

Since she loved these adventures so much, she decided to start a blog to document the odd history-related things that she found. At some point, her blog began generating a lot of interest and this made her into a writer who walks.

It was when she was fired for the fourth time that she took a dive into writing and did all manner of research into her family history.

While it does seem that Marie Keates had an easy time getting published, it took about two years before she found success.

A friend who ran a graphic and web design business told her about independent publishing and said that he would help with the technical aspects. What made her take the dive was that the friend had published several titles and believed it was the future.
Having published blog posts for years she did not know whether to be scared or proud when she published Plagued. She was pleasantly surprised at how good the reception was and now finds enjoyment in knowing how much joy her stories bring to others.
So far, Marie Keates has published at least five titles and has shown no sign of slowing down any time soon. Her novels have a setting in the early 20th century and are best described as fiction works based on fact. They are full of crime, strong characters, heartbreak, hope, and real-life dilemmas.

Marie Keates’ novel “Plagued” tells the story of a wounded soldier from the Great War who has come back to Southampton. He still has memories from the war as he now has to live in a world that is very different from what he left, a mysterious illness threatening everything he fought for and dangerous secrets.

In the summer of 1918, Thomas is caught by a sniper’s bullet and goes back home to Mary, even though this was not the reprieve they believed it would be. Thomas was once a joking happy man who has become an uncommunicative and sullen stranger and she is certain the man she remembers is never coming back.

As for Thimas, the world he fought for and dreamed about has long moved on and left him behind struggling with horrific memories plaguing his nights.

But Thomas was not the only thing that landed in Southampton on the hospital ship. At the Netley Hospital wards, an invisible enemy is stalking the halls as a strange flu has arrived in town.

Will Mary and Thomas ever reconcile themselves with the new post-war realities? Moreover, will the secrets he finds tear the couple apart or will the strange flu be the one thing that takes away their futures?

“Land Fit for Heroes” by Marie Keates is a thrilling fiction work that has to be one of the author’s best. In 1926, there was a General Strike by dock workers that compounded the problems of an unpaid debt and an unresolved murder which caused much tension between two dock workers from Southampton.

Percy the main character believes the strike is the chance he had to recapture the dreams that the battlefields of France took away from him. In the meantime, Lenny is done with constantly getting his brother-in-law out of trouble, even though he can never forget what the man had once done for him.

Meanwhile, Laura finds herself caught between two men both of whom she loves. Percy’s behavior has been exasperating and has been engaging in self-destructive behaviors she is worried that she may lose her brother and Lenny her husband too.

When her brother Percy becomes involved with a criminal gang, she becomes even more worried, particularly when things start becoming more violent. When the violence goes up a notch, Percy decides to investigate the gang, as he believes they may have been involved in a horrific crime that had gone unsolved.

But could he have bitten off more than he can take and will his investigations drag down his brother-in-law Lenny?

Marie Keates’ novel “Seventh Daughter” is a work set in the summer of 1931, where a neighbor helps another and this unleashes a series of events that now threaten to destroy the close-knit community of Northam Street.

Daisy a resident of the street believes that someone is about to die but is not sure if it is Annie Jacob’s wife or the women women who have spirited her away. It could also be the handywoman Mabel, the prostitute Nancy, or maybe Daisy herself.

Albie thinks the bizarre behavior that Jacob has been exhibiting is a result of the wounds of war, even though most of the other neighbors believe he is dangerous. If Albie is unable to persuade her neighbors that Jacob is not a threat, someone might get badly hurt.
The love that Sam has for Nancy is the least of his problems. He once thought he had left his troubled past behind until a stranger begins attacking women and he becomes the main suspect.

Hardship, accusations, and suspicion but also tenacity, compassion, and love are woven into the story making for a very engaging work.