Charles Beagley – författare

Melbourne author Charles Beagley has written a childrens book of subtle twists and turns and daring times. The story is woven with events and memories of his own childhood and life of adventure and these snippets have been cleverly woven together to take the young reader on a rich journey across the world.

The Blue Pen is an intriguing story of young love, hardship, tragedy and blind expectation. Each of the six stories, gives an intimiate glimpse into the lives of those who came in contact with an iridescent blue pen that changes their lives forever.The story begins in England with a young nine year old boy, Billy Barnes and a girl called Janet - the pen becomes a token for his affection before the blue pen then travels through a battle in France and ends up in the hands of the Germans and saves the life of a Panzer Major. Its journey continues to the bloody shores of Tobruk in Turkey.Found by an Aussie Digger in an abandoned tank on the battle field of Tobruk, the pen takes its next turn where fame, fortune and save a mans life.Years later, Harry discovers the blue pen in an Op Shop and it brings him luck, until a sneeky Bowerbird decides otherwise. Eventually with the pen safely recovered, Harry gives his lucky pen to his grandaughter, only for it to disappear in Ballarat. Julia discovers the blue pen almost by chance and reunites it to its young owner. Julia is mysteriously drawn to the sparkly pen and learns of its adventurous history.

Following the fall of Singapore in 1942, a group of SOE operatives landed at a secluded jetty below the garrison on a mission to retrieve a codebook that would ultimately see the defeat of the Japanese in the Pacific.  No one could know of the event, except the eight men who participated. Yet someone was determined to track down and kill every one of those men known as Carter’s Boys.

This riveting mystery begins in 1982, when Inspector Jack Hammond investigates a bizarre murder. A man walking his dog early in the morning stumbles on the body of a naked man crucified to the balance beam of a canal lock. Hammond’s first thought is to identify the man. Hope of a promotion for solving the case is soon shattered when the SCI blocks his progress: his victim is the fourth in a serial enquiry, and the man in charge, Superintendent Simon Stone is none other than an old rival from Hammond’s Police Academy days.

They cast their differences aside and embark on an investigation to unravel the exploits of eight army specialists, and soon discover the death of one man on the Singapore mission and the unrelenting vengeance of another seeking retribution.