The Attendance Card

A young, headstrong, aspiring journalist makes a decision to investigate the mysterious life of a lonely local recluse, an eccentric man who has died through self-neglect. Tom's journey takes him from rural East Anglia to the old fading industrial heartland of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and on to London. He meets a contingent of people who have one thing in common - they all attended the funeral of the dead man, with no apparent reason. Tom hears about the industrial strife which restricted Britain in the 1970s; the Iranian Revolution and the amazing consequences to two of the people in Tom's investigation; the British victory of the Falklands war; and a background of industrial work environments. He also learns about them as individuals and begins to understand the fateful event that brought them all together. He sees men's flaws and their virtues, finds love, and finally works out his own path in life.

About the Author :
Peter Llidon was born in 1946 in Kingston upon Hull, East Yorkshire. The family moved to West Yorkshire and Peter grew up in the shadow of the 'dark satanic mills' of the Yorkshire woollen industry. On leaving school, it was almost inevitable that he would find work at one of the many small light engineering companies that thrived in the area. Work was hard, but the rewards were a 5-year apprenticeship and an HNC in Electrical Engineering. He ended his apprenticeship as a Planner/Rate fixer, with staff status and a job in the planning department. Initially working within a company that had over 3000 employees, as work patterns changed, Peter moved to smaller engineering companies, eventually culminating in a line management role. He graduated as a Member of the Institute of Management Services and in1989 he and his wife and family moved to Ramsey, in Cambridgeshire, where he was employed as Works Manager at a medium-sized manufacturing company. He also worked in London and Cambridge before finally settling in a job as Operations Manager for a small electronics firm based in Cambridge. Peter found himself enthralled at the different personalities and characters and stories of the people with whom he has worked over the years. He continues to be amazed by his recollections of their skill and versatility, and is thankful to have met so many colourful and remarkable people. He now lives in retirement with his wife in a small village in Cambridgeshire on the edge of the Fens, where his debut novel is based. He and his wife have two children and four grandchildren. The Attendance Card is an opportunity to pay tribute to, and an attempt to bring to life, some of these exceptional characters by way of a story with unexpected twists and turns.