As in life, death is not without its agenda. This is something seventy-nine year old Edna Reid finds out when her partner, Ted, suddenly dies. To cope with her loss, she sets up a Death Cafe to break down the taboo around death and to encourage other members of the community to discuss it openly. Over tea and cake, the participants hide their fears behind a veil of dark humour. Religious fanaticism clashes with Victorian spiritualism as Edna’s meetings trigger lively conversations on the fragility of life, anxiety over dying, cost of funerals, and making sure long-lost greedy relatives don’t benefit from inheritances. Soon, a series of events begin to unfold which threaten to undermine Edna’s livelihood and the Death Cafe meetings. These events just happen to coincide with the arrival of a mysterious stranger into the village. Who is she and why is she so hostile to Edna?

Angelena was born and raised in the Peak District, the setting for Edna’s Death Cafe. Until she discovered the Death Cafe movement, she suffered from thanatophobia (death anxiety) and until early retirement at sixty, she had a celebrated career as a training consultant in the UK and overseas, specialising in conflict resolution and communication skills. As well as writing, Angelena relieves anxiety through painting, walking in the Malvern Hills and writing. As a trained funeral celebrant she embraces the realisation that we have a life after death through the memories and legacy we leave behind. Edna’s Death Cafe is Angelena’s third novel.