THE BELLS OF AUTUMN

Of necessity (unless Willis provides a Holmesian resurrection), this will be the last novel about the career of that tough, loudmouthed Rosie Carr, whose rise form London waif-hood has been traced in Spring at the Winged Horse (1982) and The Green Leaves of Summer (1989). Here, Rosie—cor'!—is elected in 1930 to Parliament. At the start, Rose is married to kind Ken Coleson (in spite of her doubts), who's a weak reed compared to Rosie's old flame, traveling man Jack Cameron (The Green Leaves...). But Rosie, still a partner in a booming retail business, is as busy as a hornet, even on her honeymoon, when she is assaulted by Italian fascists. After she's elected as an M.P. for the Labour party, she will: be present at a British Black Shirt meeting (son Eddie is there to heckle) and earn the media nickname of ``Red Rose''; travel to Geneva with a delegation; plead for help for Jewish victims in Germany; and rescue a Jewish family herself. Along the way, there are also domestic problems—daughter Val wants to be an actress, and Ken has a dreadful secret (though Rosie will manage to extricate him from blackmail). As for love, there's a brief affair with a colleague, and Jack returns for a last fabulous flight. All this before the chill winds of illness waft Rosie away. Rosie as M.P. is a bit much, but followers of her sentimental, soapy adventures will want to be in on the last spin.