The series, in English translation, stopped ... almost unexpectedly with Angélique and the Ghosts a poor translation for the original title Complot des Ombres (which literally translates to "Conspiracy of Shadows"). Anyone knowing the books will have been much intrigued by this title as the penultimate book of the series [to readers of the English Language] certainly placed the mind set into conspiracy mode rather than hunting for ghostly apparitions. The really disappointing part of "Ghosts" is that it is such a slim volume following on from the enormous tomes of Countess, Temptation [both released in two parts as paperback volumes] and Demon.

Fans of these books have since discovered from the author Anne Golon herself, now widowed and writing under her sole name, in French editions, from Demon onwards, that "Complot des Ombres" was only ever meant to be Part I of a greater volume entitled "Angélique in Quebec". Readers will know that the final paragraph of "Ghosts" has Joffrey and Angélique Peyrac, newly reunited as the Count and Countess of Toulouse, setting out from their ships' gangplank to make their triumphal entry into Quebec. Then - nothing.

Determined English-reading fans attempted to discover what had happened to the author and whether or not any further books had been written. The advent of the Internet helped immeasurably not only to answer many questions but also to put Anne Golon in touch with the fanbase she did not realise existed.

Determined efforts of many fans uncovered the treasures that were three, as yet, untranslated books in the series : Quebec, Route de L'Espoir and Victoire. Irritatingly, on the sleeves of Victoire the publishers refer to "derniere aventures" which could mean last or latest adventures of the eponymous heroine - on reading Victoire you can be assured that in this instance it meant "latest." On making contact with Anne Golon we are assurred that there is another volume "Rouyame de France" [Kingdom of France] which follows Victoire and a final 15th volume [as yet untitled] to complete the series.

In the meantime, Anne Golon, as well as writing the conclusion of the series, is also re-publishing the earlier books with all the bits that are missing from her original manuscripts because of professional editing. She is calling this version L'Integrale [complete works] and is approaching the re-write of the 8th book which takes us to end of the book known as Angélique and the King which was the 2nd or 3rd book depending on which version of the series you read. There is a wealth of material that has never been seen and which will link into the later and currently being written versions.

There is a ready market out there for English readers many of whom have been waiting for over 30 years to read the conclusion of the books. Some, who know other languages, have read the books either in French or in a language with which they are more familiar and have found that there is a mountain of anomalies in the translation and editing of the books. Key points are missing, complete characters unknown in the English version - one of these, L'Audiger, figured heavily in Angélique In Revolt, but there is no sign of him in the English version. It must have taken hours of labour to remove this character and all links to him - why? What can that possibly have achieved?

The untranslated books are all set in the New World with the occasional glimpse of what was happening in the Old World in the Court of Louis XIV and cover several territories on Quebec and its major cities of Montreal and Quebec, Salem in New England and the provinces and territories of New France. There is a wealth of historical information, the lifestyle of the early settlers and their interaction with the indigenous native Americans, each treated with deference whether warrior or peace-loving tribes. The influence and power of the Jesuits bringing the fear of the Old World to the New is interwoven and brings a piquant suspense to the proceedings.

I take this opportunity of asking readers who are unfamiliar with these books to read them for their historical and classical content - not as so often erroneously described for the "erotica" label with which they are tagged.