Contemporary fiction: literary and general

Book SynopsisThe highly anticipated sequel to the SUNDAY TIMES bestselling EMPIRE OF THE VAMPIRE 'Bloody brilliant'V.E. Schwab A ripping read'Joe Abercrombie

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Book SynopsisLONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2025From the author of Assembly THE MUST-READ NOVEL OF 2025 in the GUARDIAN, SUNDAY TIMES, GQ, ELLE, OBSERVER, INDEPENDENT, RADIO TIMES, BBC, HARPER'S BAZAAR, and GOOD HOUSEKEEPING''An instant classic.'' ELLE''Utterly phenomenal.'' ELIZABETH DAY''Smart, twisty and original.'' DAVID NICHOLLSA sharp, clever take on contemporary culture.' DAILY MAILIn a class of her own.' FINANCIAL TIMESOn an abandoned Yorkshire farm, a group of hippie-anarchists have taken up residence to build a new society. When their leader is brutally bludgeoned with a solid gold bar, an ambitious young journalist sets out to uncover the truth behind the attack. The longread exposé she writes goes viral but is there more to the story than meets the eye?Universality unravels the messy aftermath of that exposé through the perspective of each of the mystery's key players: a self-pitying banker, a columnist with secrets, a cult leader with dreams, and a fugitive with nothing left to loseThe follow-up to Natasha Brown's Assembly is a twisty, slippery story of media, class, power and truth. Cutting through the noise, it reveals British society today for what it is.A searing, state-of-the-nation novel.' STYLISTConfirms Natasha Brown as a major talent.' OBSERVER''A brilliant, unusual social x-ray of modern Britain.'' ANDREW O''HAGANIt is impossible to not get utterly sucked in.' JENNY MUSTARDOne of the most intelligent voices writing today.' GUARDIANOriginal, vital, and unputdownable.' TESS GUNTYBrown is an astute political observer, easily dismembering cancel culture and our media circus.' NEW STATESMAN

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Book SynopsisTHE RICHARD & JUDY NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER ‘A suspenseful epic’ Daily Telegraph ‘A triumph’ Financial Times ‘Heartbreaking’ Mail on Sunday ‘Deeply moving’ Sunday Times Mariam is only fifteen when she is sent to Kabul to marry Rasheed. Nearly two decades later, a friendship grows between Mariam and a local teenager, Laila, as strong as the ties between mother and daughter. When the Taliban take over, life becomes a desperate struggle against starvation, brutality and fear. Yet love can move a person to act in unexpected ways, and lead them to overcome the most daunting obstacles with a startling heroism.Trade ReviewIn case you’re wondering whether A Thousand Splendid Suns is as good as The Kite Runner, here’s the answer: No. It’s better * Washington Post *A masterful narrative … He is a storyteller of dizzying power * Evening Standard *Hosseini has that rare thing, a Dickensian knack for storytelling * Daily Telegraph *A gripping tale … It is, too a powerful portrait of female suffering and endurance under the Taliban * Daily Mail *A beautifully crafted and disturbing story … As unforgettable as The Kite Runner, this novel places us in Afghanistan with an open heart -- Isabel AllendeA heartfelt saga that encompasses romance and melodrama, personal and political intrigue, the onslaught of war and dispossession * Independent *If he cut his teeth by writing about his countrymen, it is the plight of Afghanistan’s women that has brought him to realise his full powers as a novelist * The Times *A Thousand Splendid Suns has all the particularity of a novel and all the force of a fable … It reads, in many ways, like an old-fashioned romance adventure * Mail on Sunday *Hosseini has done it again … A Thousand Splendid Suns is a triumph. In Khaled Hosseini, Afghanistan has at last found a voice * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisOffers a wide range of philosophical speculations and it descants on a variety of styles. This book draws together the Czechoslovakia of the Prague Spring and the Russian invasion, the philosophy of Nietzsche, and the love affairs of a number of heartbreakingly familiar characters.

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Book SynopsisThe International Booker Award winner's breathtaking new novel about neo-Nazis, particle physics, and graffiti vandalism'Propulsive and revelatory' The New York Times'A work of genius' TelegraphFlorian Herscht has a problem: having faithfully attended Herr Köhler's classes in particle physics for two years, he is convinced that global cataclysm is imminent. And so he embarks upon a one-sided correspondence with Chancellor Angela Merkel, hoping to convince her of the imminent danger of the complete destruction of all physical matter. Written in one cascading sentence with the force of atomic particles colliding, Krasznahorkai's latest novel is a tour de force, a morality play of blistering satire, a devastating encapsulation of our helplessness in the face of the moral and environmental dilemmas we face.

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Book SynopsisA totally brilliant, escapist and uplifting read that will break your heart and put it back together again, perfect for fans of Cathy Kelly, Jill Mansell and Debbie Macomber.I always thought I was going to be a girl who did something. I was going to run my own business and find fame and fortune! Fall in love…But here I am. Still waiting for it all to happen, sitting on the floor, surrounded by lilies and roses, trying to do my best friend’s wedding flowers because – in her words – ‘how hard can it be, Frankie?’. The answer is actually ‘very hard’ but it’s not the only thing that’s tough right now. My boyfriend won’t commit, I barely have a job, and once again I have the hangover from hell…What I don’t know is that life’s about to throw me a curveball. A new friend I will make with a beautiful, sad-eyed little boy who is so very tragically ill. I still don’t know about that heartbreak.Even so, in this moment, I know that it’s time for some changes. Maybe it’s time to make my dreams come true? To try to become a marathon-running, healthy-living, wildly-in-love florist-to-the-stars!Because I’m beginning to realise that you only get one chance at life. I don’t yet know how you change everything, all at once, but what I do know is it all starts with me…Previously published as Wildflowers by Debbie Howells.

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Book SynopsisTHE LOVE STORY THAT WILL KEEP YOU AWAKE AT NIGHT''A beautiful love story. I devoured it'' JOJO MOYES''Gave me One Day vibes'' LIBBY PAGE ''Basically impossible to put down'' BOBBY PALMER''Deeply romantic'' LAURA BARNETT''Beautiful and very clever' FEARNE COTTON ''A perfect thing . . . I implore you to read it'' CHRIS WHITAKER''Stunning, tender and true'' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING SUMMER READING''Everyone should read this book'' SHEERLUXEINCLUDED IN THE INDEPENDENT''S ''BEST ROMANTIC SUMMER READS''---- Will and Rosie meet as teenagers. They''re opposites in every way. She overthinks everything; he is her twin brother''s wild and unpredictable friend. But over secret walks home and late-night phone calls, they become closer destined to be one another''s great love story. Until, one day, tragedy strikes, and their future together is shattered. But as the years roll on, Will and Rosie can''t help but find their way back to each other. Time and again, they come close to rekindling what might have been. What do you do when the one person you should forget is the one you just can''t let go?----''Basically impossible to put down'' BOBBY PALMER ''Deeply romantic'' LAURA BARNETT''A passionate, page-turning debut'' DAILY MAILReaders love Talking at Night:This was giving me One Day vibes' ***** Reader ReviewThis book changed my way of thinking about life; that's how good it was, how real it felt. It made me sit down, think about my own life for a second' ***** Reader ReviewThe writing is so spare and achingly beautiful and reminded me a lot of Normal People by Sally Rooney'***** Reader ReviewEverything I wanted and more. THE YEARNING.. stunning' ***** Reader ReviewMade me believe in soulmates!' ***** Reader ReviewA wonderfully captivating, character-driven novel' ***** Reader ReviewYou know how some books have you giggling and kicking your feet? this one has you fighting the urge to punch holes in the walls while screaming, thrashing, and gnawing at the bars of this story's enclosure' ***** Reader Review

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Book Synopsis'I'm not exaggerating when I say this novel challenged everything I thought I knew about love and friendship. It's one of those books that stays with you forever.' - Dua LipaThe million-copy bestseller, Hanya Yanagihara's A Little Life, by the author of To Paradise and The People in the Trees, is an immensely powerful and heartbreaking novel of brotherly love and the limits of human endurance.Winner of Fiction of the Year at the British Book AwardsShortlisted for the Booker PrizeShortlisted for the Women's PrizeFinalist for the US National Book Award for FictionWhen four graduates from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their way, they're broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition. There is kind, handsome Willem, an aspiring actor; JB, a quick-witted, sometimes cruel Brooklyn-born painter seeking entry to the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prominent firm; and withdrawn, brilliant, enigmatic Jude, who serves as their centre of gravity.Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success, and pride. Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realize, is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood, and haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he'll not only be unable to overcome – but that will define his life forever.'Yanagihara takes you so deeply into the lives and minds of these characters that you struggle to leave them behind.' – The TimesTrade ReviewA singularly profound and moving work . . . It's not often that you read a book of this length and find yourself thinking "I wish it was longer" but Yanagihara takes you so deeply into the lives and minds of these characters that you struggle to leave them behind. -- Fiona Wilson * The Times *A Little Life makes for near-hypnotically compelling reading, a vivid, hyperreal portrait of human existence that demands intense emotional investment . . . An astonishing achievement: a novel of grand drama and sentiment, but it's a canvas Yanagihara has painted with delicate, subtle brushstrokes. * Independent *One of the pleasures of fiction is how suddenly a brilliant writer can alter the literary landscape . . . Ms. Yanagihara's immense new book . . . announces her, as decisively as a second work can, as a major American novelist. Here is an epic study of trauma and friendship written with such intelligence and depth of perception that it will be one of the benchmarks against which all other novels that broach those subjects (and they are legion) will be measured. * Wall Street Journal *How often is a novel so deeply disturbing that you might find yourself weeping, and yet so revelatory about human kindness that you might also feel touched by grace? Yanagihara's astonishing and unsettling second novel . . . plumbs the rich inner lives of all of her characters... You don't just care deeply about all these lives. Thanks to the author's exquisite skill, you feel as if you are living them . . . A Little Life is about the unimaginable cruelty of human beings, the savage things done to a child and his lifelong struggle to overcome the damage. Its pages are soaked with grief, but it's also about the bottomless human capacity for love and endurance . . . It's not hyperbole to call this novel a masterwork - if anything that word is simply just too little for it * San Francisco Chronicle *Martin Amis once asked, "Who else but Tolstoy has made happiness really swing on the page?" And the surprising answer is that Hanya Yanagihara has: counterintuitively, the most moving parts of "A Little Life" are not its most brutal but its tenderest ones, moments when Jude receives kindness and support from his friends . . . "A Little Life" feels elemental, irreducible-and, dark and disturbing though it is, there is beauty in it -- Jon Michaud * New Yorker *Hanya Yanagihara's no-holds-barred second novel A Little Life has established her as a major new voice in US fiction. -- Tim Adams * Observer *Utterly compelling . . . quite an extraordinary novel. It is impossible to put down . . . And it is almost impossible to forget. -- Mernie Gilmore * Daily Express *[The] spring's must-read novel . . . Her debut . . . put her on the literary map, her massive new novel . . . signals the arrival of a major new voice in fiction . . . Her achievement has less to do with size than with her powerful evocation of the fragility of self . . . the pained beauty that suffuses this novel, an American epic that eloquently counters our culture's fixation with redemptive narratives. * Vogue US *[A] wholly immersive unforgettable read . . . You won't stop reading. And it's a novel that changes you. * Evening Standard *The triumph of A Little Life's many pages is significant: It wraps us so thoroughly in a character's life that his trauma, his struggles, his griefs come to seem as familiar and inescapable as our own. There's no one way to experience loss, abuse, or the effects of trauma, of course, but the vividness of Jude's character and experiences makes the pain almost tangible, the fall-out more comprehensible. It's a monument of empathy, and that alone makes this novel wondrous * Huffington Post *Often painful but thoroughly brilliant . . . Yanagihara's massive new novel . . . is hurtful. That's because, among other things, it is the enthralling and completely immersive story of one man's unyielding pain. It also asks a compelling question: Can friends save us? Even from ourselves? . . . Yanagihara's close study of [her characters'] lives and Jude's trauma makes for a stunning work of fiction * New York Daily News *This spellbinding, feverish novel sucks you in . . . One of the most compassionate, moving stories of our time . . . An exquisitely written, complex triumph * Oprah.com *A darkly beautiful tale of love and friendship... I've read a lot of emotionally taxing books in my time, but A Little Life . . . is the only one I've read as an adult that's left me sobbing. I became so invested in the characters and their lives that I almost felt unqualified to review this book objectively . . . There are truths here that are almost too much to bear - that hope is a qualified thing, that even love, no matter how pure and freely given, is not always enough. This book made me realize how merciful most fiction really is, even at its darkest, and it's a testament to Yanagihara's ability that she can take such ugly material and make it beautiful * Los Angeles Times *Capacious and consuming . . . Boast[s] a scale and immersive power to rival the recent epics of Donna Tartt and Elizabeth Gilbert . . . Alternately devastating and draining, A Little Life floats all sorts of troubling questions about the responsibility of the individual to those nearest and dearest and the sometime futility of playing brother's keeper. Those questions, accompanied by Yanagihara's exquisitely imagined characters, will shadow your dreamscapes * Boston Globe *An extraordinary book . . . A Little Life is quite deliberately a fable, not social realism . . . and all the more powerful for it. The truths it tells are wrenching, permanent. -- David Sexton * Evening Standard *This is an impressive and moving novel. -- Hannah Rosefield * Literary Review *A Little Life is Jude's story and it's his sorrow that colours this devastating, exhausting, strangely exhilarating novel. It's not in any way consoling but it is vitally compelling. -- Eithne Farry * Daily Express *How many times a year are you blown away by a book? That feeling that you can't stop reading, that your life might be a little bit changed? . . . I felt in the presence of genius, and 14 sleepless hours later I inhaled the last few sentences knowing I had found a masterpiece . . . Objectively, parts of this are a gruelling read, but such is the author's skill that the pages do seem to turn themselves as we race towards finding out the terrible secrets of Jude's dark trauma... I will be heading to the barricades if this doesn't win prizes galore -- Cathy Rentzenbrink * The Bookseller *Has so much richness in it - great big passages of beautiful prose, unforgettable characters, and shrewd insights into art and ambition and friendship and forgiveness * Entertainment Weekly *Astonishing . . . tender, torturous and achingly alive to the undeniable pain that can scar a life. * Psychologies *The clarity of Yanagihara's prose is perfect for dissecting blind ambition, the consolations of work and money, and how these paper over the cracks of fragile, fractured individuals . . . A Little Life is unlike anything else out there . . . Quite simply unforgettable. -- James Kidd * Independent on Sunday *This new book is long, page-turny, deeply moving, sometimes excessive, but always packed with the weight of a genuine experience. As I was reading, I literally dreamed about it every night . . . The book's driven obsessiveness is inseparable from the emotional force that will leave countless readers weeping . . . A wrenching portrait of the enduring grace of friendship. With her sensitivity to everything from the emotional nuance to the play of light inside a subway car, Yanagihara is superb at capturing the radiant moments of beauty, warmth and kindness that help redeem the bad stuff. In A Little Life, it's life's evanescent blessings that maybe, but only maybe, can save you * National Public Radio *Once she has you, Yanagihara is not going to let you go . . . Yanagihara . . . contains multitudes. She seems able to imagine anything . . . A Little Life . . . is, in its own dark way, a miracle * Newsday *At its heart A Little Life is a fairy tale that pits good against evil, love against viciousness, hope against hopelessness. The cruelty of the life Ms Yanagihara describes is trumped only by the tenacity with which she searches for an answer. * The Economist *The reader is pulled along by its express-train pace . . . it's certainly a great book. -- John Harding * Daily Mail *The first must-read novel of the year . . . The way to describe a novel you like, maybe the quickest way, is to say that you can't put it down. People say that all the time. There are also novels that compel trickier, but no less passionate, emotions. They are books that confront you and make you wrestle with them. You might feel protective of the characters and their fates; maybe you feel like the writer is talking directly to, or about, you and you are delighted but spooked about what the writer might reveal. There is no shorthand phrase for a novel that seduces you even as it frightens, guts, exhausts, and disgusts you. A Little Life is the most devastating but satisfying novel published so far this year . . . Finishing its 720 pages is like finishing one of the doorstop novels of 19th-century Russia: you feel worn out but wide awake -- (Cover Story) * Kirkus *Hanya Yanagihara's A Little Life is the thinking person's big book of the year so far, a long, complex and pretty dark look at the intertwined lives of four college friends. It reminds me of The Corrections, or a starker The Interestings, or a more linear work by David Foster Wallace. Really. It's that huge and important * Amazon.com *Set to become one of the year's most talked-about novels . . . The narrative is transporting. -- Alex Clarke * ES Magazine *A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, will be one of those books people ask you if you've read yet. Beat 'em to the punch * South Coast Today *Utterly enthralling . . . The phrase "tour de force" could have been invented for this audacious novel * Kirkus (Starred Review) *Emerging from horror, persistent and enduring, is a touching, eternal, unconventional love story. -- Maria Crawford * Financial Times *A Little Life asks serious questions about humanism and euthanasia and psychiatry and any number of the partis pris of modern western life. It's Entourage directed by Bergman; it's the great 90s novel a quarter of a century too late; it's a devastating read that will leave your heart, like the Grinch's, a few sizes larger. -- Alex Preston * Observer *Transporting . . . A Little Life is not to be missed. -- Alex Clark * Evening Standard *Deeply moving . . . A Little Life interrogates notions of value and happiness as espoused by the 21st century American dream . . . Extraordinarily rich. * The National *A book that demands to be read. -- James Daunt * Wall Street Journal *A remarkable tale of love, friendship and the difficulties of embracing life when everything conspires against your right to happiness. * Sunday Herald *

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Book SynopsisA beautifully moving tale of loss and reaching out to the ones we love.Our narrator’s days are numbered. Estranged from his family, living alone with only his cat Cabbage for company, he was unprepared for the doctor’s diagnosis that he has only months to live. But before he can set about tackling his bucket list, the Devil appears with a special offer: in exchange for making one thing in the world disappear, he can have one extra day of life. And so begins a very bizarre week . . .Because how do you decide what makes life worth living? How do you separate out what you can do without from what you hold dear? In dealing with the Devil our narrator will take himself – and his beloved cat – to the brink.Genki Kawamura's If Cats Disappeared from the World is a story of loss and reconciliation, of one man’s journey to discover what really matters in modern life.This beautiful tale is translated from the Japanese by Eric Selland, who also translated The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide. Fans of The Guest Cat and The Travelling Cat Chronicles will also love If Cats Disappeared from the World.Trade ReviewA warm, quirky novel on life, love, family estrangement and what remains when we are gone with a surprising emotional charge. * Observer *If you're a fan of The Guest Cat (or even just cats generally), you'll love this. * Sunday Times #StyleReads *This brief existential enquiry into life’s priorities is gently charming. * The Skinny *A moral tale. * The Express *A poignant, affecting story about facing up to one's mortality, taking responsibility for one's choices and deciding what truly holds value. * The Herald *Reminiscent of Johnathan Livingston Seagull, this was a quick read – it only took me a few hours – but it will stay with you long after you finish it. * My Weekly *

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Book SynopsisA devastating story of love, loss and one woman''s terrible choice between duty and personal freedom. Fall in love with Brooklyn ahead of its bestselling follow-up, Long Island.It is Ireland in the early 1950s and for Eilis Lacey, as for so many young Irish girls, opportunities are scarce. So when her sister arranges for her to emigrate to New York, Eilis knows she must go, leaving behind her family and her home for the first time.Arriving in a crowded lodging house in Brooklyn, Eilis can only be reminded of what she has sacrificed. She is far from home - and homesick. And just as she takes tentative steps towards friendship, and perhaps something more, Eilis receives news which sends her back to Ireland.There she will be confronted by a terrible dilemma - a devastating choice between duty and one great love.***''With this elating and humane novel, Colm Tóibín has produced a masterwork'' Sunday Times''Unforgettable'' Spectator''The most compelling and moving portrait of a young woman I have read in a long time'' Zoë Heller, Guardian''Magnificent'' Sunday TelegraphThe book that inspired the major motion picture starring Saoirse Ronan.Trade ReviewWith this elating and humane novel, Colm Tóibín has produced a masterwork * Sunday Times *The most compelling and moving portrait of a young woman I have read in a long time -- Zoë Heller * Guardian, Books of the Year *A work of such skill, understatement and sly jewelled merriment could haunt your life -- Ali Smith * TLS, Books of the Year *Suffused with humane depth, funny, affecting, deftly plotted ... a novel of magnificent accomplishment -- Peter Kemp * Sunday Times, Novel of the Year *Brooklyn moved me more than any other book this year -- Nicholas Hytner * Observer, Books of the Year *A beautifully crafted work that transformed ordinary lives into something extraordinary * Daily Telegraph, Books of the Year *No book this year gave me greater pleasure -- Nell Freudenberger * Financial Times *Not a sentence or a thought out of place. It takes over as his finest ficiton to date * Irish Times *Remarkable freshness and immediacy ... with a lovely comedic lightness * Daily Mail *A lovely, thoughtful book ... alive with authentic detail, moved along by the ripples of affection and doubt that shape any life: a novel that offers the reader serious pleasure * Daily Telegraph *Tremendously moving and powerful * New Statesman *Full of sly fun, lovely comic observation and an almost tangible pleasure in storytelling * Observer *Refreshingly authentic . . . Eilis is so vivid it's difficult to believe she did not actually exist * Financial Times *

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Book Synopsis*The international bestseller from the author of the Booker-shortlisted novel, 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World* * One of the BBC's '100 Novels that Shaped the World'* "Every true love and friendship is a story of unexpected transformation. If we are the same person before and after we loved, that means we haven't loved enough..." Ella Rubinstein has a husband, three teenage children, and a pleasant home. Everything that should make her confident and fulfilled. Yet there is an emptiness at the heart of Ella's life - an emptiness once filled by love. So when Ella reads a manuscript about the thirteenth-century Sufi poet Rumi and Shams of Tabriz, and his forty rules of life and love, her world is turned upside down. She embarks on a journey to meet the mysterious author of this work. It is a quest infused with Sufi mysticism and verse, taking Ella and us into an exotic world where faith and love are heTrade ReviewA gorgeous, jeweled, luxurious book * The Times *With its timely, thought-provoking message . . . The Forty Rules of Love deserves to be a global publishing phenomenon * Independent *Enlightening, enthralling. An affecting paean to faith and love * Metro *Colourfully woven and beguilingly intelligent * Daily Telegraph *The past and present fit together beautifully in a passionate defence of passion itself * The Times *A gorgeous, jeweled, luxurious book * The Times *Shafak will challenge Paulo Coelho's dominance. With its timely, thought-provoking message . . . The Forty Rules of Love deserves to be a global publishing phenomenon * Independent *Enlightening, enthralling. An affecting paean to faith and love * Metro *Colourfully woven and beguilingly intelligent * Daily Telegraph *The past and present fit together beautifully in a passionate defence of passion itself * The Times *

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Book SynopsisI was supposed to be having the time of my life.When Esther Greenwood wins an internship on a New York fashion magazine in 1953, she is elated, believing she will finally realise her dream to become a writer. But in between the cocktail parties and piles of manuscripts, Esther''s life begins to slide out of control. She finds herself spiralling into serious depression as she grapples with difficult relationships and a society which refuses to take her aspirations seriously.The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath''s only novel, was originally published in 1963 under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas. The novel is partially based on Plath''s own life and descent into mental illness, and has become a modern classic.Trade Review"'In looking at the madness of the world and the world of madness [this book] forces us to consider the great question posed by all truly realistic fiction: what is reality and how can it be confronted?' New York Times Book Review"

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Book SynopsisA spellbinding new story from the #1 international bestselling author of The Seven Sisters series.

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Book Synopsis For the first time ever, a very special edition of the classic masterpiece, illustrated throughout in colour by the author himself and with the complete text printed in two colours. Trade Review‘Among the greatest works of imaginative fiction of the 20th century.’Sunday Telegraph ‘The English-speaking world is divided into those who have read The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and those who are going to read them’Sunday Times ‘Masterpiece? Oh yes, I’ve no doubt about that.’Evening Standard

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Book SynopsisKinch Na Shannack owes the Takers Guild a small fortune for his education as a thief, which includes (but is not limited to) lock-picking, knife-fighting, wall-scaling, fall-breaking, lie-weaving, trap-making, plus a few small magics. His debt has driven him to lie in wait by the old forest road, planning to rob the next traveler that crosses his path.But today, Kinch Na Shannack has picked the wrong mark.Galva is a knight, a survivor of the brutal goblin wars, and handmaiden of the goddess of death. She is searching for her queen, missing since a distant northern city fell to giants.Unsuccessful in his robbery and lucky to escape with his life, Kinch now finds his fate entangled with Galva''s. Common enemies and uncommon dangers force thief and knight on an epic journey where goblins hunger for human flesh, krakens hunt in dark waters, and honor is a luxury few can afford.Trade ReviewThe Blacktongue Thief is a delight from start to finish. What begins as a sidekick's view of the hero's journey soon blossoms into a finely crafted and highly entertaining ride through a world as monstrous as it is wondrous. Christopher Buehlman takes the well-worn tropes of fantasy and weaves them into a new and vibrant tapestry * Anthony Ryan, New York Times bestselling author of Blood Song *The Blacktongue Thief announces a remarkable new voice to the genre. It's fast and fun and filled with crazy magic balanced by tight characterization. I can't wait to see what Christopher Buehlman does next * Brent Weeks, New York Times bestselling author of The Black Prism *Wow! Truly outstanding. I can't say enough about how good The Blacktongue Thief is. Damned good stuff * Glen Cook, author of The Black Company *The Blacktongue Thief is equal parts fairy tale, D&D adventure, and acid trip. Buehlman has successfully blended the essences of these elements into something at once familiar and fresh. I look forward to returning to this evocative and f*cked up world! * Jonathan French, author of The Grey Bastards *The Blacktongue Thief is a masterclass in voice and thoughtful world design, with a wonderful cast and a protagonist who grabs you instantly. Fans of Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora will love this one * Django Wexler, author of The Thousand Names *Buehlman's prose floats nimbly from grisly to lyrical and back again, evoking a damaged world that's by turns bleak and starkly beautiful. A fantastical road trip with a hard-boiled sensibility, complete with shape-shifting assassins, murderous kraken and some delightfully gruesome magic * A. K. Larkwood, author of The Unspoken Name *Instantly immersive, with wit as sharp as a thief's blade * David Dalglish, author of the Shadowdance series *Dark, gritty, lightning-fast, intelligent, irreverent . . . I loved it * Anna Smith Spark, author of The Court of Broken Knives *I fell in love with Kinch on page one. He's a hilarious narrator and I was also touched by his sensitivity. Christopher's world building is unique, precise, and masterfully woven into a page-turning story. I couldn't put it down! A joyfully mischievous adventure, but also tragic and so heartfelt. Fans of Nicholas Eames and Joe Abercrombie will love The BlacktongueThief * Brian Naslund, author of Blood of an Exile *Lyrical and visceral... Prepare to be transported * Andrew Pyper, author of The Demonologist *THE BLACKTONGUE THIEF is my kind of book. Chock-full of wry wit, foul language, and characters who arrive on the page with savage, sordid pasts hot on their heels. Often humorous, occasionally horrifying, and sometimes incredibly poignant, I loved every single page of this book. Every sentence, even. It's that good. * Nicholas Eames, author of Kings of the Wyld *This is an extraordinary debut. It has all the trappings of a traditional quest - the motley band of adventurers, the history and songs, magic and monsters - but told in the snarky, self-aware voice of first-person urban fantasy. It's salty and funny and vivid as a bruise, a rollicking adventure with a cast (and a cat) you won't forget. * Elspeth Cooper, author of SONGS OF THE EARTH *Fast-paced and action-packed, funny and adventurous - great fantasy fun. * Edward Cox, author of The Song of the Sycamore *Refreshingly original but reassuringly familiar, The Blacktongue Thief's cutthroat voice and deliciously dark world is sure to delight, shock and thrill * Jeremy Szal, author of Stormblood *The Blacktongue Thief delivers an engaging narrator, a dazzling array of magic and dangers, and a succession of twists and turns that will keep the reader guessing. Book one of a trilogy that reads as a satisfying stand-alone * Robin Hobb *Packed full of magic, mayhem, and mischief, Buehlman's world and characters are artfully rendered * Publishers Weekly *One of the most impressive novels I've read in a long time-clever, imaginative, and extremely well written -- Arthur Golden, New York Times bestselling author of Memoirs of a GeishaThe Blacktongue Thief was one of my favorite fantasy novels of the last few years - epic in scope, funny, and nail-bitingly tense. Like Naomi Novik or T. Kingfisher, Buehlman has a real gift for writing complicated, endearing characters trying to do their best in a complicated, fully lived in world. I can't wait for his next book * Kelly Link, Pulitzer Prize finalist for Get In Trouble *

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Book SynopsisThe instant New York Times bestseller from the author of Sometimes I LieNot just fiendish but positively Feeneyish dark, ingenious and very clever' Cara Hunter, author of Close to HomeTen years of marriage.Ten years of secrets.An anniversary they'll never forget.Adam and Amelia are spending the weekend in the Scottish Highlands. The remote location is perfect for what they have planned.But when their romantic trip takes a dark turn, they both start to wonder can they trust the one they're with?Because every couple tells little white lies. Only for Adam and Amelia, the truth is far more dangerous.A cleverly crafted novel with a grand twist' Stella magazineI loved it!' Sarah Pinborough, author of Behind Her EyesCreepy, gripping and oh-so readable, we loved this! Fabulous magazineChilling and clever, with a twist so sharp you'll get whiplash' Chris Whitaker, author of We Begin at the EndA riveting thriller that explodes with a jaw-dropping climax' Woman's WeeklyA clever, cunning read and one where you expect a twist, but when it comes, it's so perfect and wonderful that you want to tell everyone' Belfast TelegraphA staggering novel filled with tension, suspense, and an ending that will leave you flabbergasted' Samantha Downing, author of My Lovely Wife''The reader never quite know who''s telling the truth about who they really are'' CosmopolitanWhat readers are saying about ROCK PAPER SCISSORSI was HOOKED! Brilliantly written . . . A gripping twisty page turner'Multi-faceted characters hiding lots of secrets, brilliant plot and clever twists kept me at the edge of my seat to the very end!'I flew through the pages as it was impossible to put down! Brilliant!'Alice Feeney wins for the greatest plot twists!'This was an addictive read. I. Could. Not. Put. It. Down. The twist was spectacular'Trade Review‘Chilling and clever, with a twist so sharp you’ll get whiplash. Rock Paper Scissors is the kind of blistering, one-sit-read that Alice Feeney is just so incredibly good at.’ Chris Whitaker, author of We Begin at the End ‘Not just fiendish but positively Feeneyish – dark, ingenious and very clever.’ Cara Hunter, author of Close to Home ‘I loved it!’ Sarah Pinborough, author of Netflix sensation Behind Her Eyes ‘Marriage has never been so disturbing . . . or so compelling. Alice Feeney has written a staggering novel filled with tension, suspense, and an ending that will leave you flabbergasted. You think you know where it’s going, but you have no idea.’ Samantha Downing, author of My Lovely Wife ‘I loved it! Kept me up way past my bedtime before BBC Breakfast!’ Louise Minchin 'More twists than a double-headed corkscrew. Nobody does the disturbing domestic thriller better than Alice Feeney.' Christina Dalcher, author of VOX ‘Sharp, cunning, and packed with shocks, Rock Paper Scissors gives new meaning to the word 'twisty.' A broken marriage, so many secrets, and a setting that will literally give you chills: just when you think you know what's going on, Alice Feeney sets off a new shockwave.’ Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, author of The Girls Are All So Nice Here ‘Deliciously dark . . . An exquisitely constructed, hugely entertaining thriller . . . I loved it.’ Catherine Ryan Howard, author of The Nothing Man ‘A perfectly-plotted thriller that hooked me from the opening scene . . . A scissor-sharp portrayal of a marriage on the rocks. Atmospheric, entertaining and clever.’ Philippa East, author of Safe and Sound

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Book Synopsis**SOON TO BE A MAJOR FILM STARRING HELENA BONHAM-CARTER** FROM THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE GALLOWS POLE COMES A POWERFUL NEW NOVEL A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR _______________________ ‘What a radical thing, these days, to have written a book so full of warmth and kindness ... Gorgeous’ - Max Porter, author of Lanny ‘Glorious ... Leaves an indelible impression ... A moving and subtle novel in many ways, infused with a love of the minute pleasures in life, and the lasting regrets’ – Scotland on Sunday _______________________ One summer following the Second World War, Robert Appleyard sets out on foot from his Durham village. Sixteen and the son of a coal miner, he makes his way across the northern countryside until he reaches the former smuggling village of Robin Hood’s Bay. There he meets Dulcie, an eccentric, worldly, older woman who lives in a ramshackle cottage facing out to sea. Staying with Dulcie, Robert’s life opens into one of rich food, sea-swimming, sunburn and poetry. The two come from different worlds, yet as the summer months pass, they form an unlikely friendship that will profoundly alter their futures. _______________________ An i Book of the Year A Reading Agency Book of the Year A BBC Radio 2 Book Club Pick A BBC Radio 4 'Book at Bedtime' An Observer Pick for 2019Trade ReviewThis quiet, lyrical novel confirms a powerful new voice * THE TIMES *This is a poetic book with a winning generosity of spirit, moving from a folksy celebration of the rural north to a revelation of the broader horizons that can come from reading and some serious culture * SUNDAY TIMES *It’s a poignant story, and Myers’ descriptions of the countryside are wonderful * MAIL ON SUNDAY *One of the most interesting, restless writers of his generation … Unfurling at the unhurried pace of a fern, it’s an evocatively lyrical paean to the countryside – deeply felt and closely observed * DAILY MAIL *A draft of cool, clear water, it feels like a cleansing book ... He’s such a good and brave writer … there’s a lot of heart in this book ... I was comparing it to some Ted Hughes poetry and it’s so much more hopeful than that … there’s light in this landscape ... A very original writer and has pushed the form in all kinds of ways * MONOCLE *Every page is studded with descriptive jewels … Deeply attuned to the natural world … Poetic … This book is a sensual pleasure … It’s about the forever things: good food, and art, and friendship, and how those pleasures can redeem us, even during the harshest of times * NEW STATESMAN *Quietly gripping … Written with Myers’s customary grit and brio … A welcome advance, one that sees Myers effortlessly extending his range * GUARDIAN *What a radical thing, these days, to have written a book so full of warmth and kindness. Two complaints: it made me hungry, especially their first meal. It made me want to swim so badly. It’s gorgeous -- MAX PORTERA keenly observed and heartfelt appreciation of landscape and place * HERALD *Myers’ prose and poetry makes a celebration of the "new Ondaatje" a far less preposterous mantle than it may seem * CAUGHT BY THE RIVER *Glorious ... Leaves an indelible impression ... A moving and subtle novel in many ways, infused with a love of the minute pleasures in life, and the lasting regrets * SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY *Imbued with all the evocative rhythms of the passing seasons. This is what folk music would look like if it came in the written form * THE CRACK *Book by book, over the past decade, Ben Myers has proved himself to be one of the most singular, moving and crucial voices of our times, making The Offing one of the must-read books of the year -- DAVID PEACEIt reminds me of a time when David Bowie could serve up something new with almost every album ... the book portrays an uncanny feminine touch and though the trip is gentle, there are deep undercurrents in this heart of a new rural darkness * CAUGHT BY THE RIVER *A tender, tragic but warming story of love and living amid the flux of time, the sea and the seasons, The Offing is both beautiful and beautifully told. Through its pages, Myers carefully and thoughtfully reaffirms the values and riches of human connection, freedom and the joy of living on your own terms -- ROB COWEN, award-winning author of Common GroundA gorgeous summer song of a book, quietly and precisely what the world needs, calling friendship and gentleness from people, place and language, The Offing is about the best of us. It is to be treasured and passed on -- HORATIO CLAREIntense and evocative * OBSERVER, Picks for 2019 *Ben Myers once again writes a rich backdrop of the natural world for this deeply tender, timely and necessary story about the power of relationships across the boundaries of age, class and gender. Everyone reading this book of hope will wish that at sixteen they too had met a Dulcie Piper -- LUKE TURNERBeautiful and evocative landscape writing, as you’d expect, but also a sensitive exploration of love, growing up, friendship and becoming an artist. Dulcie Piper is one of the best characters I’ve read in ages and I already miss her -- JENN ASHWORTHMyers’ eye for the natural world is as good as ever … A keenly observed and heartfelt appreciation of landscape and place * HERALD *‘Arresting and profoundly moving ... A state-of-the-nation novel, driven by love and concern ... A lament for the crumbling best of England. This a novel for our times’ * IRISH TIMES *A tight, lyrical and almost painfully truthful novel shot through with melancholy, desire and a fierce longing for the countryside … It confirms Myers’ place as one of the best writers of nature at work today -- Sarah Hughes * i *

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Book SynopsisA novel about writing and talking, self-effacement and self-expression, about the desire to create and the human art of self-portraiture in which that desire finds its universal form.

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Book SynopsisDiscover the warm, witty and compelling story of a woman trying to get her life back on track, from the No. 1 bestselling author of Grown Ups and Again, Rachel''Searingly insightful, Keyes finds lightness in the darkest and most violent of emotions'' Independent''High quality entertainment'' Marie Claire_________Meet Anna Walsh.Lying in her parents'' Good Front Room, covered in bandages, Anna dreams of leaving Dublin and returning to her beloved New York.To her home. To her job. And most of all to her husband Aidan.Unfortunately, her family have other ideas. She''s staying put. And Aidan? He''s refusing to even take her calls.The last thing Anna wants is to think about how she ended up in this mess. But with nothing else to do, she''s forced to ask herself why she''s thousands of miles from the life she loves.Where did it all go wrong? And can she fix it, before itTrade ReviewSearingly insightful, and Keyes finds lightness in the darkest and most violent of emotions * Independent *PRAISE FOR MARIAN KEYES -- :It will break your heart and nourish your soul...No one can evoke deep feeling with such a light touch as Marian Keyes -- Nigella LawsonFunny, heartbreaking and so wise * Daily Mail *Has all of Keyes's trademark wit, humour and whip-smart dialogue * Observer *Perceptive, hilarious and moving * Daily Record *Funny, heartbreaking and achingly real -- Jane FallonNo author marries heartbreak and hilarity so seamlessly * Mail on Sunday *Funny, tender and completely absorbing -- Graham NortonCharming, funny and poignant. But also profound, heartbreaking -- Nina StibbeKeyes at her best: capturing everyday voices with humour and empathy with writing that you'll devour in a weekend. Just pure and simple joy * Stylist *Searingly insightful, and Keyes finds lightness in the darkest and most violent of emotions * Independent *

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisIn this clever and swoonworthy new novel from the New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis, life''s moving pieces bring rival chess players together in a match for the heart. Mallory Greenleaf is done with chess. Every move counts nowadays; after the sport led to the destruction of her family four years earlier, Mallory''s focus is on her mom, her sisters, and the dead-end job that keeps the lights on. That is, until she begrudgingly agrees to play in one last charity tournament and inadvertently wipes the board with notorious ''Kingkiller'' Nolan Sawyer: current world champion and reigning Bad Boy of chess. Nolan''s loss to an unknown rookie shocks everyone. What''s even more confusing? His desire to cross pawns again. What kind of gambit is Nolan playing? The smart move would be to walk away. Resign. Game over. But Mallory''s victory opens the door to sorely needed cash-prizes and despite everythin

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Book Synopsis''The quintessential beach read - if fun, pacey and beautifully written books about complicated friendships are your SPF of choice'' PANDORA SYKES, SUNDAY TIMES STYLE''Fabulously stylish and funny'' DAILY MAIL''Absorbingly astute'' HEAT''Hugely entertaining . . . thought-provoking and touching. I loved it!'' REBECCA WAIT__________________________________________2004. Serge, Rosie and Daniel are enjoying their final weeks of university. They are young, inseparable and full of optimism.Fifteen years later, they are guests at a lavish four-day wedding in Provence - and no longer friends.Life has not turned out quite as planned since their heady days at Oxford. Film-maker Serge is winning awards, but hiding a huge debt and a fractured relationship. Behind Rosie''s social ease, she is heartbroken. And with Daniel''s fame has come spiralling anxiety.Now, with four days of organised fun ahead, all three are armed with their best conversation and brightest smile. At least everyone is following the same script: do not bring up the past. But as the Champagne flows, appearances slip and true feelings emerge.Perfect for fans of THE WEDDING PEOPLE, THREE DAYS IN JUNE and BLUE SISTERS, this is a funny, poignant and beautifully observed examination of relationships, class, money and pretending to have it all.__________________________________________''You won''t be able to put this one down!'' CLOSER''I really adored it. Brilliantly funny, whip-smart'' LOTTIE MOGGACH''Witty, poigant'' BELLA''Sharp, clever, and achingly relatable'' JUSTIN MYERS

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Book SynopsisShortlisted for Best Novel in the Irish Book Awards Longlisted for the 2020 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction From the acclaimed author of Man Booker-longlisted History of the Rain ‘Lyrical, tender and sumptuously perceptive’ Sunday Times ‘A love letter to the sleepy, unhurried and delightfully odd Ireland that is all but gone’ Irish Independent After dropping out of the seminary, seventeen-year-old Noel Crowe finds himself back in Faha, a small Irish parish where nothing ever changes, including the ever-falling rain. But one morning the rain stops and news reaches the parish – the electricity is finally arriving. With it comes a lodger to Noel’s home, Christy McMahon. Though he can’t explain it, Noel knows right then: something has changed. As Noel navigates his coming-of-age by Christy’s side, falling in and out of love, Christy’s buried past gradually comes to light, casting a glow on a small world and making it new.Trade ReviewAdmirers of Niall Williams’s Booker-longlisted History of the Rain will not be disappointed to learn that his latest novel is possibly even better … What makes this so compelling and enjoyable is Williams’s transparent love of his characters and delight in his setting -- Alexander Larman * Observer *Charming is one word for Williams’ prose. It is also life-affirming and written with a turn of phrase that makes the reader want to underline something on every page. I suggest we all buy his books, pushing him into that realm of globally fashionable Irish writers, but more importantly, sharing with a vast audience his humane and poetic world view -- Isabel Berwick * Financial Times *Williams has the eye of a poet and the raconteur’s knack for finding a tale in the most unpromising nook of everyday life, as a now-adult Noel, summoning the Faha of his nostalgic imagination, narrates an elegiac novel that’s careful always to offset the antic rural eccentricity with darker notes of loss * Daily Mail *This is Happiness returns to the beguiling gloom of Faha … [A] wise and redemptive novel … It dares, in addition, to be wildly comic … With his silver ear for speech and extreme attentiveness to the Heaneyesque “music of everyday”, Mr Williams treads softly on the dreams of youth and memories of old age -- Caroline Jackson * Country Life *Lovingly written, the text is brimming with humanity, truth and humour – and then there’s the pitch perfect language, with not a word out of place … Magnificent -- Sue Leonard * Irish Examiner *Sharp as a tack, bright as a button, and engorged with rich humour, this is a love letter to the sleepy, unhurried and delightfully odd Ireland that is all but gone * Irish Independent *A surge of language, beautiful and enchanting, a novel that weaves a love of literature into its own moving tale -- Praise for 'History of the Rain' * Guardian *Extremely moving, poignantly capturing Ruth’s doomed childhood relationship with her twin brother. By the final chapter I was weeping -- Praise for 'History of the Rain' * Sunday Times *Deeply allusive, infectiously hopeful … Somewhere between bildungsroman, epic and family saga, History of the Rain is an unashamedly unfashionable, lyrical paean to the pleasure of reading and to serendipity -- Praise for 'History of the Rain' * Daily Telegraph *A delicate and graceful love story that is also an exaltation of love itself . . . A luminously written, magical work of fiction -- Praise for 'Four Letters of Love' * New York Times Book Review *

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE 'Beautiful, horrible... the most exciting discovery I've made in fiction for some time' Kazuo Ishiguro 'Smoky, carnal, dazzling' Lauren Groff Welcome to Buenos Aires, a place of nightmares and twisted imaginings, where missing children come back from the dead and unearthed bones carry terrible curses. Thrumming with murderous intentions, family betrayals and morbid desires, these stories shine a light on a violent city gripped by urban madness; giving voice to the lost, the oppressed and the forgotten. Lucid and darkly poetic, unsettling and otherworldly, these tales of revenge, witchcraft and fetishes are a masterpiece of contemporary Gothic and a bewitching exploration of the dark inclinations that threaten to lead us over the edge. 'I loved these twisted, lustful whispers in the dark' Daisy Johnson 'Queen of Latin American gothic' Financial TimesTrade ReviewAfter you've lived in Enriquez's marvellous brain for the time it takes to read The Dangers of Smoking in Bed, the known world feels ratcheted a few degrees off centre. Smoky, carnal and dazzling -- Lauren Groff, author of Fates and FuriesI loved these twisted, lustful whispers in the dark. There is serious power in this writing -- Daisy Johnson, author of SistersA weird and wonderful exploration of contemporary horror - cities falling apart, society turning on itself, the loneliness of the internet age. But more than that: these stories are fun. Wild, triggering, sinister, button-pushing fun -- Lisa McInerney, author of The Glorious HeresiesRotting little ghosts, heartbeat fetishes, curses and witches and meat: each of these stories is a luscious, bewitching nightmare. I adore this book -- Kirsty Logan, author of The GracekeepersEnriquez's work: tainted rivers, corrupted streets, spoiled meat, slain children, deeply registers the horror of known commonplace. She writes her stories, based in the atmosphere of truth, with a darkly descriptive poetic turn -- Patti SmithEnriquez is a mesmerizing writer who demands to be read. Like Bolaño, she is interested in matters of life and death, and her fiction hits with the full force of a train -- Dave Eggers, author of The CircleSpine-tingling but stunning... these glittering, gothic stories are a force to be reckoned with, and Enriquez's talent and fearlessness is something to behold * Financial Times *Brilliantly unsettling... Tricking us into waiting for a ghost to "put out its head", Enriquez surprises us with real horror -- Chris Power * Guardian *Reminds us what a remarkable and twisted instrument [Enriquez's] imagination is... A heady brew -- Jane Graham * Big Issue *When it comes to book reviewing clichés, the word "haunting" is surely one of the tattiest, yet Mariana Enriquez's newly translated short story collection restores to that tired adjective all its most mysterious, fearful strangeness... an arrestingly original talent -- Hephzibah Anderson * Observer *A twisted mix of nightmarish desires and ink-black gothic... that will leave you shaken but secretly rather thrilled. Everything about these tales feels shockingly alive... Darkly comic * The Times *[Mariana Enriquez] reaffirms her claim to the title of queen of Latin American gothic * Financial Times *[A] spine-tingling, luminous collection whose enthralling characters all dance across the spectral line between our world and the beyond -- Best books of 2021 * Oprah Daily *Argentinian writer Mariana Enriquez is a highly persuasive cinematic and visceral spell-caster with an apparent desire to plant immovable nightmarish seeds in the brains of her readers... The Dangers of Smoking in Bed showcase[s] her extraordinary imagination * Big Issue *

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Book SynopsisAn elderly artist and her six-year-old grand-daughter are away on a summer together on a tiny island in the gulf of Finland. As the two learn to adjust to each other's fears, whims and yearnings, a fierce yet understated love emerges - one that encompasses not only the summer inhabitants but the very island itself.Trade ReviewThis slim, wise masterpiece... is both unsentimental and heart-melting, and I read it every year. -- Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love * Guardian *It is like looking through clear water and seeing, suddenly, the depth ... Jansson was a writer who knew the proper magnitudes of our small worlds. -- Ali SmithThe Summer Book's limpid style belies a deep psychological subtlety...Rereading it now, it feels like a survival guide. -- Melissa HarrisonTove Jansson was a genius. This is a marvellous, beautiful, wise novel, which is also very funny. -- Philip PullmanThis is a wonderful, life-affirming, spirited book. Reading it was a tonic. -- Chris Stewart (author, Driving Over Lemons)It's hard to describe the astonishing achievement of Jansson's artistry . . . a perfection of the small, quiet read. -- Ali Smith * Guardian, Book of the Week *The Summer Book is a marvellously uplifting read, full of gentle humour and wisdom. -- Justine Picardie * Daily Telegraph *Eccentric, funny, wise, full of joys and small adventures. This is a book for life. -- Esther FreudA marvellous book.... The prose is sublime: plain, but not oppressively so. * Independent on Sunday *Few books since Robinson Crusoe have evoked the joys of island living so powerfully as this Finnish novella. -- Jonathan Heawood * Observer *A wonderful novel to devour in the sunshine . . . full of charm and character. -- Benedicte Page * the Independent *An odd but beautiful novel which blends humour and poetry with detailed observation of tiny things. -- Georgia Metcalfe * Daily Mail *Every so often, a book is published that captures something in us. . . . The Summer Book is one of those. -- Rachel Simhon * The Daily Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisYou'd think you would be allowed to relax over Christmas, but not in the world of the Thursday Murder Club. On Boxing Day, a dangerous package is smuggled across the English coast. When it goes missing, chaos is unleashed. The body count starts to rise - including someone close to the Thursday Murder Club - as our gang face an impossible search and their most deadly opponents yet. With the clock ticking down and a killer heading to Cooper's Chase, has their luck finally run out? And who will be 'The Last Devil To Die'?-----Readers can't get enough of the Thursday Murder Club series!'Opening the new Osman is like sitting down to dinner with treasured friends you know are going to kill you - deliciously!' PETER JAMES'Full of humour and heart, Osman delivers another must-read. I loved it' HARLAN COBEN'A warm, wise and witty warning never to underestimate the elderly' VAL MCDERMID'So smart and funny. Deplorably good' IAN RANKIN'Smart, compassionate, warm, moving and so VERY funny' MARIAN K

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Book SynopsisNevin Nollop left the islanders of Nollop with the treasured legacy of his pangram the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. But as the letters begin to crumble on the monumental inscription, the island's council forbids the use of the lost letters and silence threatens Ella and her family.Trade Review"...incredibly funny, incredibly charming...one of the most astonishing technical achievements I think I've ever seen in books...it's a joy..." Natalie Haynes, A Good Read, BBC Radio 4 * "...it's a really rare beast..." Kate Mosse, A Good Read, BBC Radio 4*

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