Contemporary Fiction Books

Book SynopsisA favorite mystery series of Hillary Clinton (as mentioned in What Happened, The New York Times Book Review, and New York Magazine)A New York Times Notable Book of the YearAgatha Award Winner for Best First NovelMacavity Award Winner for Best First NovelAlex Award WinnerFiercely independent Maisie Dobbs has recently set herself up as a private detective. Such a move may not seem especially startling. But this is 1929, and Maisie is exceptional in many ways.Having started as a maid to the London aristocracy, studied her way to Cambridge and served as a nurse in the Great War, Maisie has wisdom, experience and understanding beyond her years. Little does she realise the extent to which this strength of character is soon to be tested. For her first case forces her to uncover secrets long buried, and to confront ghosts from her own past . . .''In Maisie Dobbs, Jacqueline Winspear has given us a real gift'' Alexander McCall SmithTrade ReviewSue Baker's 'Quarterly Highlights' * Publishing News *'In Maisie Dobbs, Jacqueline Winspear has given us a real gift. Maisie Dobbs has not been created - she has been discovered. Such people are always there amongst us, waiting for somebody like Ms. Winspear to come along and reveal them. And what a revelation it is!' * Alexander McCall Smith *It's a long time since I've read a crime novel that begins as well as Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs ... well written ... [Jacqueline Winspear] is set fair for a very bright future as a crime novelist. * Simon Brett, Daily Mail *Feisty, working-class heroine Maisie is a deliberate throwback to the sleuthettes of old-fashioned crime writing and will appeal to all those fans who pine for uncomplicated characters and a strong demarcation between good and bad. The well-plotted story, its characters and the picture of London between the wars are decidedly romantic. American readers loved it; many Brits will, too. * The Guardian *Maisie Dobbs is a welcome and unusual addition to the crowded world of literary detectives ... A very readable whodunnit * Sainsbury's Magazine *Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs is a welcome addition to the sleuthing scene. Simultaneously self-reliant and vulnerable, Maisie isn't a character I'll easily forget * Elizabeth George *Much more than just another detective story... thought-provoking * Newbooksmag *Readers sensing a story-within-a-story won't be disappointed. But first, they must prepare to be astonished at the sensitivity and wisdom with which Maisie resolves her first professional assignment * New York Times *A wry and immensely readable beginning to what promises to be a vivid new addition to crime fiction * Mail on Sunday *Even if detective stories aren't your thing, you'll love Maisie Dobbs * New Woman *The book is much more than a cosy mystery - it is also about women's growing emancipation and the profound changes to society after the First World War. * Mail on Sunday's You *

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Book SynopsisThe fourth book in the multi-million copy bestselling No. 1 Ladies'' Detective Agency seriesThe one with the rival detectiveMma Ramotswe faces the unexpected and unwelcome appearance in town of a new private detective, Mr Cephas Buthelezi. To ensure she does not lose clients to him, she takes on several cases at once, including those of an errant husband and of a man targeted by ostrich rustlers. Meanwhile, Mma Makutsi has decided to set up a typing school to teach men some useful skills - but Mma Ramotswe fears her secretary is falling under the spell of a man who does not have her best interests at heart...''A glorious creation'' Mail on Sunday''Happiness and quiet wisdom'' Daily Telegraph''Sparkles with African sunshine and Mma Ramotswe''s wit'' Dallas Morning News''It''s hard to find fault with such good-natured and pleasurable optimism'' ObserverTrade ReviewMma Ramotswe's methods - and her results - are as unusual as the novels they inhabit... All this activity is much less about whodunnit than why * New York Times *McCall Smith is a careful, emblematic writer who is beyond gifted... he is a natural storyteller * The List *The hypnotic ease of McCall Smith's style makes everything clear almost instantly... Throughout the Botswana landscape is richly evoked... Happiness and quiet wisdom prevail * Daily Telegraph *Mma Ramotswe is a glorious creation, a character likely to prove every bit as enduring as Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot. * Mail on Sunday *Sparkles with African sunshine and Mma Ramotswe's wit * Dallas Morning News *It's hard to find fault with such good-natured and pleasurable optimism * Observer *I can think of no author writing today so deserving of an enormous audience * New Statesman *This series' huge appeal lies in its mannerly folk wisdom and wry, gentle humor, full of wit, nuance and caring... It's an oasis in a genre that too often seems a desert of violence and inhumanity * Chicago Sun Times *As beguiling as Alexader McCall Smith's earlier books about the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency... His prose is deceptively simple, with a gift for evoking the earth and sky of Africa * Seattle Times *Get your hands on one of the mysteries from the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series... Each book is a thinly disguised love letter to the people and culture of Southern Africa... A great escape * Elle *Mma Ramotswe's methods - and her results - are as unusual as the novels they inhabit . . . All this activity is much less about whodunnit than why * NEW YORK TIMES *McCall Smith is a careful, emblematic writer who is beyond gifted, he is a natural storyteller. McCall Smith has once again charmed the sarongs off us * THE LIST *The hypnotic ease of McCall Smith's style makes everything clear almost instantly . . . Throughout the Botswana landscape is richly evoked. Happiness and quiet wisdom prevail. * DAILY TELEGRAPH *Mma Ramotswe is a glorious creation, a character likely to prove every bit as enduring as Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot. * MAIL ON SUNDAY *

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Book SynopsisThe fifth book in the multi-million copy bestselling No. 1 Ladies'' Detective Agency seriesThe one where J. L. B. Matekoni takes a great leap . . . Once again, Mma Ramotswe is asked to look into the love lives of fellow Botswanans: a rich woman has a number of suitors and wants her to investigate their motives. But to tell the truth, it is her own love life about which Precious wants answers. She has been engaged to Mr J.L.B. Matekoni for so long that she is starting to wonder if they will ever marry. His mind, though, is elsewhere - Mma Potokwani has persuaded him to perform a parachute jump for charity, and he is not happy about it at all . . .''Hugely enjoyable'' Sunday Times''Extremely funny'' Mail on Sunday''I haven''t read anything with such unalloyed pleasure for a long time'' Sunday Telegraph''McCall Smith is a natural born storyteller'' Scotland on SundayTrade ReviewForget the library - the body is in the mud hut. An African Marple created by a Scottish law lecturer * Stephen McGinty, Sunday Times *McCall Smith's familiar tone of wry amusement permeates the narrative, as does the detective's wisdom . . . hugely enjoyable * Sunday Times *This is art that conceals art. I haven't read anything with such unalloyed pleasure for a long time * Anthony Daniels, Sunday Telegraph *Highly amusing, intelligent and heart-warming * Scotland on Sunday *McCall Smith is a natural born storyteller, filling his prose with rhythm and repetition . . . Charming, quirky and timeless * Scotland on Sunday *Refreshing, funny and life-affirming * Geographical *Addictive... our reviewer was so entertained, she bought the rest of the series! * Marie Claire *Utterly enchanting * Chicago Sun Times *Beguiling... The author's deceptively simple prose... is as supple as ever. His gift for effortless description of dusty, sun-baked Africa is undiminished * Seattle Times *Smith's big-hearted Botswana series... allows his readers to escape into a world of simple, picturesque pleasures and upstanding virtues * New York Times Book Review *Brims with the same old-fashioned charm as its lovely predecessors... An engaging read * Entertainment Weekly *A treasure of wit and wisdom * Dallas Morning News *Delightful... The warm humanity is what brings readers back... There is a simplicity and lyricism in the language that brings out the profound importance of everyday revelations * San Francisco Chronicle *Enthralling... Mma Ramotswe is someone readers can't help but love * USA Today *The greatest mystery in this witty and charming book is whether Mma Ramotswe will succeed in getting her fiance to name a date for their long-anticipated wedding. It's hard to conceive of any reader not being just as eager to find out as she is * Wall Street Journal *Soothing... New readers can start here and enjoy a plot even more inventive than the earlier ones * People *Forget the library - the body is in the mud hut. An African Marple created by a Scottish law lecturer * Stephen McGinty, Sunday Times *McCall Smith's familiar tone of wry amusement permeates the narrative, as does the detective's wisdom . . . hugely enjoyable * Sunday Times *This is art that conceals art. I haven't read anything with such unalloyed pleasure for a long time * Anthony Daniels, Sunday Telegraph *Highly amusing, intelligent and heart-warming * Scotland on Sunday *McCall Smith is a natural born storyteller, filling his prose with rhythm and repetition . . . Charming, quirky and timeless * Scotland on Sunday *McCall Smith's familiar tone of wry amusement permeates the narrative, as does the detective's wisdom ... hugely enjoyable. * SUNDAY TIMES *This is art that conceals art. I haven't read anything with such unalloyed pleasure for a long time * Anthony Daniels, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *Highly amusing, intelligent and heart-warming * SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY *McCall Smith is a natural born storyteller, filling his prose with rhythm and repetition...Charming, quirky and timeless * SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY *

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Book Synopsis***Pre-order Andrew Miller''s new novel THE LAND IN WINTER now - coming October 2024***''ANDREW MILLER''S WRITING IS A SOURCE OF WONDER AND DELIGHT'' Hilary Mantel''ONE OF OUR MOST SKILFUL CHRONICLERS OF THE HUMAN HEART AND MIND'' Sunday TimesWinner of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and the International Dublin Literary Award''Astoundingly good''The Times''Dazzling''Observer''Timeless''SpectatorThe extraordinary prize-winning debut from Andrew Miller - a highly imaginative, atmospheric first novelAt the dawn of the Enlightenment, a man is born unable to feel pain. A source of wonder and scientific curiosity as a child, he rises through the ranks of Georgian society to become a brilliant surgeon. Yet as a human being he fails, for he can no more feel love and compassion than pain. Until, en route to St Petersburg to inoculaTrade ReviewA wild adventure through 18th-century England and Russia, medicine, madness, landscape and weather, rendered in prose of consummate beauty -- Books of the Year * Independent *A really remarkable first novel, original, powerfully written . . . Miller's narrative is gripping and his imagination extraordinary * Sunday Telegraph *Astoundingly good . . . it shines like a beacon * The Times *Timeless and thought-provoking . . . it is something very rare in modern fiction, a true work of art * Spectator *Gripping . . . a dazzling debut * Observer *Dazzling . . . Miller tackles notions of mortality and humanity to brilliant effect . . . truly wonderful * Evening Standard *An extraordinary first novel . . . one is constantly delighted with strange and vivid imagery, fresh and startling metaphors, flashes of insight, deft twists of plot and resonant variations on dominant themes . . . a mature novel of ideas soaked in the sensory detail of its turbulent times * New York Times Book Review *Exceptionally intelligent and elegant . . . remarkable for its feeling and its humane sensibility * Sunday Times *A true rarity: a debut novel which is original, memorable, engrossing and subtle * Guardian *Strange, unsettling, sad, beautiful and profound . . . the sense of period is brilliantly handled * Literary Review *More than merits comparison with the likes of Angela Carter's Nights at the Circus and Patrick Süskind's Perfume . . . a blistering debut * Time Out *The novel's evocation of the period, down to the finest detail, is thoroughly confident . . . a startling novel * Independent on Sunday *A finely wrought and provocative novel * Daily Telegraph *Impressive * Mail on Sunday *

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Book Synopsis''Breathtaking. Only terms like colossal, gigantic, titanic, unbelievable, gargantuan are properly descriptive'' Chicago TribuneOver one hundred years have passed since Dirk Struan founded Hong Kong''s oldest trading company. But now, the Noble House is in danger. As Hong Kong itself becomes the deadly playground of the CIA, the KGB and the People''s Republic of China, rival tai-pans, seeking revenge for blood feuds over a century old, gather for the kill.''Fiction for addicts . . . A book that you can get lost in for weeks. Not only is it as long as life, it''s also as rich with possibilities'' New York TimesTrade ReviewBreathtaking. Only terms like colossal, gigantic, titanic, unbelievable, gargantuan are properly descriptive * Chicago Tribune *Seethes with drama, sex, crime . . . Clavell is, as always, a matchless talespinner * Cosmopolitan *A grand drama, with the glamour, mystique and perils of the Orient . . . it has such breadth and power that at the end you will want to start at the beginning again. * Manchester Evening News *NOBLE HOUSE totally fulfils the function of a novel, taking me out of myself and transporting me into a majestic sweep of intrigue and excitement * David Niven *Fiction for addicts . . . A book that you can get lost in for weeks. Not only is it as long as life, it's also as rich with possibilities * New York Times *

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Book SynopsisIn 1904, when she was six, Polly Flint went to live with her two holy aunts at the yellow house by the marsh - so close to the sea that it seemed to toss like a ship, so isolated that she might have been marooned on an island. And there she stayed for eighty-one years, while the century raged around her, while lamplight and Victorian order became chaos and nuclear dred. Crusoe''s Daughter, ambitious, moving and wholly original, is her story.Trade ReviewShe does fiction as it should be done, with confidence and insight -- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie * Observer *

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTIONTheo Decker, aged thirteen, is left alone in the world after surviving a catastrophe that kills his only close relative - his mother - and tears him away from everything he knows. Tormented by grief, drifting from home to home, he grows increasingly obsessed with a small, enchanting work of art which dominates his imagination and ultimately draws him, as an adult, into a much darker life than he could ever have foreseen.''A masterpiece'' The Times''Astonishing'' Guardian''Superb'' Daily Mail''A gripping page turner'' Independent on SundayTrade ReviewA glorious novel that pulls together all her remarkable storytelling talents into a rapturous, symphonic whole and reminds the reader of the immersive, stay-up-all-night pleasures of reading -- Michiko Kakutani New York Times The Goldfinch is a triumph ... Donna Tartt has delivered an extraordinary work of fiction -- Stephen King New York Times An astonishing achievement ... if anyone has lost their love of storytelling, The Goldfinch will most certainly return it to them. The last few pages of the novel take all the serious, big, complicated ideas beneath the surface and hold them up to the light Guardian A modern epic and an old-fashioned pilgrimage...Dickens with guns, Dostoevsky with pills, Tolstoy with antiques. And if it doesn't gain Tartt entry to the mostly boys' club that is The Great American Novel, to drink with life-members John Steinbeck, Harper Lee, Saul Bellow, Philip Roth et al, then we should close down the joint and open up another for the Great Global Novel - for that is what this is -- Alex O'Connell The Times

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Book SynopsisClover has loved James for as long as she can remember, since before she knew what what love was. But fate seems determined to keep them apart. As children, Clover and James played beside a turquoise sea under cloudless skies, their Caribbean island home a place of pleasure and privilege, of lush lawns and tennis parties. In such a paradise nothing should obstruct the kind of happiness Clover dreams of, except that, as she discovers, true love is often harder than paradise allows for. And when Clover''s mother falls out of love with her husband, a web of complications is woven that may take Clover a lifetime to unravel. If she ever can . . . Tender and true, The Forever Girl traces love''s unpredictable path to maturity with style, wit and feeling.Trade ReviewHis most surprising book yet . . . Smith's writing has charm and wisdom, and Clover's quest for her beloved is gorgeously romantic * The Times *

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Book Synopsis''A gothic horror story of quite exceptional quality'' Financial Times ''Two years after I killed Blyth I murdered my young brother Paul, for quite different reasons than I''d disposed of Blyth, and then a year after that I did for my young cousin Esmerelda, more or less on a whim. That''s my score to date. Three. I haven''t killed anybody for years, and don''t intend to ever again. It was just a stage I was going through.'' Enter - if you can bear it - the extraordinary private world of Frank, just sixteen, and unconventional, to say the least.Praise for Iain Banks:''The most imaginative novelist of his generation'' The Times''His verve and talent will always be recognised, and his work will always find and enthral new readers'' Ken MacLeod, Guardian''His work was mordant, surreal, and fiercely intelligent'' Neil Gaiman''An exceptional wordsmith'' ScotsmanTrade ReviewA gothic horror story of quite exceptional quality... macabre, bizarre and... quite impossible to put down. There is a control and assurance in the book, an originality rare in established writers twice the author's age. This is an outstandingly good read * Financial Times *Iain Banks has written one of the most brilliant first novels I have come across for some time. His study of an obsessive personality is extraordinary, written with a clarity and attention to detail that is most impressive. One can only admire a truly remarkable novel * Daily Telegraph *If you are squeamish or easily frightened, then leave The Wasp Factory severely alone. The novel is saved from sheer beastliness by its black humour and its message. Read it if you dare * Daily Express *If a nastier, more vicious or distasteful novel appears this spring, I shall be surprised. But there is unlikely to be a better one either. You can hardly breathe for fear of missing a symbol, or a fine phrase, or a horror so chilling that your hair stands on end. Infinitely painful to read, grotesque but human, these pages have a total reality rare in fiction. A mighty imagination has arrived on the scene * Mail on Sunday *One of the top 100 novels of the century * Independent *A brilliant book, barmy and barnacled with the grotesque * New Statesman *Brilliant... irresistible... compelling * New York Times *A first novel of such curdling power and originality that whether you like it or not - and you may hate it - the arrival of its author Iain Banks must mark the literary debut of the year. It's astonishing, unsettling and brilliantly written * Cosmopolitan *A first novel not only of tremendous promise, but also of achievement, a minor masterpiece, perhaps. There is no label. It is an obsessive novel, a bad dream of a book. Death and blood and gore fill the pages, lightened only by the dark humour, the surreal touches, and the poetry of the thing. There is something foreign and nasty here, an amazing new talent * Punch *There is no denying the bizarre fertility of the author's imagination: his brilliant dialogue, his cruel humour, his repellent inventiveness. The majority of the literate public, however, will be relieved that only reviewers are obliged to look at any of it * Irish Times *

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Book Synopsis''Exhilarating... a work of imagination and arresting originality'' Sunday Telegraph The war is ending, perhaps ended... For the castle and its occupants the troubles are just beginning. Armed gangs roam its lawless land, where each farm and house supports a column of dark smoke. Taking to the roads with the other refugees, anonymous in their raggedness, seems safer than remaining in the ancient keep. But the lieutenant of an outlaw band has other ideas, and the castle becomes the focus for a dangerous game of desire, deceit and death... Praise for Iain Banks:''The most imaginative novelist of his generation'' The Times''His verve and talent will always be recognised, and his work will always find and enthral new readers'' Ken MacLeod, Guardian''His work was mordant, surreal, and fiercely intelligent'' Neil Gaiman''An exceptional wordsmith'' ScotsmanTrade ReviewAn apocalyptic masterpiece * Financial Times *Exhilarating... a work of imagination and arresting originality * Sunday Telegraph *Compulsively readable... the enigma at the heart of the novel will ensure repeated readings * Times Literary Supplement *Tour de force writing * Independent on Sunday *His boldest and most ambitious experiment with fiction since The Bridge * Time Out *

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Book Synopsis''Captivating'' Sunday Times ''Will utterly terrify you - in the best way possible'' Buzzfeed ''While it is a mystery, the true strength of the novel comes from the honesty of the girls'' portrayal'' Guardian''A hypnotic debut'' Elle ''We couldn''t put this one down'' Marie Claire This is not a story of bad things happening to bad girls. I say this because I know you, Dex, and I know how you think. I''m going to tell you a story, and this time, it will be the truth. Hannah Dexter is a nobody, ridiculed and isolated at school by golden girl Nikki Drummond. But in their junior year of high school, Nikki''s boyfriend walks into the woods and shoots himself. In the wake of the suicide, Hannah befriends new girl Lacey and soon the pair are inseparable, bonded by their shared hatred of Nikki. Lacey transforms good girl Hannah into Dex Trade ReviewLike lightning in a bottle, Robin Wasserman's Girls on Fire captures girlhood friendship in all its shattering intensity. Seldom do you find a novel that so transports you to the dark, febrile terrain of adolescence, when intimacy and connection can turn on a dime to something far more dangerous. A captivating, terrifying novel, and one you won't forget * Megan Abbott *Flicking between points of view, Wasserman is even in her storytelling, sustaining her narrative by slowly revealing the dangerous secrets Lacey is keeping. Wasserman writes with immense energy. As a portrait of a coming-of-age, obsessive female friendship, the novel is captivating * Sunday Times *Convincing and harrowing . . . vividly detailed * Daily Mail *The tumultuous emotional extremes of adolescence are vividly conjured up in this brooding tale . . . This creepy tale is powerful and haunting * Sunday Mirror *This is a white-hot but pitch-black tale of adolescent friendship...Wasserman chillingly reveals how the intense emotions of teenage years can go to the bad * Sunday Express *Robin Wasserman's novel Girls on Fire will utterly terrify you - in the best way possible.... A dark, chilling story of secrets, violence, and female friendship, Girls on Fire will burn in the mind long after you finish reading * Buzzfeed *A suicide brings naïve Hannah together with the town's bad girl, Lacey, who has a secret that will change everything. We couldn't put this one down * Marie Claire *A hypnotic debut about an intense, obsessive friendship that leaves chaos in its wake * Elle *Mean Girls plus We Need to Talk About Kevin plus Heathers equals Girls on Fire. One of those books that make you glad you're not a teen anymore . . . Tragedy ensues in this pressure cooker of a novel' * Glamour *Robin Wasserman's debut fizzes with energy * Good Housekeeping *Wasserman has an affinity for the female rebel, a talent for combining storytelling that has a confessional feel with a plot full of thrills and chills * Daily Telegraph *Female friendship, adolescent or otherwise, has always been fertile ground for fiction. The intensity. The jealousy. The passion. The mirroring. The neediness. All these and more are present in YA author Robin Wasserman's"adult" (Old Adult?) debut, Girls on Fire. Hannah Dexter is the uncool girl at school, mocked and isolated by queen bee Nikki Drummond. Until life takes a bleakly unexpected turn for Nikki, and Hannah finds herself befriended by new girl Lacey Champlain. On the surface they have nothing in common - except a burning urge for revenge. Set in a 1990s besotted with Kurt Cobain, River Phoenix and Doc Martens, Girls on Fire puts Wasserman on course to join Megan Abbott and Louise O'Neill in proving the distinction between YA and OA is utterly spurious * The Pool, Bedtime Bookclub *A deep, dark vision of the dangers of girlhood emerges from this captivating novel. Life changes for unpopular Hannah Dexter when she makes friend with new girl Lacey who rebrands her as Dex and teaches her to wear Docs and like Kurt Cobain. Everything is on the up but not for long... * Stylist.co.uk *Electrifying story about two teenage girls and a mystery suicide * Heat, Our Top Five Reads *One of the most gripping reads of the year. Heady, atmospheric and thrilling, you'll be turning the pages long after you'd planned on putting the book down. And it is well worth staying up for * Irish News *Wasserman has created a modern fable about female adolescence gone horribly wrong. An unsettling cautionary tale of friendships aligned and realigned, alliances made and broken, lives beginning and ruined, this is one of the most gripping reads of the year * Glasgow Herald *Part murder mystery, part love story, this page-turner explores the dark side of the all-consuming friendship between a wide-eyed good girl and a grunge-worshipping rebel * Cosmopolitan *This is one of the most gripping reads of the year...perfect for thriller seekers * Belfast Telegraph, Book of the Week *A captivating study of obsessive female friendship and the angst of teenage emotion -- Sebastian Shakespeare * Tatler *A gripping coming-of-age story with a difference -- Natasha Harding * The Sun *Heady, atmospheric and thrilling * Independent i *Explores the line where close female friendships can blur into obsession and self-obliteration....At the heart of the dark story is an intoxicating and all-consuming friendship between two teenage girls * New York Times *A perfectly constructed literary novel... nearly impossible to put down...Wasserman does so many things right... it's hard to count them all.... Girls on Fire is an inferno - it's brutally gorgeous, and you know it could explode anytime, but you can't turn away, even for a second * NPR.org *Girls on Fire is a dark, propulsive fever-dream of youth and friendship-a piercing vision of what it means to mistake yourself for who you are in someone else's eyes. I wanted to grab these girls and shake them, sing them lullabies, stop them-but all I could do was keep reading them, relentlessly enthralled by the heat-seeking missile of Robin Wasserman's fearless imagination * Leslie Jamison, author of The Empathy Exams *Focuses on the intense and increasingly toxic relationship of two outcasts. Awkward nonentity Hannah Dexter is excluded by queen bee Nikki and her acolytes and desperately lonely until rebellious new girl Lacey befriends her, citing their mutual dislike of the reigning mean girl. Under Lacey's tutelage, Hannah evolves into Dex, with an altogether cooler wardrobe and an appetite for risk-taking, including involvement with black magic. Lacey, who has several dark secrets, eggs her on, and inevitably, things go too far ... written with great panache and evident sympathy for its subjects * Guardian, 'the best recent crime novels' *One of those books that makes you breathe a sigh of relief that you're not a teenager any more, this is the story of outsider Hannah, who is bullied at high school by queen bee Nikki. Big mistake Nikki, huge. Tragedy ensues in this pressure cooker of a novel that examines the intensity of adolescent female friendships and life growing up in smalltown America...file it under Heathers and Virgin Suicides. * Glamour, May 2016 'New titles we love' *A book so wonderful, so terrible, so nightmarishly compelling that I hardly knew what to say when I finished reading it. Wasserman has wrapped up a love story inside a murder mystery, a promise and a testament inside a confession - and has a title ever been truer? The reader comes away singed -- Kelly LinkLike a mini Thelma and Louise as directed by David Lynch, the relationship between Dex and Lacey dances around the death of a high-school jock and the slow undoing of his near-perfect girlfriend. Dark, disturbing and utterly fresh, this is a story to pick up and not put down * Stylist, The Most Addictive Thrillers of 2016 *A chilling story of school life and female friendship that starts and ends with a tragedy * Independent, Best Books to Read in 2016 *A dark story of a muddied friendship between two girls * Elle Magazine, 'Stunning debuts from the literary world's new power players' *When a loner and the new girl at school bond over their hatred of the popular Nikki Drummond, they transform themselves into DM wearing, Kurt Cobain loving rebels who become the scourge of their small town, which has already been rocked by tragedy. This is Wasserman's debut adult novel (she's previously written YA), which perfectly captures the power and fragility of adolescent friendships * Red magazine, 'The Best New Authors You Need to Know About 2016' *A tale of obsessive female friendship * Irish Times, Books to Watch Out For in 2016 *While it is a mystery, the true strength of the novel comes from the honesty of the girls' portrayal * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisBillie Challinor''s mother dies during an air raid, but the child grows up confident that in her jazz musician father Chas she has the best dad in the world. Seeking refuge from the London Blitz by moving to Leeds, kindly landlady Liz Morris befriends them: the scarred, wisecracking man, who isn''t afraid to overstep the mark if the cause is a good one, and his clever and resilient little girl. Billie needs every ounce of courage she possesses when her father joins the Army just before the D-Day landings and fails to return.Though Liz is happy to raise the child as her own, Billie is claimed by her Uncle Cedric, an outwardly respectable and prosperous solicitor. But he is also a ruthless criminal mastermind who will stop at nothing to secure the fortune to which Billie is sole heiress. Confident of his superior strength and cunning, he foolishly overlooks the fact that she is her father''s daughter: resourceful, quick-witted, and ready to seize any chance she can to escape

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Book SynopsisTHE WORLD''S FAVOURITE AUTHOR ONE BILLION COPIES SOLDThe perfect love . . .Jessica and Ian were a golden couple - young, glamorous, successful. And deeply in love.Until one afternoon''s casual faithlessness threatened their relationship, ended their days of happiness and nights of desire. Or so it seemed. But for Jessica and Ian, the lesson of love was only just beginning . . . .A reissue of a novel which has been unavailable since 1987, about a young, glamorous, successful couple whose relationship is threatened by an afternoon''s faithlessness.Now and Forever is a moving, inspirational novel from bestselling author Danielle Steel.PRAISE FOR DANIELLE STEEL:''Emotional and gripping . . . I was left in no doubt as to the reasons behind Steel''s multi-million sales around the world'' DAILY MAIL''Danielle Steel is undeniably an expert'' NEW YORK TIMESTrade ReviewThere are currently no reviews for this title/product

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Book SynopsisFROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF OUR HOUSE AND THOSE PEOPLE ''I honestly didn''t see the twist coming. Perfect.'' - Jojo Moyes______________ Even an act of heroism has consequences On a perfect summer''s day in Paris, tourists on the river watch in shock as a small boy falls into the Seine and disappears below the surface. As his mother stands frozen, a stranger takes a breath and leaps . . .______________ ''A master of her craft'' Rosamund Lupton PRAISE FOR LOUISE CANDLISH''A great writer'' Fiona Barton''A masterfully plotted, compulsive page-turner'' Guardian''Louise Candlish is one very clever writer'' Sarah Vaughan''Beautifully modulated and terrifically suspenseful'' Washington PostTrade ReviewI loved this book. It reminded me of Joanna Trollope at her best -- full of complicated yet sympathetic characters and riven with the kind of dilemmas that characterise real lives. I honestly didn't see the twist coming. Perfect. * Jojo Moyes *A master of her craft * Rosamund Lupton *Thought-provoking and compelling - highly recommended to anyone who enjoys contemporary women's fiction * The Book Bag *A terrific tension and sense of unease runs through the pages . . . A clever take on love, loss and deceit and a good summer read * Irish Independent *You'll be hooked * Easy Living *One of the most turbulent yet gripping books I have had the pleasure of reading. A wonderfully written story about parenthood and just how far you would go for the one you love, this book oozes tension from very first page * handrwittengirl.com *A gripping, beautifully written book from the author of the highly acclaimed Other People's Secrets. A compelling observation of parenthood, life and love * Amuse Magazine *Candlish has crafted a tender, heartfelt story . . . An insightful and driving novel * Booklist *

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Book SynopsisA little girl is missing. Her parents are hiding something. Who will pay the price?When eight-year-old Jasmine Peterson goes missing, the police want to know everything.What is local park ranger, Sam McIntyre, running away from and why did he go out of his way to befriend a young girl?Why can't Jasmine's mother and father stand to be in the same room as each other?With every passing minute, an unstoppable chain of events hurtles towards a tragic conclusion.Everyone has secrets. The question is: who will pay the price?Trade ReviewPraise for Amanda Brooke: ‘[A] touching sensitive story … an extraordinary, moving tale’ The Bookseller ‘Enchanting, moving and hard to put down’ Closer ‘Life affirming’ Sunday Mirror ‘A haunting and heartbreaking story that stayed with me long after I’d finished’ Fern Britton ‘Magical and unputdownable’ Katie Fforde ‘An extraordinary debut novel’ Daily Express

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Book SynopsisA Richard and Judy Book Club selection.He appears out of the sea, washed up naked, in the treacherous Straits of Gibraltar. Seemingly delirious, and claiming to be Christopher Columbus, he is taken to an insane asylum in Seville, where astonishingly he starts to reveal the true story of how he set sail on behalf of the Spanish queen five hundred years ago. Consuela, a nurse at the Institute, is charged with helping him back to reality. She listens to his fantastic tales in the hope of discovering the truth. But as his story unfolds, she finds herself falling for her patient - no longer able to tell where truth ends and fantasy begins. Meanwhile, across the continent, Emile Germain is involved in a different search. He's an Interpol officer on the hunt for a missing person, presumed dangerous. He's a determined man, and when his investigation leads to Spain these two stories collide. Part romance, part mysterious thriller, Waiting for

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Book Synopsis''Hugely funny and peopled with a cast of characters I came to love like my own friends, Rush Oh! reminded me why I love reading'' Hannah Kent, bestselling author of Burial RitesMary Davidson, the eldest daughter of a whaling family in New South Wales,chronicles the particularly difficult season of 1908 - a story that is poignant and hilarious, filled with drama and misadventure. Mary Davidson has got used to looking after her five siblings whilst catering for her father''s boisterous whaling crew. But when John Beck, an itinerant whaleman with a murky past, arrives on the doorstep wanting to join her father, Mary promptly develops an all-consuming crush which upends her world...Swinging from Mary''s hopes and disappointments, both domestic and romantic, to the challenges that beset their tiny whaling operation, Rush Oh! is an enchanting celebration of both Mary''s unique voice and an extraordinary episode in Australian histTrade ReviewBeautiful and brutal, witty and kind, Rush Oh! is a story of great surprises and a beating heart - a book never to forget -- Markus Zusak, author of The Book ThiefHugely funny and peopled with a cast of characters I came to love like my own friends, Rush Oh! reminded me why I love reading -- Hannah Kent, author of Burial RitesCinematic. The tale of a whaling family, its scope is ambitious and its heart big. You'll fall in love * Marie Claire (Australia) *A memorable, often heart-in-mouth debut that's brought to life by Mary's humour, her self-awareness and her accompanying illustrations * Daily Mail *A rollicking seaborne ride . . . humorous, imaginative and tender, you'll want to race through Rush Oh! to find out what happens * Independent *Fresh, funny and lively * Express *This beautifully written Australian novel narrated by whaler's daughter Mary Davidson is funny, quirky and features a cast of characters that includes a pod of Killers. A charming debut * Diva *A novel that is thick with briny flavour. Best of all are the descriptions of the whale hunts, which are steeped in a luxurious, bracing horror * Metro *Rush Oh!'s strengths are manifold. It's a nostalgic, quirky book - peppered with stunning illustrations and seamless inclusion of actual newspaper excerpts from the time - that really captures an intriguing moment in Australia's past. Expertly balancing light and dark, Barrett confronts the moral complexities of whaling while simultaneously sketching a range of hilarious character portraits, and maintaining an endearing, and often challenging, narrative voice. This novel is a fairytale for adults, which I found poignant, funny and original * Canberra Weekly *While depicting the danger, adrenaline and excitement of the boat chases, [Rush Oh!] also repeatedly celebrates the beauty of these magnificent creatures, mourning the cruelty involved in hunting and killing them * West Australian *Just the ticket, particularly if you like a bit of comedy with your mammal spearing action * Esquire *A charming, irreverent and totally absorbing read * Emerald Street *

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Book SynopsisSir Alfred Munnings, retiring President of the Royal Academy, chooses the 1949 Annual Banquet to launch a savage attack on Modern Art. The effect of his diatribe is doubly shocking, leaving not only his distinguished audience gasping but also many people tuning in to the BBC''s live radio broadcast. But as he approaches the end of his assault, the speech suddenly dissolves into incoherence when he stumbles over a name - a name he normally takes such pains to avoid - that takes him back forty years to a special time and a special place.Summer in February is a disturbing and moving re-creation of a celebrated Edwardian artistic community enjoying the last days of a golden age soon to be shattered by war. As resonant and understated as The Go-Between, it is a love story of beauty, deprivation and tragedy.Trade Reviewan engrossing and surprisingly dark novel... * SUNDAY TELEGRAPH *This is a book rich in incident and richer still in its subtle and intricate analysis of emotional depths. It is also a meticulous re-creation of artistic life near the beginning of this century. * THE TIMES *Imaginative. * DAILY MIRROR *Subtle and affecting, a tender Edwardian love story. * GOOD HOUSEKEEPING *

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Book SynopsisThe Bridgeford Community Choir is in crisis. Numbers are down. The choir leader is in hospital. The tea urn is behaving in an ominous fashion. Something must be done. New joiners Tracey Leckford and Bennett Parker might just be able to save the day. But Tracey is hiding a huge secret about her past. And Bennett - while equipped with a beautiful singing voice - is entirely baffled by the world and everything in it. Can they really fit in with dependable old regulars like Annie? As the choir suffers through fights, feuds and the perils of the school fair, it becomes clear that their struggles are not just about music, but the future of their community. In order to save their singing group and their town, the Bridgeford Singers will have to find a way to work together - in harmony.Trade ReviewSparkling ... a treasure trove of bittersweet comic moments and wonderfully sympathetic creations - Daily TelegraphFans of Glee or Gareth Malone's The Choir will recognise this funny, enjoyable novel's trajectory - Sunday TimesThis gloriously fun tale about a community choir group is packed with drama, love and brilliant characters - HeatI devoured this well-observed, amusing feel-good story about small-town life in a sitting - Woman and HomeLoveable characters provide some laugh out loud moments in this charming novel - Bella

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Book SynopsisNineteen-fifty-three is synonymous in the British memory with the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June. But less well known is what happened in 10 Downing Street on 23 June. With Anthony Eden vying for power, the elderly Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, must maintain the confidence of his government, the press and the public. But after a diplomatic dinner in which he is on typically sparkling form, Churchill''s Italian dining companions are rushed out of the building and his doctor called. The Prime Minister has had a stroke.Churchill is bedbound throughout the summer, and while secrecy agreements have been struck with leading newspaper barons, the potential impact of his health on public life is never far from the minds of his inner circle. With the help of a devoted young nurse and his indomitable wife, Clementine, Churchill gradually recoups his health. But will he be fit enough to represent Britain on the world stage?Trade ReviewDelightful, funny, heart-warming * Mail on Sunday *The Churchill Secret KBO will inevitably be compared with The King's Speech when the television adaptation airs in a few months, but it brings a uniquely personal and intimate tone to one of Britain's most famous lives, shining a subtle yet penetrating light on the pain of ageing and the maxim that Churchill lived by, and which gives this fine book its full title: Keep Buggering On -- Melissa Katsoulis * The Times *Told with elegance and wit * New Statesman *Smith's ingenious novel guides the reader effortlessly through the corridors of power * Mail on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisCora has everything a woman is supposed to want - a career, a caring husband, children, and a stylish home. Desperate for release & burdened with guilt she falls into a pattern of ever increasing violence and sexual degradation till a one night stand tips her over the edge.

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Book SynopsisIris Murdoch was born in Dublin in 1919. She read Classics at Somerville College, Oxford, and after working in the Treasury and abroad, was awarded a research studentship in Philosophy at Newnham College, Cambridge. In 1948 she returned to Oxford as fellow and tutor at St Anne's College and later taught at the Royal College of Art. Until her death in 1999, she lived in Oxford with her husband, the academic and critic, John Bayley. She was made a Dame of the British Empire in 1987 and in the 1997 PEN Awards received the Gold Pen for Distinguished Service to Literature.Trade ReviewA spirited fantasia in several keys...brilliant, witty and original * Sunday Times *Miss Murdoch's prose has music even as it has intelligence and wit * Spectator *

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Book SynopsisArthur Koestler was born in Budapest in 1905. He attended the university of Vienna before working as a foreign correspondent in the Middle East, Berlin and Paris. For six years he was an active member of the Communist Party, and was captured by Franco in the Spanish Civil War. In 1940 he came to England. He wrote The Gladiators in Hungarian, Darkness at Noon in German, and Arrival and Departure in English. He set up the Arthur Koestler Award (now the Koestler Trust) which awards prizes for creative achievements to prisoners, detainees and patients in special hospitals. He died in 1983 by suicide, having frequently expressed a belief in the right to euthanasia.Trade ReviewA remarkable book, a grimly fascinating interpretation of...all revolutionary dictatorships, and at the same time a tense and subtly intellectualised drama of prison psychology * Times Literary Supplement *[Darkness At Noon] is written from terrible experience. From knowledge of the men whose struggles of mind and body he describes. Apart from its sociological importance, it is written with a subtlety and an economy which class it as great literature. I have read it twice without feeling that I have learned more than half of what it has to offer me- Koestler approaches the problem of ends and means, of love and truth and social organisation, through the thoughts of an old Bolshevik, Rubashov, as he awaits death in a GPU prison * New Statesman *Along with Animal Farm and 1984, this book formed part of the essential bookshelf of those intellectuals who repudiated their early illusions about the Soviet Union -- Christopher Hitchens * The Week *It brilliantly portrays the chilling tyranny of Soviet Communism -- Sandy Gall * The Week *One of the few books written in this epoch which will survive it. * New Statesman *

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Book SynopsisFrom behind the closed door, the man shouts, ''Be on your way - you have no business here!''''Open up, I am the messenger of Death''.As spring arrives in the Albanian mountain town of B, some strange things are emerging in the thaw. Bank robbers strike the National Bank. Old terrors are dredged up from the shipwreck of history. And ultra-explosive state secrets are threatening to flood the entire nation. Mark, an artist, finds the peaceful rhythms of his life turned upside down by ancient love and modern barbarism and by the particular brutality of a country surprised and divided by its new freedom.One of the many pleasures of Mr Kadare''s writing is his supremely light touch' New York TimesTrade ReviewOne of the many pleasures of Mr Kadare's writing is his supremely light touch * New York Times *The themes are so sinister, the prose so genial. Post-communist disillusion and southern playfulness are blended here with such skill and subtlety that one almost fails to register Kadare's shocking originality * Independent on Sunday *One of Europe's great writers * Los Angeles Times *He has been compared to Gogol, Kafka and Orwell. But Kadare is an original voice, universal, yet deeply rooted in his own soul * Independent on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisA funny look at the social and political dynamic of French village life. Gabriel Chevallier''s delightful novel Clochemerle satirizes the titanic confrontation of secular and religious forces in a small wine-growing village in Beaujolais. The eruption begins when the socialist mayor decides that he wants to leave behind a monument to his administration''s achievements. He takes as his model the ancient Romans, who were famous for two things: hygiene and noble edifices. Thus, he decides to unite the two concepts...by constructing a public urinal in the centre of town. There is one problem, however: the chosen locale is next to the village church, and this outrages the ecclesiastical party.*Perfect for fans of Joanne Harris's Chocolate*Trade ReviewThe plot is a marvel of ingenuity and makes most detective stories look primitive by comparison -- John BrophyA fine satire, filled with humorous incidents and much subtle philosophy. It is for intelligent, open-minded people with a sense of humour * Yorkshire Post *The author has a wonderful eye for village types, and the village of Clochemerle is built up for us as a shining and integrated whole - he has chosen to employ his great talents in describing a series of people, episoded and conversations that are ribald, exaggerated and bizarre. I must confess that its rollicking grossness pleased me * Howard Spring *A full-blooded uproarious farce in the Rabelaisian tradition * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisAs Charles’s twentieth birthday – and the Oxford entrance exams – loom, his plans for seducing Rachel will draw him into a private collection of obsessional notes and observations: the eponymous ‘Rachel Papers’.Trade ReviewAmis has brought off the feat of satirizing his contemporaries while making them both funny and, in a bizarre way, moving * Peter Ackroyd *Scurrilous, shameless and very funny * Time Literary Supplement *Extravagantly sexual-highly enjoyable * Evening Standard *Amis's arrogantly assured manner is a formidable weapon, spraying the target with disdainful wit, ingenious obscenity, astute literariness, loathing, lust, anxiety and an all-pervading hyper-self-consciousness * Observer *A magnificent novel, a masterpiece really, its prose energetic, angry, honest and so funny -- Andrew Billen * The Times *

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Book SynopsisThe hit novels behind the major new TV series Vienna Blood___________________________Vienna, at the turn of the century.Philosophy, science and art are flourishing. Coffee shops are full of the latest cultural and political theories. The new field of psychoanalysis, formed in the wake of Freud, is just beginning to make itself heard.And a woman is dead.Dr Max Liebermann is a young psychoanalyst, and friend to Detective Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt. Rheinhardt, though hard-working, lacks Liebermann''s insights and forensic eye - and so Liebermann is called upon to help with police investigations surrounding the death of a beautiful young medium, in what seems at first to be supernatural circumstances.While Liebermann attempts to get to the bottom of the mystery, he also must decide whether he is to follow his father''s advice and marry the beautiful but reserved Clara. But the personal and the professionaTrade ReviewAn intriguing, impressive achievement - puts the psychological back into crime and written by a real expert -- Oliver JamesSmart detection and a mouthwatering view of Viennese cafe society ... good prospects for the Liebermann series, of which this is book number one * Literary Review *An unusual and excellent murder mystery * Bernard Knight, former home office pathologist *Frank Tallis's new max Liebermann series is off to a flying start with its location, a turn-of-the-20th-century Vienna torn between mysticism and rationalism, liberalism and anti-Semitism... a cracker. * Observer *

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Book SynopsisWhat will you get for your birthday this year? A chance to see into the future? Or a reminder of the imperfect past?In this enviable gathering, Haruki Murakami has chosen for his party some of the very best short story writers of recent years, each with their own birthday experiences, each story a snapshot of life on a single day. Including stories by Russell Banks, Ethan Canin, Raymond Carver, David Foster Wallace, Denis Johnson, Claire Keegan, Andrea Lee, Daniel Lyons, Lewis Robinson, Lynda Sexson, Paul Theroux, William Trevor and Haruki Murakami, this anthology captures a range of emotions evoked by advancing age and the passing of time, from events fondly recalled to the impact of appalling tragedy.Previously published in a Japanese translation by Haruki Murakami, this English edition contains a specially written introduction.Trade ReviewThe perfect year-round present * Time Out *Brilliant...Murakami introduces all these stories with grace and lightness of touch * Sunday Herald *A memorable collection. Voices and settings as diverse as the authors, but they are all concerned with the arbitrary yet immensely significant way in which we mark the passing of our lives * Observer *The quality of storytelling is exemplary... There's darkness enough here for the hardiest of cynics, but enough heart to charm * Word *

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Book SynopsisTom Sharpe was born in 1928 and educated at Lancing College and Pembroke College, Cambridge. He did his national service in the Marines before moving to South Africa in 1951, where he did social work before teaching in Natal. He had a photographic studio in Pietermaritzburg from 1957 until 1961, and from 1963 to 1972 he was a lecturer in History at the Cambridge College of Arts and Technology.He is the author of sixteen bestselling novels, including Porterhouse Blue and Blott on the Landscape, which were serialised on television, and Wilt, which was made into a film. In 1986 he was awarded the XXIIIème Grand Prix de l'Humour Noir Xavier Forneret, and in 2010 he was awarded the inaugural BBK La Risa de Bilbao Prize. Tom Sharpe died in June 2013 at his home in northern Spain.Trade ReviewA major craftsman in the art of farce...vengeful, chaotic, Swiftian in his tastes, cartoonish in his extremes, and above all wild and amusing * Observer *Britain's leading practitioner of black humour * Punch *Tom Sharpe serves up the loudest laughs in literary comedy. He is the great post-Waugh humorist, the Wodehouse who dares plunge into the bottomless vulgarity and hysteria of our times, and a rattling good companion on a train journey * Mail on Sunday *The funniest novelist writing today * The Times *The best of British farce-masters is back * Mail on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisAlexander Kent is the author of twenty-seven acclaimed books featuring Richard Bolitho. Under his own name, Douglas Reeman, and in the course of a career spanning forty-five years, he has written over thirty novels and two non-fiction books.Trade ReviewOne of our foremost writers of naval fiction * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisTells the story of Neil Klugman and pretty, spirited Brenda Patimkin, he of poor Newark, she of suburban Short Hills, who meet one summer and fall into an affair that is as much about social class and suspicion as it is about love. This novella is accompanied by five short stories - sometimes iconoclastic, sometimes elegiac.Trade ReviewStartlingly, incandescently alive * New Yorker *Unlike those of us who come howling into the world, blind and bare, Mr Roth appears with nails, hair, teeth, speaking coherently. He is skilled, witty, energetic and performs like a virtuoso -- Saul BellowA great novella - amazingly, this was Roth's first book - about love, sex and growing up * Observer *Opening the first page of any Philip Roth is like hearing the ignition on a boiler roar into life. Passion is what we're going to get, and plenty of it * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisDouglas Kennedy's previous twelve novels include the critically acclaimed bestsellers The Big Picture, The Pursuit of Happiness, A Special Relationship and The Moment. He is also the author of three highly-praised travel books. The Big Picture was filmed with Romain Duris and Catherine Deneuve; The Woman in the Fifth with Ethan Hawke and Kristin Scott Thomas.His work has been translated into twenty-two languages. In 2007 he was awarded the French decoration of Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and in 2009 the inaugural Grand Prix de Figaro. Born in Manhattan in 1955, he has two children and currently divides his time between London, Paris, Berlin, Maine and New York.Trade ReviewKennedy is an absolute master at love stories with heart-stopping twists ... The Moment is simply sensational. * Times *His most ambitious to date and most deeply felt. * Daily Mirror *The storytelling is served up thick and meaty ... the result is a big, satisfying read. * Daily Mail *Kennedy, like William Boyd and Paul Watkins, has always managed to walk that precarious tight-rope of credibility between the twin towers of popular and literary fiction... Kennedy is particularly adept at capturing the ugliness of modern life... He captures with acuity men's self-destructive nature and the eddies in which husbands, fathers and sons find themselves caught. * Independent on Sunday *Douglas Kennedy's 10th novel, The Moment, a tome running to almost 500 pages, is weighty enough to crush any doubts about this prolific author's status as a stylish popular novelist and a classy purveyor of the gripping yarn... It is the quality of evaluation, this conscious appraisal of unforeseen loss, of gallant naivety, of the bullish youthful belief in the right to happiness, that sets Kennedy's work apart from that of many other popular novelists... It is a gripping read and an honest attempt to address human frailty while playing out our minor destinies in the face of great love and desperate loss. * Irish Times *

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Book SynopsisJean Plaidy, one of the preeminent authors of historical fiction for most of the twentieth century, is the pen name of the prolific English author Eleanor Hibbert, also know as Victoria Holt. Jean Plaidy's novels had sold more than 14 million copies worldwide by the time of her death in 1993.Trade ReviewIt's hard to better Jean Plaidy * Daily Mirror *Superb storytelling and meticulous attention to authenticity of detail and depth of characterisation ... one of the country's most widely read novelists * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisFans of S. J. Parris, Donna Leon, Steven Saylor, C. J. Sansom will absolutely love this captivating page-turner of a historical mystery from multi-million copy bestselling author Lindsey Davis. Full of twists, turns and tension - you''ll be hooked from page one...''Davis''s writing zings with fun'' -- Daily Mail''One of the best of the current writers in this field'' -- Donna Leon, The Times''Very addictive and, at times, difficult to put down'' -- ***** Reader reviewI was mesmerized and thrilled -- ***** Reader reviewLindsey Davis at her best -- ***** Reader reviewA cracking good read -- ***** Reader review****************************************************************************************ALL THE NEWS THAT''S FIT TO DIE FOR...In the wealthy town of Ostia, our hero Falco appears to be enjoying a relaxing holiday. But when his girlfriend, Helena, arrives carrying a batch of old copies of the Daily Gazette - with the intention of catching up on the latest scandal - Falco is forced to admit to Petronius his real reasons for being there...''Infamia'', the pen name of the scribe who writes the gossip column for the Daily Gazette, has gone missing. His fellow scribes have employed Falco to find him and bring him back from his lazy, drunken truancy. However, Falco suspects that there is more to his absence than there might first appear...Trade ReviewThis is the sixteenth Falco novel, and they have built up a large following. It is not hard to see why. They are amiable and unpretentious...The research that has gone into them allows the externals of Roman life to be presented in an evocative way. Yet the interior life of the characters remains reassuringly modern...Philip Marlowe in a toga. * Times Literary Supplement *...an entertaining mystery * Sunday Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisThe complete novels of one of the greatest German writers of all time, collected together in one literary masterpiece.Kafka's characters are victims of forces beyond their control, estranged and rootless citizens deceived by authoritarian power. Filled with claustrophobic description and existential profundity, Kafka has been compared to a literary Woody Allen.In The Trial Joseph K is relentlessly hunted for a crime that remains nameless. The Castle follows K in his ceaseless attempts to enter the castle and to belong somewhere.In Amerika Karl Rossmann also finds himself isolated and confused when he is ''packed off to America by his parents''. Here, ordinary immigrants are also strange, and ''America'' is never quite as real as it seems. THE CLASSIC TRANSLATION BY WILLA AND EDWIN MUIRTrade ReviewHe is the greatest German writer of our time. Such poets as Rilke or such novelists as Thomas Mann are dwarfs or plaster saints in comparison to him -- Vladimir NabokovKafka described with wonderful imaginative power the future concentration camps, the future instability of the law, the future absolutism of the state, the paralysed, inadequately motivated, floundering lives of the many individual people; everything appeared as a nightmare and with the confusion and inadequacy of a nightmare -- Bertolt Brecht

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Book SynopsisWhen Elspeth Noblin dies she leaves her beautiful flat overlooking Highgate Cemetery to her twin nieces, Julia and Valentina Poole, on the condition that their mother is never allowed to cross the threshold. But until the solicitor''s letter falls through the door of their suburban American home, either Julia nor Valentina knew their aunt existed. The twins hope that in London their own, separate, lives can finally begin but they have no idea that they''ve been summoned into a tangle of fraying lives, from the obsessive-compulsive crossword setter who lives above them to their aunt''s mysterious and elusive lover who lives below them and works in the cemetery itself. As the twins unravel the secrets of their aunt, who doesn''t seem quite ready to leave her flat, even after death, Niffenegger weaves together a delicious and deadly ghost story about love, loss and identity.Trade ReviewDark and delicious -- Tom Adair * Scotsman *What is really satisfying about this novel, like The Time Traveler's Wife, is its depiction of relationships: the process of grief, the transforming power of love * Daily Telegraph *An original, outrageous, and thoroughly enjoyable ghost story * Independent *There may be ghosts, but it's the human stories that glitter * Elle *A rich, involving novel * The Times *

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Book SynopsisAnne Tyler was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1941 and grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her bestselling novels include Breathing Lessons, The Accidental Tourist, Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, Ladder of Years, Back When We Were Grown-ups, Digging to America, A Spool of Blue Thread, Clock Dance, Redhead by the Side of the Road and French Braid.In 1989 she won the Pulitzer Prize; in 1994 she was nominated by Roddy Doyle and Nick Hornby as 'the greatest novelist writing in English'; and in 2012 she received the Sunday Times Award for Literary Excellence. In 2015 A Spool of Blue Thread was shortlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction and the Booker Prize; and in 2020 Redhead by the Side of the Road was longlisted for the Booker Prize.Trade ReviewEnchanting * The Times *Tyler writes stunningly well * Daily Telegraph *Tyler has created a world of imaginary people who are as tangible and as real as one's own friends and relatives * New York Times *Alternatively lyrical and rambunctiously comic * Washington Post *An almost flawless story of love... Moran emerges as a true hero * Los Angeles Times *Tyler is not merely good, she is wickedly goodPure magic, a contemporary fairy tale that overflows with affection, mystery and laughter * Washington Star *

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Book SynopsisIt is January 1819, and Captain Adam Bolitho ships out from Falmouth bound for Freetown, on the old the slave coast of Africa. H.M.S. Onward carries sealed orders in the strongbox below deck. But why all the secrecy and apparent urgency? And why Onward, so soon after the Mediterranean, and that bloody action with Nautilus? On their way back into port having completed their mission, the crew of the Onward spy the debris of an allied frigate, destroyed as if taken by surprise. Bodies are strewn among the shark-infested waters and no enemy in sight. A single word frozen on the lips of the dead. Mutiny. The men begin to question who is friend and who is foe. All is not well aboard the Onward; envy and hunger for power consume some of the crew, but they must band together and risk their lives, in the name of the King. A searing and gripping tale of trouble on the high seas, and of the weakness of the human spirit, In the King''s Name<Trade ReviewOne of our foremost writers of naval fiction... authentic, inspiring, well characterised and, finally, moving * Sunday Times *Excellent...comparable to the wonderful Hornblower novels. Kent describes characters and actions with great clarity and skill * Independent on Sunday *The storytelling has an easy mastery, how well Kent knows the psychology of navalmen * Sunday Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisMario Puzo was born in New York. He is the author of the bestselling novel The Godfather and many other acclaimed novels. Puzo also wrote many screenplays, including those for the three Godfather movies, for which he won two academy awards. He died at his home in Long Island, New York, at the age of seventy-eight.Trade ReviewHugely effective fiction ... [Puzo] keeps his pack with readers to unfailingly deliver the goods * Literary Review *Here is all the classic material of Mafia mythology ... spins a spell all its own * The Times *Puzo's genius was to create a world so thick with personality and acknowledged rules of behaviour, along with its crime and violence, that reading his books becomes a seriously guilty pleasure * New York Post *

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Book SynopsisMario Puzo was born in New York. He is the author of the bestselling novel The Godfather and many other acclaimed novels. Puzo also wrote many screenplays, including those for the three Godfather movies, for which he won two academy awards. He died at his home in Long Island, New York, at the age of seventy-eight.Trade ReviewThis is a story of love, lust, loyalty and betrayal. It reeks of violence and cynicism. It is about a world without integrity where everybody has a price ... and it is written with such pace and conviction that it is totally believable * The Mail on Sunday *All of Mr Puzo's formidable storytelling talents are on display... a big, fast-paced tale * New York Times Book Review *The Last Don is a return to the pure mythic storytelling form that made The Godfather one of the bestselling novels ever * The Sunday Times *

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Book Synopsis1945: a lost German bomber crashes on the Vatnajökull glacier in Iceland.Inexplicably, in the midst of World War Two, there are both German and American officers on board.Trade ReviewRather than using excessive language and unnecessary description, Indriðason chooses a minimal style, which drip-feeds the details and keeps the reader guessing... Operation Napoleon is an intriguing novel, bleak and harsh in its description of cold, military narratives -- Sophie Gordon * Aesthetica *There are hints of some of Indridason's trademark motifs-emotionally distant parents, brotherhood, the harsh Icelandic wilderness-but it's clear that he is using Operation Napoleon to address what seems to be a deeply controversial factor in Icelandic life: the US military presence at Keflavik * Euro Crime *An international literary phenomenon - and it's easy to see why. His novels are gripping, authentic, haunting and lyrical -- Harlan Coben

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Book SynopsisIn the high summer of AD 77, laid-back detective Marcus Didius Falco is called upon to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a middle-aged couple who supplied statues to Falco's father, Geminus.Trade ReviewDavis is a prolific and popular writer … Her research has been assiduous and detailed, her commitment to the subject is impressive, and the background detail is often eye-opening -- Hilary Mantel * Observer *One of the best of the current writers in this field -- Donna Leon * The Times *Surely the best historical detective in the business -- Mike Ripley * Daily Telegraph *The whole thing is splendid. It has everything: mystery, pace wit, fascinating scholarship … she brings imperial Rome to life -- Ellis Peters

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Book SynopsisIt''s 1968. Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King are dead. The Mob, Howard Hughes and J Edgar Hoover are in a struggle for America''s soul, drawing into their murderous conspiracies the damned and the soon-to-be damned. WAYNE TEDROW JR: parricide, assassin, dope cooker, mouthpiece for all sides, loyal to none. His journey will take him deeper into the darkness.DWIGHT HOLLY: Hoover''s enforcer and hellish conspirator in terrible crimes. As Hoover''s power wanes, his destiny lurches towards Richard Nixon and self-annihilation.DON CRUTCHFIELD: a kid, a nobody, a wheelman and a private detective who stumbles upon an ungodly conspiracy from which he and the country may never recover.All three men are drawn to women on the opposite side of the political and moral spectrum; all are compromised and ripe for destruction. Blood''s a Rover is an incandescent fusion of fact and fiction, and is James Ellroy''s greatest masterpiece.Trade Review[A] tour de force about the battle for America's soul ... is a monumental work of fiction, ... one of the most original and daring writers alive * Independent on Sunday *[A] stunning, breathless conclusion to the Underworld USA trilogy ... There is no equivalent in contemporary fiction * Uncut *[A] jaw-dropping stand-along work of uncompromising power and authenticity, and the trilogy as a whole is one of the landmarks of American fiction of the last 20 years * The Herald *The classiest act around. Read it and weep - for its utter darkness and yet its stunning sweep and grace * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisThe perfect new job selling houses in the Cotswolds. An ex-lover re-appears. A life adventure awaits from the No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Recipe for Love, A French Affair and The One Enchanted Evening.''Delicious - gorgeous humour and the lightest of touches'' Sunday TimesThe queen of uplifting, feel good romance.' AJ Pearce''Deliciously enjoyable'' Woman and Home_____________Three years ago, Bella Castle left her home town nursing a broken heart over Dominic Thane.Now she has a new job she loves, selling houses in the Cotswold countryside. And her boyfriend, Nevil, has just proposed.They''re just right for each other, Bella tells herself. So why doesn''t she feel happier?Then Dominic turns up unexpectedly.And Bella begins to ask herself whether Nevil really is her perfect match after all..._____________Trade ReviewTwenty novels in and Katie Fforde has still got it. Bring on book number 21. * Daily Express *Romantic, warm and bursting with charm, this is Katie Fforde at her finest… reading this book is indulging in storytelling at its best. * Woman's Own *A wonderful warm-hearted escapist read – just the thing for a lazy spring afternoon. * Woman & Home *A perfect match for an afternoon curled up on the sofa! * Fabulous magazine (Sun) *A great read for lovers of modern women’s fiction. * OK! *

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Book SynopsisThomas Pynchon is the author of V., The Crying of Lot 49, Gravity's Rainbow, Slow Learner, a collection of short stories, Vineland, Mason and Dixon and, most recently, Against the Day. He received the National Book Award for Gravity's Rainbow in 1974.Trade ReviewHilarious and thought-provoking * London Review of Books *Brilliant and brain boggling by turns * Daily Mail *Inherent Vice works brilliantly as both a neon-lit noir and as a psychedelic lament to the Sixties * Sunday Telegraph *The greatest, wildest author of his generation * Guardian *The intellectual game-play is characteristically dazzling...colourful and pleasurable * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisKarin Slaughter is one of the world's most popular and acclaimed storytellers. Published in 120 countries with more than 35 million copies sold across the globe, her nineteen novels include the Grant County and Will Trent books, as well as the Edgar-nominated Cop Town and the instant NewYork Times bestselling novels Pretty Girls, The Good Daughter, and Pieces of Her.Slaughter is the founder of the Save the Libraries project-a nonprofit organisation established to support libraries and library programming.For more information visit KarinSlaughter.comAuthorKarinSlaughter@SlaughterKarinTrade ReviewA great read ... crime fiction at its finestA complex and confident thriller in which character goes deep * Daily Mirror *With Blindsighted, Karin Slaughter left a great many thriller writers looking anxiously over their shoulders. With Kisscut, she leaves most of them behindSlaughter's plotting is relentless, piling on surprises and twists ... [Kisscut] should come with a psychological health warning * Guardian *Fast-paced and unsettling ... A compelling and fluid read * Daily Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisDavid Lodge (CBE)'s novels include Changing Places, Small World and Nice Work (shortlisted for the Booker) and, most recently, A Man of Parts. He has also written plays and screenplays, and several books of literary criticism. His works have been translated into more than thirty languages. He is Emeritus Professor of English Literature at Birmingham, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and is a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.Trade ReviewFull of delights... His view of our neuroses is sane, intelligent and amused -- John Mortimer * Sunday Times *Energetic, comic...a highly ingenious games-board of moves and counter-moves * Sunday Telegraph *Lodge remains one of the very best English comic novelists of the post-war era; and Therapy is good for you * Time Out *Takes off on wings of humour and pathos which would not have disgraced Lodge's great hero Dickens... A splendid novel * Daily Express *A real treat...a joy - a sobering joy, but a joy none the less * Observer *

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