Contemporary Fiction Books

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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Book SynopsisAnil''s Ghost transports us to Sri Lanka, a country steeped in centuries of tradition, now forced into the late twentieth century by the ravages of a bloody civil war. Enter Anil Tissera, a young woman and forensic anthropologist born in Sri Lanka but educted in the West, sent by an international human rights group to identify the victims of the murder campaigns sweeping the island.When Anil discovers that the bones found in an ancient burial site are in fact those of a much more recent victim, her search for the terrible truth hidden in her homeland begins. What follows is a story about love, about family, about identity - a story driven by a riventing mystery.Trade ReviewThere is much to astonish, to disturb and to admire in this dense book... a rare triumph * Guardian *This is why I read, this is why literature matters, this, in short, is IT!... By the closing pages Anil's Ghost has come as close to a holy book as a novel ever should * Independent *A deeply felt and highly accomplished survey of devastated paradise... which both plunges you into the carnage of Sri Lanka's civil war and keeps you aware of the island's past splendours of civilisation. Barbarity and art hauntingly mingle in this fine book * Sunday Times *It is Ondaatje's extraordinary achievement to use magic in order to make the blood of his own country real... Nowhere has he written more beautifully * New York Times Book Review *A truly wondrous book... I was as enthralled as I have not been since The English Patient -- Ariel Dorfman, author of Death and the Maiden

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Book SynopsisIn 1978, Haruki Murakami was 29 and running a jazz bar in downtown Tokyo. One April day, the impulse to write a novel came to him suddenly while watching a baseball game. That first novel, Hear the Wind Sing, won a new writers' award and was published the following year. More followed, including A Wild Sheep Chase and Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, but it was Norwegian Wood, published in 1987, which turned Murakami from a writer into a phenomenon. His books became bestsellers, were translated into many languages, including English, and the door was thrown wide open to Murakami's unique and addictive fictional universe.Murakami writes with admirable discipline, producing ten pages a day, after which he runs ten kilometres (he began long-distance running in 1982 and has participated in numerous marathons and races), works on translations, and then reads, listens to records and cooks. His passions colour his non-fiction output, from What I Talk About When I Talk About Running to Absolutely On Music, and they also seep into his novels and short stories, providing quotidian moments in his otherwise freewheeling flights of imaginative inquiry. In works such as The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, 1Q84 and Men Without Women, his distinctive blend of the mysterious and the everyday, of melancholy and humour, continues to enchant readers, ensuring Murakami's place as one of the world's most acclaimed and well-loved writers.Trade ReviewNorwegian Wood is Japan's The Catcher in the Rye * Daily Telegraph *Everyone who reads Norwegian Wood runs out to buy copies for friends and lovers... Drawing on Fitzgerald, Capote, Chandler and the Japanese tradition, his books are at once disarmingly direct and slyly, charmingly evasive. They are playful and melancholy; full of wrong turns and red herrings, corridors that lead nowhere and - above all - girls who disappear * Guardian *A masterly novel. . . . Norwegian Wood bears the unmistakable marks of Murakami's hand * The New York Times Book Review *This book is undeniably hip, full of student uprisings, free love, booze and 1960s pop, it's also genuinely emotionally engaging, and describes the highs of adolescence as well as the lows * Independent on Sunday *Catches the absorption and giddy rush of adolescent love... It is also, for all the tragic momentum and the apparently kamikaze consciousness of many of its characters, often funny and quirkily observed. Quietly compulsive and finally moving * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE JAMES TAIT BLACK PRIZE FOR FICTION WINNER OF THE CWA JOHN CREASEY (NEW BLOOD) DAGGER (award for the best crime novel by a debut author)A dark and powerful debut novel set in the hardscrabble American heartlands.''If I knew for a certain'ty that a man was coming to my house with the conscious design of doing me good, I should run for my life...''After trying to help Benjamin Pearl, an undernourished, nearly feral eleven-year-old boy living in the Montana wilderness, social worker Pete Snow comes face-to-face with the boy's profoundly disturbed father, Jeremiah. With courage and caution, Pete slowly earns a measure of trust from this paranoid survivalist itching for a final conflict that will signal the coming End Times. But as Pete's own family spins out of control, Jeremiah's activities spark the full-blown interest of the FBI, putting Pete at the centre of a massive manhunt from which no one will emerge unscatTrade ReviewThis book left me awestruck; a stunning debut which reads like the work of a writer at the height of his power. Begins with the story of one struggling man and his family and soon seems to encompass and address all of modern America’s problems. Fourth of July Creek is a masterful achievement and Smith Henderson is certain to end up a household name. -- Philipp Meyer, New York Times bestselling author of The SonAn impressive book – deeply so. [Cormac] McCarthy’s shadow may loom heavy across the prose, but the story this prose conveys, and the manner in which Henderson unfurls it, bears its own unalloyed power … It’s Pearl’s story, more than anything else, that lock this novel in your hands … [A] trenchant and vigorously empathetic novel. * New York Times Book Review *An intense, mesmerising book that uses this surprisingly intimate relationship to explore grand themes about American culture ... Devastating and inspiring. * The Economist *Stunning debut novel … that crackles and lurches with the intensity of a Tom Waits song. Here, at the beginning of his career, Henderson has come within shouting distance of writing a great American novel. * Guardian *It’s hard to believe that this is a first novel. Confidence verging on swagger leaks out of every page. It is a big fat all-American epic that has earned its place on airport bookshelves for many months to come…Think Cold Mountain but with more action…The conclusion has all the surprise of a great detective story. Henderson has created an instant classic. * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisDeals with the English upper-class misbehaving that is set against a backdrop of intrigue in Athens, radicalism in Cambridge, turmoil in India and movie-making in Corfu. This volume includes: "The Judas Boy", "Places Where they Sing", "Sound the Retreat", and "Come Like Shadows".Trade ReviewEach of the novels in Alms for Oblivion is an elegant morality tale, beautifully composed, sparkling with appreciation of the sheer limitless variety of human wickedness * TLS *Turn to Raven and revel in his mischievious, malicious world * Observer *A ready made cult waiting to be discovered * Spectator *His world is as original and surrealist as P. G. Wodehouse's, an alligator swamp in the homely back garden where all manner of nasty things hatch out * Guardian *Brisk, bawdy and reckless * Evening Standard *An extraordinary novelist...magnificent * Mail on Sunday *Confident, worldly-wise, insolently comic... a highly entertaining narrative style * Sunday Times *

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Book Synopsis''Brisk, bawdy and reckless'' Evening Standard''A freak writer, he defies classification. In wilder moments he suggests a loose, lunatic collaboration of Trollope, Ouida and Waugh'' ObserverThe Alms for Oblivion sequence - an extraordinary series of murders, suicides, affairs, fighting, fires and at least one explosion, blackmail, gambling, illness, madness, lots of parties and plenty of sex - draws to a close with two novels about death and retribution. But Simon Raven''s achievement and the conflicted, colourful or uniquely vile characters he created are not easily forgotten after the last page is turned. Volume III includes Bring Forth the Body and The Survivors''There are some people who consider the greatest cycle of twentieth-century novels to be Anthony Powell''s A Dance to the Music of Time. These people are wrong. Widmerpool and his joyless accomplices are as nothing compared to the cTrade ReviewMajestic, scurrilous and scabrous... Raven's novels are joyous in their characterisation, wit and erudition....truffling in the fertile fields of soldiery, academia, business, politics and publishing. Raven's world - the upper middle class and upper class - is peopled by some of the vilest, funniest characters in English literature. * Observer *A ready made cult waiting to be discovered * Spectator *A truly powerful vision of evil and corruption. This is an achievement which can hardly be dismissed as mere entertainment * Times Literary Supplement *Exciting, sleazy, cynical and funny... Indulgently bizarre sex scenes rub shoulders with sharply observed human dilemmas and relentlessly exposed psychological and political manipulation * Sunday Times *His world is as original and surrealist as P. G. Wodehouse's, an alligator swamp in the homely back garden where all manner of nasty things hatch out * Guardian *

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Book Synopsis** The inspiration for the NETFLIX original series Young Wallander - out now **When Kurt Wallander first appeared in Faceless Killers, he was a senior police officer, just turned forty, with his life in a mess. His wife had left him, his father barely acknowledged him; he ate badly and drank alone at night.The Pyramid chronicles the events that led him to such a place. We see him in the early years, doing hours on the beat whilst trying to solve a murder off-duty; witness the beginnings of his fragile relationship with Mona, the woman he has his heart set on marrying; and learn the reason behind his difficulties with his father. These thrilling tales provide a fascinating insight into Wallander''s character, from the stabbing of a neighbour in 1969 to a light aircraft accident in 1989, every story is a vital piece of the Wallander series, showing Mankell at the top of his game. Featuring an introduction from the author, The PyraTrade ReviewMankell is the master of Scandinavian crime, much imitated, never bettered * Independent *An excellent collection * New York Times *[A] brilliant collection of stories from the grand master of chilly Scandinavian crime * Daily Mirror *Absorbing... A good book for newcomers to start with * Daily Telegraph *The master of the long, dark night * Crime Time *

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Book SynopsisJAMES PATTERSON is one of the best-known and biggest-selling writers of all time. Among his creations are some of the world's most popular series including Alex Cross, the Women's Murder Club, Michael Bennett and the Private novels. He has written many other number one bestsellers including collaborations with President Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton, stand-alone thrillers and non-fiction. James has donated millions in grants to independent bookshops and has been the most borrowed adult author in UK libraries for the past fourteen years in a row. He lives in Florida with his family.

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Book SynopsisIt was a holiday to die for.FBI agent John O'Hara receives a call from a man desperate for his help. His son and daughter-in-law have been found murdered on their honeymoon in the Caribbean.The grieving father wants justice, and will pay O'Hara handsomely to hunt down the killer.Federal agents aren't allowed to moonlight, but O'Hara is on suspension and battling some serious demons. He takes on the case. But as O'Hara delves deeper and the body count rises, a past he thought was dead and buried comes back to haunt him...

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Book Synopsis____________________________NYPD Red - the task force attacking the most extreme crimes in America''s most extreme city - hunts a killer who is on an impossible mission.A vigilante serial killer is on the loose in New York City, tracking down and murdering people whose crimes have not been punished. The number of victims grows, and many New Yorkers secretly applaud the idea of justice won at any price.NYPD Red Detective Zach Jordan and his partner Kylie MacDonald are put on the case when a woman of vast wealth and even greater connections disappears. Zach and Kylie have to find what''s really behind this murderer''s rampage while political and personal secrets of the highest order hang in the balance. But Kylie has been acting strange recently - and Zach knows whatever she''s hiding could threaten the biggest case of their careers.

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Book SynopsisWITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY THE AUTHORWhen Pearl Tull’s husband, Beck, abandons her she pours her energies into preserving normality. Now, as Pearl lies on her deathbed, the impact of Beck’s abrupt departure unspools: on Cody who can’t overcome his anger, on mild Ezra who must always keep the peace, and on bright, errant Jenny.Trade ReviewHer best novel * Guardian *Anne Tyler is a brilliant writer * Observer *A book to be settled into fully, tomorrow be damned. Funny, heart-hammering, wise…superb * New York Times Book Review *The most impressive American novelist of her generation * Sunday Telegraph *A classic of contemporary Americana…variously funny and horrifying and finally, quietly, terribly moving * Los Angeles Times *

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Book SynopsisEight interlinked family dramas set on an Israeli kibbutz from the masterful storyteller behind A Tale of Love and Darkness‘On the kibbutz it’s hard to know.Trade ReviewLucid and heartbreaking… Explores the always uncertain relationships between men and women, parents and children, friends and enemies, in a clear, clipped language perfectly suited to the laconic tone of the narrative and impeccably rendered into English by Sondra Silverston -- Alberto Manguel * Guardian *Between Friends is arguably something new, a collection of stories, but so interlinked by theme, setting and its rolling cast that it boasts the sense, scope and unity of a novel… The writing, tight and delicate, is technically breathtaking -- Billy O'Callaghan * Irish Examiner *Oz is brilliant at compact images in which a small action expresses a complexity of unarticulated emotion -- Rebecca Abrams * Financial Times *There’s a beautiful economy and simplicity to Oz’s storytelling * The Times *Oz lifts the veil on kibbutz existence without palaver. His pin-point descriptions of individuals and spaces…are pared to perfection in order to resonate. His people twitch with life -- Tom Adair * Scotsman *Oz is a quiet, plain, compelling writer -- Alan Taylor * Herald *Deeply affecting chamber piece… -- Ben Lawrence * Daily Telegraph *Engaging collection… Beautiful, spare prose -- Lucy Popescu * Independent on Sunday *Presents us...with a complex and melancholic vision of people stuggling to transcend their individuality for the sake of mundanely idealistic goals -- Michael Sayeau * Times Literary Supplement *All Israeli life is here, rendered in loving detail * Mail on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisIn Falling Out of Time, David Grossman has created a genre-defying drama - part play, part prose, pure poetry - to tell the story of bereaved parents setting out to reach their lost children. It begins in a small village, in a kitchen, where a man announces to his wife that he is leaving, embarking on a journey in search of their dead son.The man - called simply the ''Walking Man'' - paces in ever-widening circles around the town. One after another, all manner of townsfolk fall into step with him (the Net Mender, the Midwife, the Elderly Maths Teacher, even the Duke), each enduring his or her own loss. The walkers raise questions of grief and bereavement: Can death be overcome by an intensity of speech or memory? Is it possible, even for a fleeting moment, to call to the dead and free them from their death? Grossman''s answer to such questions is a hymn to these characters, who ultimately find solace and hope in their communal act of breaching death's hermetic separateness. For Trade ReviewGrossman raises questions about the nature of grief and mourning and demonstrates, once again, his rare gift of storytelling, a realm where loss is not merely an absence but a life force of its own. * Jewish Chronicle *A harrowing testimony to grief… It’s a measure of Grossman’s clarity of thought and his theatrical timing that one reaches its end and feels, in some small way, glad to have been in his characters’ company however grim the road they travel. -- Rosemary Goring * Glasgow Sunday Herald *A book that needed to be written. -- Kate Kellaway * Observer *On the page the book resembles a play, or a prose poem, possessing at times the qualities of a religious or mystical text... Falling Out of Time is short, and clearly a deeply personal book, but its importance and impact ought not to be underestimated. -- Ian Sansom * Guardian *The greatest Israeli writer of his generation. -- Lucy Daniel * Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisAn exhilarating story of ambition, joy and failure in early manhood from the international phenomenon, Karl Ove Knausgaard.* Karl Ove Knausgaard''s dazzling new novel, The Morning Star, is available to pre-order now *As the youngest student to be admitted to Bergen''s prestigious Writing Academy, Karl Ove arrives full of excitement and writerly aspirations. Soon though, he is stripped of his youthful illusions. His writing is revealed to be puerile and clichéd, and his social efforts are a dismal failure. He drowns his shame in drink and rock music.Then, little by little, things begin to change. He falls in love, gives up writing and the beginnings of an adult life take shape. That is, until his self-destructive binges and the irresistible lure of the writer''s struggle pull him back.''Breathtaking... Knausgaard has a rare talent for making everyday life seem fascinating'' The TimesTrade ReviewBracing, maddening and utterly compelling -- Robert Collins * The Sunday Times *Tremendous, maddening, addictive, gripping * Observer *It is a pen-and-paper virtual reality; after reading it you feel that another past has been downloaded into your mind -- Laurence Scott * Financial Times *Breathtaking... Knausgaard has a rare talent for making everyday life seem fascinating * The Times *For Knausgaard's obsessive fans, this cycle is the most exciting literary project of our times... Knausgaard is the most humane writer in the world… He writes beautifully… It is precisely in the commonness of the lovingly recorded details that these books spin their magic -- Daniel Swift * Spectator *Raw, fast, improvisatory, unfettered. It’s addictive high-wire writing in which he unflinchingly reveals everything about himself * Shortlist *[Some Rain Must Fall] is Knausgaard at his best… It’s a rare novelist who writes about student bars and the Happy Mondays at the same time as yearning for spiritual salvation -- Max Liu * Independent *Part of Knausgaard’s appeal is believability: his books may be called novels but we read them as memoirs. The meticulous detail seems to guarantee their authenticity… Childhood, sex, love, art, work and death are there too, writ small from his own perspective, but compellingly observed -- Blake Morrison * Guardian *Reverberates with life’s core questions… In its depiction of the torment of writer’s block and a young adult’s struggle to construct a sense of self, both on and off the page, it is brilliant -- Anita Sethi * Mail on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisIrvine Welsh was born and raised in Edinburgh. His first novel, Trainspotting, has sold over one million copies in the UK and was adapted into an era-defining film. He has written thirteen further novels, including the number one bestseller Dead Men's Trousers, four books of shorter fiction and numerous plays and screenplays. Crime and The Long Knives have been adapted into a television series starring Dougray Scott as Ray Lennox. Irvine Welsh currently lives between London, Edinburgh and Miami.Trade ReviewA pure writer, producing staggering feats of storytelling... The skill of a master * Independent *Welsh writes with a skill, wit and compassion that amounts to genius. He is the best thing to have happened to British writing for decades * Sunday Times *Urgent, violent, bleakly funny prose -- Nick Hornby * Times literary Supplement *Welsh's world is spiky, trashy and brutal. It is also brilliant, hilarious and infused with a kind of punkish morality * Sunday Express *The poet laureate of the chemical generation * Face *

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Book SynopsisSalman Rushdie is the author of sixteen novels, including Midnight's Children (for which he won the Booker Prize and the Best of the Booker), The Satanic Verses, and Quichotte (which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize). A former president of PEN American Center, Rushdie was knighted in 2007 for services to literature and was made a Companion of Honour in the Queen's last Birthday Honours list in 2022.Trade Review"Thunderous and touching" Financial Times "Engrossing and wonderful" Los Angeles Times "Ambitious, strikingly confident" Times Literary Supplement "Stimulating, funny, a thoroughly good read" Harpers & Queen "A mixture of science fiction and folktale, past and future, primitive and present day... Grimus is a parallel form of life, and conjuring of an alternative society" Financial Times

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Book Synopsis_______________________Every New Yorker's worst nightmare is about to become a reality.New York has seen more than its fair share of horrific attacks, but the city is about to be shaken in a way it never has before.Two devastating catastrophes hit in quick succession, putting everyone on edge.

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Book SynopsisRivalry, unruly desire and ugly secrets poison a family holiday in this gripping novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Free Love and Late in the Day.''Few writers give me such consistent pleasure'' Zadie SmithFour siblings meet up in their grandparents'' old house for three long, hot summer weeks. But under the idyllic surface lie shattering tensions.Roland has come with his new wife, and his sisters don''t like her. Fran has brought her children, who soon uncover an ugly secret in a ruined cottage in the woods. Alice has invited Kasim, an outsider, who makes plans to seduce Roland''s teenage daughter. And Harriet, the eldest, finds her quiet self-possession ripped apart when passion erupts unexpectedly. Over the course of the holiday, a familiar way of life falls apart forever.''Exquisite'' The Times''Wonderful'' Guardian''Magnificent'' Sunday TimTrade ReviewOne of the best novels of 2016. -- Ron Charles * Washington Post *I find Tessa Hadley’s work genuinely helpful, especially when it comes to the big subjects: love and marriage, the political versus the personal, children, friendship. And then there are the sentences themselves, so precise and beautiful, often sly, sometimes devastating, always expertly paced. Few writers give me such consistent pleasure. -- Zadie SmithShe has such great psychological insights into human beings, which is rare. She is one of the best fiction writers writing today -- Chimamanda Ngozi AdichieA new Tessa Hadley is a pleasure to be savoured… The Past is a hugely enjoyable and keenly intelligent novel, brimming with the vitality of unruly desire. -- Sameer Rahim, four stars * Daily Telegraph *Hadley is an exquisite writer, with a fine eye for detail and a way of crafting sentences that make you stop and inhale * The Times *Tessa Hadley recruits admirers with each book. She writes with authority, and with delicacy: she explores nuance, but speaks plainly; she is one of those writers a reader trusts. -- Hilary MantelTessa Hadley has become one of this country’s great contemporary novelists. She is equipped with an armoury of techniques and skills that may yet secure her a position as the greatest of them. -- Anthony Quinn * Guardian *My favourite contemporary novelist... Nobody explores the mystery of relationships better than Hadley. -- Deborah MoggachA masterful novel * Spectator *Tessa Hadley is funny, precise, sensuous, and one of the best writers of family life that you are ever likely to encounter – simultaneously sympathetic and penetrating * Daily Mail Books of the Year *She deserves all the prizes. Hadley is psychologically acute, drily witty and…absolutely wonderful on place * Observer *Splendid… Hadley’s gift for depicting the interior lives of children and adults rivals Ian McEwan’s * Chicago Tribune *Tessa Hadley excels at presenting the contrasting viewpoints of children, teenagers and adults, and her evocative descriptions of the English countryside are a delight. -- Anthony Gardner * Mail on Sunday *Poetic, tender and full of wry humour. A delight * Sunday Mirror *Tender dissection of a certain sort of English middle-class life is magnificently done: half celebration, half elegy. -- Phil Baker * Sunday Times *Tessa Hadley has an exquisite eye for detail. -- Joanne Finney * Good Housekeeping *Full of wonders * Observer *A brilliant British take on two generations of family inhabiting the same house. -- Tim Martin * Daily Telegraph *An astute and finely written novel * Stylist *Exquisite… For anyone who cherishes Anne Tyler and Alice Munro, the book offers similar deep pleasures. Hadley crystallizes the atmosphere of ordinary life in prose somehow miraculous and natural.... Extraordinary * Washington Post *

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Book SynopsisNora hasn't seen Clare for ten years. Not since the day Nora walked out of her old life and never looked back. Until, out of the blue, an invitation to Clare's hen party arrives. A weekend in a remote cottage - the perfect opportunity for Nora to reconnect with her best friend, to put the past behind her. But something goes wrong. Very wrong.Trade Review"A slickly plotted, whip smart thriller - genuinely chilling and totally compulsive" Sunday Mirror, Book of the Week "[A] chilling psychological thriller...a tense, claustrophobic marriage of secrets, tequila shots and shotguns" Sunday Express "If the premise might be the sort that Agatha Christie would have toyed with had she been a 21st-century graduate, Ware's analysis of the power-games some women revel in - and the toxicity in the undertow of some female friendships - is more reminiscent of Sophie Hannah, Christobel Kent, or even Gillian Flynn and Harriet Lane" -- Patricia Nicol Independent "You won't be able to put down this creepy page-turner" Closer "Thrilling, gripping & well-written" Metro, Book of the Week "Toxic friendships, an isolated house, a dark snowy wood... Everyone's worst nightmare, and the perfect ingredients for this tense, terrifying novel" -- Clare Mackintosh, author of I Let You Go

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Book SynopsisÁlvaro Enrigue (Author) Álvaro Enrigue is a prize-winning Mexican writer whose most recent novel is You Dreamed of Empires. His work has appeared in The New York Times, the London Review of Books, El País, and n+1, among other publications. A former Fellow at the Cullman Center and at Princeton University, he teaches Latin American Literature at Hofstra University and lives with his family in New York City.Natasha Wimmer (Translator) Natasha Wimmer's translations include Álvaro Enrigue's You Dreamed of Empires and Sudden Death and Roberto Bolaño's The Savage Detectives and 2666. She lives with her family in Brooklyn, New York.Trade ReviewA complex historical pageant of astonishing richness * Guardian, Best Books of 2016 *Engaging, audacious, and flat-out fun... Sudden Death marks the arrival of a major player on the capital-L courts of literature * Vice *Intellectually formidable… Enrigue is a cerebral and sanguine Spanish-Language postmodernist… It takes literary bravery to be this candid as a writer * New Statesman *Dazzlingly clever and thrillingly original * Mail on Sunday *Exhilarating, funny, and surprisingly sexy... Enrigue turns historical figures into real, flesh-and-blood people and really gets you thinking about art and history: what qualifies as either — and why * Buzzfeed *Brilliant... Enrigue has crafted a tennis allegory for the modern age: a heady, raucous meditation on chaos, power, language and the ways in which history is created and preserved... Enrigue blends historical elements with fantasy to conjure a light, knowing and very funny history in which the present is always lurking beneath the surface... Enrigue's prose is endlessly inventive, full of aphorisms, wry anecdotes and swaggering declarations. * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisSOON TO BE A MAJOR NETFLIX FILM, STARRING COLIN FARELL AND TILDA SWINTONI waited patiently for the next hand to be played out, and I had a feeling it was going to be a Natural, a perfect nine.'His name is Lord Doyle.His plan: to gamble away his last days in the dark and decadent casino halls of Macau.His game: baccarat punto blanco -- ''that slutty dirty queen of casino card games.''Though Doyle is not a Lord at all. He is a fake; a corrupt lawyer who has spent a career siphoning money from rich clients. And now he is on the run, determined to send the money and himself up in smoke.So begins a beguiling, elliptical velvet rope of a plot: a sharp suit, yellow kid gloves, another naughty lemonade and an endless loop of small wins and losses. When Lady Luck arrives in the form of Dao-Ming, a beautiful yet enigmatic lost soul, so begins a spectacular and unnatural winning streak in which millionsTrade ReviewA modern Graham Greene.... into this relatively quiet period for British fiction, someone remarkable and unexpected has emerged fully armed with a formidable, masterly grip on the British novel. At precisely the point where most novelists start to show signs of flagging, Osborne has hit his creative, fictional stride...and has arrived as a thrilling, exceptional talent in British fiction's landscape. -- Robert Collins * Sunday Times *A perfectly written existential thriller, a spooky, gripping, heart-in-your-mouth read that has profound things to say about the only god who rules human affairs – chance. -- Neel Mukherjee * New Statesman, Books of the Year 2014 *Damn. Another writer I have to care about… dark, brilliant and about as ignorable as a switchblade. * New York Times *The Ballad of a Small Player shares the exoticism and East-West disconnect of The Quiet American, the unresolved supernaturalism of The Heart of the Matter and Loser Takes All's bittersweet relationship with the gaming tables. If Osborne's book is a love letter to gambling, it's the kind written at 3am to an indifferent ex after an evening at the bar -- an ode to self-destruction. A brisk, electrifying read... the most ambiguous, and therefore the most enjoyable, kind of ghost story. The Ballad of a Small Player remains elusive, and is all the better for that. -- Adrian Turpin * Literary Review *Hypnotic, razor-sharp in its insights, compelling... in Osborne's hands, the moments of suspense are handled with so much skill that we sometimes read them more as memoir than elements of a thriller. -- Tash Aw * NPR *A searing portrait of addiction and despair set in the glittering world of Macau’s casinos.... the novel’s energetic portrait of the highs and lows of a gambler’s fortunes are as good as anything in the literature of addiction. Osborne’s intriguing Chinese milieu and exquisite prose mark this work as a standout. -- Starred review * Publisher's Weekly *With its ex-pat angst and debauched air of moral ambiguity set amid the sinister demi-monde of the Far East’s corrupt gambling dens, Osborne’s darkly introspective study of decline and decay conjures apt comparisons to Paul Bowles, Graham Greene, and V. S. Naipaul. * Booklist *The beauty of this novel is in the elegance and precision of its prose, which renders the glaring kitsch of Macau into a series of exquisite miniatures, and draws on Osborne's reserves as a travel writer. -- Gerard Woodward * Guardian *Lawrence Osborne’s latest will leave you breathless… [It] will screw up your guts with anxiety, fill you with hope and then kick you hard in the b****cks all in one well-weighted read. No need to gamble -- it's an absolute winner of a book. -- Jon Wise * Weekend Sport *A brisk, electrifying read, as elegant in negotiating the rackety world it depicts as its bow-tied narrator -- Rachel Cooke * Observer *Compelling… following Doyle’s drift from card table to hotel to humid streets is immersive and will leave you restless, looking for stamps in your passport… * Emerald Street *A bleak and enjoyable account of someone who, perhaps through unacknowledged guilt, finds bitter solace in losing and in driving himself towards extinction. -- Simon Baker * Spectator *Just as Doyle’s game of choice, Baccarat, urges him to keep turning over one hand after another, Osborne’s sharp, compelling prose is equally addictive – just one more page, one more page -- Jim Dempsey * Bookmunch *Osborne shows an impeccable facility for capturing the sweat-soaked suspense of the high-stakes card table * New Yorker *This is a good, fast read about what it is to win, and what it is to lose -- William Leith * Evening Standard *

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Book SynopsisToni Morrison was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993. She was the author of many novels, including The Bluest Eye, Sula, Beloved, Paradise and Love. She received the National Book Critics Circle Award and a Pulitzer Prize for her fiction and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honour, in 2012 by Barack Obama. Toni Morrison died on 5 August 2019 at the age of eighty-eight.Trade ReviewWonderful... A triumph * New York Times *Toni Morrison makes me believe in God. She makes me believe in a divine being, because luck and genetics don’t seem to come close to explaining her * Guardian *Deeply perceptive...Returns risk and mischief to the contemporary American novel * New York Times Book Review *Toni Morrison's writing is a train that knows where it's going, fierce and fast-moving in narrative, lyrically showy in description * Sunday Times *Toni Morrison has made herself into the D. H. Lawrence of the black psyche, transforming individuals into forces, idiosyncrasy into inevitability * New York Times *

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Book SynopsisBorn in Jerusalem in 1939, Amos Oz was the internationally acclaimed author of many novels and essay collections, translated into over forty languages, including his brilliant semi-autobiographical work, A Tale of Love and Darkness. His last novel, Judas, was shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize 2017 and won the Yasnaya Polyana Foreign Fiction Award. He received several international awards, including the Prix Femina, the Israel Prize, the Goethe Prize, the Frankfurt Peace Prize and the 2013 Franz Kafka Prize. He died in December 2018.Trade ReviewCountries need writers as their voices of conscience; few have them. Israel has Oz * Washington Post *One of the greatest prose writers in contemporary fiction * The Times *Amos Oz is a great writer because he tells stories about real people in a way that no one else can -- Alan SillitoeHe has that mixture of lyrical intensity, utter seriousness and capacity for describing life in a few words which characterises some of the best Russian authors -- Melvyn BraggThere are times when you are reminded what it means to be in the presence of a genius...with Amos Oz you have to add wisdom and hope too * Scotsman *

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Book SynopsisFor Cal, some choices are devastatingly simple... He can work in an abattoir that nauseates him or join the dole queue; he can brood on his past or plan a future with Marcella. Springing out of the fear and violence of Ulster, Cal is a haunting love story in a land were tenderness and innocence can only flicker briefly in the dark.Trade ReviewSimple humanity, eloquently caught....Though Cal is a bleak novel, there is a flicker of lyricism running through it, like the sun shining through the shattered windows of a ruined church * New York Times *To fashion a short, telling novel out of the hideous complexities of Northern Ireland takes narrative skill of a high order. In Cal Bernard MacLaverty has managed to do it superbly -- Nina BawdenIt performs the remarkable feat of compressing into its short span both a doomed love affair and an account of the impossibility of living, in the circumstances of that doomed province, without redemption and without punishment… MacLaverty has a true feeling for tragedy’ -- Anita Brookner

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Book SynopsisSteve Tesich wrote many plays and screenplays, including the Academy Award-winning Breaking Away and The World According to Garp. His first novel, Summer Crossing, was published in 1982. He died in 1996 at the age of fifty-three.Trade ReviewKaroo has all the ingredients of a truly great novel. Its plot has the pathos of a Greek tragedy and enough twists and turns to satisfy the most avid Raymond Chandler fan. The characters come alive as soon as they appear on the page. Fantastic * Literary Review *Utterly wonderful... This novel does supremely what novels were invented to do - it confronts the most unbearable sadness with a comic exhilaration that makes you almost pleased that life is tragic -- Howard JacobsonMordantly funny, unexpectedly moving and brutally honest about the business of making movies -- Richard E GrantFascinating. A real satiric invention, loaded with wise outrage -- Arthur MillerTerrific. Nakedly honest, a tour de force of self-destruction. As Saul spirals into free-fall we're with him all the way, because he's so furiously funny -- Deborah Moggach

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Book SynopsisThe compelling Sunday Times bestseller about two neighbours brought together by fate, from the million-copy bestselling author of The Family Upstairs''Another jewel from Lisa'' HEAT''Perfect to curl up on the sofa on a Sunday and read in one delightful sitting!'' 5***** READER REVIEW''A big warm-hearted book'' MARIE CLAIRE_______For years, Toby has opened his door to the people who needed his help.For years, Leah has been fascinated by the mysterious house across the street and its unusual mix of occupants.They''ve never met - until Toby receives a letter that draws Leah inside.Finally, Leah gets to know the lives of the people she''s wondered about for so long - a group of artists who have each lost their way.When Toby decides he needs to move on with his life, he knows he needs to help his tenants, too.Leah insists on helping his plan to bring them all happinTrade ReviewWinner of the Melissa Nathan Award for Best Comedy Romance * - *A life-affirming tale studded with Jewell's trademark warmth and humour * Red *The kind of modern romance that rainy weekends were made for . . . another jewel from Lisa * Heat *Another gem from the modern-classic queen * Company *A great one to read while you're curled up in your duvet * Cosmopolitan *A big warm-hearted book * Marie Claire *Could this be her best yet? We think so * Eve *Praise for Lisa Jewell * - *Addictively readable * The Times *Terrific * Sunday Times *A joy . . . a fun summer read * Guardian *The best romantic comedy we've read in ages * Company *Tackles serious issues with humour - proving that chick-lit can be intelligent, interesting and huge fun * Sunday Express *A triumph * Hello *Top marks. Fantastic * Heat *Lovely * Daily Telegraph *Moving and intelligent * Independent *Magnetic, unpretentious and bursting with one-liners * Cosmopolitan *Jewell's readability and emotional intelligence make her the cream of pop fiction * Glamour *Fans of chick-lit will understand when I say that this is a book you simply disappear into * Sunday Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisA moving, wise and delightfully modern comedy of manners from the bestselling, Man Booker shortlisted author Karen Joy Fowler.Six people - five women and a man - meet once a month in California''s Central Valley to discuss Jane Austen''s novels. They are ordinary people, neither happy nor unhappy, but each of them is wounded in different ways, they are all mixed up about their lives and relationships. Over the six months they meet, marriages are tested, affairs begin, unsuitable arrangements become suitable - under the guiding eye of Jane Austen a couple of them even fall in love...''If I could eat this novel, I would'' Alice Sebold, author of The Lovely Bones''A thoroughly delightful comedy of contemporary manners'' Entertainment Weekly''We defy you not to fall head over heels for this lovely novel'' Mail On Sunday

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewSatisfying and thoughtful * Daily Telegraph *Publisher's description. Dazzlingly energetic and deeply human, Swing Time is Zadie Smith's most ambitious novel yet: a story about friendship and music and true identity, how they shape us and how we can survive them. Moving from north-west London to West Africa, it is an exuberant dance to the music of time. * Penguin *Endlessly satisfying... [Zadie Smith] has never written better. Pitch-perfect, masterful and sophisticated * Telegraph *Zadie Smith is the best writer of our generation, and Swing Time is her best book to date. As the title promises, the novel swings and pulsates with life, filled with emotion, excited by intellect and haunted by sadness. What a miracle that literature can still do things other forms of art cannot. What a miracle that Zadie Smith is among us, writing. -- Gary ShteyngartClever, funny, confident and kind. Her gift for language is a pleasure and her character shines through * Evening Standard *[Smith] packs more intelligence, humour and sheer energy into any given scene than anyone else of her generation * Sunday Telegraph *Zadie Smith's finest novel. Extraordinary, virtuosic... [It] does what only literature can and what only great literature will: forces us to assess the very vocabulary with which we speak of human experience * Observer *Zadie Smith at her finest... [An] unflinching portrait of friendship... [A] triumph * Guardian *Ingenious, inspired... Zadie Smith's new novel is very good indeed * Sunday Times *Shrewd observation and sly satire, profundity and genuine purpose, as well as some of the most heart-stoppingly lyrical writing of her career * Scotland on Sunday *A powerful story of lives marred by secrets, unfulfilled potential, the unjustness of the world...and the dances people do to rise above it all * Economist *A sweeping meditation on race and identity... [Smith's] most ambitious work yet * Esquire *A nuanced, richly rewarding tale * Mail on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisPortrays two women with distinct backgrounds in two novels--Reading Turgenev and My house in Umbria--that describe how the imagination and the written word can comfort people in desperate hoursTrade ReviewAs rich and moving as anything I have read in years. When I reached the end of both of these marvellous novels, I wanted to start right again at the beginning * Guardian *These novels will endure. And in every beautiful sentence there is not a word out of place -- Anita Brookner * Spectator *Inquisitive and loving. Trevor's is among the most subtle and sophisticated fiction being written today * New York Review of Books *A writer at the peak of his powers; it reminds you what good reading is all about * Chicago Sun Times *Reading Turgenev is one of the most beautiful and memorable things he has written. It stays in your memory -like Turgenev * Independent on Sunday *He writes like an angel, but is determined to wring your heart. Trevor at his most evocative and haunting * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisFlann O''Brien''s innovative metafictional work, whose unruly characters strike out their own paths in life to the frustration of their author, At Swim-Two-Birds is a brilliant impressionistic jumble of ideas, mythology and nonsense published in Penguin Modern Classics.Flann O''Brien''s first novel tells the story of a young, indolent undergraduate, who lives with his curmudgeonly uncle in Dubin and spends far too much time drinking with his friends. When not drunk or in bed he likes to invent wild stories peoples with hilarious and unlikely characters - but somehow his creations won''t do what he wants them to. A dazzling work of farce, satire, folklore and absurdity that gives full rein to its author''s dancing intellect and Celtic wit, At Swim-Two-Birds is both a brilliant comic send-up of Irish literature and culture, and a portrayal of Dublin to compare with Joyce''s Ulysses.Brian Ó Nualláin, (1911-1966), better known by his pseudonym Flann O''Brien, was born in Strabane, County Tyrone, and studied at University College Dublin before joining the Irish Civil Service. Ifyou enjoyed At Swim-Two-Birds, you might like Vladimir Nabokov''s Pale Fire, also available in Penguin Modern Classics.''This is just the book to give your sister if she''s a loud, dirty, boozy girl''Dylan Thomas''That''s a real writer, with the true comic spirit''James Joyce, author of Ulysses''A brilliant, beer-soaked miniature masterpiece''Time

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Book SynopsisEvelyn Waugh''s celebrated tale of decadence and social disintegration, with an introduction by Philip EadeAfter seven years of marriage, the beautiful Lady Brenda Last is bored with life at Hetton Abbey, the Gothic mansion that is the pride and joy of her husband, Tony. She drifts into an affair with the shallow socialite John Beaver and forsakes Tony for the Belgravia set. Brilliantly combining tragedy, comedy and savage irony, A Handful of Dust captures the irresponsible mood of the ''crazy and sterile generation'' between the wars. This breakdown of the Last marriage is a painful, comic re-working of Waugh''s own divorce, and a symbol of the disintegration of society.''One of the twentieth century''s most chilling and bitter novels; and one of its best''Nicholas Lezard, Guardian''One of the most distinguished novels of the century''Frank Kermode''This is a masterpiece of stylish satire, and is funny, too ... a marvello

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Book SynopsisContains four stories, written between 1900 and 1902. One of them reveals the differences between instinct and intelligence in a partnership vital to human survival; and the other contains 'land-stories' that explore the utter isolation of an East European emigrant in England and in the other, the plight of a woman.Trade Review“My own conviction, sweeping all those reaches of living fiction I know, is that Conrad’s figure stands out from the field like the Alps from the Piedmont plain.” —H. L. Mencken

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Book SynopsisRyünosuke Akutagawa (1892-1927) is one of Japan's foremost stylists - a modernist master whose short stories are marked by highly original imagery, cynicism, beauty and wild humour. Rashömon' and In a Bamboo Grove' inspired Kurosawa's magnificent film and depict a past in which morality is turned upside down, while tales such as The Nose', O-Gin' and Loyalty' paint a rich and imaginative picture of a medieval Japan peopled by Shoguns and priests, vagrants and peasants. And in later works such as Death Register', The Life of a Stupid Man' and Spinning Gears', Akutagawa drew from his own life to devastating effect, revealing his intense melancholy and terror of madness in exquisitely moving impressionistic stories.

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