Contemporary Fiction Books

Book Synopsis***NOW A MAJOR FILM STARRING ANNE HATHAWAY AND NICHOLAS GALITZINE ON PRIME VIDEO***READ THE ADDICTIVELY SPICY NOVEL THAT INSPIRED THE SMASH HIT MOVIE...*ORDER NOW FOR A BONUS CHAPTER*''THIS SLAYED ME'' Taylor Jenkins Reid ''IF YOU ONLY READ ONE BOOK THIS YEAR, MAKE IT THIS'' 5***** Reader Review ''SUMMER''S SAUCIEST, SEXIEST READ'' Red ''THE ENDING . . . I''M NOT OVER IT'' 5***** Reader Review''I''M MADLY IN LOVE WITH THIS NOVEL'' Curtis Sittenfeld_______EVERYONE IN THE WORLD KNOWS HIS NAME. BUT IT''S YOU HE WANTS. To the media, Hayes Campbell is the star of a record-breaking British boyband. To his fans, he''s the naughty-but-nice front man - whose dimples and outlandish dress sense drive them crazy. To Solène Marchand, he''s just the pretty face that''s plastered over every girl''s bedroom wall. Until a chance meeting throws them toget

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Book SynopsisJ.K. Rowling invites you to explore a new era of the Wizarding World . . .When Magizoologist Newt Scamander arrives in New York, he intends his stay to be just a brief stopover. However, when his magical case is misplaced and some of Newt''s fantastic beasts escape, it spells trouble for everyone . . .Inspired by the original Hogwart''s textbook by Newt Scamander, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original screenplay marks the screenwriting debut of J.K. Rowling, author of the beloved and internationally bestselling Harry Potter books. A feat of imagination and featuring a cast of remarkable characters and magical creatures, this is epic adventure-packed storytelling at its very best. Whether an existing fan or new to the wizarding world, this is a perfect addition for any film lover or reader''s bookshelf.*** Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is available now! ***

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Book SynopsisFrank, sexy, and so tender. Little''s pen shines Bolu Babalola, author of Love in ColourA beautifully rendered story about love''s possibilities and its limits. I laughed, I cried, couldn''t put it down Monica Heisey, author of Really Good, ActuallyAn effervescent and irresistible new voice Coco Mellors, author of Cleopatra and FrankensteinA wonderfully fresh, zesty and sexy debut novelist who is putting black queer lives, loves and longings centre stage, where they belong Bernardine Evaristo, author of Girl, Woman, OtherFull of energy, wit and excitement, this is a book to watch StylistBold debut novel . . . free-spirited . . . amazing CosmopolitanA paeon to a queer love affair that''s sexy, complex and romantic. Effortlessly capturing our uncertain zeitgeist Evening StandardA deliciously gritty and strikingly bold debut novel about discover

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Book SynopsisEstee, I bought this ring the day after I saw you on stage at La Scala, all those years ago. You''re the only woman I''ve ever loved. Estee wanted to see it so badly, but instead she reached for Felix''s hand and gently closed it over the box. No, she whispered. I want you to propose only when you''re truly free.When Lily is called to a lawyer''s office in London, she has no idea that her life is about to change forever. There, she is told that her grandmother was born at Hope House, a home for unmarried mothers, and is given a box containing the only clues to her true heritage. Peeling back the delicate layers of paper she finds an Italian recipe and a theatre programme.Travelling to Italy and taking a job on a vineyard, Lily is determined to unravel the mystery of her past. The vineyard owners, in particular their charming son Antonio, offer to help. They tell Lily that the recipe belongs to the wealthy Rossi family, known for their famous bakeries wh

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Book SynopsisTwo sisters, a world at war and one life-changing secret.Trade Review'Part love story, part family saga, part historical fiction, this vividly descriptive book is above all an exploration of the trials and triumphs, the rivalries and delights of sisterhood' Daily Mail 'A triumph on every level, a beautiful heartbreaking story' Washington Post 'In this moving historical novel, Lisa See explores her Chinese-American roots and those of the Chinese who headed to California in the early 20th century in hopes of a better life ... See is a gifted writer' USA Today 'An engrossing tale of two sisters' Time

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Book SynopsisFencers Tam, Richie and their ever-exasperated English foreman are forced to move from rural Scotland to England for work. After a disastrous start involving a botched fence and an accidental murder, the three move to a damp caravan in Upper Bowland and soon find themselves in direct competition with the sinister Hall Brothers.Trade Review'A heaving cauldron of black humour ... You'll never look at a stretch of high-tensile agricultural fencing in quite the same way ever again' Time Out 'With a tone that wavers as unsettlingly between Ken Loach and Franz Kafka as its locale switches from Scotland to England, Magnus Mill's first novel is a work of rare originality and power ... It is very, very good' Independent 'Extremely unusual, finely crafted and funny' Observer 'Unpretentious, comic and intelligent' Daily Telegraph

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Book SynopsisShortlisted for the Orange Prize 2011Trade Review'A writer of great talent and courage' * Monica Ali *'An intricate tapestry of betrayal, tragedy and loss ... an affecting, passionate and intelligent novel about the redemptive power of love and storytelling' * Daily Telegraph *'Let us hope that it takes its place where it deserves to be; not at the top of the pile of "African Literature" but outside any category altogether - and at the top of award shortlists' * The Times *‘Intelligent, engrossing and beautifully crafted' * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisAN ASTOUNDING NOVEL FROM THE AUTHOR OF FRANKIE AND STANKIE AND BROTHER OF THE MORE FAMOUS JACK____________________''A dazzling achievement. It''s beautifully-written, deftly-plotted and moves skilfully from domestic drama to global themes and back again'' - Daily Express''Delightful and brilliantly choreographed comedy'' - Sunday Times____________________The time is 1995, but everybody has a past. Brilliant Australian Caroline can command everyone except her own ghoulish mother, which means that things aren''t easy for Josh and Zoe, her husband with Stravinsky-glasses and twelve-year-old daughter. Zoe reads girls'' ballet books and longs for lessons; a thing denied her until a chance encounter on a school French exchange. Meanwhile, on the east coast of Africa, Hattie, Josh''s first love, now writes girls'' ballet books - that''s when she can carve out the space between her husband and her crosspatch daughter. From fTrade Review'This wonderful novel sparkles with Midsummer Night's Dream magic' * Daily Mail *'A dazzling achievement. It's beautifully-written, deftly-plotted and moves skilfully from domestic drama to global themes and back again' * Daily Express *‘Beautifully structured, with flashes of wonderful eccentricity' * The Times *'Delightful and brilliantly choreographed comedy' * Sunday Times *

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Book Synopsis______________WINNER OF THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE______________''Full of wit, warmth, intelligence, human feeling and understanding. It is also beautifully written with that sophisticated and near invisible skill of the authentic writer'' - Observer''Wonderful ... Jacobson is seriously on form'' - Evening Standard______________Julian Treslove, a professionally unspectacular former BBC radio producer, and Sam Finkler, a popular Jewish philosopher, writer and television personality, are old school friends. Despite very different lives, they''ve never quite lost touch with each other - or with their former teacher, Libor Sevcik. Both Libor and Finkler are recently widowed, and together with Treslove they share a sweetly painful evening revisiting a time before they had loved and lost. It is that very evening, when Treslove hesitates a moment as he walks home, that he is attacked - and his whole sense of who and what he is slowly and ineluTrade Review‘How is it possible to read Howard Jacobson and not lose oneself in admiration for the music of his language, the power of his characterisation and the penetration of his insight? ... The Finkler Question is further proof, if any was needed, of Jacobson's mastery of humour' * The Times *Wonderful ... Jacobson is seriously on form' * Evening Standard *‘There are few writers who exhibit the same unawed respect for language or such a relentless commitment to re-examining even the most seemingly unobjectionable of received wisdoms' * Daily Telegraph *'Full of wit, warmth, intelligence, human feeling and understanding. It is also beautifully written with that sophisticated and near invisible skill of the authentic writer' * Observer *

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Book SynopsisBy the winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in LiteratureAbbas has never told anyone about his past; about what happened before he was a sailor on the high seas, before he met his wife Maryam outside a Boots in Exeter, before they settled into a quiet life in Norwich with their children, Jamal and Hanna. Now, at the age of sixty-three, he suffers a collapse that renders him bedbound and unable to speak about things he thought he would one day have to.Jamal and Hanna have grown up and gone out into the world. They were both born in England but cannot shake a sense of apartness. Hanna calls herself Anna now, and has just moved to a new city to be near her boyfriend. She feels the relationship is headed somewhere serious, but the words have not yet been spoken out loud. Jamal, the listener of the family, moves into a student house and is captivated by a young woman with dark-blue eyes and her own, complex story to tell. Abbas''s illness forces both children home, to the dark silenTrade Review‘Gurnah is a master storyteller ... A subtle and moving tale of a family coming to terms with itself: one to read at leisure and absorb at length' * Aminatta Forna, Financial Times *‘Gurnah writes with wonderful insight about family relationships and he folds in the layers of history with elegance and warmth' * The Times *‘A well-made novel about identity and, at a time of forbidding public rhetoric about immigration, Gurnah's sensitive and sympathetic portrayal of his cast feels welcome.' * Sunday Times *'Stories and identities are rarely what they seem in The Last Gift, which is full of carefully guarded secrets. Beneath these multiple clandestine narratives, is a story replete with black humour and contemplative politics, told with great generosity' * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisFirst, I''ll tell about the robbery our parents committed. Then about the murders, which happened later.It was more bad instincts and bad luck that lead to Dell Parsons' parents robbing a bank. They weren't reckless people, but in an instant, their actions alter fifteen-year-old Dell's sense of normal life forever. In the days that follow, he is saved before the authorities think to arrive. Driving across Montana, his life hurtles towards the unknown; a hotel in a deserted town, the violent and enigmatic Arthur Remlinger, and towards Canada itself. But, as Dell discovers, in this new world of secrets and upheaval, he is not the only one whose past lies on the other side of the border.Trade ReviewA vast, magnificent canvas. This is one of the first great novels of the 21st century -- John Banville * Guardian *Ford is possessed of a writer's greatest gifts ... Pure vocal grace, quiet humor, precise and calm observation ... Ford's language is of the cracked, open spaces and their corresponding places within * Lorrie Moore, New Yorker *A brilliant and engrossing portrait of a fragile American family and the fragile consciousness of a teenage boy * Colm Toibin, Metro *A real king returns ... a story, and a vision, as sweeping as its landscapes * Boyd Tonkin, Independent *Astonishing ... Reviewers will be quick to proclaim that Richard Ford has written a great American novel, another masterpiece, and he most emphatically has. Canada is his finest work to date ... A powerfully human and profound novel that makes one sigh, shudder and weep. Here is greatness. No doubt about it * Eileen Battersby, Irish Times *His books will save you * GQ *A scrupulously rendered coming-of-age story * Anthony Cummins, Sunday Telegraph *The strength of the book is Ford's examination of flawed fatherhood, of the failures that push Dell into an uneasy maturity, one that allows him to achieve what remains the modest but profound goal of Ford's fiction: simply, to make a life ... his coda is as precise and measured as anything he has conjured before. The end, like a piece of origami, could fold right into the beginning of Ford's greatest novel, The Sportswriter. The sombre and gorgeous final two thirds of Canada rest next to Ford's best fiction * Craig Taylor, The Times *A true master of the modern American novel * Independent *Canada both grips and haunts * Douglas Kennedy, Independent *As opening lines go, they're corkers. The rest of the novel is quieter than you'd imagine but it amply fulfils their promise ... The result is prose so sonorous in its melancholy insightfulness that you'll want to linger over each sentence. Meanwhile, the story itself - a tale of what happens when uncrossable lines are crossed - will have you turning its pages ever faster * Daily Mail *Ford really excels in his virtuoso command of narrative suspense ... each part of Canada is superb in its own way ... [Ford is] a serious artist * New York Review of Books *

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Book SynopsisJoshua is a troubled boy who lives with his mother and stepfather in a divided city, where a wall and soldiers separate two communities, and the rubble-strewn residue of their broken world gives hints of the old life before the wall was built. Joshua discovers a manhole, which leads to a tunnel, which leads in pitch darkness under the wall and across to the other side. Forbidden territory, dangerous territory, violent territory, which a boy like him visibly different shouldn't stray into. An act of kindness from a girl saves his life, but leads to a brutal act of cruelty and a terrible debt he's determined to repay. And no one, no one must find out that he's been there or the consequences will be unbearable.Trade ReviewA novel for all ages that is full of heart, hope and humanity. A terrific achievement * Financial Times *A disturbing and thought-provoking book which simmers with heat, anger and fear * Independent on Sunday *A powerful tale of a divided city * The Bookseller *

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Book SynopsisIn this moving autobiographical novel, the narrator's mother, Lucile, raises her two daughters largely alone. A former child model from a large Bohemian family, Lucile is younger and more glamorous than the other mothers: always in lipstick and stylishly dressed, wayward and wonderful. But as the years pass her occasional sadness gives way to overwhelming despair and delusion. This is a story of luminous beauty and rambunctious joy, of dark secrets and silences, revelations and, ultimately, the unknowability of even those closest to us. And in the face of the unknowable, personal history becomes fiction. Nothing Holds Back the Night is universally recognisable and singularly heartbreaking.Trade ReviewAn unsettling and raw monologue, even more so because of the cool control de Vigan sustains ... The only way to read this book is to stop, put it down, gasp, absorb the horrors and then read on. Shortlisted for eight major literary awards in France, it won two, and it is easy to see why. It is an overpowering work, almost impossible to assess because of the extreme behaviour described ... [will] leave a reader shaken and affected. How many books can do that? * Eileen Battersby, Irish Times *Delphine de Vigan is a sensation * Observer *Thrilling, tender ... A genuinely shocking, incandescent read * Janice Galloway, Scotland on Sunday *Compassionate and powerful, as well as painful and shocking ... The luminous accuracy of the prose reminds me of Colette ... the Poirier family – parents and children – appear in a kind of Renoir sunlight, overflowing with life and vibrant personalities, almost enough to conceal the lurking darkness * Ursula Le Guin, Guardian *Absolutely stunning. This remarkable book is not a memoir, a biography, an analysis or a novel: it is all these and more. It is about the struggle to weave sense out of mutinous threads, how silence breeds crisis, how we are made and unmade. “Gauging the extent of the mystery” that was her mother, de Vigan strips the psychodrama of family ties – the basis of every human life – to the bone * Janice Galloway *De Vigan never spares her own self-absorption in her repellently irresistible investigation of a life that amounted to symphonic self-destruction yet achieved a bizarre and compelling heroism * Eileen Battersby, Irish Times Books of the Year *

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Book Synopsis_______________''Kerry Young is a stand-alone talent in the new emerging generation of writers from the Caribbean region. Her stories are gritty and also funny and very real'' - Monique Roffey_______________A story of revolution and oppression, privilege and poverty, love and betrayal from the critically acclaimed author of PaoFay Wong is caught between worlds. Her father is a Chinese immigrant who conjured a fortune from nothing; her African heritage mother grew up on a plantation and now reigns over their mansion in Lady Musgrave Road.But her father's Chinatown haunts are out of bounds and the airy rooms of their home are filled with her mother's uncontrollable rages rages against which Fay rebels as she grows into a headstrong woman.As she tries to escape the restraints of her privileged upbringing, Fay's eyes are opened to a Jamaica she was never meant to see. And when her mother decides that she must marry the racketeer Yang Pao, she finds herseTrade ReviewKerry Young is a stand-alone talent in the new emerging generation of writers from the Caribbean region. Her stories are gritty and also funny and very real * Monique Roffey *Impressive ... With grace, authenticity and humour, Young lets Jamaica's political history shine through the life story of her charming yet fallible hero. Brilliant * Daily Mail on Pao *A vivid portrayal ... Kerry Young's heartfelt, sparky and affecting debut novel is a chronicle of multicultural Jamaica, both in its cultural richness and in its strife and tensions * Guardian on Pao *A pacy but absorbing saga of domestic struggle and gangland manoeuvring set against the violent backdrop of postwar Jamaican politics * Independent on Sunday *Kerry Young tells the absorbing, uplifting story of a young woman’s escape from the brutal poverty of rural Jamaica to a new life in the violent world of its capital, Kingston ... Written in the gentle, hypnotic patois and encompassing the birth pangs of Jamaican independence, this is a highly evocative portrait of a country in transition, and of one woman’s search for self-awareness and self-respect * Mail on Sunday *Gloria is a brilliant, observant, sometimes complex read, but with clear and simple messages, it speaks to the feminist and equal rights campaigner in all of us ***** * Western Mail *

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Book Synopsis''There is no denying the winning charm of these artfully fashioned mysteries'' - Barry Forshaw, Independent''Gentle, often funny and undeniably charming'' - Readers Digest''We should welcome him to the ranks of classic detectives'' - Daily Mail_______________It is the 1960s and Canon Sidney Chambers is enjoying his first year of married life with his German bride Hildegard. But life in Grantchester rarely stays quiet for long.Our favourite clerical detective soon attempts to stop a serial killer who has a grievance against the clergy; investigates the disappearance of a famous painting after a distracting display of nudity by a French girl in an art gallery; uncovers the fact that an accidental' drowning on a film shoot may not have been so accidental after all; and discovers the reasons behind the theft of a baby from a hospital in the run-up to Christmas, 1963. In the meantime, Sidney wrestles with the problem of evil, attempts to fulTrade ReviewWe should welcome him to the ranks of classic detectives * Daily Mail *Chambers turns out to be a winning clergyman-sleuth, and Runcie's literary authority is repeatedly demonstrated in the construction of his elegant tales ... there is no denying the winning charm of these artfully fashioned mysteries -- Barry Forshaw * Independent *Runcie is emerging as Grantchester’s answer to Alexander McCall Smith … The book brings a dollop of Midsomer Murders to the Church of England, together with a literate charm of its own: civilized entertainment, with dog-collars * Spectator *The clerical milieu is well rendered as an affectionate eye is cast over post-war England - a perfect accompaniment to a sunny afternoon, a hammock and a glass of Pimm's * Guardian *Totally English, beautifully written, perfectly in period and wryly funny. More please! * Country Life *Inspector Morse would appear to have a rival * Scotland on Sunday *For those who want to beat the crowds, the third book in the series has all the pleasures of the first two ... Above all, they’ll relish the company of Sidney himself, affectionately and almost defiantly presented as a kindly Christian doing his best in an increasingly secular world ... In fact, Sidney is such a pleasure to be with that these are crime stories that might work just as well without the crime ... The result, once again, is gentle, often funny and undeniably charming * Readers Digest *

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Book Synopsis''One of his generation''s most gifted writers.'' New York Times''An amazingly perceptive novel.'' San Francisco Chronicle''Fascinating... lingers in the mind'' New York Times Book ReviewOwen and Rose are facing serious challenges to their married life of routine and monotony as New York City grows and changes around them. They spend most Sundays apart; while Rose buries herself in crosswords and newspapers, Owen visits gay porn theaters.But when they discover they may lose their apartment and their son, prompted by his new relationship, reveals his homosexuality, their lives cannot continue as they were. Owen and Rose are forced to confront not only their son's revelation but also Owen's latent homosexuality. Poignant and lingering, this is a tale of love and relationships, secrets and unspoken desires.Trade ReviewAn amazingly perceptive novel. * San Francisco Chronicle *One of his generation's most gifted writers. * New York Times *Fascinating... lingers in the mind * New York Times Book Review *

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Book Synopsis______________ One of the best writers of my generation' - John Irving A playful yet searching novel of gay life in the New York of Ed Koch and Studio 54' - Kirkus Smart, worldly, erudite, well-connected, and funny' - New York Review of BooksRemarkable America's most significant gay writer' - Literary Review______________Has everyone always been in love with you? Of course they have, who am I kidding? What did they say about Helen of Troy? That her face launched a thousand ships? That's you, you're that beautiful. A thousand ships'New York City in the eighties, and at its decadent heart is Guy. The darling of Fire Island''s gay community and one of New York's top male models, Guy is gliding his way to riches that are a world away from his modest provincial upbringing back home in France. Like some modern-day Dorian Gray he seems untouched by time: the decades pass, fashions change, yet his beauty remains as transcenTrade ReviewEdmund White is one of the best writers of my generation; he's certainly the contemporary American writer I reread more than any other, and the one whose next book I look forward to reading most. -- John IrvingEdmund White tells such a good story that I'm ready to to listen to anything he wants to talk about. * The New York Times Book Review on THE FLANEUR *Our Young Man is classic Edmund White, exploring the universal desire to be known, desired, accepted and at what cost. Set against the backdrop of the world of male modeling, Our Young Man takes us from France to Fire Island, exploring ideas of coming of age, coming into one’s own, and coming out, themes of family, trust and identity and the devastation of the AIDS epidemic and always, in keeping true to all of Edmund White’s work through the years the ineluctable nature of desire and the (sometimes failed) beauty of the human heart -- A. M. HomesEdmund White continues to chronicle, with more insight and compassion than any other writer I could name, the points at which gay life is simultaneously particular unto itself, and contiguous with universal human states. Thank you, Edmund, for insisting on our differences while reminding us, as well, that none of us is truly different, not in our innermost selves -- Michael CunninghamSo funny - it's really one of his best - full of life, and so nasty -- Andrew HolleranA playful yet searching novel of gay life in the New York of Ed Koch and Studio 54 … A closely written, multidimensional coming-of-age novel that captures a time of whispers, elaborate codes, and not inconsiderable danger * Kirkus *The cleanest, clearest stream of prose I've let myself into for a long time. But underneath that glitchless surface that are treacherous and unsuspecting currents and depths. The astonishing details of everything, the always-perfect similes and metaphors ... there is such richness to that cleanness. It is thrilling and mesmerising ... A gripping, profound and uproariously funny book -- Neel MukherjeeSmart, worldly, erudite, well-connected, and funny … It’s a picaresque story of one person’s life and career, and a comedy of manners … The worldliness recalls Colette’s descriptions of fin-de-siècle and 1920s Paris … Our Young Man is informative, wise, and amusing, and you can’t help wondering who the originals were, though you know, of course, that it’s only a novel * New York Review of Books *Remarkable … America’s most significant gay writer … Categorically no retread, but rather a sprightly journey through both compelling and familiar terrain … Our Young Man brings frivolous people face to face with some very serious subjects: our common mortality, the horrors of grief and the complex, indeterminate status of the ‘survivor’ … Our Young Man is White’s most elegant, realised and charming novel in decades – vital proof that, in fiction, the old hand can outplay any of the young pretenders * Literary Review *Beguilingly treacherous and deceptive ... impishly turning our attention towards the obvious, while subtler, weightier matters churn on elsewhere … He never descends to savage satire. This open-heartedness, an essential White quality, makes his writing sparkle with generosity … Every detail is alive and gleaming … It is also a book that floats above things, so light is its touch, so playful and joyous its execution … It is shameful, though, that we haven’t managed to free White from the initially groundbreaking but now enfettering label of “gay novelist”. It has blinded us to the essential allusiveness, wit and sprezzatura of his work, its conversations with other books, its effortless ability to say profound things in unsententious and gossamer-light ways -- Neel Mukherjee * Guardian *Eloquent, witty and insightful * Pride Life *Once again his writing finds itself playfully echoing Proust … Whether he is crafting impeccable one-liners … or dissolving them into campy dialogue, White proves that you don’t have to be a supermodel to slow time down. After all, since the publication of A Boy’s Own Story more than 30 years ago, his own prose style has hardly aged a day * The Times *White is a witty, knowing communicator whose gift is creating sharp, lively and candid narratives conveying much of the pain and fear not only of the gay community but of humanity at large. His theme is the emergence of a modern plague, AIDs. Few polemicists make their case as powerfully, or with such conversational ease, unsentimental compassion and elegance of style … Reading this novel is similar to walking a tightrope. White, for all his urbanity, never wants to make it too easy and ensures a reader is suspended between horror and sympathy. It is an interesting place. The characters are bitchy and cruel; calculating and, even at their most camp, shockingly real … Wise, intuitive and informed yet again in this work of bizarre charm, he explores intense seriousness with ironic humour and pathos * Irish Times *

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Book Synopsis''Brisk, smart, witty, elliptical ... Recalls the directors of the New Wave ... Bracing and brilliant''IndependentWhen Patrick Modiano was awarded the 2014 Nobel Prize for Literature he was praised for using the art of memory' to bring to life the Occupation of Paris during the Second World War. Born in 1945, Modiano's brilliant, angry writings burst onto the Parisian literary scene and caused a storm.His first, ferociously satirical novel, La Place de l'Étoile, was remarkable in seriously questioning both Nazi collaboration in France and the myths of the Gaullist era. The Night Watch tells the story of a man caught between his work for the French Gestapo and for a Resistance cell. Ring Roads recounts a son's search for his Jewish father, who disappeared ten years previously. These brilliant, almost hallucinatory, evocations of the Occupation attempt to exorcise the past by exploring the morally ambiguous worlds of collaboration and resiTrade ReviewA swirling cacophony of characters in the tense, nervily hysterical world of the shady near-criminal types who stayed behind in Paris after the Nazis arrived … Powerfully Pinteresque, as characters bristle with menace and barely-contained violence * Sunday Times *Like a cartoon strip in prose, caricatural and explosive … A disturbing evocation of the terror and treachery of the Occupation, and a mordant reminder of the tense relationship between Jewishness and Frenchness * The Times *Self-consciously outrageous ... Conventions and pieties are torn to pieces in a manner befitting a book published in Paris in 1968 … The more Modiano you read, the more seductive his work becomes ... Hypnotic and compulsive -- Duncan White * Daily Telegraph *Brisk, smart, witty, elliptical ... Recalls the directors of the New Wave – Godard, Truffaut, Louis Malle – as much as the opaque narrators of the nouveau roman … Frank Wynne captures this scattergun savagery with formidable bite … Bracing and brilliant ... Deepens the twilit mood of 1940s film noir or mid-period Graham Greene with an immersive intensity * Boyd Tonkin, Independent *A Marcel Proust of our time * Peter Englund, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy *Modiano is a pure original * Adam Thirlwell *Modiano is the poet of the Occupation and a spokesman for the disappeared, and I am thrilled that the Swedish Academy has recognised him * Rupert Thomson, Guardian *Europe’s home-grown divisions haunt the edgy, atmospheric Parisian fictions of 2014 Nobel laureate Patrick Modiano: sample the three early novels of The Occupation Trilogy * Independent, 2015’s Finest Books *Usually when we think of French novels or films about Vichy France we think of the heroism of the Resistance. Modiano has a much darker subject: the grey zone of French collaboration. He is drawn to the murky worlds of gangsters, informers, collaborators and black marketeers … This is Modiano’s world as it was in the time of his father in wartime Paris … La Place de l’Étoile is very unusual for Modiano. It’s a shocking, almost hysterical rant by a French, Jewish anti-Semite, Raphael Schlemilovitch. It is nasty, brutish and short. It’s a very knowing, literary work with references to French writers, Jewish and anti-Semitic alike, from Proust and Sartre to the notorious Jew-hater Brasillach … Schlemilovitch constantly changes his identity. Few of Modiano’s characters are sympathetic but Schlemilovitch is easily the least likeable … The Night Watch marks Modiano’s breakthrough … The real change is in style. The narrative moves between a hazy, imprecise world where things are ‘blurred’ and ‘fogged’ to a precise world where everything is described in minute detail. Above all, there is a sense of mystery … By the end of Ring Roads, Modiano had found his voice and was on his way to becoming one of France’s most fascinating contemporary writers -- David Herman * Jewish Chronicle *

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Book SynopsisSaunders is an astoundingly tuned voice - graceful, dark, authentic and funny - telling just the kind of stories we need to get us through these times'' Thomas PynchonIn PASTORALIA elements of contemporary life are twisted, merged and amplified into a slightly skewed version of modern America. A couple live and work in a caveman theme-park, where speaking is an instantly punishable offence. A born loser attends a self-help seminar where he is encouraged to rid himself of all the people who are crapping in your oatmeal''. And a male exotic dancer and his family are terrorised by their decomposing aunt who visits them with a solemn message from beyond the grave. With an uncanny combination of deadpan naturalism and uproarious humour, George Saunders creates a world that is both indelibly original and yet hauntingly familiar ...Trade ReviewSaunders is an astoundingly tuned voice - graceful, dark, authentic and funny - telling just the kind of stories we need to get us through these times -- Thomas Pynchon So spot on that you have to stop every now and again to sigh with delight ... this stuff is gold dust ... fiercely inventive, unforgettably funny and sentimental in all the right places Independent on Sunday Bitterly funny ... Saunders' satirical jabs are sharp and scary, but also sad and unexpectedly touching Guardian Saunders is a provocateur, a moralist, a zealot, a lefty, and a funny, funny writer, and the stories in Pastoralia delight. We're very luck to have them Esquire Artful and sophisicated ... Truly unusual. Imagine Lewis's Babbitt thrown into the backseat of a car going cross-country, driven by R. Crumb, Matt Groening, Lynda Barry, Harvey Pekar, or Spike Jonze New York Times

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE 2022 WINGATE LITERARY PRIZEA BOOK OF THE YEAR IN THE FINANCIAL TIMES, ESQUIRE, O, THE OPRAH MAGAZINE, TIME MAGAZINE, LITHUB AND BUSTLE Superb' New York TimesMasterful Supremely intelligent' GuardianDazzling A marvel' Mail on SundayDeftly weaving from one end of life to another from ageing parents to newborn babies, from a young girl's coming-of-age to an old woman's unexpected delivery of a strange new second youth, from mystery and wonder at a life at its close or at a future waiting to unfold, Nicole Krauss's stories illuminate the moments in the lives of women in which the forces of sex, power and violence collide. Beautiful, taut and dark, spinning across the world, from Switzerland, Japan and New York to Tel Aviv, Los Angeles and South America, To Be a Man fearlessly delves into questions of masculinity and violence, regret and regeneration, control and desire. How much do we really know ourselves and each other? These questions linger long after the final paTrade ReviewAn astounding read … A timeless one, too * i *Krauss still somehow seems to have invented a new form for each novel, each story – their characters so fully realized that Krauss’s deft authorial hand is rarely evident * New York Times *A supremely intelligent collection … The question of who we are at different times and places, and with different people, comes masterfully to the fore -- Aminatta Forna * Guardian *Through her beautifully detailed and immersive portrayals, novelist Nicole Krauss explores gender, power and ageing ... Together, the ten stories reflect on what does - or doesn't - make men and women different * Time, Books of the Year *Dazzling … Themes of power, desire and familial crisis are probed unflinchingly and, at times, with eerie prescience * Financial Times, Books of the Year *The acclaimed novelist’s first short story collection is a marvel * Mail on Sunday *Recent first collections of short stories from established novelists such as Zadie Smith (Grand Union, 2019), Joseph O'Neill (Good Trouble, 2018) and Jeffrey Eugenides (Fresh Complaint, 2017) have provided a concentration of high-quality writing, their tales cherry picked from decades of successful publication. Nicole Krauss's debut collection, To Be a Man, joins those ranks * Times Literary Supplement *From a contemporary master comes an astounding collection of ten globetrotting stories, each one a powerful dissection of the thorny connections between men and women ... Each story is masterfully crafted and deeply contemplative, barrelling toward a shimmering, inevitable conclusion, proving once again that Krauss is one of our most formidable talents in fiction * Esquire *An intoxicating blend that plumbs the depths of the human condition … As a calling card for the novels, this collection delivers a strong indication of how electrifying her writing can be. It also holds its own, however, as a powerful literary body in its own right - a nuanced, provocative exploration on what it means to be human * Irish Times *These ten stories – which focus on the relationships between daughters and their fathers, teenage girls and their older lovers, dancers and choreographers – show us that authority and control are subtle, slippery things, not permanently possessed by one gender * Stylist *A sustained shot of brilliance. By turns tight and exuberant, disciplined and expansive, the collection shimmers with insight and moments of perfectly realized beauty. It provokes unabashed laughter, it inspires profound thinking, it delights and disturbs in equal measure * Boston Globe *The acclaimed novelist’s first short story collection is a marvel * Herald *A collection of wonders ... To Be a Man offers the pleasure of being in the company of Krauss’ surprising, challenging mind, tugged along by an imagination that’s ever curious about the limits and possibilities of fiction, of time, and of love * San Francisco Chronicle *Nicole Krauss, one of the great novelists working today, has never shied away from asking the big questions. But as her new collection of short stories shows, her power lies not simply in her own ability to interrogate life - but in the way she calls on her readers to do the same ... One of Krauss’s gifts is her ability to instantly conjure up the intimacies of a world while probing it … Throughout To Be a Man, Krauss’s writing is as lyrical as ever; beautiful phrases just keep on coming’ * Financial Times *Stunning. Intellectually and emotionally intelligent and immaculately written -- LOUISE KENNEDYKrauss’s short stories feel like they could each be unspooled into novels of their own ... To Be a Man's tenseness and uncertainties are strangely suited to the current moment * Wall Street Journal, Best Books of the Autumn *Praise for Nicole Krauss: 'This is one of those novels that makes you miss your train stop, and I say that from experience. It's a beautiful story about two very different but intertwined lives, and it's told with depth, heart, and humour -- Kiley ReidDazzling … Finds Krauss at the top of her game. Blazingly intelligent, elegantly written and a remarkable achievement -- Emily St John Mandel * Guardian *A richly layered masterpiece; creative, profound, insightful, deeply serious, effortlessly elegant, both human and humane. Krauss is a poet and a philosopher, and this latest work does what only the very best fiction can do – startles, challenges and enlightens the reader, while showing the familiar world anew … A pleasure and a privilege to read -- Francesca Segal * Financial Times *A complex and rewarding novel that will linger long after you’ve reached the final page * Stylist *Lucid and exhilarating … A great gift * New York Review of Books *A brilliant novel. I am full of admiration -- Philip RothAs original and impressive a work of fiction as I have encountered in years; a welcome reminder of how a novel can be defiantly and brilliantly novel * New Statesman *A meditation on loss and transformation and an investigation of the mysteries of art and literature and family -- Erica Wagner * Observer *Flawless ... Forest Dark is accomplished, generous and unabashedly serious -- Cressida Connolly * Literary Review *She gives us a deft and mesmerising portrait of female midlife crisis and the desire to ground one’s self in the world … impossible to put down -- Sarah Hughes * Independent *A remarkable accomplishment * Times Literary Supplement *The sort of intelligent, serious novel seldom written nowadays. Those shards of gleaming insight are well worth gathering up * The Times *

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE ORANGE PRIZE FOR FICTIONThere were people on the banks of the river.Among the tangled waterways and giant anacondas of the Brazilian Rio Negro, an enigmatic scientist is developing a drug that could alter the lives of women for ever. Dr Annick Swenson''s work is shrouded in mystery; she refuses to report on her progress, especially to her investors, whose patience is fast running out. Anders Eckman, a mild-mannered lab researcher, is sent to investigate.A curt letter reporting his untimely death is all that returns.Now Marina Singh, Anders'' colleague and once a student of the mighty Dr Swenson, is their last hope. Compelled by the pleas of Anders''s wife, Marina leaves the snowy plains of Minnesota and retraces her friend''s steps into the heart of the South American darkness, determined to track down Dr. Swenson and uncover the secrets being jealously guarded among the remotest tribes of the rainforest.Trade ReviewThe best book I have read all year. It made me laugh and weep and left me in a state of wonder: perfect from first page to last ... a masterpiece * Emma Donoghue *A triumph and Pachett's best book yet * Guardian *Written with a wry grace and irony that reminded me of The Poisonwood Bible (another favourite). I like Patchett's Bel Canto - but I loved this * Joanna Trollope, Sunday Telegraph *An absorbing novel, intelligent yet magical, that will keep you wondering until the very last page * Sunday Telegraph *It pulls you into the book, has you standing in the jungle in the heat and sweat, as realistic as any computer-generated trickery, genuinely wondering what might happen next ... Just read it and be happy that such a writer as Patchett exists * The Times *Something special and worth considering for all the literary prizes, festivals and reading groups going this year ... exhilarating * Daily Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE HAWTHORNDEN PRIZE AND THE RUTH HADDEN MEMORIAL AWARDTim Pears'' prize-winning, critically acclaimed debut about a hot summer in a Devon village where time seems to stand stillThis overwhelmingly hot summer everything seems to be slowing down in the tiny Devon village where Alison lives, as if the sun is pouring hot glue over it. This idn''t nothin'','' says Alison''s grandmother, recalling a drought when the earth swallowed lambs, and the summer after the war when people got electric shocks off each other. But Alison knows her grandmother''s memory is lying: this is far worse. She feels that time has stopped just as she wants to enter the real world of adulthood. In fact, in the cruel heat of summer, time is creeping towards her, and closing in around the valley.Trade ReviewA gifted storyteller, steeped in country lore and the beauty of ordinary events. Like Thomas Hardy whose kindred spirit quietly animates these pages, he is concerned with the dignity of work, the force of destiny and the consequences of human passion * New York Times *Reminiscent of Faulkner and García Márquez, the writing retains a very English scale … Sensitive, heart-warming and hallucinatory * Financial Times *More perfect than any first novel deserves to be * Observer *Most beautifully written, hypnotic as Proust, very funny and full of love that doesn’t cloy … A dreamy, easy, wonderful read – and quite remarkable for a first novel -- Jane GardamThis is it. This is the real thing. This is whatever I mean by the work of a born writer … Comic and wry and elegiac and shrewd and thoughtful all at once. Please read it -- A. S. ByattA very English kind of magic -- Giles FodenTim Pears' beautiful first novel brings just a touch of Macondo to rural Devon in the heatwave of 1984 -- Salman RushdieRefreshing, even revelatory … A work that is dense with detail and richly evocative … A very impressive performance -- Jane Smiley * Washington Post *Highly atmospheric … It had an intoxicating, magical quality which completely beguiled me -- Jeremy PaxmanEngaging, well-written and original -- Philip Hensher * Guardian *Remarkable … a gorgeous tapestry of country life as it was and, perhaps in a few places, still is. And it is tough and trenchant enough to be enjoyed by people who are not otherwise interested in rural idylls * Sunday Telegraph *

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Book Synopsis''A Japan that never was, a future lost, ghosts that are not dead ... not even a partial list of ingredients can do justice to this wonderful cake of a book ... A time-defying thriller'' ROBIN HOBBStrange things are happening in Tokyo. As war with Russia looms, the city is plagued by strange electricity storms, while the staff at the British Legation have gone on strike, claiming that the building is haunted. Thaniel Steepleton is sent over from London to act as interpreter, bringing with him his partner, Keita Mori the watchmaker, their adopted daughter, Six, and Mori's clockwork octopus, Katsu. Thaniel is dazzled by life in Tokyo, but he feels increasingly out of his depth especially when he meets Takiko Pepperharrow, and learns of her connection to Mori.But then Mori disappears, and Thaniel and Takiko's paths diverge as they desperately try to find him. As their searches lead them to snow-steeped prisons and mountainside shrines, Thaniel is faced with the terrifying reveTrade ReviewInventive, immersive and entirely unputdownable -- Eithne Farry * Daily Mail *Wildly inventive, full of eeriness and magic, and fiendishly intricate plots * The Times *Pulley combines H Rider Haggard-style historical adventure with bizarre fantasy, but also excels at portraying the emotionally charged interplay of her charming cast * Guardian *A romantic, inventive, wonderfully immersive read * Sunday Express * As intricate as an origami sculpture * Spectator *With Pepperharrow, I think Natasha has outdone herself. The characters have reached iconic status already, and it’s so rare to find an author who marries such a sparkling imagination with the storytelling flair of a maestro thriller writer – this was her most unputdownable novel yet and I loved it -- Claire Evans, author of The Fourteenth LetterA Japan that never was, a future lost, ghosts that are not dead, random numbers, clairvoyant Samurai ... not even a partial list of ingredients can do justice to this wonderful cake of a book. Mori may know what to expect, but the reader will not! A lovely blending of steam punk ether science, Japanese historical figures, and a time-defying thriller. -- Robin HobbPulley’s intricate plot, vibrant setting, entrancing magic, and dynamic ensemble of characters make for an un-put-downable historical fantasy. New readers will be pulled in and series fans will be delighted by this tour de force * Publisher's Weekly *Plotted as intricately as clockwork, this weaves together historical political warfare with electromagnetic science research and magical clairvoyance. The characters are what really makes this sing, though ... I love them all, and would happily read a whole series of their adventures -- Lauren JamesPraise for The Watchmaker of Filigree Street: ‘Ten out of ten * Spectator *Charming … Elegant plotting, lashings of invention and jump-off-the-page characterisation * Guardian *Intricate, charming and altogether surprising * New York Times *Excellent * Independent on Sunday *Historical fiction, magic realism and elements of gothic fiction combine in this ambitious debut * Irish Times *Delightful, relentlessly charming and deeply moving … Remarkable * Los Angeles Times *

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Book SynopsisEnthralling'' ObserverA spectacular read'' Sunday Express''An award-winning writer at the top of her game'' TelegraphA moving story of overlapping lives from the Orange Prize-winning author of Bel CantoTip and Teddy are becoming men under the very eyes of their adoptive father, Bernard Doyle. A student at Harvard, Tip is happiest in a lab, whilst Teddy thinks he has found his calling in the Church, and both are increasingly strained by their father''s protective plans for them.But when they are involved in an accident on an icy road, the Doyles are forced to confront certain truths about their lives, how the death of Doyle''s wife Bernadette has affected the family, and an anonymous figure who is always watching...Trade Review‘Enthralling ... It's a skilled piece of writing, a jigsaw narrative that leaps from one character to another with apparent seamlessness' * Observer *‘A spectacular read ... Full of suspense, exciting and unpredictable, this is a novel that keeps you guessing until the end' -- Viv Groskop * Sunday Express *‘Her books are so warm, so overflowing with love and affection, that when you've finished reading one your first inclination is to embrace it' -- Patrick Ness * Guardian *‘Patchett's mastery means there are no slips on the ice for her readers ... It is a long time since I have read such a delicately nuanced novel, where the overall pleasure lies simply in reading an award-winning writer at the top of her game' * Sunday Telegraph *Patchett’s novels are remarkable for their generosity of spirit and deep sympathy for their characters … Covering issues of race and class, nurture and nature, Run is a touching exploration of America’s melting pot * Sunday Times *Humane and sympathetic … All the magic is in the way Patchett enables us to enter the lives of this group of people and to appreciate the kinship that runs through their society * Daily Telegraph *Deeply moving and absorbing … Patchett has once again written an intelligent, thoughtful novel that oozes emotional intensity. She is the kind of storyteller who makes the reader sad to come to the last page * Financial Times *Patchett tells this complex story of inheritance and loss with accomplished ease -- Helen Dunmore * The Times *Engaging, touching and satisfying * Evening Standard *In deftly plotted, graceful prose, Patchett reflects on the binds of both family and community * Daily Mail *A gentle, finely observed book that stays with you long after you have finished it * Harper's Bazaar *Run is a novel with timeless concerns at its heart – class and belonging, parenthood and love ... The book is lovely to read and is satisfyingly bold in its attempt to say something patient and true about family -- Andrew O'Hagan

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Book Synopsis''Outrageously Jilly Cooperesque'' Sunday Times Style *Take a grand English country house, one (heartbroken) American divorcée, three rich wives, two tycoons, and one (bereaved) butler; put them all into the blender and out comes the impossibly funny Wives Like Us.Welcome to the rose-strewn county of Oxfordshire and the Cotswold villages of Little Bottom, Middle Bottom, Great Bottom, and Monkton Bottom, recently annexed by a glittering new breed of female: the Country Princess.Following a ghastly row about a missing suite of diamonds, Tata Hawkins has flounced out of Monkton Bottom Manor with her daughter, Minty, and Executive Butler Ian Palmer in tow, decamping to the Old Coach House to teach her husband, Bryan, a lesson.But things don't go to plan: Bryan disappears to Venice with a bikini designer; Selby Fairfax, the glamorous American divorcée who has inherited the beautiful estate next door, refuses Ta

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Book Synopsis''A Ripleyesque exploration of female insecurity set among the socialites of Manhattan'' Guardian, Books of the YearAn irresistible novel about a toxic friendship taken to the extreme' Elle Louise is struggling to survive in New York; juggling a series of poorly paid jobs, renting a shabby flat, being catcalled by her creepy neighbour, she dreams of being a writer. And then one day she meets Lavinia. Lavinia who has everything looks, money, clothes, friends, an amazing apartmentLavinia invites Louise into her charmed circle, takes her to the best underground speakeasies, the opera, shares her clothes, her drugs, her Uber account. Louise knows that this can't last for ever, but just how far is she prepared to go to have this life? Or rather, to have Lavinia's life?Trade Review[A] spectacularly impressive debut … A ridiculously assured first novel, told in an utterly original voice -- Alison Flood * Observer *If you crossed Gossip Girl with The Talented Mr Ripley and added Whit Stillman’s dialogue to the mix, you might come close to the feel of Burton’s glittering story of identity theft. Sure to be on every smart beach lounger this summer * The i *A formidable burlesque ... Sharp as a shard of broken mirror * New York Times Book Review *Burton does a brilliant job of depicting the toxic charm of such a world... [she] draws us in via her control of the material, the expert way she plays off Lavinia’s lavishness against Louise’s guile – and our fascination with those wild Manhattan parties * Guardian *An irresistible novel about a toxic friendship taken to the extreme, full of dark New York glamour, decadence and bohemia ... So many novels are compared to The Secret History and The Talented Mr. Ripley in the digital age, but in this case it’s absolutely justified * Elle *[Tara Isabella Burton] knows her way around good, evil and the eternally reader-friendly realm in between. Social Creature is a wicked original with echoes of the greats (Patricia Highsmith, Gillian Flynn) * New York Times *Imagine Gossip Girl grown up and gone very, very wrong, with a touch of The Secret History thrown in … A deliciously dark novel about excess and desperation * Stylist *Meet your new one-sitting read: a stunning New York-set novel about a woman with nothing who befriends a woman with everything, and decides that she’d like her life. Think The Talented Mr Ripley meets The Secret History meets Gossip Girl -- Sarra Manning * Red *It is hard to believe that Social Creature is Tara Isabella Burton's first book, such is its poise and individuality – not to mention verve and bravado ... Her novel is a Trojan horse – sharp observations and serious insights ensconced in the body of a glamorous, compelling page-turner * Times Literary Supplement *If you enjoyed The Talented Mr Ripley, you’ll love this … [A] gripping takedown of contemporary New York society * Stylist *This deliciously seductive novel is a wild, sinister ride through contemporary New York. A layered and incisive portrayal of our obsession with social media and toxic friendships * Book Riot *Glittering, breathless, and precise – Social Creature fearlessly explores identity in the modern world through a dangerous and magnetic friendship. Tara Isabella Burton’s prose is electrifying, her characters dazzlingly bright. This novel will consume you -- Danya Kukafka, bestselling author of Girl in SnowLethally well controlled … Addictive * Metro *I read Social Creature in one breathless rush. It’s a wild nightmarish ride through a New York City of decadence & broken dreams, faking it & fucking up, love & lies & lies & more lies. This is the missing link between Bret Easton Ellis & The Secret History -- Emma Flint, author of Baileys Prize longlisted, Little DeathsLavish and wild and bohemian, Social Creature swept me up in its spell, spun me round the streets of New York and left me wanting more. This book is ALL THAT JAZZ and then some -- Ali Land, author of Good Me, Bad MeSocial Creature is the perfect upmarket beach read for the summer -- Charlotte Heathcote * Sunday Express *A rollercoaster of a ride of the kind best read in one almighty gulp, turning the pages faster and faster as the awful unavoidable fate of both women slowly becomes clear… a very tightly plotted and hugely enjoyable novel, which slips down as smoothly as the champagne served at the glittering parties her characters attend, only to leave a satisfyingly bitter taste at its end * The i *Unflinching, cool, brutal. This book will make you its accomplice. You'll go willingly -- Georgia Clark, author of The RegularsIf this novel were a drink, it would be a martini – shockingly cold and clean, and to be slugged back in one gulp. It’s also tom Ripley updated for 21st-century Manhattan with added smartphones … Addictive * Metro *Like fireworks in the night sky, this explosive debut has darkness and glitz aplenty * Psychologies *A compulsively readable, razor sharp novel of manners for the social media age. Edith Wharton meets Patricia Highsmith -- Carol Goodman, bestselling author of The Lake of Dead Languages and The Widow’s HouseDevious and decadent. I couldn’t put it down -- Courtney Maum, author of Touch and I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without YouA mesmerizing and beautifully lyrical debut about sexuality, identity, envy, confusion, and the creepy ways in which we swallow one another in attempt to become ourselves -- Swan Huntley, author of The Goddesses and We CouldA hugely compulsive read....Imagine Genuine Fraud meets The Secret History in the world of Gossip Girl…This book is beautiful, bohemian, seedy, sharp - and as devastating as it is decadent -- Lydia Ruffles, author of The Taste of Blue LightA tarred-and-feathered shining gorgeous bloody obsessive compulsive shining shining shining nightmare fever dream of a book: The Secret History meets 2018 Gatsby meets The Talented Mr. Ripley -- Ella RisbridgerOne of the most anticipated releases of the summer … A Talented Mr Ripley-esque story that mischieviously weaves around the envy and obsession of social media … Total, brilliant carnage * Emerald Street *Social Creature is a millennial update on the well-trodden rags-to-riches fable – think Cinderella and The Great Gatsby meets the Kardashians – where pout-filled posts on Facebook and Uber rides are as much woven into its fabric as the iconic Manhattan skyline * Glasgow Herald *Like 1980s Jay McInerney, but with murder -- India Knight * Sunday Times *A Ripleyesque exploration of female insecurity set among the socialites of Manhattan -- Best Books of 2018 * Guardian *

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Book Synopsis'No argument: James Lee Burke is among the finest of all contemporary American novelists' DAILY MAILTrade ReviewJames Lee Burke is the heavyweight champ, a great American novelist whose work, taken individually or as a whole, is unsurpassed. * Michael Connelly *A gorgeous prose stylist. * Stephen King *Richly deserves to be described now as one of the finest crime writers America has ever produced. * Daily Mail *The gentle giant of US crime writers, Burke always ensures that his Louisiana detective Dave Robicheaux grapples with hot topics as much as with his own inner demons. * i newspaper *There are not many crime writers about whom one might invoke the name of Zola for comparison, but Burke is very much in that territory. His stamping ground is the Gulf coast, and one of the great strengths of his work has always been the atmospheric background of New Orleans and the bayous. His big, baggy novels are always about much more than the mechanics of the detective plot; his real subject, like the French master, is the human condition, seen in every situation of society. * Independent *The king of Southern noir. * Daily Mirror *His lyrical prose, his deep understanding of what makes people behave as they do, and his control of plot and pace are masterly. * Sunday Telegraph *One of the finest American writers. * Guardian *When it comes to literate, pungently characterised American crime writing, James Lee Burke has few peers. * Daily Express *

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Book SynopsisA keep-you-guessing thriller about a family with a dark secret hiding in a town with no patience for lies.Trade ReviewYou sit down with this book and you won't get up until you've turned the last page - Michael Connelly on NO TIME FOR GOODBYEWhere has Linwood Barclay been all my life? The writing is crisp; the twists are jolting and completely unexpected - Stephen King on NO TIME FOR GOODBYESeamless, breathless and relentlessly pacey, Barclay barely puts a foot wrong - Daily Mirror

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Book SynopsisThe new love story of undeniable passion and desire from the Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author of the This Man seriesGiving into desire could destroy them, but denying their passion is impossible...Hannah Bright has finally found a place to hide from her past, in the quiet town of Hampton. But the peace she needs is disrupted when she meets Ryan Willis. Insanely handsome and highly dangerous, Ryan is exactly the kind of man Hannah needs to avoid...Reconsidering his career in private protection, Ryan is home to figure out his next move. Meeting Hannah is definitely not part of his plan, yet their attraction is undeniable and Ryan can''t resist her. But Hannah has a dangerous secret, and Ryan won''t stop until he finds out what she''s hiding. Nothing prepares him for what he discovers. Can Ryan keep Hannah safe? Or will her past destroy any chance they have for a future together...<

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Book SynopsisDiscover the gorgeous new summertime must-read from Sunday Times bestseller Veronica Henry - a holiday for the heart and soul!---------------------------------Escape to Everdene Sands, where the sun is shining - but is the tide about to turn?Robyn and Jake are planning their dream wedding at the family beach hut in Devon. A picnic by the turquoise waves, endless sparkling rosé and dancing barefoot on the golden sand . . .But Robyn is more unsettled than excited. She can''t stop thinking about the box she was given on her eighteenth birthday, and the secrets it contains. Will opening it reveal the truth about her history - and break the hearts of the people she loves most?As the big day arrives, can everyone let go of the past and step into a bright new future?---------------------------------Your favourite authors love to escape with Veronica Henry''s feel-good stories!Trade ReviewVeronica Henry really does excel in creating hugely entertaining, captivating and uplifting reads . . . Vibrant and sparkling * LoveReading *This is another poignant, touching and feel-good book about family life from the much loved author * Women's Weekly *Wonderful * Daily Mail *Veronica Henry's latest tale of escapism and romance is full of characteristic warmth and charm * Woman *Gloriously summery * Best *A breezy, sunny tale, that will whisk you away to a happy place * The Sunday Mirror *The Beach Hut series by Veronica Henry is a slice of pure sunshine... Read it for the lovely characters and the wish-l-was-there descriptions of the Devon coast * Good Housekeeping *Lashings of romance... A lovely read * The Lady *

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Book SynopsisFrom a prison cell, in which he has been held on suspicion of breaking the Official Secrets Act, Charles Thoroughgood awaits not only his bail, but also the reappearance of the woman whom all the major roads in his life have led back to. After his years in the army and then with MI6, Charles has begun a new chapter in his life with the Secret Intelligence Agency, shadowing the movements of a suspected double agent. Charles knows that he has nothing to hide, and as he casts his mind over the course of recent events, he begins to suspect a more sinister motivation, both personally and politically, behind his incarceration…

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Dennard Dayle’s 17 speculative tales, girdled by a Devil’s Dictionary of 501 satiric definitions (literary, political, what-have-you), are by turns prescient of our anxious, conspiracy-fraught times and mournful of majestic worlds to come ruined by all too familiar hatreds. But the post-WWIII stand-up riffs? Truly funny stuff.” * Vulture *“Slyly defiant and blazingly imaginative, like the best modernist literature, Everything Abridged is a powerful celebration of flaw and failure. It’s a book that revels in the timelessness of obsolescence and the freedom of powerlessness. Dayle’s a genre-shattering writer, whose wit and intellect never cease to entertain. This refreshingly original and powerfully funnycollection is a debut to remember.” * Paul Beatty, New York Times bestselling author of The Sellout *“Written as a dictionary, with hilarious and so-blunt-they're-sharp definitions of terms like ‘LimeWire,’ ‘mouse utopia,’ and ‘Perry, Tyler,’ Dayle's debut collection of stories is as likely to stun as it is to inform... incredibly entertaining and so damn illuminating.” * Entertainment Weekly *“Everything Abridged: Stories by Dennard Dayle:Miscategorized. Calling this addictively book-shaped act of language subversion “stories” is like calling New York City “buildings” The nonstandard reference to all sorts of things it would have been disturbing to learn if you hadn’t been laughing so hard Herald of a major new talent—what more do you need to know? Why are you still reading the cover and not the inside?” * Susan Choi, National Book Award–winning author of Trust Exercise *“With Everything Abridged, Dennard Dayle innovates form as much as he does content, creating a work that is funny and familiar, no matter if he’s writing about comedians from Mars, battery-powered humans, or radicalized comic book writers. Combining wit, humor, and an uncanny ability to get to the heart of what can both plague and save us, Dayle is a writer who isn’t ruffling feathers, but plucking the bird bare, and I am grateful as hell for it. Without a doubt one of the best collections I’ve ever read.” * Mateo Askaripour, New York Times bestselling author of Black Buck *“This is one of the most useful books on the current American berserk that I have read in a long time. Kudos, Dennard. You said what we were all trying to say while we were very (angrily) chewing on our kale salads.” * Gary Shteyngart, New York Times bestselling author of Super Sad True Love Story *“Funnier and smarter than pretty much everything else you’ve read in your lifetime.” * Rivka Galchen, author of Atmospheric Disturbances and Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch *“Dayle has broken every rule to create a rollicking satire skewering American hypocrisy. A short story collection that artfully manages to be part dictionary and part joke book, Everything Abridged is a must-read for anyone who still believes humor is the fast track to truth.” * Jessi Jezewska Stevens, author of The Exhibition of Persephone Q *

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Book SynopsisSet in the punk-rock scene of the early 2000s and vibrating with the intense ache of bad choices and deep longing, A Cigarette Lit Backwardsis a needle-sharp portrait of a young woman and how far she’ll go to find acceptance.A Bustle Most-Anticipated Book of the Month Kat is dying to be accepted by the North Carolina punks; she is totally desperate to seem cool. At a punk show, she ends up backstage with a rock star and gets noticed by a photojournalist. And then—a dream come true for Kat—her reputation as a groupie icon skyrockets. But to maintain this notoriety, Kat makes a series of devastating choices, and soon enough, she becomes unrecognizable to herself and others.A Cigarette Lit Backwards is a sometimes funny, often brutally honest novel about ambition and self-discovery and how a world of glamour and cool exerts its bold and breathless pull. In prose that seduces, glitters, aTrade Review“Hacic-Vlahovic’s writing is solid, inhabiting Kat’s voice with both hardness and humor . . . This is a self-assured sophomore effort from a writer to watch. Appropriately hardcore but deceptively sweet, too.” * Kirkus Reviews *“Almost everyone has an interesting story. Few of us have the ability or the courage to navigate those experiences, process them, then convert them into a narrative that can keep the rest of us on the edge of our seat. An even smaller number of us have the ability to carve out our own story in a way that helps us connect and care about each other a little bit more. Tea has checked all those boxes with A Cigarette Lit Backwards and maybe a few more.” * Greg Attonito of The Bouncing Souls *“Tea Hacic-Vlahovic has written a perfect coming-of-age story—with a perfect soundtrack—that walks the fragile in-between of finding out who you are and trying not to let other people decide for you. Welcome to the party room.” * Brendan Jay Sullivan, author of Rivington was Ours: Lady Gaga, the Lower East Side, and the Prime of Our Lives *Hacic-Vlahovic perfectly captures that clumsy era of teenage girlhood set in small town North Carolina. A time capsule of growing up in the noughties; a story of sixteen-year-old Kat beginning to grasp her powers. Punk, cut with tenderness, like all true street kids. * Marlowe Granados, author of Happy Hour *

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Book SynopsisHeadlined by Western romance legend Diana Palmer!Three celebrated New York Times bestselling authors combine their talents to celebrate Americana, the appeal of the iconic cowboy hero tinged with a hint of danger and romantic suspense. Filled with sizzling tension and well-drawn characters, this anthology is sure to resonate with readers looking to saddle up and find love!Strong and steady, tough and tender—no wonder cowboys are so irresistible, especially in this trio of novellas from three bestselling authors . . .THE HAWK’S SHADOW * Diana PalmerGil needs to prove himself in his new role as sheriff’s investigator. That means working alongside a hotshot expert from the state crime lab who’s come to Colorado to help untangle a long-ago mystery.  But if they stop butting heads, they might discover a surprising connection . . .RESCUE: RANCHER STYLE * Rebecca ZanettiLeaving the Marines

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Book SynopsisHorror hides behind an attractive face in 'The Picture of Dorian Gray', Oscar Wilde's tale of a notorious Victorian libertine and his life of evil excesses.

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Book SynopsisIn Derry, Maine, four young boys once stood together and did a brave thing. Something that changed them in ways they hardly understand.A quarter of a century later, the boys are men who have gone their separate ways. Though they still get together once a year, to go hunting in the north woods of Maine. But this time is different. This time a man comes stumbling into their camp, lost, disoriented and muttering about lights in the sky.Before long, these old friends will be plunged into the most remarkable events of their lives as they struggle with a terrible creature from another world. Their only chance of survival is locked in their shared past - and in the Dreamcatcher.Trade ReviewNobody does it better * Daily Telegraph *Yet another masterpiece from Stephen King . . . a narrative that never loosens its grip * Evening Standard *King has inspired a whole generation to read. He's made them read good, witty prose . . . a fabulous teller of stories who can create an entire new world and make the reader live in it . . . Dreamcatcher must be one of his best. * Daily Express *

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Book SynopsisFROM THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF WHAT I LOVED''An astoundingly joyful read . . . a book that shines with intellectual curiosity and emotional integrity'' Guardian''By turns funny, moving and erudite, playfully reminding us of a contemporary Jane Austen'' Daily MailAfter Mia Fredricksen''s husband of thirty years asks for a pause - so he can indulge his infatuation with a young French colleague - she cracks up (briefly), rages (deeply), then decamps to her prairie childhood home.There, gradually, she is drawn into the lives of those around her: her mother''s circle of feisty widows; the young woman next door; and the diabolical teenage girls in her poetry class. By the end of the summer without men, Mia knows what''s worth fighting for - and on whose terms. Provocative, mordant, and fiercely intelligent, this is a gloriously vivacious tragi-comedy about women and girls, love and maTrade ReviewSiri Hustvedt is a novelist of great intelligence. She knows the ways of the world and of the heart . . . THE SUMMER WITHOUT MEN is a new departure. Despite its painful subject matter - marital rupture, encroaching death, the tormenting antics of malice-ridden girls - the novel is a mordant comedy. -- Lisa Appignanesi * The Observer *A rich and intelligent meditation on female identity, written in beguiling lyrical prose . . . heady and intoxicating -- Lucy Scholes * Sunday Times *Hustvedt is a writer of luminous perception -- Jane Shilling * Telegraph *Hustvedt's intensely visual writing spans the generations. She can conjure up a child's realm of imaginary friends as evocatively as the brave face adopted by the elderly living in "a world of continual loss". The story of one woman regaining her own identity, it's by turns funny, moving and erudite, playfully reminding us of a contemporary Jane Austen. -- Claire Colvin * Daily Mail *It's a warm, affecting tale about love, loss and finding consolation in female friendship. Hustvedt captures both the absurdity and the tragedy of life -- Sebastian Shakespeare * Tatler *[Mia] is alarmingly funny and her narrative toys with the immediacy of the epistolary novel . . . Events are coupled with commentary, commentary leads into event and temporal sequence is delightfully confused. Such digressive freedom is one of the pleasures of THE SUMMER WITHOUT MEN, in which fiction, fantasy, and historical fact are interweaved. -- Stephanie Bishop * Times Literary Supplement *Siri Hustvedt is an intelligent, intuitive, talented writer -- Lionel Shriver * Financial Times *The ideal prescription for those indecisive readers who want a bit of everything in their summer investments. * Economist *Mia is a quicksilver, engaging guide, who manages to meditate on the nature of womanhood without it sounding like a lecture * Daily Telegraph *THE SUMMER WITHOUT MEN's pleasures lie in the precise, lyrical style, the quality of thought and the complexities of the characters. -- Brendan Robshaw * Independent on Sunday *A wonderful, surprising and elegant read . . . One of the best books I've read this year. * Red *THE SUMMER WITHOUT MEN shows a mind alive, at work and boundlessly curious about the way people live and love. It is the kind of book with which to grapple and argue, to challenge and fight, but also with which to engage and at which to marvel. -- Jennifer Levasseuer * The Age *Hustvedt is the thinking woman's writer, arbiter of that netherworld between choice and feeling, an intellectual and fiercely honest historian of the female psyche . . . This is distinctly Hustvedt territory, a writer so deeply intuitive and curious that it is in her nature to explore, to disdain subterfuge . . . Hustvedt blends incisive observations with scathing honesty, fearless in pursuit of understanding, a balance between self-love and self-awareness that celebrates the essence of being female. The effluvia of life accumulate with the years, but Hustvedt remains an accurate chronicler of a woman's journey. -- Luan Gaines * Curledup.com *Let's hope the book finds its way to the hands of chick-lit consumers, who would be surprised at the witty treatment Hustvedt gives the familiar theme. Maybe that would be the happiest ending of all. * The Sunday Tasmanian *Distinctive and enthralling . . . THE SUMMER WITHOUT MEN is satire, full of brilliant disquisitions on all manner of things - the nature of love, the difference between men and women, the question of madness. But it is satire with a heart, a great big glorious heart, and I loved every minute of it. -- Sara Dowse * Canberra Times *Like her protagonist, Hustvedt is also a poet whose wry observations about ordinary life are described in breath-taking prose . . . THE SUMMER WITHOUT MEN is a funny, self-aware exploration of one woman's inner journey from demoralization to hope as reflected back at her through the eyes of a cross-section of women in every stage of life . . . Indeed, Hustvedt makes clear with this novel the distinction between chick lit and women's literature. -- Joanna Goodman * The Globe and Mail *Siri Hustvedt is a novelist of great intelligence. She knows the ways of the world and of the heart . . . THE SUMMER WITHOUT MEN is a new departure. Despite its painful subject matter - marital rupture, encroaching death, the tormenting antics of malice-ridden girls - the novel is a mordant comedy. * Lisa Appignanesi, The Observer *a rich and intelligent meditation on female identity, written in beguiling lyrical prose . . . heady and intoxicating * Lucy Scholes, Sunday Times *Hustvedt is a writer of luminous perception * Jane Shilling, Telegraph *Hustvedt's intensely visual writing spans the generations. She can conjure up a child's realm of imaginary friends as evocatively as the brave face adopted by the elderly living in "a world of continual loss". The story of one woman regaining her own identity, it's by turns funny, moving and erudite, playfully reminding us of a contemporary Jane Austen. * Claire Colvin, Daily Mail *It's a warm, affecting tale about love, loss and finding consolation in female friendship. Hustvedt captures both the absurdity and the tragedy of life * Sebastian Shakespeare, Tatler *[Mia] is alarmingly funny and her narrative toys with the immediacy of the epistolary novel . . . Events are coupled with commentary, commentary leads into event and temporal sequence is delightfully confused. Such digressive freedom is one of the pleasures of THE SUMMER WITHOUT MEN, in which fiction, fantasy, and historical fact are interweaved. * Stephanie Bishop, TLS *THE SUMMER WITHOUT MEN shows a mind alive, at work and boundlessly curious about the way people live and love. It is the kind of book with which to grapple and argue, to challenge and fight, but also with which to engage and at which to marvel. * Jennifer Levasseuer, The Age *Siri Hustvedt is an intelligent, intuitive, talented writer * Lionel Shriver, Financial Times *Let's hope the book finds its way to the hands of chick-lit consumers, who would be surprised at the witty treatment Hustvedt gives the familiar theme. Maybe that would be the happiest ending of all. * The Sunday Tasmanian *Distinctive and enthralling...The Summer Without Men is satire, full of brilliant disquisitions on all manner of things - the nature of love, the difference between men and women, the question of madness. But it is satire with a heart, a great big glorious heart, and I loved every minute of it. * Sara Dowse, Canberra Times *Like her protagonist, Hustvedt is also a poet whose wry observations about ordinary life are described in breathtaking prose....THE SUMMER WITHOUT MEN is a funny, self-aware exploration of one woman's inner journey from demoralization to hope as reflected back at her through the eyes of a cross-section of women in every stage of life.... Indeed, Hustvedt makes clear with this novel the distinction between chick lit and women's literature. * Joanna Goodman, The Globe and Mail, US *The ideal prescription for those indecisive readers who want a bit of everything in their summer investments. * Economist Online *Hustvedt is the thinking woman's writer, arbiter of that netherworld between choice and feeling, an intellectual and fiercely honest historian of the female psyche...This is distinctly Hustvedt territory, a writer so deeply intuitive and curious that it is in her nature to explore, to disdain subterfuge...Hustvedt blends incisive observations with scathing honesty, fearless in pursuit of understanding, a balance between self-love and self-awareness that celebrates the essence of being female. The effluvia of life accumulate with the years, but Hustvedt remains an accurate chronicler of a woman's journey. * Luan Gaines, Curledup.com *Mia is a quicksilver, engaging guide, who manages to meditate on the nature of womanhood without it sounding like a lecture * Daily Telegraph *The Summer Without Men is not a plot-driven novel - its pleasures lie in the precise, lyrical style, the quality of thought and the complexities of the characters. * Brendan Robshaw, Independent on Sunday *A wonderful, surprising and elegant read... One of the best books I've read this year. * Red *

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Book SynopsisHaunting and heart-wrenching, Tell the Wolves I'm Home is a tender story of love lost and found.1987, New York City. There's only one person who has ever truly understood fourteen-year-old June Elbus, and that's her uncle, the renowned painter, Finn Weiss; he is her godfather, confident, and best friend. So when he dies far too young of a mysterious illness, June's world is turned upside down.But Finn's death brings a surprise acquaintance into June's life. At the funeral, she notices a strange man lingering just beyond the crowd, and a few days later, June receives a package in the mail. Inside is a beautiful teapot she recognizes from Finn's apartment, and a note from Toby, the stranger, asking for an opportunity to meet.A the two begin to spend time together, June realizes she's not the only one who misses Finn, and if she can bring herself to trust this unexpected friend, he might just be the one she needs theTrade ReviewA bittersweet tale of unrequited love, faily portraits, and uncovered secrets. * Marie Claire *

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Book SynopsisPossibly the funniest novel of the decade' Sunday Times, Books of the Decade 2010-2019 Solomon Kugel has had enough of the past and its burdens. So, in the hope of starting afresh, he moved his family to a small rural town where nothing of import has ever happened. Sadly, Kugel’s life isn’t that simple. His family soon find themselves threatened by a local arsonist and his ailing mother won't stop reminiscing about the Nazi concentration camps she didn’t actually suffer through. And when, one night, Kugel discovers a living, breathing, thought-to-be-dead specimen of history hiding in his attic, bad very quickly becomes worse.‘The humour, at times can leave you gasping . . . comic brilliance’ Sunday Times ‘Singularly inventive and superbly shocking . . . nothing short of genius’ Scotland on Sunday ‘He will make you laugh until your heart breaks’ New York TimeTrade Review‘I think it’s a brilliant book, I think it’s as good as Portnoy’s Complaint’ David Baddiel, Open Book, BBC Radio 4‘One of the best books I read last year. It’s hilarious . . . I think we should all read it.’ Naomi Alderman, Open Book, BBC Radio 4One of the funniest, wrongest books of the century -- Richard Godwin * The Times *

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Book SynopsisE is for Evidence is the fifth in the Kinsey Millhone mystery series by Sue Grafton.Anyone who knows me will tell you that I cherish my unmarried state. I’m female, twice divorced, no kids and no close family ties. I’m perfectly content to do what I do . . . It was two days after Christmas when Kinsey Millhone received the bank slip showing a credit for five thousand dollars. The account number was correct but Kinsey hadn’t made the deposit. Then came the phone call and suddenly everything became clear. The frame-up was working and Kinsey was trapped . . .Trade ReviewGrafton on form yet again. * The Times *

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Book SynopsisD is for Deadbeat is the fourth in the Kinsey Millhone mystery series by Sue Grafton.My name is Kinsey Millhone. I’m a private investigator . . . female, single and self-employed, with a constitutional inability to work for anyone else. I’m a purist when it comes to justice, but I’ll lie at the drop of a hat. Inconsistency has never troubled me . . . It was late October, the day before Halloween. He introduced himself as Alvin Limardo. The job he hired Kinsey to do seemed easy enough . . . until his cheque bounced. His real name was Dagett. John Dagett. Ex-con. Inveterate liar. Chronic drunk. And dead. The cops called it an accident - death by drowning. Kinsey wasn’t so sure. The man, it seemed, had a lot of enemies . . .Trade ReviewHeart-pounding, totally mesmerizing suspense. * New York Times *

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Book SynopsisKilling for Keeps is Maria Hannah's fifth gripping crime novel featuring DCI Kate Daniels. It's in the blood . . .Two brothers from the same criminal family die within hours of each other, five miles apart, one on the edge of a Newcastle industrial estate, the other in a busy A&E department of a local hospital, unseen by the triage team. Both victims have suffered horrific injuries. Who wanted them dead? Will they kill again? Investigating these brutal and bloody killings leads DCI Kate Daniels to break some rules, putting her career as well as her life on the line. As the body count rises in the worst torture case Northumbria Police has ever seen, the focus of the enquiry switches, first to Glasgow and then to Europe ending in a confrontation with a dangerous offender hell-bent on revenge.Start the criminal investigation series with The Murder Wall.Trade ReviewThe scenes of shocking brutality are told with a realism that makes for uncomfortable but compulsive reading. * Big Issue in the North *

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Book SynopsisStay Dead is the heartstopping sixth book in Jessie Keane's gritty Annie Carter series. Annie Carter finally believes that life is good.She and Max are back together and she has a new and uncomplicated life sunning herself in Barbados. It's what she's always dreamed of.Then she gets the news that her old friend Dolly Farrell is dead, and suddenly she finds herself back in London and hunting down a murderer with only one thing on her mind . . . revenge.But the hunter can so quickly become the hunted, and Annie has been keeping too many secrets. She's crossed and bettered a lot of people over the years, but this time the enemy is a lot closer to home and she may just have met her match . . .Trade ReviewGritty and powerful, Martina Cole fans will love this addictive novel * Closer *A cracking story -- Mandasue Heller

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Book SynopsisThe Perfect Murder is a suspenseful and gripping novella from Peter James, the bestselling author of the phenomenally successful Roy Grace series.How do you commit the perfect murder?Victor Smiley and his wife Joan have been married for nearly twenty years. Victor secretly loathes Joan more and more each day. Joan is bored by Victor, and his snoring drives her mad. Their marriage has reached a crisis point.Victor decides there is only one way to get Joan out of his life for ever, but he's about to get a nasty surprise. As it turns out, Victor's not the only one with murder in mind . . .

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Book SynopsisAs the First World War takes hold, a young girl comes of age in a troubled London. Capturing the longing, excitement and poignant comedy of adolescence, The Beautiful Visit is the debut novel from the beloved author of the Cazalet Chronicles, Elizabeth Jane Howard.'She helps us to do the necessary thing – open our eyes and our hearts' – Hilary Mantel, author of Wolf HallLife had been distinctly lacking in possibilities for this young girl – until The Visit. But, ever afterwards, just remembering the smell of the Lancings' house would enrapture her.As she makes her way through life in the city, that memory will take her back – back to that very first day when Lucy and Gerald had picked her up from the station . . .Beginning and ending with a visit to the same family, The Beautiful Visit is a novel full of love, loss, and marked by the ever-lasting effect of war.Trade ReviewInteresting and original . . . Howard has true imagination and a kind of sensuous power. She creates a wonderful atmosphere of uneasiness and oppression; she can also draw scenes with ironic brilliance: hers seems to me to be a remarkable talent. -- Antonia White, author of Frost in May * New Statesman *Her talent seemed so effervescent, so unstoppable, that there was no predicting where it might take her -- Hilary Mantel, author of Wolf Hall

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Book SynopsisConcluding the Fleethaven Trilogy, in Reap the Harvest, Margaret Dickinson brings the 1950s vividly to life with a story of secrets and love, buried under years of pride and misunderstanding.Following the disastrous floods of 1953, Ella Hilton is compelled to live at Brumbys' Farm with her grandmother, Esther, and is soon acutely aware of the mysterious surrounding her family's past.As Ella grows up and falls in love herself, the story of three generations of women - Esther, Kate and Ella - comes full circle and history seems destined to repeat itself in tragedy.Trade ReviewQueen of Saga * Daily Express *

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Book SynopsisFrom the back streets of Manchester to the nightclubs and penthouses of the beautiful people, Mandasue Heller, author of the top ten bestseller Run, knows the world she writes. Born in Warrington, she moved to Manchester in the 1980s, where she found the inspiration for her novels. She spent ten years living in the infamous Hulme Crescents and was a professional singer for many years before turning her hand to writing.She has three children and three grandchildren, and still writes and records songs with her musician partner, Wingrove, between books.Trade ReviewA good read that is difficult to put down * Yorkshire Gazette *Heller doesn’t mince words, her gritty plots create a Manchester underworld to rival Martina Cole’s raw and rough East End * Peterborough Evening Telegraph *Praise for Forget Me Not: Mandasue has played a real blinder with this fantastic novel -- Martina ColePraise for Lost Angel: Captivating from first page to last -- Jeffery Deaver

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