Contemporary fiction titles are those which focus on the present or near past. Stories rooted in the current cultural, social, and political landscape which feature characters we can all recognise.
Contemporary Fiction Books
Chicago Review Press Inc DBA Indepe Commitments
Book SynopsisThe mother of a special needs son forms a bond with an imprisoned reporter that will transform their lives in this stunning novel from the bestselling author. Sabrina Stone seems to have the perfect life, but her wildly successful investment banker husband chooses to ignore the seriousness of their son?s brain injury and the strain it?s putting on their marriage. A reporter on a top-rated investigative journalism TV show, Derek McGill finds himself behind bars after being set up for murder. The son of a felon?and now one himself?he?s sure that someone powerful pulled strings during the trial to get him convicted. Sabrina has never forgotten the brief encounter she once had with Derek?and the compassion she felt from him. And with her life falling to pieces around her, she feels drawn to visit him in prison. The comfort they find in each other turns to an attraction they can?t deny, forcing them to confront both the bitter and the joyous truths about their lives?and the danger that Derek?s quest for revenge may bring down upon them... Praise for Barbara Delinsky ?Delinsky?s writing is fluid and makes for a hard-to-put-down book.? ?Glamour ?Delinsky is a first-rate storyteller who creates believable, sympathetic characters who seem as familiar as your neighbors.? ?The Boston Globe ?Delinsky writes about the emotional crises of everyday people and how those trials shape relationships.? ?The Cincinnati Enquirer
£16.11
Open Road Media Knife River
Book Synopsis
£23.96
Pan Macmillan Pages for Her
Book SynopsisTwo women are reunited twenty years after the love affair that changed both their worlds. Sylvia Brownrigg's Pages for Her is a novel about love, memory and what it is to be a woman, a wife, and a mother.'A complex portrait of two women's sexuality . . . an absolute pleasure' – Alice SeboldFlannery, a writer with one well-known rather racy book to her name, is, by her own admission, in a situation she never thought she'd be: married to a man who overshadows her and defined by her primary relationships as wife and mother. When Flannery is invited to a writers' conference she sees a chance to return to a world she knew well. And then she recognizes the name of the chair of the event: Anne Arden. Suddenly Flannery is thrown back twenty years to her eighteen-year-old self and the most intense love affair of her entire life.On the other side of the world Anne is travelling for work. Recently out of a decades-long partnership, she feels adrift, unsettled. When a friend asks her to chair an event at a writers' conference she says yes and a couple of months later, on the same campus where they met and fell in love, Anne and Flannery are reunited. Though their lives have taken them in different and unexpected directions, the pull between them proves irresistible.Trade ReviewSylvia Brownrigg’s Pages for Her is a complex portrait of two women's sexuality. In the romantic universe of Brownrigg’s novel, there is no either/or, no simple black and white. When characters - read people - are freed from the often blinding forces of personal obligation and private loss, a lust for intimacy takes over. In Pages for Her, Brownrigg gives us two accomplished women who, coming together after decades apart, understand that truth laid bare is best beguiled -- Alice Sebold, author of The Lovely BonesIn this intense, compelling novel, Sylvia Brownrigg writes vividly about passion rekindled in mid-life with the force of a tsunami. Pages for Her, the sequel to Pages for You, stands as a beautiful testament to human complexity, reminding us that fierce love comes in many forms, none of them mutually exclusive. A wonderful novel - completely engrossing. -- Claire Messud, author of The Emperor's Children and The Woman UpstairsWith Pages for Her, Sylvia Brownrigg has achieved the seemingly impossible, a gorgeous and piercing book that is both a huge gift to the many readers who loved its predecessor Pages for You, and an exquisitely intelligent stand-alone novel about the intertwined arcs of time and love. -- Ann Packer, author of The Children's CrusadeNuanced, assured, and razor-sharp, Pages for Her is both a bittersweet story about rekindled love and a profound meditation on what it means to be alive. -- Christina Baker Kline, author of Orphan TrainPages for Her takes on all the Big Questions in women's lives: what it means to have 'enough' in love, sex, work, motherhood; what we deserve; what we long for; how we get trapped; how we can break free. I found myself reading with pen in hand, compelled to underline both Brownrigg’s gorgeous prose and her astute insights. -- Peggy Orenstein, author Girls & SexWith Pages for Her, Brownrigg does open-heart surgery, probing the deep chamber where unfinished love resides, untouchable by time, still beating -- Carol Anshaw, author of Carry the OneElegant, absorbing, beautifully written . . . the many fans of Pages for You will love this brilliant continuation of Flannery and Anne's story -- Kate Christensen, PEN-Faulkner-award winning author of The Great ManI was awed by the depth and quality of this novel . . . what made the novel so wonderful for me was the total focus on what it is to be a woman across the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries * Nudge *Brownrigg approaches her characters with clarity and sensitivity, capturing the nuances in the women's relationships to the people they love—as mother, daughter, sister, friend, wife, or lover—and the power they give those people to define and inspire them . . . Brownrigg considers motherhood, romance, identity, and the changes brought by time in this tender, insightful novel * Kirkus *Pages for Her is tender and sharply observant. This is a book about love, but not the love of Valentine’s day cards. This is the lumpy-risky-no-right-answers sort of love with which we all must contend. It will leave you with the memories of hands once held and skin once known -- Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, author of Harmless Like You[A] thoughtful, gentle, yet passionate novel...Brownrigg’s themes of sexuality, betrayal, marriage, and identity resonate along with this tale’s strong sense of yearning as it poses the question, Can you be a soul mate with someone you haven’t seen in two decades? * Booklist *Brownrigg did something marvelous in Pages For You . . . Now, 15 years later, there is a sequel: Pages For Her . . . There is nothing of the parable in these two books. They are not allegories or lessons about how to be a queer woman in the world. It is not wrong to have babies, and it isn’t wrong to marry men or not marry men. It is not wrong to be too young or too old, to be more or less into girls at whatever particular age or stage one happens to be. For this simple reason, reading Brownrigg’s novels feels like entering a fictional world that is less fussy, more real. Mainstream fiction could do with substantially more fiction about romance between teenagers and between middle-aged women . . . For now, we have these pages. * New Republic *Reading Pages For Her is like going on the perfect date; it picks you up, impresses you with its knowledge, seduces you with its wit and soon sweeps you away into a different world. And if you're hungry for more, there's a special reissue of cult classic Pages For You, the story of the first encounter between Flannery and Anne * Diva *Beautiful . . . a soft, pure and very gentle exercise on the nature of love . . . an exhilarating, passionate work that explores marriage, sexuality, and the transformative power of love over time and the way two women face the slow burning truth of their lives, their relationships and the utter delight of honest ownership of powerful experiences and truth * G Scene *
£9.49
Austin Macauley Publishers Heist Denial
Book Synopsis
£12.59
Austin Macauley Publishers Heist Denial
Book Synopsis
£9.49
Pan Macmillan Eden
Book Synopsis‘No one is better . . . eden sees Crace at the top of his game’ - TelegraphTrouble has come to the garden. Its inhabitants live an eternal and unblemished life, tending to the bountiful fields, orchards and lakes, and serving their angelic masters. But now one of the gardeners has escaped, breaching the walls and making her way into the world beyond; a land of poverty, sickness and death - as well as liberty. The angels know there are those who would go to the ends of the earth to find her. Perhaps another fall is coming . . .‘Vivid and poetic . . . Crace writes with great flair and inimitable imagination’ - Financial Times‘Since announcing his retirement in 2013, Jim Crace has had more comebacks than Kanye West,something for which we should all be thankful’ - SpectatorTrade ReviewNo one is better at lending imaginative life to archetypes like this; he remains one of the most pleasurable stylists alive . . . [eden] sees him at the top of his game * Telegraph *One of our most original and inventive novelists * Observer *A fabulist, an open heart, an imagination in full flight . . . Crace is, quite simply, one of the great writers of our time -- Colum McCann, author of ApeirogonCrace's world-building is rigorous - he blends his talents as a fabulist with his love of writing about a natural world * Financial Times *Exquisite . . . Much of the book's pleasure lies in the sheer vigour with which he conveys the physicality of its ethereal elements * Daily Mail *Powerful . . . the world-buidling in eden is impressive . . . Acclaimed for his stylish writing, Crace does not disappoint in his new book. The rhythmic, limpid prose, the easy cadence, seem particularly well suited to depictions of paradise * Irish Times *Since announcing his retirement in 2013, Jim Crace has had more comebacks than Kanye West, something for which we should all be thankful * Spectator *Crace exults in the art of storytelling * Guardian *Jim Crace writes with great flair and inimitable imagination * Financial Times *
£15.29
Cornerstone Whoever You Are Honey
Book Synopsis''Built on simmering tensions at the precipice of boiling over . . . vivid storytelling'' VOGUE''An intimate, pitch-perfect fable of the time'' YRSA DALEY-WARD''Sensual, detail-rich, utterly immersive . . . So propulsive and atmospheric'' JENNY MUSTARD***BEHIND THIS GLASS, EVERYTHING IS MORE BEAUTIFUL On the Santa Cruz waterfront, every house is as perfect as the people inside. Not so for Mitty and Bethel, the oddball pair in the dilapidated bungalow they are the last vestiges of a town now housing the tech elite. But Mitty is about to cross the threshold. Someone has arrived next door who finally wants to know this forgotten girl.Lena is different and she knows it. Reliant on her entrepreneur boyfriend Sebastian, her life is oddly limited for someone bathed in wealth. But when she sees Mitty, Lena begins to recognize a part of herself she has yet to face, something anxious, something broken somethi
£15.29
BBC Audio, A Division Of Random House Charles Paris: Sicken and So Die: A BBC Radio 4
Book SynopsisBill Nighy stars as the suave thespian sleuth in this BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisationLife is good for Charles Paris. He's moved back in with his estranged wife, and has landed a plum stage role as Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night. But it can't last. First his attempts to woo Frances fall flat, then the play's director is taken ill with gastric trouble. His replacement, Romanian wunderkind Alex Radelescu, is determined to take the play in a radical new direction - with or without Charles.When a second member of the company falls sick, Charles begins to suspect a poisoner is on the loose - and the next victim could be him. Can he unmask the culprit before this comedy turns into a tragedy?Adapted by Jeremy Front, this engaging dramatisation stars Bill Nighy as Charles Paris, with Suzanne Burden as Frances, Jon Glover as Maurice and Julian Rhind-Tutt as Alex Radelescu.'Always a treat' Gillian Reynolds, Sunday TimesProduction creditsWritten by Simon BrettAdapted by Jeremy FrontProduced and directed by Sally AvensFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 30 August-20 September 2006CastCharles Paris - Bill NighyFrances - Suzanne BurdenMaurice - Jon GloverKen Carter - Peter WightAlex Radelescu - Julian Rhind-TuttVivienne Marlin - Elizabeth BellGavin Scholes - Thomas WheatleyJack Bradley - John CumminsSally Luther - Tracy WilesBen Ritson - Tom LawrenceVasile Bogdan/Scott - Ryan McCluskeyTalya Northcott - Alex TregearInspector Dewar - Kim Wall© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. ? 2022 BBC Studios Distribution LtdTrade ReviewAlways a treat -- Gillian Reynolds * Sunday Times *
£14.62
Hodder & Stoughton Days of Blood and Starlight: The Sunday Times
Book SynopsisThe 10th anniversary edition of the second in Laini Taylor's breathtaking fantasy trilogyThe story continues in this astounding, must-read sequel to Daughter of Smoke and Bone . . .Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a new way of living - one without massacres and torn throats and bonfires of the fallen, without revenants or bastard armies or children ripped from their mothers' arms to take their turn in the killing and dying.Once, the lovers lay entwined in the moon's secret temple and dreamed of a world that was like a jewel-box without a jewel - a paradise waiting for them to find it and fill it with their happiness.This was not that world.Trade ReviewI like to spread the word when I come across a book that excites me. I read Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor last weekend (sequel to Daughter of Smoke and Bone) and I'm all fired up about it. Thank you, Ms. Taylor, for a thrilling couple of days. I am in your debt. (Warning readers: this is one of those series that will have you tearing at your hair and gnashing your teeth waiting for the next installment. Be prepared.) * Stephenie Meyer *The second instalment is much darker, with more epic battles, suffering and loss . . . The ending is absolutely incredible - with a twist that completely catches you by surprise, leaving you dying to find out what happens next. * Glamour.com *Plunges us into a world of beauty and horror . . . intricately plotted . . . it's a book that flies between worlds on blood-tipped wings and grips like a magical vice. * Daily Mail *
£9.49
Hodder & Stoughton Dreams of Gods and Monsters: The Sunday Times
Book SynopsisThe 10th anniversary edition of the breathtaking final instalment in Laini Taylor's unmissable Sunday Times bestselling seriesBy way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future rests on her, if there can even be a future for the chimaera in war-ravaged Eretz.Common enemy, common cause.When Jael's brutal seraph army trespasses into the human world, the unthinkable becomes essential, and Karou and Akiva must ally their enemy armies against the threat. It is a twisted version of their long-ago dream, and they begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people.And, perhaps, for themselves. Toward a new way of living . . . and maybe even love.But there are bigger threats than Jael in the offing. A vicious queen is hunting Akiva, and, in the skies of Eretz, something is happening. Massive stains are spreading like bruises from horizon to horizon; the great winged stormhunters are gathering as if summoned, ceaselessly circling, and a deep sense of wrong pervades the world.What power can bruise the sky?From the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond, humans, chimaera and seraphim will fight, strive, love, and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy. At the very barriers of space and time, what do gods and monsters dream of?Trade ReviewThis imaginative final novel in the fantasy DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE series is a gripping page-turner. * Marie Claire *Plunges us into a world of beauty and horror . . . intricately plotted . . . it's a book that flies between worlds on blood-tipped wings and grips like a magical vice. * Daily Mail *Fantasy and romance combine. . . If you've ever wondered what would happen if an angel and a devil fell in love, you're about to find out. * Sunday Express *Thrilling. * Glamour *
£9.99
Hodder & Stoughton Playing Games
Book Synopsis''Radiantly honest'' Mail on Sunday''Poignant'' Guardian''A gem of a novel'' iThe remarkable debut novel from critically acclaimed writer Huma Qureshi: a poignant story of art and sisterhood, family, marriage and betrayalHana is a successful lawyer, with a perfect home and marriage. But she longs to be a mother, and her husband remains hesitant.Mira, her younger sister, is stuck working at a local café, renting a room from a flatmate she hates. She dreams of a creative life, but just she can''t find the right inspiration.One night, Mira witnesses an argument between Hana and her husband. Their words spark something in her and she starts typing. But what stories are ours to tell? And how much can be forgiven?''Huma Qureshi writes with wisdom and heart'' Pandora Sykes''Warm and moving . . . Playing Games thoughtfully and elegantly considers what it
£9.49
Hodder & Stoughton 28 Summers: Escape with the perfect sweeping love
Book SynopsisThis sweeping love story is Hilderbrand's best ever - New York TimesTheir secret love affair has lasted for decades - but will it last one more summer?For the last twenty-eight summers, Mallory and Jake have met to rekindle the passionate love affair they began all those years ago. Each married to someone else, with busy lives and happy families, they've managed to keep their secret, and to keep their love alive. But nothing is forever and when Mallory receives a diagnosis that puts her future in doubt, they must face the possibility that their twenty-eighth summer together also be their last.Further praise for 28 SUMMERS:'This poignant novel's blend of nostalgia, romance and escapism is so quintessentially summery you'll expect sand to spill from its pages' - Mail on Sunday'Captivating and bittersweet' - People'Elin Hilderbrand is the godmother of beach reads for a reason' - Good Housekeeping'Hilderbrand sets the gold standard in escapist fiction' - Kirkus'Less a story about a secretive affair and more a tale of sweet nostalgia and fate, this title will be popular with a wide audience' - Library JournalTrade ReviewPRAISE FOR 28 SUMMERS:This sweeping love story is Hilderbrand's best ever * New York Times *Captivating and bittersweet * People *Elin Hilderbrand is the godmother of beach reads for a reason * Good Housekeeping *Hilderbrand sets the gold standard in escapist fiction * Kirkus *Less a story about a secretive affair and more a tale of sweet nostalgia and fate, this title will be popular with a wide audience. * Library Journal *This poignant novel's blend of nostalgia, romance and escapism is so quintessentially summery you'll expect sand to spill from its pages. * Mail on Sunday *
£9.99
Hodder & Stoughton And So I Roar
Book SynopsisAdunni and Ms Tia are back, now forced to confront their pasts and find the courage to roar for themselves''''Fresh, funny and fiercely feminist, Dare''s empowering sequel to The Girl With The Louding Voice is a gut punch of a book''MAIL ON SUNDAY''Evocative''i NEWSPAPER, Best new books for August''Powerful and inspiring''GRAZIA''A novelist of great power, wit, and invention''ELIZABETH GILBERT, author of City of Girls''Daré has proved, once again, that she is a masterful storyteller to be reckoned with''TARA M. STRINGFELLOW, author of Memphis''An enduring story of hope, love and the power we hold''ORE AGBAJE-WILLIAMS, author of The Three of UsPlucky fourteen-year-old Adunni is in Lagos, excited to finally enrol in school. Having escaped her rural village in a desperate bid to seek a better future, she''
£15.29
Hodder & Stoughton Highway Thirteen
Book Synopsis''Clever and engrossing''MAIL ON SUNDAY''This Möbius strip of linked stories bends and twists the crime genre until it is barely recognisable . . . The result is a riveting study of human nature''GERALDINE BROOKS, author of Horse''Addictively engaging, profoundly serious fiction from an underappreciated master''KIRKUS, starred review''A standout meditation on a community''s legacy of violence''PUBLISHERS WEEKLYIn 1998, an apparently ordinary Australian man is arrested and charged for a series of brutal murders. The news shocks the nation, bringing both horror and resolution to the victims'' families, but its impact travels even further: into the past, as the murders rewrite personal histories, and into the future, as true crime podcasts and biopics tell the story of the crimes.From the killer''s childhood town to Texas, Rome and beyond, from the mid-twentieth century to th
£17.00
Quercus Publishing Comrade Papa
Book SynopsisA utterly absorbing, panoramic novel spanning two centuries and shining light on French colonialism in Cote d'Ivoire - by the author of Standing Heavy, shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2023
£10.80
Quercus Publishing The Final Revival of Opal & Nev: Longlisted for
Book SynopsisONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVOURITE BOOKS OF 2021 LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE 2022'A thrilling work' Ta-Nehisi Coates'Lovely and lyrical . . . warm and wonderful' Kiley ReidA queen of punk before her time. A duo on the brink of stardom. A night that will define their story for ever.Opal is a fiercely independent young woman pushing against the grain in her style and attitude, a Black punk artist before her time. Despite her unconventional looks, Opal believes she can be a star. So when the aspiring British singer/songwriter Neville Charles discovers her one night, she takes him up on his offer to make rock music together.In early seventies New York City, just as she's finding her niche as part of a flamboyant and funky creative scene, a rival band signed to her label brandishes a Confederate flag at a promotional concert. Opal's bold protest and the violence that ensues set off a chain of events that will not only change the lives of those she loves, but also be a deadly reminder that repercussions are always harsher for women, especially Black women, who dare to speak their truth.Decades later, as Opal considers a 2016 reunion with Nev, music journalist S. Sunny Shelton seizes the chance to curate an oral history about her idols. Sunny thought she knew most of the stories leading up to the cult duo's most politicized chapter, but as her interviews dig deeper, a nasty new allegation from an unexpected source threatens everything.Provocative and haunting, The Final Revival of Opal & Nev introduces a bold new name in contemporary fiction and a heroine the likes of which we've not seen in storytelling.'An absolutely brilliant book' SARA COLLINS'Musical and revolutionary' JASON REYNOLDS'A marvellous musical tale of friendship, betrayal, and the power that comes with self-reclamation' LAYLA SAAD'Fantastic . . . Magical' ZAKIYA DALILA HARRIS'A packed time capsule that doubles as a stick of dynamite' NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW'An absorbing tale bursting with colour' COSMOPOLITAN'One of the books of the year' STYLIST'An utterly fresh take on finding one's voice' O, THE OPRAH MAGAZINETrade ReviewLovely and lyrical; a warm and wonderful intersection between journalism and fiction. This is a novel you'll want to read out loud. It's made for readers and music lovers who find themselves wishing that Behind The Music was still on the air * Kiley Reid *Dawnie Walton's The Final Revival Of Opal & Nev is one of the most immersive novels I've ever read. This is largely because of Walton's skill at letting so many people talk in so many different ways. Voices are marshalled from across America, and then across the Atlantic, and blended seamlessly into a tale about black culture, black women, American capitalism. This is a thrilling work of polyphony -- a first novel, that reads like the work of an old hand * Ta-Nehisi Coates *Incredible. There was a moment while reading when the volume of the world went on mute, for me. An absolutely brilliant book * Sara Collins *Like the best fiction, it feels truer and more mesmerizing than some true stories. It's a packed time capsule that doubles as a stick of dynamite * New York Times Book Review *The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is as musical and revolutionary in tone and structure as it is in content. It delves into the complexities of the creative life, specifically as it pertains to Black women, and instead of shying away or egg-shelling, it does what every good book does: tells the truth. A truth that bangs. That shrieks. A siren song to shatter what we've known of the novel. Things won't ever be the same after this. And I'm so happy Dawnie Walton has arrived * Jason Reynolds, author of the New York Times bestseller LONG WAY DOWN *My heart races thrillingly every time I think about Opal & Nev! A marvelous musical tale of friendship, betrayal, and the power that comes with self-reclamation. This story will stay with me for many years to come * Layla Saad *Fantastic. I so desperately wanted Opal Jewel to have existed; I wanted to have experienced her music first-hand. What I love most of all about this book, though, is the way Walton quite literally inserts a strong, bold Black rock musician into a history that's often discouraged us from shining, or from even entering at all. Magical * Zakiya Dalila Harris, author of THE OTHER BLACK GIRL *A dazzling debut * Louise O'Neill *By turns playful and serious, and always wonderfully entertaining, The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is a fascinating account of a woman's search for her father and of the music business in the 1960s and early 70s. The immensely gifted Dawnie Walton creates a vivid chorus of voices as she tells the story of Opal's journey from a church in Detroit to the stage in New York where everything changes. This novel rocks. * Margot Livesey *What a fresh, spirited book. The Final Revival of Opal & Nev has such a lived quality and its every character is so sharply observed, it's hard to believe this is a work of fiction. Then again, one is utterly transported by it: no matter how far away the reader is from the world of 1970s' New York rock and roll, we are let in to this generous, fascinating saga. A huge achievement * Caoilinn Hughes *Walton's fabulous debut novel is an utterly fresh take on finding one's voice, on systemic racism and sexism, and on freedom of expression. That these heavy subjects don't weigh down this hugely entertaining novel are testament to Walton's deftness and skill * O, The Oprah Magazine *The quixotic Opal is a wonderfully flawed heroine and her frustration as a Black female singer denied a voice is particularly apposite. Fans of Daisy Jones & The Six will love it * Red *Walton pumps up the volume with a fresh angle on systemic racism and freedom of expression. This is a firecracker * Publishers Weekly *[An] absorbing tale bursting with colour . . . One for fans of Daisy Jones and The Six * Cosmopolitan *Presented as an oral history of a cult band on the verge of reappraisal, Walton's debut is also a smart, sharp take on white privilege and who owns whose voice * The i *[Layered] in both its organization and its impact, Dawnie Walton's novel tells the story of '70s musicians Opal and Nev and is alternatingly structured as an oral history and recurring editors' notes from a journalist assembling the twisty, politically inflected tale * Vogue US *Delicious and deep ... a rollicking tale of 1970s New York - but with a fascinating twist * Elle US *Daisy Jones & The Six fans will love this story * Good Housekeeping *Walton has created an entirely believable and powerful universe that looks at race, talent, envy and forgiveness and is filled with emotion. It's one of the books of the year * Stylist *[A] brilliant, crackling firework of a debut * Daily Mirror *The book bursts with clear-eyed takes on race, sex, and creativity that Walton unfurls in urgent, endlessly readable style * Entertainment Weekly *Walton has penned a true wonder of a debut novel . . . her writing is impeccable * Library Journal *Provocative, daring and a remarkable female heroine make this unforgettable * Image *With beautiful, honest writing and an otherworldly way of bringing her characters to life, it is safe to say that Dawnie Walton has created a masterpiece with The Final Revival of Opal & Nev * Reading Happy blog *Dawnie Walton's debut is a smash hit. At the heart of the story is Opal Jewel; an audaciously unapologetic Afro-punk heroine, who is so alive as a character that it feels as though Walton has rewritten music history * Irish News *In a combination of music, politics, race and feminism that transcends the line between fiction and reality, Walton makes a poignant statement about freedom of expression and finding your own path * Press Association *Poignant . . . a smash hit * Woman's Way *An engaging and fun read, a case of fiction being truer and more revealing than fact * International Times *Walton has delivered a thoughtful page-turner that locks into its groove early on, and offers a timely exploration of both feminist agency and America's seemingly insoluble problem with race * Big Issue *Rich in atmosphere * Independent *It's wonderful, powerful and so cinematic. I stayed up late into the night to finish it and enjoyed how each character was uniquely selfish and flawed. It's a brilliant book * i news *
£9.49
Quercus Publishing The Perfect Find
Book SynopsisNOW A MAJOR NETFLIX FILM STARRING GABRIELLE UNIONShe's finally found her soulmate. But he's completely off-limits . . .Former fashion editor Jenna Jones is forty, broke and starting over. Dumped by her fiancé and fired from her job, Jenna begs her arch nemesis, Darcy Vale, for a role at her new online magazine. Surrounded by digital-savvy millennials who all speak fluent Twitter, it's soon clear that Jenna is in way over her head. And, to make matters worse, her ex has a new girlfriend.But things get even messier, and a whole lot more interesting, when Jenna meets Eric Combs, the film graduate tasked with shooting her new web series. Totally gorgeous and completely off-limits, Jenna knows she should know better - but there's something about Eric she can't resist. And what is worth risking everything for, if not love?'Be ready to swoon' 5* reader review'Moving, raw, real and utterly fabulous' 5* reader review'All the feels' 5* reader review'I loved every minute' 5* reader review'Her stories feel like a slice of pie every single time! Sweet and rich' 5* reader review--------------------------------------------------------PRAISE FOR TIA WILLIAMS'A sexy, modern love story to start the summer off right' Reese Witherspoon 'I absolutely loved it' Jodi Picoult 'A seductive fantasy' Rumaan Alam Trade ReviewWith its scandalous, laugh-out-loud funny saga about star-crossed love and starting over, I would recommend it to those who read Marian Keyes and enjoy a complicated, forbidden romance * Irish Examiner *PRAISE FOR TIA WILLIAMS: 'A smart, sexy testament to Black joy, to the well of strength from which women draw, and to tragic romances that mature into second chances' * Jodi Picoult on SEVEN DAYS IN JUNE *Tia Williams conjures a seductive fantasy - rich friendships, star-crossed lovers, artistic fulfilment * Rumaan Alam on SEVEN DAYS IN JUNE *A novel with a delicious plot, compelling characters and all of the pop cultural references my heart desires * Michael Arceneaux on SEVEN DAYS IN JUNE *A hugely satisfying romance that is electrifying and alive * Kirkus on SEVEN DAYS IN JUNE *
£9.49
Quercus Publishing The Daughter of Doctor Moreau
Book SynopsisFrom the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic and Velvet Was the Night comes a dreamy reimagining of The Island of Doctor Moreau set against the backdrop of nineteenth-century Mexico. 'The deeply atmospheric novel blends horror, science fiction, and historical events' Time, 100 'Must Read Books of 2022'Carlota Moreau: growing up in a distant and luxuriant estate, safe from the conflict and strife of the Yucatan peninsula, she is the only daughter of an eccentric, and dangerous, genius. His experiments, a motley group of hybrid monstrosities, are blindly loyal to their creator.Into Carlota's strange but perfectly balanced world comes Eduardo Lizalde, the charming, careless son of Doctor Moreau's patrons. In the sweltering heat of the jungle, amidst her father's secrets and her own awakening feelings, Carlota will begin asking questions that could ignite a conflagration.______________________'Genius . . . combine[s] contemporary political awareness with the appeal of a creepy gothic romance' - Guardian'An evocative slow-burn SF drama about colonialism, heredity and scientific hubris, couched in lush prose' - Financial Times'The imagination of Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a thing of wonder, restless and romantic, fearless in the face of genre, embracing the polarities of storytelling' - New York Times'Paints a vivid picture that is as alluring as it is unsettling, filled with action, romance, and monsters' BooklistTrade ReviewA chameleon writer with incredible writing skills * KIRKUS *A genre-jumping wizard, one of the most exciting and necessary authors writing today * CHARLIE JANE ANDERS, award-winning author of THE CITY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT *Moreno-Garcia is a magician able to switch genres with ease * THE OBSERVER on VELVET WAS THE NIGHT *Cements Silvia Moreno-Garcia's incredible versatility as an amazing writer who moves between genres effortlessly * S.A. COSBY, bestselling author of BLACKTOP WASTELAND on VELVET WAS THE NIGHT *Silvia Moreno-Garcia's writing is unforgettable * CHRISTINA HENRY, author of ALICE, on CERTAIN DARK THINGS *With intelligence, energy, and unexpected tenderness, Silvia Moreno-Garcia takes on Wells' classic tale of scientific hubris. Carlota, the mad Doctor Moreau's only child, is a creation more original than anything her father's cruel experiments could ever conjure. At once playful and deadly serious, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is an irresistible and thoroughly satisfying novel * VALERIE MARTIN, author of I GIVE IT TO YOU, on THE DAUGHTER OF DOCTOR MOREAU *The brilliant and unstoppable Silvia Moreno-Garcia continues to weave her magic in The Daughter of Doctor Moreau, a smart, sinister fable about social inequality and exploitation, isolation and abuse of power. In her usual fashion, Moreno-Garcia has given us an extraordinary heroine to root for in Carlota, a young woman who can't know until she's tested how much power is hers to claim. Both lacerating and deeply empathetic, this story satisfies the reader on every page * PAULA McLAIN, New York Times-bestselling author of The Paris Wife, on THE DAUGHTER OF DOCTOR MOREAU *Silvia Moreno-Garcia goes from strength to strength. The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is my favourite of her novels so far - a gothic tour-de-force with characters who will keep you glued to the page, and a series of satisfying, surprising riffs on Wells' original story * KELLY LINK, award-winning author of Get in Trouble, on THE DAUGHTER OF DOCTOR MOREAU *Lush, eerie, and compulsively readable. This story got under my skin and stayed there * ALEXIS HENDERSON, author of THE YEAR OF THE WITCHING and HOUSE OF HUNGER, on THE DAUGHTER OF DOCTOR MOREAU *Beautiful, feral, and as sharp as a jaguar's claws . . . I felt the anger and hope in this story down to my very bones. Truly, Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a virtuoso of the anti-imperialist gothic novel * ANNALEE NEWITZ, award-winning author of Autonomous, on THE DAUGHTER OF DOCTOR MOREAU *Paints a vivid picture that is as alluring as it is unsettling, filled with action, romance, and monsters. However, it is Moreno-Garcia's ability to mesh the unease of the scientifically created beasts with the real-life terrors of a life on the margins and the horror of colonialism that elevates this story. Readers will fall into this tale immediately, enchanted * BOOKLIST (starred review) on THE DAUGHTER OF DOCTOR MOREAU *If you love psychological horror and historical fiction, this is the book for you * SHEKNOWS on THE DAUGHTER OF DOCTOR MOREAU *She deftly combines fantasy, adventure, and even romance; the result is hard to classify but definitely a lot of fun. This isn't the first book to riff on H.G. Wells' The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896), but it's definitely one of the better ones. A fun literary remix * KIRKUS REVIEWS on THE DAUGHTER OF DOCTOR MOREAU *Moreno-Garcia's world-building chops are on display as she creates a distinct, vibrant backdrop to her audacious retelling. Fans of cerebral, atmospheric historical horror won't want to miss this * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY on THE DAUGHTER OF DOCTOR MOREAU *I was swept along from beginning to end, enchanted by this wonderful novel that breathes new life into a classic concept * PARSEC MAGAZINE on THE DAUGHTER OF DOCTOR MOREAU *The imagination of Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a thing of wonder, restless and romantic, fearless in the face of genre, embracing the polarities of storytelling - the sleek and the bizarre, wild passions and deep hatreds - with cool equanimity * NEW YORK TIMES on THE DAUGHTER OF DOCTOR MOREAU *If there are two things I love in this world, it's contemporary reimaginings of Victorian era horror and sci-fi, and joyful genre mashups in literature. Thank the Lord, then, for Silvia Moreno-Garcia, the author of the 1970s Mexico City noir Velvet Was the Night and the postcolonial gothic romance Mexican Gothic, who brings her chameleonic powers to bear on H. G. Wells's 1896 'exercise in youthful blasphemy' * LIT HUB ON THE DAUGHTER OF DOCTOR MOREAU *Once again the author of Mexican Gothic demonstrates her genius for genre mashups, combining contemporary political awareness with the appeal of a creepy gothic romance * LISA TUTTLE in THE GUARDIAN on THE DAUGHTER OF DOCTOR MOREAU *An evocative slow-burn SF drama about colonialism, heredity and scientific hubris, couched in lush prose * THE FINANCIAL TIMES on THE DAUGHTER OF DOCTOR MOREAU *This is another excellent story by an author who is always worth reading and highly recommended * BIRMINGHAM SCIENCE FICTION GROUP on THE DAUGHTER OF DOCTOR MOREAU *What Moreno-Garcia really does, though, is explore who the real monsters are in the world * WASHINGTON POST on THE DAUGHTER OF DOCTOR MOREAU *A riff on H. G. Well's 1896 SF horror classic The Island of Doctor Moreau, given a feminist slant, but it is much more than that and is often unexpectedly beautiful * CONCATENATION on THE DAUGHTER OF DOCTOR MOREAU *Atmospheric and evocative * CULTUREFLY on THE DAUGHTER OF DOCTOR MOREAU *Romance, intrigue and body horror swirl together fantastically . . . an eerie book, in which strange creatures lurk and simmering passions ignite * PRESS ASSOCIATION *Hailed as one of the most anticipated books of 2022 * ESSENTIAL MARBELLA MAGAZINE *Seamlessly blends a sense of the old with the new, creating a new story that respects Wells but will always be in Moreno-Garcia's distinct style and voice * SFBOOK REVIEWS *The Daughter of Doctor Moreau sweeps along in the style of Isabel Allende's fantastical City of Beasts * GEEK CHOCOLATE *
£9.49
Quercus Publishing Interpretations of Love
Book Synopsis''Her work merits comparison with that of Edna O''Brien or Muriel Spark'' New York TimesStretching from war-torn 1940''s Liverpool to Oxford at the end of the century, this story explores the emotional landscape of the time and the impact tiny moments of betrayal can have on our relationships in the years that follow. Malcolm has held on to a secret for more than fifty years: a letter his sister Sophy gave him just before she died. He had promised to give it to the young doctor she met one night during the Liverpool Blitz: a night that altered the course of her life.But the letter was never delivered. Now, after so many years of uncertainty, Malcolm has decided to share Sophy''s secret with her daughter Agnes. It is the day of Agnes''s daughter''s wedding party. The ghosts of Agnes''s past and all the powerful emotions of the family reunion wrap around her thoughts. Until she is distracted by a hand on her arm as her uncle Mal
£15.29
Quercus Publishing Canoes
Book SynopsisSeven interconnected stories orbit a central novella to create a collection of tales which resonate with the sound of women''s voices.A widower struggles to erase his wife''s voice from his answering machine. Two old friends meet after a period apart and find they can no longer fit into their habitual rhythm. A woman records herself reading a poem for two sisters who obsessively collect voice recordings.At the heart of Canoes is Mustang, in which a woman moves with her family to the suburbs of Denver, where her partner takes up a research post. As her husband and child fit seamlessly into their new lives, she remains aloof, consumed by a feeling of not belonging, and observing as her loved ones change and adapt to these alien surroundings.In this moving and deeply poetic collection, Maylis de Kerangal casts light on the balance between life and death, exploring the traces we leave upon each other''s lives and creating space for women of all age
£10.44
Quercus Publishing Making It
Book Synopsis ''A masterful love letter to queer joy'' Justin Myers, author of The Fake-Up''Heartbreaking, hopeful, funny. Rarely have I rooted so hard for a character. I loved it!'' Suzi RuffellIssy is an artist but the world doesn''t know it yet.As someone who self-identifies as ''gay and depressed'', Issy keeps her life in Margate small: her mum, her chinchilla, her reliable routine.So when she is offered her dream job at an artist''s studio, Issy knows it''s time to open herself up to more. Moving to East London, Issy has a lot of firsts to catch up on - navigating a crush on her gorgeous housemate, dating, sex, and obsessing over her boss who she just can''t seem to figure out. As pressure mounts, people keep telling Issy she can do anything she sets her mind to. But what if her mind refuses to cooperate . . . ?The latest must-read romcom about friendship, love and finding yourself, perfect for fans of Emily
£9.49
Quercus Publishing Banyan Moon
Book Synopsis The perfect book club read FOR FANS OF CELESTE NG and MIN JIN LEE.''A riveting mother-daughter tale'' Elle''Spellbinding and intricately layered'' E.M. Tran ''A gripping tale about motherhood'' Heat''This novel has everything you want'' Meng Jin ''A haunting page turner'' Carolyn Huynh''Heart-shatteringly beautiful'' Nguyen Phan Que Mai Ann Tran is already at a crossroads when she gets the call that her beloved grandmother, Minh, has died. With a beautiful home and a charming boyfriend, Ann has built a seemingly perfect life, but it all crumbles away with one positive pregnancy test. With her carefully planned future now in question, Ann returns home to Florida to face her estranged mother, Hu''o''ng. Under the same roof for the first time in years, mother and daughter must face the simmering questions of their past, without the one person who''s a
£9.49
Quercus Publishing A Hero Born
Book SynopsisTHE CHINESE LORD OF THE RINGS - NOW IN ENGLISH FOR THE FIRST TIME.THE SERIES EVERY CHINESE READER HAS BEEN ENJOYING FOR DECADES - 300 MILLION COPIES SOLD..ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE''S 100 BEST FANTASY NOVELS OF ALL TIME.Jin Yong''s work, in the Chinese-speaking world, has a cultural currency roughly equal to that of Harry Potter and Star Wars combined Nick Frisch, New YorkerLike every fairy tale you''re ever loved, imbued with jokes and epic grandeur. Prepare to be swept along. Jamie Buxton, Daily MailChina: 1200 A.D. The Song Empire has been invaded by its warlike Jurchen neighbours from the north. Half its territory and its historic capital lie in enemy hands; the peasants toil under the burden of the annual tribute demanded by the victors. Meanwhile, on the Mongolian steppe, a disparate nation of great warriors is about to be united by a warlord whose name will endure fo
£10.44
Quercus Publishing Anyone
Book Synopsis''An addicting read for anyone desiring a chance to escape on a journey of young love and finding out who you are in the process . . . If Dunbridge Academy is taking applications, let me know!'' ANNA TODDCharles Sinclair is Victoria Belhaven-Wynford''s best friend. Ever since primary school, he''s been the one Tori can confide in. The only thing she can''t tell him about is the pit in her stomach that just won''t fade since she started dating her crush, Valentine. Deep down, Tori suspects that whatever she has with Valentine, it''s nothing like what she feels for her best friend. But her classmate Eleanor has claimed Sinclair''s attention, the Juliet to his Romeo in Dunbridge Academy''s annual theatrical performance. Not that Tori would mind. If she weren''t the one who''s supposed to write the script for the love story between the star-crossed lovers . . .I don''t know who I''m kissing. Romeo or Sinclair. Sinclair or Charles. The boy I fell
£10.44
Quercus Publishing The Blanket Cats
Book SynopsisIs three days with a cat enough to change your life?The troubled and anxious of Tokyo are desperate to find out. They all have their problems - and they all want to believe that a feline companion from a unique pet shop can help them find a solution. But there are rules: they must be returned after three days, and they must always sleep in their own familiar blankets.In The Blanket Cats, we meet seven such customers, including a couple struggling with infertility, a middle-aged woman on the run from the police, and two families in very different circumstances simply seeking joy.But like all their kind, the blanket cats are mysterious creatures with their own unknowable agendas, who delight in confounding expectations. And perhaps what their hosts are looking for isn''t what they really need. Three days may not be enough to change your life. But it might be enough to change how you see it.Translated from the Japanese by
£11.69
Quercus Publishing The Little Theatre by the Sea
Book Synopsis''The perfect holiday companion'' Heat''Sun-soaked escapism'' Best Faye has just completed her degree in interior design when she finds herself jobless and boyfriend-less. While debating what to do next, she receives a surprise phone call from her old college friend Charlotte who now lives in Sardinia and is married to Italian hotelier, Fabio.When Charlotte suggests that Faye relocate for a month to house-sit, Faye wonders if a summer break in sunny Sardinia might be the perfect way to recharge her batteries and think about her future.But then Charlotte tells Faye that there''s something more behind the sudden invitation: her friends Marisa and Alessandro are looking for a designer to renovate a crumbling old theatre they own in the scenic village of Deriu.The idea certainly sounds appealing to Faye, but little does she know what she''s letting herself in for if she accepts this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity . . .<
£9.49
Quercus Publishing Look in the Mirror
Book Synopsis''Addictive, thrilling, intoxicating'' LISA JEWELL''An utter white-knuckle ride of a plot'' LUCY FOLEY''A must-read'' SARAH PEARSEIn this paradise you won''t like what you see . . . When Nina''s father dies, she inherits a gleaming dream vacation home in a balmy tropical paradise - one she had no idea existed. The house is extraordinary: state-of-the-art, all glass and marble. How did her sensible father ever have enough money for this? And why not tell her about it? Desperate to uncover why he hid such a big secret, she decides to visit. Maria, once an ambitious medical student, is now a nanny for the super-rich. The money''s better, and so are the destinations - like this new assignment in the British Virgin Islands. But when her wards never show, Maria begins to make herself at home, spending her days luxuriating by the pool. There''s just one rule: Don''t go in the basement. But her curiosity might just get th
£15.29
Quercus Publishing The Silent Killer
Book Synopsis''SUPER-SMART AND HIGHLY ORIGINAL'' - Doug Johnstone''BRILLIANT AND DEEPLY EVOCATIVE'' - Graham Bartlett''AN EXCITING START TO A NEW SERIES'' - Patricia Gibney''A WRITER AT THE TOP OF HIS GAME'' - Robert RutherfordThe first in a Newcastle-set police procedural series with a twist. DCI Jack Parker has a secret. He has Early Onset Dementia and he will do anything and everything to keep it hidden from his peers and the criminals he''s investigating.THE CLOCK IS TICKING. THERE''S NO ESCAPE.DCI Jack Parker has faced down hardened villains and raving, drug-addled lunatics. He''s disarmed a machete-wielding psychopath and broken devastating news of a loved one''s death more times than he can remember.With a serial killer stalking the Newcastle streets and one of his closest colleagues lying in the mortuary following a hit and run he thinks things are about as tough as they''ve ever been. But he should know that trouble always comes
£17.00
Vintage Publishing The Future Future
Book Synopsis*SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2023 GOLDSMITHS PRIZE*It''s the eighteenth-century and Celine is in trouble''A terrific novel''FINANCIAL TIMES''A radically beautiful new novel''SHEILA HETI, author of Pure ColourParis, 1775: Celine''s husband is mostly absent. Her parents are elsewhere. Meanwhile men are inventing stories about her - about her affairs, her sexuality, and addictions...All these stories are lies, but the public loves them - spreading them like a virus. Celine can only watch as her name becomes a symbol for everything rotten in this society ruled by men high on colonial genocide, natural destruction, and crimes against women. To survive, Celine and her friends must band together in search of justice, truth and beauty.Fantastical, funny and blindingly bright, The Future Future follows one woman on an urgently contemporary quest to clear her name and change the world.
£9.49
Transworld Publishers Ltd The Most
Book SynopsisFrom ''one of our most thrilling and singular innovators on the page'' (Laura Van Den Berg), a tightly wound, consuming tale about a 1950s American housewife, for fans of Jennifer Egan, Jonathan Franzen and Taffy Brodesser-Akner''Clever, moving and unexpected. A brilliantly deft and subtle story.'' - Emma Healey, author of Elizabeth is Missing---A warm Sunday in November 1957. As Sputnik 2 orbits the earth, carrying Laika, the doomed Soviet dog, a couple begin their day.Virgil Beckett, an insurance salesman, isn't particularly happy in his job but he fulfils the role, playing golf with the partners, drinking in the bar, chasing the women. Kathleen Beckett, once a promising tennis champion, with a key shot up her sleeve called The Most', is now a mother and homemaker.Somehow these two, who have been together since college, have fallen into the roles expected of them the prescribed suburban dream they have been sold as something t
£11.69
Amazon Publishing Swimming to Lundy
Book SynopsisA poignant and inspiring story from multi-million-copy bestselling author Amanda Prowse about how it’s never too late to follow your dreams and find your way back to happiness.Tawrie Gunn feels stuck. She’s spent her whole life in the same seaside town with her beloved Nana and grief-stricken mum, all of them still reeling in different ways from the tragic loss of Tawrie’s dad at sea. Desperate for a change, she challenges herself to take up wild swimming—every morning, no excuses, from March till September.Daring to take the plunge with the ‘Peacock Swimmers’, Tawrie feels alive in a way she’s never known. Suddenly it seems she might be able to step outside her comfort zone after all and let life surprise her—perhaps even dream of a future beyond the shores of Ilfracombe? Especially when, one day, she spots a man in a pink linen shirt who seems as eager for a new start as she does.But it turns out taking ri
£8.54
Amazon Publishing These Tangled Vines: A Novel
Book SynopsisFrom the USA Today bestselling author of A Curve in the Road comes a sweeping and captivating tale of one woman’s journey to the lush vineyards of Tuscany—and into the mysteries of a tragic family secret. If Fiona has learned anything in life, it’s how to keep a secret—even from the father who raised her. She is the only person who knows about her late mother’s affair in Tuscany thirty years earlier, and she intends to keep it that way…until a lawyer calls with shocking news: her biological father has died and left her an incredible inheritance—along with two half siblings. Fiona travels to Italy, where the family is shocked to learn of her existence and desperate to contest her share of the will. While the mystery of her mother’s affair is slowly unraveled, Fiona must navigate through tricky family relationships and tense sibling rivalries. Fiona both fears and embraces her new destiny as she searches for the truth about the fateful summer her mother spent in Italy and the father she never knew. Spilling over with the sumptuous flavors and romance of Tuscany, These Tangled Vines takes readers on a breathtaking journey of love, secrets, sacrifice, courage—and most importantly, the true meaning of family.Trade Review“This heartwarming story of love and loss, longing and betrayal set amid the vines of Tuscany is the perfect escape in troubled times.” —Rhys Bowen, bestselling author of The Tuscan Child and Above the Bay of Angels “Rich descriptions and attention to detail will have you living and breathing the Tuscan air, and the tangled vines of truth and lies will have you questioning what is right and wrong. I recommend you curl up with a glass of Italian wine and savour every page.” —Donna Alward, New York Times bestselling author “Wouldn’t it be a dream to inherit a wine estate in Europe? That’s what happens—most unexpectedly—to the character at the center of Julianne MacLean’s latest. This introspective escapist story of tangled family secrets and the impact of our choices all set to the backdrop of a sprawling Tuscan winery will make you crave a glass of Chianti Classico and reflect on roads not traveled. Cin cin!” —Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Lost Names and The Winemaker’s Wife “These Tangled Vines is a breathtaking novel that explores the complicated depths of the human heart when surprising family secrets are revealed. It’s riveting, soulful, and deeply romantic—a beautiful heartbreaker. I couldn’t put it down.” —Amanda Prowse, bestselling author of An Ordinary Life “Julianne MacLean’s These Tangled Vines is an emotional tale of love, family, and forgiveness. It’s both heartbreaking and hopeful; I felt for every one of these brave characters, rooting them on along the way.” —Rochelle B. Weinstein, USA Today bestselling author
£8.54
Amazon Publishing No Way Back
Book SynopsisFrom the author of the bestselling Jon Reznick Thriller series comes an exhilarating new adventure. When the people he loves most are in danger, Jack McNeal will get revenge...or die trying. NYPD detective Jack McNeal is used to asking the tough questions. But a late-night visit from the Secret Service lands Jack on the other side of the table—as a suspect in the disappearance of his estranged wife, Caroline, a prominent reporter on the White House beat. When her body is found floating in the Potomac, Jack is overcome by disbelief and despair. Her death seems eerily similar to the suspicious fatality of a young socialite years before. Is the similarity of the two tragic incidents simply a coincidence, or could it be a sign of a murderous orchestrated plot to protect those in the highest echelons of the American government? To avenge Caroline’s death, Jack embarks on a journey into the darkest recesses of power. Suspects abound—from haunted Special Forces soldiers to ex-CIA to the president’s own body man. Along the way, Jack will be forced to decide: Is there a line he won’t cross to expose the killer?
£8.54
Amazon Publishing What's Left Unsaid: A Novel
Book SynopsisAn enthralling novel of secrets, second chances, and confronting the past by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of When I’m Gone. After a series of devastating losses, Chicago journalist Hannah Williamson has landed in Senatobia, Mississippi, to care for her bedridden grandmother and endure grunt work at a small newspaper. But in cleaning out its archives, Hannah discovers a compelling distraction from her life: a series of rejected articles from the 1930s that illuminate a long-hidden mystery. The articles, penned by a young woman named Evelyn, are haunting accounts of first love, trauma, and surviving a mysterious shooting that left Evelyn paralyzed at the age of fourteen. The articles stir up more questions than answers, and Hannah becomes consumed by what’s left unsaid. Encouraged by Guy Franklin, a local middle school teacher, Hannah’s investigation into Evelyn’s past becomes more personal with each new reveal. For Hannah, as both a journalist and a woman bearing her own emotional wounds, this is a chance to move forward and bring closure to the story of the girl whose secrets are buried in Senatobia. What Hannah’s about to discover next is that, even after nearly a century, the truth she’s been looking for still has the power to change lives. Especially her own.Trade Review“With unexpected twists, a few harrowing adventures, and some thoroughly endearing characters, this book is a great read—a must-have for any beach bag.” —Historical Novels Review “What’s Left Unsaid is a compelling novel about two women from different times both with lives defined by unfathomable losses. A story of love and redemption and staggering on even when it feels impossible. Emily Bleeker is a masterful storyteller, and I found myself completely lost in the pages of this remarkable book.” —Suzanne Redfearn, #1 Amazon bestselling author of In an Instant “Emily Bleeker has once again delivered a heartfelt, emotionally powerful novel, proving that she is an author who knows what her audience loves—a profound journey through the depths of the human heart, and an uplifting ending that reminds us that hope lives on, even after tragedy.” —Julianne MacLean, USA Today bestselling author
£8.54
Amazon Publishing The Easy Life in Kamusari
Book SynopsisFrom Shion Miura, the award-winning author of The Great Passage, comes a rapturous novel where the contemporary and the traditional meet amid the splendor of Japan’s mountain way of life. Yuki Hirano is just out of high school when his parents enroll him, against his will, in a forestry training program in the remote mountain village of Kamusari. No phone, no internet, no shopping. Just a small, inviting community where the most common expression is “take it easy.” At first, Yuki is exhausted, fumbles with the tools, asks silly questions, and feels like an outcast. Kamusari is the last place a city boy from Yokohama wants to spend a year of his life. But as resistant as he might be, the scent of the cedars and the staggering beauty of the region have a pull. Yuki learns to fell trees and plant saplings. He begins to embrace local festivals, he’s mesmerized by legends of the mountain, and he might be falling in love. In learning to respect the forest on Mt. Kamusari for its majestic qualities and its inexplicable secrets, Yuki starts to appreciate Kamusari’s harmony with nature and its ancient traditions. In this warm and lively coming-of-age story, Miura transports us from the trappings of city life to the trials, mysteries, and delights of a mythical mountain forest.Trade ReviewPraise for The Easy Life in Kamusari “Fans of all ages should enjoy the author’s blend of the traditional and the contemporary.” —Kirkus Reviews “Miura (The Great Passage, 2017) takes readers on a journey with Yuki, a directionless young man, to the remote mountainside villages of Japan where the trees are plentiful, but cell reception is minimal. Miura lovingly depicts the shifting seasons and the challenges they bring to those who work in the forestry industry in Japan’s mountains.” —Booklist “This tender and kaleidoscopic novel centers a young Japanese city boy and his coming-of-age in a remote village.” —Ms. Magazine Praise for The Great Passage Winner of an Earphones Award, Fiction “Mastery of words may not result in masterly communication, and a great dictionary, like a love story, is ‘the result of people puzzling over their choices’—a classic tension that has made The Great Passage a prizewinner in Japan, as well as both a successful feature film and an animated television series.” —The New York Times “Swirling with witty enchantment, The Great Passage proves to be, well, utterly great. Readers should be advised to get ready to sigh with delighted satisfaction and awe-inspiring admiration.” —Booklist (starred review) “The Great Passage has a philosophy of thoughtfulness and dedication to words that any reader will understand…Miura’s prose—and Carpenter’s translation—glides along, smooth and precise, with flashes of quiet poetry.” —Metropolis “The Great Passage is interwoven with romantic love stories, but ultimately it is the passion of the characters, their friendship, and their devotion to their task that direct and complete the narrative and turn it from simply a good book to a great one.” —Talia Franks, Three Percent
£12.12
Amazon Publishing Star Father: A Novel
Book SynopsisWhen the heavens go dark, hearts still glow for a mortal woman and a god in an exhilarating fantasy by Charlie N. Holmberg, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Star Mother. In a heavenly war, the moon is prevailing… It happens in an instant, filling Aija with dread: the Sun is suddenly cast from the sky, throwing the Earth into midday darkness. On the fourth day of endless night, Aija finds an unconscious man by the river. His skin is as hot as her lantern’s glass and just as golden. To Aija, a farmhand with the soul of an artist, this beautiful stranger is an inspiration—and a mystery. He calls himself Saiyon. He bleeds light. His friends are celestial. His enemies, godlings of the moon. Between Aija and Saiyon, attraction grows warmer. For Aija, an unfathomable revelation: she’s falling in love with the earthbound Sun God. When Saiyon’s faltering powers are restored to full glory, what then? There’s a way Aija can become immortal, too. Saiyon can’t support such a risk. Aija chooses to follow her heart to places darker and more dangerous than she realizes. Whatever sacrifices lie ahead, they’re the only way to make an impossible true love last forever.Trade Review“Fans of mythology-inspired novels like Circe and Ariadne will enjoy this sprawling tale of gods, love, and sacrifice.” —Publishers Weekly
£8.54
Amazon Publishing Where Water Lies
Book SynopsisHow long would you let someone else’s secret control your life?Eliza has lived two lives - one before she fell into an obsessive teenage friendship with Eric and Maggie, and the one after it was destroyed in a single afternoon. To Eliza, Eric and Maggie were irreplaceable, so she hasn’t. Instead, drifting through life alone, she spends every morning diving into her memories as she swims in Hampstead Ponds, her guilt never far below the surface.Twenty years might have passed, yet Eliza still can’t help searching for Maggie everywhere. Then one day she spots a woman who looks just like her. Eliza has spent half her life wondering what really happened that afternoon and if Maggie’s back, will it help her finally get answers?But memories are like ripples on water, and can be deceptive. As the past and present collide, Eliza begins to wonder: will learning the truth set her free - or will it only drag her down deeper?
£8.54
Arsenal Pulp Press A Safe Girl To Love
Book Synopsis
£16.19
Agate Publishing 54 Miles
Book SynopsisThe free-standing successor and next novel by the author of the critically acclaimed The Last Thing You Surrender, Leonard Pitts, Jr.’s 54 Miles launches forward twenty years to the fateful weeks of March 1965—from the infamous “Bloody Sunday” march at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma on the 7th to the triumphant entry into Montgomery on the 25th that climaxed the voting rights campaign—and the families who find themselves confronting the past amid another flashpoint in American history.Young Adam, who has been raised in Harlem by his white father, George, and Black mother, Thelma, goes back to his parents’ home state of Alabama to participate in the voting rights campaign, only to be brutalized in the Bloody Sunday melee. He is still recovering from this when he is struck a heavy emotional blow, learning for the first time—and in the cruelest way imaginable—of a family secret that sends him spiraling and pl
£14.24
The New York Review of Books, Inc The New York Stories Of Edith Whart
Book SynopsisA New York Review Books OriginalEdith Wharton wrote about New York as only a native can. Her Manhattan is a city of well-appointed drawing rooms, hansoms and broughams, all-night cotillions, and resplendent Fifth Avenue flats. Bishops’ nieces mingle with bachelor industrialists; respectable wives turn into excellent mistresses. All are governed by a code of behavior as rigid as it is precarious. What fascinates Wharton are the points of weakness in the structure of Old New York: the artists and writers at its fringes, the free-love advocates testing its limits, widows and divorcées struggling to hold their own. The New York Stories of Edith Wharton gathers twenty stories of the city, written over the course of Wharton’s career. From her first published story, “Mrs. Manstey’s View,” to one of her last and most celebrated, “Roman Fever,” this new collection charts the growth of an American master and enriches our understanding of the central themes of her work, among them the meaning of marriage, the struggle for artistic integrity, the bonds between parent and child, and the plight of the aged. Illuminated by Roxana Robinson’s Introduction, these stories showcase Wharton’s astonishing insight into the turbulent inner lives of the men and women caught up in a rapidly changing society.
£15.29
The New York Review of Books, Inc The Slynx
Book SynopsisNew in Paperback“A postmodern literary masterpiece.” -The Times Literary SupplementTwo hundred years after civilization ended in an event known as the Blast, Benedikt isn’t one to complain. He’s got a job—transcribing old books and presenting them as the words of the great new leader, Fyodor Kuzmich, Glorybe—and though he doesn’t enjoy the privileged status of a Murza, at least he’s not a serf or a half-human four-legged Degenerator harnessed to a troika. He has a house, too, with enough mice to cook up a tasty meal, and he’s happily free of mutations: no extra fingers, no gills, no cockscombs sprouting from his eyelids. And he’s managed—at least so far—to steer clear of the ever-vigilant Saniturions, who track down anyone who manifests the slightest sign of Freethinking, and the legendary screeching Slynx that waits in the wilderness beyond. Tatyana Tolstaya’s The Slynx reimagines dystopian fantasy as a wild, horripilating amusement park ride. Poised between Nabokov’s Pale Fire and Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange, The Slynx is a brilliantly inventive and shimmeringly ambiguous work of art: an account of a degraded world that is full of echoes of the sublime literature of Russia’s past; a grinning portrait of human inhumanity; a tribute to art in both its sovereignty and its helplessness; a vision of the past as the future in which the future is now.
£9.49
The New York Review of Books, Inc That Awful Mess On The Via Merulana
Book SynopsisIn a large apartment house in central Rome, two crimes are committed within a matter of days: a burglary, in which a good deal of money and precious jewels are taken, and a murder, as a young woman whose husband is out of town is found with her throat cut. Called in to investigate, melancholy Detective Ciccio, a secret admirer of the murdered woman and a friend of her husband’s, discovers that almost everyone in the apartment building is somehow involved in the case, and with each new development the mystery only deepens and broadens. Gadda’s sublimely different detective story presents a scathing picture of fascist Italy while tracking the elusiveness of the truth, the impossibility of proof, and the infinite complexity of the workings of fate, showing how they come into conflict with the demands of justice and love. Italo Calvino, Pier Paolo Pasolini, and Alberto Moravia all considered That Awful Mess on the Via Merulana to be the great modern Italian novel. Unquestionably, it is a work of universal significance and protean genius: a rich social novel, a comic opera, an act of political resistance, a blazing feat of baroque wordplay, and a haunting story of life and death.
£15.29
The New York Review of Books, Inc Going To The Dogs
Book SynopsisGoing to the Dogs is set in Berlin after the crash of 1929 and before the Nazi takeover, years of rising unemployment and financial collapse. The moralist in question is Jakob Fabian, “aged thirty-two, profession variable, at present advertising copywriter . . . weak heart, brown hair,” a young man with an excellent education but permanently condemned to a low-paid job without security in the short or the long run.What’s to be done? Fabian and friends make the best of it—they go to work though they may be laid off at any time, and in the evenings they go to the cabarets and try to make it with girls on the make, all the while making a lot of sharp-sighted and sharp-witted observations about politics, life, and love, or what may be. Not that it makes a difference. Workers keep losing work to new technologies while businessmen keep busy making money, and everyone who can goes out to dance clubs and sex clubs or engages in marathon bicycle events, since so long as there’s hope of running into the right person or (even) doing the right thing, well—why stop?Going to the Dogs, in the words of introducer Rodney Livingstone, “brilliantly renders with tangible immediacy the last frenetic years [in Germany] before 1933.” It is a book for our time too.
£10.79
Addison & Highsmith The Oar of Odysseus
Book SynopsisPenelope Bauer sips on a margarita, celebrating her acceptance into the graduate Classics program at Boston University, unaware that she will soon become the central player in a bold scheme to save Western Civilization from itself. Of course, like any intelligent young woman in the dark days of 2018, she sees the symptoms of decay all around her, and the waning of the original values of ancient Greece. The good life for most Americans has become synonymous with the individual drive for wealth and status, acquisitiveness displacing the quest for the classical virtues of wisdom, courage, justice, and the like. Indeed, the small liberal arts college from which she will graduate in a week, has fallen victim to the money grubbing paws of a shady for-profit educational corporation.Penny?s decision to pursue the Classics reflects her growing realization that liberal education may be human kind?s last best hope. She and her fellow students at the College of St. Francis had the opportunity to experience, many for the first time, the pleasures of a genuinely good life, a moral or ethical life, liberated from the need to acquire the material symbols of success. Her passionate commitment to live such a life made her the unwitting subject of an ancient prophecy. She has been watched, studied without her knowledge. Fate has groomed her to participate in a grand adventure, a wild ride of Homeric proportions, with help along the way from an Irish Setter mix named Sappho, and a bevy of strong, intelligent women - Black and brown, Irish and Greek, gay and straight. And like her ancient namesake, the wife of Odysseus, she will have to depend on an abiding love and her courage, the courage of a woman warrior, to see her through the perils of her own Odyssey.
£22.49
Addison & Highsmith The Crossing
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£22.49
Histria LLC Brandy YouRe a Fine Girl
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£20.96
Histria LLC The Faraway Mountains
Book SynopsisA dark chapter in recent human historyThe first part of this novel follows the adventures of three young friends during a memorable last mountain climbing trip to a remote area of a country under the control of a ruthless authoritarian regime. During their journey, the young men have to cope with:bear encounters,venomous adders,colorful locals, storms,dangerous climbs,flooded caves, and other challenges, as the main purpose of their trip is gradually revealed.A second story, intertwined with the first one, focuses on a brilliant young pianist and his ill-fated quest for freedom. Urban life, in the dreary capital where the young men regularly reside, is the focus of the second part of the novel, when the friends begin to go their own separate ways and come to terms with their very different future prospects. The challenges of life in the capital, which include run-ins with feral dog packs and the secret police, are very different than those faced in the mountains, but not less dangerous. Ultimately, this is a book about friendship.Trade ReviewA remarkable piece of highly enjoyable reading, and, at the same time, an eye-opener for many of those unacquainted with life in Eastern Europe during communism."—Dr. Demetrio Boltovskoy, a Senior Researcher at the University of Buenos Aires."A quirky account of four young compadres, doing their best to resist a crushing communist system with resilience and cynical humor."—Dr. Martin Schlaepfer, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Geneva."The novel is a window into the functioning of a Communist state and the ways people found to survive its arcane and illogical way of life. It is a celebration of the endurance of the human spirit in the face of dictatorship; it is a gripping human story."—Professor Emeritus Stanislav J. Kirschbaum, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, author of A history of Slovakia: the struggle for survival, and professor at York University.
£21.56
Histria LLC Investigating the Kennedy Assassination: Did
Book SynopsisFor the first time in one place, the reader will see all the likely conspirators revealed.The Warren Commission and the FBI agreed that President John F. Kennedy was killed by a lone gunman, Lee Harvey Oswald. Fifteen years later, the HouseCommittee on Assassinations re-examined the evidence. They announced that he was not killed by a single gunman, but probably murdered as the result of aconspiracy.This House Committee hesitated to speculate on who might have been involved in that conspiracy or why John F. Kennedy was killed in Dallas on November 22, 1963In 1979, Michael Burke and former congressman Harold Ryan were asked to continue that investigation. This historical novel will take the reader back to that time. Burke and Ryan will peel back the passage of time and the layers of secrecy and denial to reveal the reasons so many elites were determined to stop the Kennedy agenda.
£19.96
