Contemporary Fiction Books

Book SynopsisNew York Times and USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bybee spins a dazzling tale of long-lost relatives, overnight riches, and unexpected romance in the dramatic second book of The Heirs series.Sarah McNeilly is a rare find in the tabloid industry. She won’t ignite gossip. She finds the truth. And for once, that’s what her boss wants. With her job on the line, Sarah’s latest assignment is to identify the elusive “Maximillian Smith,” unearth his connection to the billionaire Stone family, and dig up some dirt.Yesterday Max was an ordinary workingman, concerned with little more than the price of gas. Now he suddenly has a family, jaw-dropping wealth, and an avid (if clumsy) reporter on his trail. With the press threatening to destroy his new life, he needs to release his real story strategically, and Sarah is the key—not to mention an adorable yet invaluable resource for finding his mother.As Max and Sa

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Book Synopsis*Make sure you read Trent Dalton''s irresistible new novel, LOLA IN THE MIRROR, out now*Electric'The TimesThrilling'New York TimesExtraordinary' Joanna CannonTHE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLERA MAJOR NETFLIX SERIESAustralia, 1983Life is pretty tough right now for twelve-year-old Eli what with his mute brother, a convicted murderer for a babysitter, a drug-dealing stepfather, an incarcerated mother and a long-lost father surely it can't get any worse?Think again. He's about to fall in love, break into prison and cross paths with one of the most notorious criminals Brisbane has ever seen.A coming-of-age story like no other, Boy Swallows Universe is the most exhilarating novel you'll read all year.WHAT READERS LOVE ABOUT THIS BOOK:''Profound, endearing, brutal this will move you beyond belief and keep you hooked until the very last page'' ?????''Poetic and beautiful, fast-paced and thrilling One of my all-time favourite books'' ?????''Trent Dalton has captured the humour and tragedy that colours everyday life for kids just getting by. This novel is part true-crime, part hopeless romance, part magical realism and laugh-out-loud funny!'' ?????''One of the best books I''ve read in years I promise you won''t be disappointed'' ?????Trade Review‘Extraordinary … you will want this’ Joanna Cannon ‘Many coming-of-age novels set in the 1980s are little more than a roll-call of pop songs, retro snack foods and chopper bikes. Not this one. This is a proper literary novel about addiction, poverty, parenting and the power of love … Dalton has created an electric novel out of a troubled childhood … it’s a lively, funny affirmation of the human instinct for survival in a hostile environment’ The Times ‘Chock full of magic and what it really means to be a good person. The Bell brothers will stay with me for a very long time’ Rachael Brown, Guardian ‘Thrilling’ New York Times ‘Stellar … makes the typical coming-of-age novel look bland by comparison …This is an outstanding debut’ Publishers Weekly ‘Boy Swallows Universe hypnotizes you with wonder, and then hammers you with heartbreak. The events of Eli’s life are often fatal and tragic, but fate and tragedy do not overpower the story. Eli’s remarkably poetic voice and his astonishingly open heart take the day. They enable him to carve out the best of what’s possible from the worst of what is, which is the miracle that makes this novel marvellous’ Washington Post ‘Marvellous … filled with beautifully lyric prose … exceptional’ Booklist (Starred Review) ‘The best Australian novel I have read in more than a decade' Sydney Morning Herald ‘The most extraordinary writer – a rare talent' Nikki Gemmell ‘Unsuspectedly joyous… sad, warm, witty’ The Australian Do you remember what it felt like as a kid when you poured an entire package of Pop Rocks into your mouth and felt them all explode at once? That’s what it feels like to read this astonishing, captivating novel — except more violent and bloody and urgent, and maybe the Pop Rocks are live grenades? … I absolutely loved it. Bravo, Trent Dalton. Thank you for the wild, beautiful, heart-exploding ride. Elizabeth Gilbert

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Book Synopsis In the depths of space, a group of students is pitted against each other in a brutal battle for survival—a gripping sci-fi survival horror from rising star manga artist Shiro Kuroi perfect for fans of Battle Royale and Attack on Titan Monster or human . . . What sleeps deep in the darkness? The Leviathan, an enormous spaceship, drifts in spaces, abandoned in a galaxy far, far away. When looters break into the abandoned ship, they discover the diary of a middle-schooler, Kazuma, who documented the horrific fate of its passengers. Shocked, the looters read on, but as they do, they reach a chilling realization—there is still one survivor somewhere inside! Along with the looters, the reader will piece together the decades-old tale of an innocent school trip to Earth with a tragic and brutal ending, as sudden explosions destroy the hull of the Leviathan. Trapped in space without enough oxygen left to wait for rescue,

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Book SynopsisUnder the watchful eye of The Company, three characters Grayson, Morse and Chen shapeshifters, amorphous, part human, part extensions of the landscape, make their way through forces that would consume them. A blue fox, a giant fish and language stretched to the limit.A messianic blue fox who slips through warrens of time and space on a mysterious mission. A homeless woman haunted by a demon who finds the key to all things in a strange journal. A giant leviathan of a fish, centuries old, who hides a secret, remembering a past that may not be its own. Three ragtag rebels waging an endless war for the fate of the world against an all-powerful corporation. A raving madman who wanders the desert lost in the past, haunted by his own creation: an invisible monster whose name he has forgotten and whose purpose remains hidden.Jeff VanderMeer''s Dead Astronauts presents a City with no name of its own where, in the shadow of the all-powerful Company, lives human and otherwise converge in terrifTrade ReviewPraise for Dead Astronauts: ‘A genuinely innovative artwork requires time to fulfil its effect. Jeff VanderMeer’s Dead Astronauts is one such work – bewildering, perplexing, original – and I would recommend that readers allow it the concentration it demands’ Guardian ‘There's beauty as well as horror here; moments of weaponised whimsy, plus his usual clear-eyed ecological themes. This is wild science fiction, but it's also an angry book that's very much about the present day… you'll find some of the author's strongest writing and a genuinely original tale of environmental apocalypse’ SFX Magazine ‘An immersive, fantastical adventure, but also a compelling allegory for the role of individual resistance in the face of seemingly intractable planet-sized problems like climate change’ New York Times Praise for Borne: ‘Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach Trilogy was an ever-creeping map of the apocalypse; with Borne he continues his investigation into the malevolent grace of the world, and it's a thorough marvel’ Colson Whitehead ‘Jeff VanderMeer’s deeply strange and brilliant new novel extends the meditation on the central question of non-human sentience in his earlier work … No one writes a post-apocalyptic landscape like VanderMeer, so detailed and strange in all its lineaments and topography’ Neel Mukherjee, Guardian ‘From being a very successful SF writer, VanderMeer will become mainstream – and Borne is full of signs that he is already thinking ahead of that easy transition, and perhaps subverting it’ Toby Litt, New Statesman Praise for The Southern Reach Trilogy: ‘ Creepy and fascinating’ Stephen King ‘Hauntingly weird and brilliantly new … These are contemporary masterpieces and career-defining novels’ Adam Robert, Books of the Year, Guardian

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Book SynopsisThe Mezzanine is the story of one man's lunch hour. Pondering life's littlest questions - why does one shoelace always wear out before the other? Whatever happened to the paper drinking straw - our narrator interrogates the inner-workings of corporate living as he traipses his way down escalators to the first floor and through the mundaneness of office life. Mixing humour with the existentialism that surrounds all our working lives, The Mezzanine is a classic work of modern American literature.Trade ReviewHugely inventive...Baker is brilliant * Observer *A seriously funny book -- Salman RushdieThe Mezzanine's ambitions are as grand as its obsessions are small, and out of that disparity comes a refined and engaging chatter strung about great jokes. It''s also useful, full of debates about paper towels and putting on socks...Andy Warhol would have loved this book: he would have bought 2,000 copies just for a laugh. Everybody else should make do with just the one * Independent *Baker's brilliant, hyper-stylish comedy of modern manners announces the arrival of a true original. His novel is a triumph of intellectual shock - the shock of the newly seen * Sunday Times *Dazzling, energetic * TLS *

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Book SynopsisDiscover the story of the remarkable World War Two gunner girls in this entrancing and heartbreaking novel, perfect for fans of Martha Hall Kelly's The Lilac Girls and Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale.Trade ReviewSweeping, stirring, and heartrending in all the best ways, this tale of one of WWII's courageous, colorful, and enigmatic Gunner Girls will take your breath away.Kelly deftly balances intrigue with mystery and historical detail in her latest novel... A charming imagining of the historical gunner girls.Brimming with drama, plot twists and poignancy, this is a warm and fitting tribute to brave women of every generation - Lancashire Post

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Book SynopsisDON''T MISS MIKE''S BRAND NEW NOVEL, A SONG OF ME AND YOU - AVAILABLE TO ORDER NOW!''His most accomplished and moving novel yet'' Lisa Jewell''Emotionally high-voltage'' Metro***Strangers living worlds apart.Strangers with nothing in common.But it wasn''t always that way...Kerry Hayes is single mum, living on a tough south London estate. She provides for her son by cleaning houses she could never afford. Taken into care as a child, Kerry cannot forget her past.Noah Martineau is a successful barrister with a beautiful wife, daughter and home in fashionable Primrose Hill. Adopted as a young child, Noah never looks back.When Kerry contacts Noah, the sibling she lost on the day they were torn apart as children, she sets in motion a chain of events that will change both of their lives forever.By turns funny and moving, Half Trade ReviewMike Gayle has such a talent for delving into hearts, minds and contemporary issues. HALF A WORLD AWAY is supremely poignant, uplifting and heartwarming in equal measure - as well as being a real page-turner. -- Sophie Kinsella, author of Surprise MeWhat an involving, captivating, heart-rending story. Some books fade from the memory but I know I'm never going to forget these characters - they feel like my own family. -- Jill MansellHis most accomplished and moving novel yet. -- Lisa JewellAccomplished, sensitive and powerful novel...A truly beautiful story about the power of love and family, this is Mike Gayle's best book to date * Daily Express *Mike has a prodigious talent for writing completely relatable characters who draw you into their world and tug at your heart strings. HALF A WORLD AWAY is an absolute triumph and a joy to read. Once again Mike tackles complex and thorny issues with a confident and compassionate hand. -- Ruth Hogan, author of The Keeper of Lost ThingsEmotionally high-voltage novel * Metro *Mike Gayle just gets better and better and HALF A WORLD AWAY might be the loveliest yet. -- Jenny Colgan, author of The Little Shop of Happy-Ever-AfterHeartbreaking and wonderful, a beautiful book about the power of love to surmount almost anything. -- Julie CohenMike Gayle is so good at writing relatable characters going through big challenges... This is a warm-hearted book that deals with all kinds of issues - class, race, marriage - and brings a lump to the throat, too. -- Sophie Kinsella for the Daily MailGayle has a profound talent for acute observations. He makes us care, pulls at our heartstrings then hits us with humour. And he doesn't disappoint with his latest offering * Sunday Post *HALF A WORLD AWAY is heartbreaking and beautiful, full of poignant moments and characters you fall for from page one. I couldn't put it down. -- Libby Page, author of The LidoMike Gayle's writing is wise, compassionate and prone to making you cry * Sunday Express *He has a wonderful way of lifting the reader up while tugging at our heart strings at the same time. A lovely story about what family really means... -- Fionnuala KearneyHALF A WORLD AWAY is heartbreakingly lovely. Its main characters came to feel like friends of mine, and the book is full of such warmth and love. It truly captured my heart. -- Beth O'Leary, author of The FlatshareThis book is a treasure, written from the heart. -- Alice PetersonGayle writes beautifully about fractured families and the unshakable power of love, in a book that is both heart-wrenching and uplifting, and full of the deeply relatable characters for which he's so well-known. This is a triumph of a novel, true and heartfelt, and you'll be in floods when you reach the poignant final page. -- Rosie Walsh, author of The Man Who Didn't CallBrilliant characters and a beautiful story * Prima *We're huge Mike Gayle fans ... and his latest book is one of his best * Heat *Once Gayle starts to tug on the heartstrings it's to devasting effect * Herald *I defy you not to shed a tear at this beautiful story... a touching and life-affirming read. * Prima *Mike Gayle's writing is wise, compassionate and prone to making you cry. * Daily Express *Once Gayle starts to tug on the heartstrings it's to devasting effect * Herald *

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Book SynopsisRussia is struggling to defeat Ukraine on the battlefield. But can it win the war for influence?Simon Sharman is out for revenge, pursuing the assassin of his former colleague across war-torn Ukraine. Back in London, a Russian spy ring at the heart of the British Establishment remains active and a secret, yet desperate, struggle is underway to limit its attempts to sabotage the West's support for Ukraine. On the battlefields of the Donbas, Simon may have a chance to locate the assassin but larger forces are at work and he finds himself sucked into a terrifying shadow conflict between Russia and the West. Can a lone spy at war make a difference to the course of a conflict?From the rubble strewn streets of Bakhmut to the meeting rooms of Whitehall, from dirty bombs to dirty politics, A Spy at War takes the reader behind the scenes of the war in Ukraine and the war for the hearts and minds of the international community. Praise for A Spy Alone 'Five stars. One of the best books I've read in a very, very long time' James O'Brien, LBC'This is first class' The Times'Excellent' Spectator'A highly accomplished novel from a new writer of great promise' Financial Times'Everything a John le Carré fan could ever wish for' Private Eye #1615'A cracker of a debut novel which really does make clear what's been going on' Bill Nighy via The RakeA marvellously confident debut, sharply observed and exceptionally well written' Charles Cumming, author of Box 88'Beaumont is at the forefront of the espionage genre, capturing the changing nature of intelligence: soft influence and business deals are overtaking stolen secrets; long-term insinuation is replacing Cold-War tradecraft. Brilliant' I. S. Berry, author of The Peacock and the Sparrow'The best spy novel I've read for years... An astonishing debut... and a brilliant portrait of how Britain allowed Russia to game our recent politics, including with Brexit' Luke Harding, author of Invasion: Russia's Bloody War and Ukraine's Fight for Survival'A post-Brexit take on the classic British spy novel, combining a cynical ex-spy protagonist and a major role for Bellingcat-OSINT types' Shashank Joshi, Defence Editor, The Economist'Beaumont ... catches the zeitgeist of (le Carré) .... He conveys all the world of espionage with relish, in its murky motives and surveillance techniques and the book races along and makes for a stunning debut' Maxim Jakubowski, Crime Time'A clever, thrilling spy story that brings the feel of Eric Ambler's shadowy political intrigues right into today's world' Jeremy Duns, author of Free AgentTense, compelling and remarkably timely... Shades of some of the greats of spy fiction it might even be better than Charles Cumming' Dominick Donald, author of Breathe

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Book SynopsisA page-turner you'll get your money's worth out of this one' Stephen King''Riveting'' Sunday Times''Linwood Barclay is a flat-out master of the modern thriller, and I Will Ruin You is impossible to put down. You need this book in your life'' David KoeppWHEN IT''S LIFE OR DEATH, WHO CAN YOU TRUST?Teacher Richard Boyle certainly never thought he would find himself talking down a former student intent on harming others, but when a former student shows up at school with a vest packed with explosives, he springs into action. Thanks to his quick thinking, Richard averts a major tragedy but his moment in the spotlight puts him in the sights of a deranged blackmailer with a score to settleAs events rapidly spiral out of control, Richard is drawn into a tangled web of salacious accusations and deadly secrets. As he tries to uncover the truth, Richard discovers that there''s something dangerously wrong in the town. Everyone in his life seems to be hiding something, and trusting the wrong person could cost him everything he loves.International bestseller Linwood Barclay returns with a breathtaking new thriller.PRAISE FOR LINWOOD BARCLAY:Barclay deserves all the accolades that routinely flow his way, as this hypnotic outing attests' Financial TimesLinwood Barclay has crafted another perfect page-turner' The TimesPacy and tense, it's a triumph from a master thriller writer. Every page makes your heart beat that little bit faster' The SunYou'll be left speed-reading towards the end to discover answers expertly posed by the bestselling Toronto-based crime writer' The IndependentTotally absorbing brilliant stuff' Neil LancasterA superior thriller' Sunday TimesA suspense master' Stephen King

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Book SynopsisAn multi award-winning story of friendship and feuds in a remote Armenian mountain villageThe Russian bestseller about love and second chances, brimming with warmth and humour In the tiny village of Maran nestled high in the Armenian mountains, a place where dreams, curses and miracles are taken very seriously, a close-knit community bickers, gossips and laughs, untouched by the passage of time. A lifelong resident, Anatolia is happily set in her ways. Until, that is, she wakes up one day utterly convinced that she is dying. She lies down on her bed and prepares to meet her maker, but just when she thinks everything is ready, she is interrupted by a surprise visit from a neighbour with an unexpected proposal. So begins a tale of unforeseen twists and unlikely romance that will turn Maran on its head and breathe a new lease of life into a forgotten village. Narine Abgaryan''s enchanting fable is a heart-warming tale of community, courage, and the iTrade Review'I loved this! A tender and quirky tale of stoicism, resilience and love... The ultimate feel-good story of an unlikely romance and the warmth of a community, drawn with humour, empathy and an earthy, magical charm.' * Mary Chamberlain, author of The Hidden *'At the charming heart of Three Apples Fell from the Sky, pulses the certain knowledge that 'it takes a village' – a village to bleed, to weep, and, finally, to laugh and celebrate as one.' * Faith Sullivan, author of The Cape Ann and Goodnight, Mr. Wodehouse *'A charming novel... [It] teems with minor characters whose quirks are at times amusing and at times heartbreaking... A warm-hearted story about family, friendship, and community.' * Foreword Reviews *'Abgaryan's folktale [is] so improbably of the moment... [her] leisurely, painstaking prose — in Hayden’s lyrical translation — is an added gift for readers at the moment, because it prompts us to adjust to the 'measured pace of existence' that is now also our own.' * Asymptote Journal *'A poignant, bittersweet, fable-like story... The strongest message that shines through this finely translated novel is that resignation need not lead to cynicism.' * Asian Review of Books *'With finely phrased descriptions of daily activities and homes with 'chimneys that clung to the hem of the sky,' and indelible details of complex, humble characters, this magical tale transcends familiar mystical tropes with its fresh reimagining of Armenian folklore.' * Publishers Weekly *'Suffused with kindness, humour, subtlety and understated finesse.' * Eugene Vodolazkin, author of Laurus *'Read this book. It's balm for the soul.' * Ludmila Ulitskaya, author of The Big Green Tent *'Abgaryan's descriptions are beautifully written... I couldn't put this book down.' * Un Univers de Livres blog (France) *'A superb novel... I urge you to read it.' * Ma Lecturothèque (France) *'A perfect book for anyone who wants to learn more about Armenia: its customs, its beliefs, traditions and history... A heartfelt, delicate novel.' * La Couleur des Mots blog (France) *'Abgaryan’s work conveys a deep belief in the resilience of humanity without glossing over the horrors of human conflict.' * meduza.io *'A novel about ordinary life, written with extraordinary sensitivity and tenderness.' * Prestaplume (France) *'I loved this! A tender and quirky tale of stoicism, resilience and love. Set in a remote Russian village, it is the ultimate feel-good story of an unlikely romance and the warmth of a community, drawn with humour, empathy and an earthy, magical charm. Its characters spring from the page, with their flaws, trials and hardships, as their lives are resolved in a way that will bring a smile of satisfaction and contentment.' * Mary Chamberlain, author of The Hidden *'The novel’s plot consists of multiple stories of very ordinary but bold and beautiful people, with so much love and humour that you cannot fail to go away feeling positive and uplifted.' * Russia Beyond the Headlines *'A quiet song of a novel. A novel that opens and lingers... that sweeps over you like a wave on a beach.' * The Book Trail *'A magical novel. It manages to be life-affirming without descending into cheap sentimentality... Abgaryan achieves this challenging balance in part through the beauty of the novel's prose, which mimics the oral storytelling of myths and legends.' * End of the Word blogspot *'To render the richness of Maran’s culture, translator Lisa C. Hayden confidently navigates the linguistic complexities of this book... Her translation is visual and sensory... Dramatic and humorous.' -- The Common'Abgaryan's affectionate portrayal of rural rhythms and unlikely romance is an absolute joy.' -- New European, '30 Great European Books for the Beach''Charming… A celebration of community with a supernatural dimension that gives it the air of a fable, it's a compassionate, heartwarming novel.' -- Herald (Glagow)

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE BOLLINGER EVERYMAN WODEHOUSE PRIZE A wry, provocative and very funny debut novel about identity, authenticity and the self in the age of the internetI loved it' Zadie SmithBrilliant, very funny' GuardianPrepare to feel very seen' I-DOn the eve of Donald Trump's inauguration, a young woman snoops through her boyfriend's phone and makes a startling discovery: he's an anonymous Internet conspiracy theorist, and a popular one at that. Already fluent in Internet fakery, irony, and outrage, she's not exactly shocked by the revelation. But this is only the first in a series of bizarre twists that expose a world whose truths are shaped by online lies.Suddenly left with no reason to stay in New York or be anywhere in particular she flees to Berlin, and embarks on her own cycles of manipulation in the deceptive spaces of her daily life, from dating apps to expat social events, open-plan offices to bureaucratic waiting rooms.Narrated in a voice as seductive as it is subtly sTrade Review‘This novel made me want to retire from contemporary reality. I loved it’ Zadie Smith ‘Compulsively readable’ Irish Times ‘A sharply observed and wryly funny satire on the banal sociopathy of online life’ Sunday Times A furiously vivid account of living online and an exploration of the fake and real versions of ourselves we slip between.’ ESQUIRE ‘Terrific…provides much food for thought .’ Birmingham Mail ‘Thoughtful, inquiring and independent-minded’ James Mariott, The Times Fake Accounts questions who we are in real life and who we pretend to be online… Prepare to feel very seen.’i-D ‘A probing examination of identity and authenticity in the online age, and the lies we like to tell ourselves’ANOTHER ‘Social media has lurked in the background of contemporary literary fiction … but here it feels finally, fully and thoroughly explored, with style and originality. I felt sharpened by it, grateful for its provocations …’ New York Times 'A searingly funny, smart, revealing novel. Oyler's fiction is as insightful and probing as her criticism' Nicole Flattery, author of Show Them A Good Time ‘[A] unique, ferociously modern voice. This incisive, funny work brilliantly captures the claustrophobia of lives led online and personally tested in the real world’ Publishers Weekly ‘Fake Accounts percolates the big moral questions of our age – fraudulence, identity as performance, surveillance capitalism, political instability, personal freedom – through a narrative arc driven ingeniously by low-level dopamine hits. At the same time, it is very, very funny. Oyler is the kind of dangerous contemporary writer we need more of’ Niamh Campbell, author of This Happy and winner of the Sunday Times Short Story Award 2020

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Book SynopsisEscape with Jenny Colgan this Christmas . . .''Nobody does cosy, get-away-from-it-all romance like Jenny Colgan'' Sunday Express''An evocative, sweet treat'' Jojo Moyes''This sweet romance will lift your spirits'' Sunday Mirror''Gorgeous, glorious, uplifting'' Marian Keyes''Irresistible'' Jill Mansell''Just lovely'' Katie Fforde''Naturally funny, warm-hearted'' Lisa Jewell''A gobble-it-all-up-in-one-sitting kind of book'' Mike Gayle''A sheer delight from start to finish'' Sophie Kinsella___________________________________ On the tiny Scottish island of Mure, Christmas preparations are even more hectic than usual . . . Flora MacKenzie is worried about her brother. Fintan hasn''t got over the death of his partner, Colton, and Flora thinks he needs a project.The Rock - the rambling, dTrade ReviewAn enjoyable festive read, a deeply satisfying seasonal page-turner * Daily Express *A warm, festive read packed with crackling log fires and delicious food. * Woman’s Own *This charming and cosy festive story demands you switch off the TV and curl up with a mug of hot chocolate ... her novels are gloriously uplifting, she's naturally funny and this warm-hearted Christmas cracker of a book is a treat * Platinum *A real Christmas cracker * Metro *

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Book SynopsisWhen a TERF bombs Frankie's workplace, she blows up Frankie's life with it. As the media descends like vultures, Frankie tries to cope with the carnage: binge-drinking, sleeping with strangers, pushing away her friends. Then, she meets Vanya. Mysterious, beautiful, terrifying Vanya. The two hit it off immediately, but as their relationship intensifies, so too does Frankie's feeling that Vanya is hiding something from her. When Vanya's secrets threaten to tear them apart, Frankie starts digging, and unearths a sinister, depraved conspiracy, the roots of which go deeper than she ever imagined. Shocking, grotesque, and downright filthy, Brainwyrms confronts the creeping reality of political terrorism while exploring the depths of love, pain, and identity.

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Book Synopsis''I loved this novel''s brain and heart''DAVID MITCHELL, AUTHOR OF CLOUD ATLAS''A first-rate speculative thriller, by turns fascinating, brutal, powerful, and redemptive''JEFF VANDERMEER, AUTHOR OF ANNIHILATIONThere are creatures in the water of Con Dao. To the locals, they''re monsters. To the corporate owners of the island, an opportunity. To the team of three sent to study them, a revelation. Their minds are unlike ours. Their bodies are malleable, transformable, shifting. They can communicate. And they want us to leave. When pioneering marine biologist Dr. Ha Nguyen is offered the chance to travel to the remote Con Dao Archipelago to investigate a highly intelligent, dangerous octopus species, she doesn''t pause long enough to look at the fine print. DIANIMA - a transnational tech corporation best known for its grouTrade ReviewI loved this novel's brain and heart, its hidden traps, sheer propulsion, ingenious world-building and the purity of its commitment to luminous ideas. * David Mitchell, author of CLOUD ATLAS *The Mountain in the Sea is a first-rate speculative thriller, by turns fascinating, brutal, powerful, and redemptive. The book poses profound questions about artificial and nonhuman intelligence, and its answers are tantalizing and provocative. * Jeff VanderMeer, author of ANNIHILATION *Full disclosure: in all my years as a science journalist, I could never quite get my head around the so-called hard problem of consciousness. I could recite the theories, but it wasn't until I read Ray Nayler's The Mountain in the Sea that I truly understood it in my bones. This book has many layers. It has the clothes of a futuristic eco-punk or cyberpunk thriller, the guts of a philosophy seminar and the soul of a religious tract. -- Sally Adee * NEW SCIENTIST *A novel of ideas... [a] cerebral but not self-satisfied book that also features welcome episodes of comic relief and tightly choreographed action... It is successful entertainment as well as a warning.' -- Steven Poole * GUARDIAN, Book of the Day *Ray Nayler has taken on the challenge of a near future that's less certain than ever, and made it gleam - not only with computer terminals and sentry drones (we love those, sure) but also polished coral and cephalopod eyes. From these pages, I got the sense of William Gibson, and Paolo Bacigalupi - and Donna Haraway, and Octavia Butler. This is a planetary science fiction, and a profound new kind of adventure, featuring ? among so many other wonders ? the best villain I've read in years. In the end, the enormity and possibility of this novel's vision shook tears loose. What a ride; what a feeling; what a future. * Robin Sloan, author of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore *A wildly original, gorgeously written, unputdownable gem of a novel. Nayler is one of the most exciting new voices i've read in years. * Blake Crouch, author of DARK MATTER *With a thriller heart and a sci-fi head, The Mountain in the Sea delivers a spooky smart read. Artificial intelligence, nascent animal sentience, murderous flying drones: like the best of Gibson or Atwood, it brings all of the plot without forgetting the bigger questions of consciousness, ecocide, and scientific progress. Truly a one-of-a-kind story. * Kawai Strong Washburn, author of SHARKS IN THE TIME OF SAVIORS *I came to The Mountain in the Sea for the cephalopds (I love cephalopods) but I stayed for the fascinating meditation on consciousness and personhood. I loved this book. * Ann Leckie *Nayler's debut is in equal parts page-turning near-future thriller and a profound exploration of language, communication and otherness... exhilarating and kaleidoscopic. -- Jay Owens * NEW HUMANIST *The Mountain in the Sea is intelligent, ambitious and thought-provoking. . . For its thoughtful depth, its dealing with big ideas such as the manner and matter of intelligence and communication and its education about the oceans, it is very, very good. -- Mark Yon * SFF WORLD *An action thriller with profound consequences. Groundbreaking stuff. -- Doug Johnstone * THE BIG ISSUE *A high tide of ideas and emotion. A compelling vision of other minds sharing our world - a vision you will long to be true * Stephen Baxter *[A] brilliantly clever and compelling thriller. * PRESS ASSOCIATION syndicated to regional press *Readers of Peter Godfrey-Smith's Other Minds and Eduardo Kohn's How Forests Think will delight in an Anthropocene adventure that brings their ideas so vividly to life. -- Richard Lea * TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT *Both a profound meditation on the way human actions are affecting the world we live in... but also a breathless thriller and a perfect example of world building, this is a breakthrough novel which I expect to have a major impact over years to come. -- Maxim Jakubowski * CRIME TIME *This is a tour de force in showing how well fiction can explore society's challenges and problems. It also is a delight that, while asking difficult questions, the author offers some hope for humankind, and redemptive joy in the struggles involved in facing our environmental battles. -- Graeme Gourlay * DIVE MAGAZINE *A hugely accomplished debut. -- Natalie Xenos * CULTUREFLY *Nayler's masterful debut combines fascinating science and well-wrought characters to deliver a deep dive into the nature of intelligent life . . . As entertaining as it is intellectually rigorous, this taut exploration of human - and inhuman - consciousness is a knockout * Publishers Weekly, starred review *Less a science fiction adventure than a meditation on conscioussness and self-awareness, the limitations of human language, and the reasons for those limitation, the novel teaches as it engages * Kirkus Reviews *This compelling debut is impossible to put down, a delightful embroidery of the rush of scientific discovery and the pain of isolation, asking hard questions about what society is and what it means to truly understand another creature * Booklist, starred review *Exceedingly ambitious . . . [This] is a novel that is alert, intelligent, open * New York Times *

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Book Synopsis 'A whip-smart whodunnit, this will keep you guessing' Red 'A fast-paced thriller with clever twists' Bella Trade Review‘Feminist, funny and timely, it’s everything I want in a novel and then some. An absolute must read.’ Amy Beashel, author of Spilt Milk ‘Totally addictive’ Hannah Tovey, author of The Education of Ivy Edwards ‘This brilliantly clever, twisty, and addictive murder mystery touches upon some dark issues, but all delivered with Katy Brent’s superb trademark wit. Loved it!’ Charlotte Levin, author of If I Can’t Have You 'The horrors of going viral on social media twinned with a twisty murder mystery – contemporary fiction at its best, I loved it!' Jackie Kabler, author of The Perfect Couple ‘Funny, touching, horrifying and surprising almost in equal measure with a brilliantly believable heroine… loved this book’ Catherine Cooper, author of The Chalet ‘A fast-paced and satisfying read’ Charlotte Bigland, author of It’s Not Me It’s You ‘The Hangover meets Fleabag in this ribald, twisted mystery’ PJ Ellis, author of Love & Other Scams ‘Once again, Katy Brent has shown her immense talent at writing dark humour with a thought-provoking core’ Sarah Clarke, author of A Mother Never Lies ‘A flawlessly plotted murder mystery. Devilishly brilliant. I loved it!’ Sarah Bonner, author of Her Perfect Twin 'A fierce, feminist, and timely story’ Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, author of The Girls Are All So Nice Here 'A page-turner of a whodunnit. Loved it!’ Caroline Corcoran, author of Through the Wall

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Book SynopsisEnchantingintriguing [] A wonderfully surreal quality and a hip, witty tone. The Wall Street JournalHaruki Murakami's novels, essays and stories have sold millions of copies worldwide and been translated into fifty languages. Now for the first time, his best-loved stories are available in manga form, in three independent volumes. These adaptations have been hailed by Publishers Weekly as a must-read for Murakami buffs and a quirky invitation into the writer's perspective and preoccupations for newcomers, while Book Riot says Long-time fans are sure to appreciate this new approach to Murakami's work, while newcomers will find it an evocative introduction.With their trademark mix of realism and fantasy, centering around Murakami's signature themes of loss, remorse and confusion, the two stories in this volume are:Scheherazade: A man, Habara, is confined to his home, as though under house arrest. He is visited regularly by a woman, Scheherazade, who brings provisions then has sex with him. She tells him about a boy she was in love with in high school, and how she would break into his house. She starts re-enacting the break-ins, which further enhances their passion. At the end of the story, Habara anxiously awaits her next break-in and the continuing account of her youthful affair. Tortured love affairs [] are nothing new to Murakami's vast store of plotlines. The New York TimesSleep: A housewife has not slept for many days, but her family doesn't notice. She stays up all night reading Anna Karenina and sees her surroundings through new eyes. Her sleeplessness provides freedom from a monotonous life looking after her husband and son. A brilliant story that uses the liminality of the night to evoke the unease of being a woman in a patriarchal society. The GuardianThese graphic novel versions of Murakami's classic stories will be devoured by his fans and will provide a new window onto his work for readers not yet familiar with it!*This volume is shrink-wrapped and recommended for readers ages 18+ due to mature themes and graphic content.*

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Book Synopsiscontemporary romance novel in the bestselling 'next' series from BookTok sensation Hannah Bonam-Young.

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Book SynopsisTHE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLERIlja Leonard Pfeijffer's moving and addictive masterpiece of European identity, nostalgia and the end of an era.A masterpiece: grandiose style, brilliant and rich. It will defy the ages' Trouw (The Netherlands)The love of my life lives in my past. That is, despite the alliteration, a terrible sentence to write. I do not want to come to the conclusion that, as it is the case for the hotel where I am staying and the continent after which it is named, the best time is behind me and that I have little more to expect from the future than to live on my past.'A writer takes residence in the illustrious but decaying Grand Hotel Europa, to think about where things went wrong with Clio, with whom he fell in love in Genoa and moved to Venice. He reconstructs a compelling story of love in times of mass tourism, about their trips to Malta, Palmaria, Portovenere and the Cinque Terre and their thrilling search for the last painting of Caravaggio. Meanwhile, he becomes fascTrade Review‘It wants to impress, and it impresses. It is that big-bigger-biggest grip which makes the novel into an astounding masterpiece. It is also a wonderful book, which you will read with increasingly feverish eagerness. Pfeijffer captures the zeitgeist and serves it up irresistibly. He wrote the novel of the year’ NRC Handelsblad (The Netherlands) ‘A masterpiece: grandiose style, brilliant and rich. It will defy the ages’ Trouw (The Netherlands) ‘Grand Hotel Europa is not only an overwhelming reading experience, but Pfeijffer also gives you lots of food for thought. Who else in contemporary Dutch literature could do what he does, to turn up the heat on our zeitgeist in such a great way and to thumb the nose at all those timid, tiny novels full of first world problems?’ De Morgen (Belgium) ‘A pageturner. The most admirable thing about the novel is Pfeijffer’s fascination with these subjects, his involvement. […] Grand Hotel Europa is not only an reflection on our identity, but also a contribution to its continuation’ de Volkskrant (The Netherlands) ‘A lively, clever and sometimes malicious book. […] Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer conceived his Grand Hotel Europa not only as a homage to the aged, mythically charged continent, but also as a stage and forum for debate for the contradictions and upheavals of our time. […] The pleasure of reading it all for yourself, right up to the amazing end, shouldn’t be taken away from you anyway’ Süddeutsche Zeitung (Germany) ‘The new Magic Mountain is perhaps called Grand Hotel Europa’ Neue Ruhr Zeitung (Germany) ‘A powerful and intriguing novel that one doesn’t forget easily’ La Stampa (Italy) ‘A great novel, brilliantly told and absolutely worth reading’ Ruhr Nachrichten (Germany)

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Book SynopsisA teenage girl''s difficult journey towards adulthood in a time of war.A school story for grownups that is also about our inability or refusal to protect children from history SARAH MOSSOf all Szabo''s novels, Abigail deserves the widest readership. It''s an adventure story, brilliantly written TIBOR FISCHEROf all her novels, Magda Szabó''s Abigail is indeed the most widely read in her native Hungary. Now, fifty years after it was written, it appears for the first time in English, joining Katalin Street and The Door in a loose trilogy about the impact of war on those who have to live with the consequences. It is late 1943 and Hitler, exasperated by the slowness of his Hungarian ally to act on the Jewish question and alarmed by the weakness on his southern flank, is preparing to occupy the country. Foreseeing this, and concerned for his daughter''s safety, a Budapest father decides to send her to a boardTrade ReviewHer fiction shows the travails of modern Hungarian history from oblique but sharply illuminating angles . . . Szabo summons the cosy, closed world with a lyrical, quicksilver touch that makes the thuggish intrusions of despotic power all the more wrenching * Economist *In English for the first time in a superb translation . . . Szabo's characters are vivid and amusingly authentic . . . Szabo is skilful, too, at creating moments of heart-rending tension, often through exquisite, evocative prose . . . the novel has a devastating power * Spectator *This infectious coming-of-age novel from Szabó, released in 1970 and translated into English for the first time, is a rollicking delight . . . Szabó pairs the psychological insights reader will recognize from her novel The Door with action more akin to Harry Potter. Gina is one of Szabó's finest creations. * Publisher's Weekly *Len Rix's translation is empathetic and intuitive, capturing the sense of magic and adventure in the girls' school. * Calvert Journal *Of all Szabó's novels, Abigail deserves the widest readership. It's an adventure story, brilliantly written. -- Tibor Fischer * Daily Telegraph *Abigail demonstrates her enormous range . . . The pleasure of reading Szabo is partly dependent on her intricate plotting. This is especially true of Abigail . . . Szabo operates with the patience of an analyst allowing her characters to delineate the shape of their own wounds, to direct their own healing. -- Peter Kuras * Times Literary Supplement *A school story for grownups that is also about our inability or refusal to protect children from history -- Sarah Moss

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Book SynopsisBook 14 in the delightful 44 Scotland Street series, by worldwide bestselling author Alexander McCall SmithAt the bottom of a sharply descending street - in the topographical sense - in Edinburgh''s Georgian New Town, new residents have moved in to number 44 Scotland Street, joining the already well-known and much-loved denizens of that remarkable building. They appear to be a bit of a mystery, but so, too, do other things. What exactly did Sister Maria-Fiore, the aphorism-coining socialite nun, find on the No. 23 bus? Could it be the remains of a hitherto unknown Neanderthal, homo Watsoniensis? On the romantic front, long-suffering Stuart''s hopes of kindling a new relationship are dashed, thanks to chino-wearing narcissist Bruce, effortlessly exercising his powers of charm. The Promised Land beckons for Bertie who is off to Glagow for a school exchange that takes him doon the watter. Back in Edinburgh, the Duke of Johannesburg''s desire to learn a newTrade ReviewWith its vividly surreal cast of outlandish characters - including 'aphorism coining socialite nun' Sister Maria, and 'chino-wearing narcissist'' Bruce - and McCall Smith's wonderfully wry delivery, A Promise of Ankles will not disappoint * Scottish Field *Perfect escapism for difficult times. The novel is often laugh-out-loud funny as McCall Smith makes witty asides. Just as often he is profound enough to stop you in your tracks and make you think about subjects such as the essence of love, justice, morality, poetry or moderation... Escapism maybe, but with a heart * Sunday Times, South Africa *The spell this volume casts is as strong as ever, I am already longing for volume 15... There is a ribbon of humour running throughout and the characters are varied, memorable and very well drawn but I think it is Alexander McCall Smith's voice, so full of warmth and kindness and love of Edinburgh and its people which gives these stories their unique flavour -- Patricia Cleveland-Peck * Cultural Voyager *

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Book SynopsisNOW A MAJOR DISNEY+ TV SERIES 1939. Three generations of the Kurc family strive to live normal lives despite the growing hardships they face as Jews. But as the realities of war rush to meet them, they are cast to the wind and must do everything they can to find their way through a devastated continent to freedom.Based on an incredible true story that ranges from pre-war Parisian jazz clubs to the desolation of the Siberian gulag, and follows the Kurc family as refugees, prisoners and fighters, We Were the Lucky Ones is a testament to the notion that even in the darkest of times, the human spirit can find a way to survive, and even triumph.Trade Review"Love in the face of global adversity? It couldn't be more timely." Glamour (US)"Hunter side-steps hollow sentimentality and nihilism, revealing instead the beautiful complexity and ambiguity of life in this extraordinarily moving tale." Publishers Weekly; "Reading Georgia Hunter's We Were the Lucky Ones is like being swung heart first into history. Her engrossing and deeply affecting account of how the Kurc family survives the Holocaust, against every possible odd, will leave you breathless. But the true wonder of the book is how convincingly Hunter inhabits these characters, each modeled after her own family members. This is their story Hunter is telling so beautifully and profoundly, and ours as well. A brave and mesmerizing debut, and a truly tremendous accomplishment." Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife and Circling the Sun;"Georgia Hunter's We Were the Lucky Ones is a skillfully woven reimagining of her own family's struggle for survival during World War II. Hunter takes us from the Polish ghetto to Siberia to Brazil, all with spectacular historical detail. This emotionally resonant, gripping portrait of the war is filled with beautifully drawn and wonderfully heroic characters I won't soon forget." Jillian Cantor, author of Margor and The Hours Count; "In her debut novel, We Were the Lucky Ones, Georgia Hunter has crafted her own family history into a sprawling, yet still intimate portrait of those swept up in the devastation of war and scattered to the winds. It is an astonishing saga of hope, of luck, of destruction, and most remarkably of love, made all the more astonishing because of the true story at its core." David Gillham, New York Times bestselling author of City of Women; "Everyone interested in the history of the Holocaust will surely want to read this compelling and moving story, based on actual events, of how three generations of a (or 'the author's') Polish Jewish family found their different escape routes from a war-torn continent, to freedom and eventual reunion." Lyn Smith, author of The Forgotten Voices of the Holocaust;"It's a remarkable book" Choice "We Were the Lucky ones is a striking re-creation of the breathtaking courage of an ordinary family inspired by their deep love for one another." Anne Garvey, The Jewish Chronicle (UK); "The book does not merely serve as a series of anecdotes, but rather there is a strong narrative flow. ... the characters are well written and their experiences, while harrowing, are never included just for effect. ... At times devastating to read, We Were the Lucky Ones serves as a testament to the strength of the human spirit and ingenuity. It, and accounts like it, should form the basis of what we understand about the Holocaust - it's all very well reading dry, academic texts about what happened, but the lived experience of that dreadful time is so much more compelling." It Takes A Woman blog; "Hunter manages to create authentic personalities with distinct voices, all of whom have fascinating stories to tell. ... An incredible story of resilience, of hope, of survival. ...The book is expansive in scope, the language is vivid, and the storyline compelling." Hilary Daninhirsch, The Jewish Chronicle

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Book SynopsisDon’t miss this chilling gothic thriller from the bestselling author . . . Trade Review‘Right from the start, I was hooked on this eerie, cryptic novel’ Samantha Downing ‘This book is SO good! … Multiple narrators and time frames, family dynamics, siblings, witches; eerie but not scary. I mean, what is there not to love? This is C.J. Cooke’s best yet! A fascinating and enthralling read’ Nina Pottell, Prima 'A gripping modern gothic thriller that is also a haunting depiction of witch trials, it is a wonderfully atmospheric and compelling novel’ Rosamund Lupton ‘This ghost story is a perfect mix of propulsive plot and shivers-up-the-spine spookiness’ Good Housekeeping ‘An intricate story about women and witch trials but with a delightful timeslip element that really works. It’s a compelling story and very satisfying how the threads are woven together’ Kate Sawyer ‘With characters that feel like they live and breathe, an atmospheric setting and a plot that kept me guessing, all delivered in luminous prose, this is a flawless read. Underpinned by a story of the Scottish witch hunts, the themes remain starkly relevant today’ Elizabeth Lee ‘Seething with gothic menace … interweaves myth, superstition and history in a way which feels strikingly relevant and gripping’ Caroline Lea ‘Wonderful writing with a beautifully haunting tone. Gothic at its best’ Rhiannon Ward ‘Beautifully crafted’ Constance Sayers ‘Cooke manages to set a compelling timeshift mystery in a very real world, where believable people navigate authentic problems … surprising and inventive’ Sarah Burton ‘Like a lighthouse roving atmospheric waters, its secrets are revealed glimpse by tantalising glimpse’ Cari Thomas ‘A gripping meditation on terror and superstition’ Sara Sheridan ‘A complex and haunting story, beautifully told … Tense, unsettling and ultimately incredibly moving’ Amanda Mason ‘Utterly enthralling, original and atmospheric’ N.J. Simmonds ‘An atmospheric beauty of a book, with a feminist voice that rang clear from every page’ Anna Day

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Book SynopsisFROM THE #1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE GHOST SHIP 1942, Nazi-occupied France. Sandrine, a spirited and courageous nineteen-year-old, finds herself drawn into a Resistance network in Carcassonne - codenamed ''Citadel'' - a group of ordinary women who are prepared to risk everything for what is right. When she meets Raoul, they discover a shared passion for the cause, for their homeland, and for each other. But in a world where the enemy now lies in every shadow - where neighbour informs on neighbour; where friends disappear without warning and often without trace - love can demand the highest price of all . . . ''A thrilling adventure and a truly epic love story'' The Times''A deeply satisfying literary adventure, brimming with romance, treachery and cliff-hangers'' ObserverBOOK THREE OF THE LANGUEDOC TRILOGY. Now fully revised and updatedTrade ReviewA lovely, fat, comfy wodge of a book, packed with suspense and romance ... A thrilling adventure and a truly epic love story -- Kate Saunders * THE TIMES *A breathtaking tale of daring and sacrifice that makes a triumphant finale to Mosse's Languedoc trilogy -- Fanny Blake * WOMAN & HOME *The much-anticipated third part of Kate Mosse's Languedoc trilogy is finally here ... This action-packed epic contains everything we've come to expect - mystery, adventure and long-buried secrets just waiting to be uncovered -- Book of the Month * GOOD HOUSEKEEPING *A deeply satisfying literary adventure, brimming with all the romance, treachery and cliffhangers you would expect from the genre. It is also steeped in a passion for the region, its history and legends, and that magical shadow world where the two meet * OBSERVER *Nobody beats Mosse for local texture and atmosphere. As the call to the resistance sounds over the land, she orchestrates a shattering climax * SUNDAY TIMES *Mosse has a masterly feel for time and place . . . A remarkable achievement * Daily Express *Expect an energetic mystery about Nazi-occupied France * EASY LIVING *A suitably thumping and satisfying conclusion to Mosse's world-conquering Languedoc trilogy * READER'S DIGEST *Mosse's writing is so evocative you can almost feel the Midi sun on her characters necks, as well as the frantic beating of their hearts * MAIL ON SUNDAY *It's a proper adventure story, engrossing and packed with suspense at every turn of the page * METRO *As with it's predecessors, the deeper theme of Citadel is the fight against the evil of intolerance. Mosse's descriptions of the majestic stone ruins of Carcassonne and the idyllic landscape around it shimmer with authenticity * INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY *Citadel, the concluding volume of Mosse's French Trilogy, is also her best ... Fans can expect a passionate finale to a series rooted in a region where history and legend lock horns * INDEPENDENT *The sense of setting and period seeps from every page ... we live through plucky Sandrine's life and loves in the French Resistance, all the way to the powerful and utterly shattering end. * STAR magazine *As with the first two books a touch of the gothic and a dash of the occult run through the writing, but the balance between the distant and recent past is here at its best -- Elizabeth Buchan * SUNDAY TIMES *Infused with local atmosphere and featuring a wealth of fascinating historical information, the novel combines a thrilling adventure with an epic love story * FRANCE MAGAZINE *The thrilling conclusion to her Languedoc trilogy . . . a mix of Girls Own adventure and wrenching war history * Sunday Times *Full of action, romance and supernatural mystery, it cracks along at a great pace, making it an engaging and easy read * Emerald Street *a deeply satisfying literary adventure, brimming with all the romance, treachery and cliffhangers you would expect from the genre. It is also steeped in a passion for the region, its history and legends, and that magical shadow world where the two meet * THE OBSERVER *Nobody beats Mosse for local texture and atmosphere. As the call to the resistance sounds over the land, she orchestrates a shattering climax * SUNDAY TIMES *A remarkable achievement * DAILY EXPRESS *Expect an energetic mystery about Nazi-occupied France * EASY LIVING *A suitably thumping and satisfying conclusion to Mosse's world-conquering Languedoc trilogy * READER'S DIGEST *Mosse's writing is so evocative you can almost feel the Midi sun on her characters necks, as well as the frantic beating of their hearts * MAIL ON SUNDAY *With her Languedoc trilogy Kate Mosse has firmly established herself as the go-to girl for blockbuster time-slip romantic adventure ... Citadel, the final book of the three, follows Labyrinth and Sepulchre and is epic in scope ... It's a proper adventure story, engrossing and packed with suspense at every turn of the page. * METRO *As with it's predecessors, the deeper theme of Citadel is the fight against the evil of intolerance. Mosse's descriptions of the majestic stone ruins of Carcassonne and the idyllic landscape around it shimmer with authenticity * INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY *Citadel, the concluding volume of Mosse's French Trilogy, is also her best ... Fans can expect a passionate finale to a series rooted in a region where history and legend lock horns * INDEPENDENT *The sense of setting and period seeps from every page ... we live through plucky Sandrine's life and loves in the French Resistance, all the way to the powerful and utterly shattering end. * STAR magazine *As with the first two books a touch of the gothic and a dash of the occult run through the writing, but the balance between the distant and recent past is here at its best ... nobody beats Mosse for local texture and atmospherics. -- Elizabeth Buchan * SUNDAY TIMES *

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Book Synopsis***The latest must-read thriller from the master of domestic suspense***   Natalie has moved to New York City to get away from a family she no longer feels a part of and an ex-boyfriend whose love for her has grown into obsession. Struggling to study, work and pay her bills, she finds that life in the city isn’t all that she’d hoped. And when she discovers that her ex may have followed her to New York, it feels like everything is falling apart.   When she meets Gabe, all of her problems seem to fall away. Although more than thirty years her senior, he’s handsome and rich and can keep her safe. She can’t help but fall madly in love.   But Gabe already has a family, whom he must put before anything else, and his relationship with Natalie soon devolves into a nightmare. Because she isn’t content with being number two in Gabe’s life – and she has no intention of giving him up . . .

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Book SynopsisAt 6'6", 240 pounds, Forrest Gump is a difficult man to ignore, so follow Forrest from the football dynasties of Bear Bryant to the Vietnam War, from encounters with Presidents Johnson and Nixon to powwows with Chairman Mao.Trade ReviewForrest Gump is line bred out of Voltaire and Huck Finn; its humour is wild and coarse, a satire right on the money. It is not the less honest for being so funny, for bringing the woebegone archangels of our culture and history to judgement. Anyone who doesn't read this book deserves to spend the winter in North Dakota -- Jim HarrisonA superbly controlled satire * The Washington Post *Rollicking, bawdy... A good time... Poking fun at everything * People *Winston Groom has created the ideal citizen for the modern world - a perfect idiot -- P.J. O'RourkeJoyously madcap * Publishers Weekly *

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Book SynopsisA FINANCIAL TIMES BOOK OF THE YEARThe dark, dangerous, funny and uplifting new novel from the author of Annihilation, the inspiration for the major motion picture directed by Alex Garland.Neither of us had control of our monsters anymore'In a ruined city of the future, Rachel scavenges a strange creature from the fur of a despotic bear.She names him Borne.He reminds her of her homeland lost to rising seas, but her lover Wick is intent on rendering him down as raw material for the special drugs he sells. Nothing is quite what it seems, and if Wick is hiding secrets, so too is Rachel and Borne most of all.Trade Review‘Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach Trilogy was an ever-creeping map of the apocalypse; with Borne he continues his investigation into the malevolent grace of the world, and it's a thorough marvel’ Colson Whitehead ‘Jeff VanderMeer’s deeply strange and brilliant new novel extends the meditation on the central question of non-human sentience in his earlier work … No one writes a post-apocalyptic landscape like VanderMeer, so detailed and strange in all its lineaments and topography’ Neel Mukherjee, Guardian ‘From being a very successful SF writer, VanderMeer will become mainstream – and Borne is full of signs that he is already thinking ahead of that easy transition, and perhaps subverting it’ Toby Litt, New Statesman ‘No one writes a post-apocalyptic landscape like VanderMeer, so detailed and strange in all its lineaments and topography, at once a wasteland and yet seething with the weirdest kind of flora, fauna and biotech’ Neel Mukherjee, Observer ‘As Borne grows and evolves, so develops a weird family dynamic in a novel that is as much of a fascinating hybrid as its title character, both an enthralling fantasy adventure and a bleak eco-dystopic admonition’ James Lovegrove, Financial Times ‘Borne is a fantastic read, a vivid vision of an apocalyptic future that defies expectations and challenges any preconceptions as to how events are going to unfold. It can be disturbing at times – there are some chilling moments that wouldn’t be out of place in a horror novel – but it’s a book that ultimately transcends genre, offering its reader a range of emotions and a finale that provides more than one twist, all of which should be applauded. Rachel’s story is one that will stay in the memory for a long time; VanderMeer shares her hopes and dreams with us, as well as her failures and concerns, making Borne an intimate portrayal that appeals on a multitude of levels’ Starburst

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Book SynopsisThe global phenomenon and bestselling inspiration behind the Netflix film of the same name – the 365 Days series – continues as it follows the sizzling story of Laura and Massimo. As the wife of Don Massimo Torricelli, one of the most dangerous Mafia bosses in Sicily, Laura’s life is a roller coaster. She is often at risk, the potential target of Massimo’s unscrupulous enemies who will stop at nothing to destroy the powerful man. And when Laura is seriously injured in an attack, pregnant and fighting to survive, Massimo faces the toughest decision of his life. What will his life be without Laura? Will he be able to raise their child alone? What will the fate of his family be, and whose 365 days may come to a close?  

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Book SynopsisFrom the winner of the Oscar for the Best Screenplay for The Imitation Game in 2015 comes a superb historical legal thriller based on the famous 'War of the Currents' fought between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse.*Soon to be a major film starring Eddie Redmayne*The man who controls electricity will control the very sun in the sky... It is 1888 and, with gas lamps still flickering in the streets of New York, a young lawyer takes a case that seems impossible to win. Paul Cravath's client is George Westinghuose, who is being sued by his wily rival, Thomas Edison, for $1 billion as they compete to power the city by electricity. In his obsessive pursuit of victory, Paul takes ever greater risks to win at all costs. But soon he will find that everyone in his path is playing their own game.‘A web of deception and industrial espionage’ Sunday Times 'This is Trade Review‘A web of deception and industrial espionage’ * The Sunday Times on The Last Days of Night *‘Reads like a modern thriller’ * Saga on The Last Days of Night *‘A must-read’ * Daily Express on The Last Days of Night *'This is John Grisham meets Edith Wharton, as all the great and good of 19th-century New York slug it out in court' * The Times on The Last Days of Night *‘One theme, of course, is the exhilaration that arises from connecting science to invention. I found that theme played out, in a manner that was resonant for our own times, in Graham Moore’s historical novel The Last Days of Night' -- Walter Isaacson, author of 'Steve Jobs' and 'Einstein'

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Book SynopsisThe War of the End of the World is one of the great modern historical novels. Inspired by a real episode in Brazilian history, Mario Vargas Llosa tells the story of an apocalyptic movement, led by a mysterious prophet, in which prostitutes, beggars and bandits establish Canudos, a new republic, a libertarian paradise.

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Book SynopsisThere''s a 5* Christmas mystery unfolding at The Regency Grand HotelFull of charm and feel-good festive cheer, The Mistletoe Mystery short story is the perfect stocking-filler this Christmas!____It's the Christmas countdown at the Regency Grand Hotel, and Molly the maid is polishing up her holiday list.*Deck halls*Dust off decorations*Buy Secret Santa gift*Solve mystery?A festive plot throws Molly off-kilter. Why does her beau, Juan Manuel, keep disappearing? And why are the hotel corridors filled with whispers?Someone is keeping a secret. And, as Molly discovers, the answers to the mystery lie in a most unexpected gift*Escape into the world of Molly the Maid in this delightful Christmas short story!*____Over a million readers have been swept away by Molly the Maid:''Captivating, emotional, powerful and wise. I absolutely loved it and think Nita is my new favourite author'' READER REVIEW ?????''A book full of such charm!'' READER REVIEW ?????I didn't think I could love a character any more than I loved Eleanor Oliphant but along comes Molly the Maid. God, I love her' READER REVIEW ?????''Wow! I loved everything about this book'' READER REVIEW ?????Lots of twists and turns and highly gripping' READER REVIEW ?????The Maid was a Sunday Times bestseller for w/c 08/05/2023

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Book SynopsisWhen a body is discovered at a popular Highland landmark, it seems like just another day on the job for DCI Jack Logan and his team.Except this body is missing a very vital component, and given its location - The Well of Seven Heads - it seems like someone is trying to send a message. But why? And to whom?With pressure mounting from his superiors, six hundred teenagers baying for blood, and the press sniffing around for a scandal, the only chance Jack has of cracking his latest case is if he finds a way to keep the heid, while all around are losing theirs.Ahead of the Game is the tenth book from bestselling Scottish crime author, JD Kirk, and is perfect for fans of Ian Rankin, Stuart Macbride, and Val McDermid.

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Book SynopsisThe disturbing post-apocalyptic novel The Chrysalids by John Wyndham, author of The Day of the Triffids and The Kraken Wakes and dramatised on BBC Radio 4.David Strorm''s father doesn''t approve of Angus Morton''s unusually large horses, calling them blasphemies against nature. Little does he realise that his own son, and his son''s cousin Rosalind and their friends, have their own secret abberation which would label them as mutants. But as David and Rosalind grow older it becomes more difficult to conceal their differences from the village elders. Soon they face a choice: wait for eventual discovery, or flee to the terrifying and mutable Badlands. . . The Chrysalids is a post-nuclear apocalypse story of genetic mutation in a devastated world and explores the lengths the intolerant will go to keep themselves pure.''Perfect timing, astringent humour. . . one of the few authors whose compulsive readability is a compliment to the intTrade ReviewPerfect timing, astringent humour . . . One of the few authors whose compulsive readability is a compliment to the intelligence * Spectator *Remains fresh and disturbing in an entirely unexpected way * Guardian *Remains fresh and disturbing in an entirely unexpected way * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisJohn Gwynne studied and lectured at Brighton University. He's been in a rock 'n' roll band, playing the double bass, travelled the USA and lived in Canada for a time. He is married with four children and lives in Eastbourne, running a small family business rejuvenating vintage furniture. His first novel, Malice, won the David Gemmell Morningstar award for best debut fantasy. Valour is his second novel.Trade ReviewThe prose is sharp, the pace works wonderfully well and when added to a whole cast of complex character that bring not only the world in which they inhabit to life but bring their own thoughts and desires to the reader with space to spare. All round, this series is building into one of favourites of the last few years and to have an author who can produce a second book of high quality in good time and schedule shows that this author has a bright future. Great stuff. * Falcata Times *Valour is hands down, the best fantasy I have read in an age. I thought Providence of Fire might have claimed it, but Valour came swooping in and stole the title . . . may be becoming one of my all time favourite fantasy series . . . I’d probably class it with early Eddings, Gemmell and Goodkind, but with more maturity, stronger characters.. And more Omph! (technical term) * Bookfrivolity *Valour manages to surpass what was already a very strong debut, somehow managing to be even better than Malice . . . John Gwynne is a writer good enough to create characters you can love, and confident enough to kill them off when the time is right . . . A great read. Real characters in a well crafted world you can really immerse yourself in to. * Dominish Reviews *The ‘Chosen-One’ offspring of George R R Martin and J K Rowling, raised on the bedtime stories of Tolkien and whipped into fighting shape by David Gemmell . . . but still 100% Gwynne . . . John Gwynne wades in with a depth of world building that’d see most newbie authors flounder. * Written With a Sword Reviews *I really enjoyed the parts of the story that were set in the Celtic-influenced areas. The settings are beautiful and vivid, and the forests and mountains and castles distinctly brought to my mind the time I’ve spent in Wales and Scotland. * Half Strung Harp Reviews *A real gem . . . the traditional good versus evil tale in with very nontraditional twists. * Power and Page Reviews *

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Book SynopsisThe vibrant Old Norse poems in this collection, which may have been brought together as early as the thirteenth century, authentically capture the ancient oral traditions of the Norsemen. In addition, their images of a mythical world profoundly influenced latter-day storytellers as Richard Wagner and J. R. R. Tolkien.Known as the Lays of the Gods, these mythological poems include the Voluspo, one of the broadest conceptions of the world''s creation and ultimate destruction ever crystallized in literary form; the Hovamol, a compilation of sagacious counsels reminiscent of the biblical book of Proverbs; the Lokasenna, a comedy bursting with vivid characterizations; and the Thrymskvitha, a ballad of enduring loveliness.The Poetic Edda is not only of the highest interest to students of antiquity; in the exceptionally detailed and complete translations included here, it offers lovers of poetry and myth some of the most remarkable surviving specimens from a distant age of poet-singers and oral traditions.

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Book SynopsisWith the festive season almost upon him, Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson is winding down at work and gearing up socially - kicking off Christmas with a week of sex and drugs in Amsterdam. There are irritating flies in the ointment, though, including a missing wife, a nagging cocaine habit, a dramatic deterioration in his genital health, a string of increasingly demanding extra-marital affairs. The last thing he needs is a messy murder to solve. Still it will mean plenty of overtime, a chance to stitch up some colleagues and finally clinch the promotion he craves. But as Bruce spirals through the lower reaches of degradation and evil, he encounters opposition - in the form of truth and ethical conscience - from the most unexpected quarter of all: his anus. In Bruce Robertson, Welsh has created one of the most corrupt, misanthropic characters in contemporary fiction , and has written a dark, disturbing and very funny novel about sleaze, power, and the abuse of everything. At last, a nTrade ReviewWelsh firing on all cylinders... The best thing he has done since Trainspotting * Sunday Times *It is surely a remarkable cultural moment when a reviewer is offered cash in a bar for an advance copy of a literary novel... Filth is a masterpiece...squarely in the classic line of classic scottish writing * Independent *Things are going well for Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson. Promotion is in the offing, he's got all the booze and drugs he needs, and his various plots aimed at friends and colleagues seem to be working out. Robertson, compulsive and repulsive by turns, has only two problems. One is a case of racially-motivated murder on his patch. The other is that there's a nasty tapeworm in his gut and it seems intent on having its say... A brutally sustained achievement * Evening Standard *We're used to tough cops with non-PC attitudes, but Welsh trumps the lot with his evil-scheming, ball-scratching, foul-mouthed hero-with-haemorrhoids... Welsh's jet-black comedy at once entertains and appals... Gloriously grotesque * Esquire *A snarling epic of a book...ugly, devastatingly funny, unremittingly nasty and pulls no punches... Don't dare miss it * Scotsman *

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Book SynopsisCommunity service clean-up was supposed to be a tedious affair. But, when a young offender stumbles upon a bin bag filled with human remains, a quiet Highland village is thrown into chaos.The investigation leads DCI Jack Logan to a remote and nightmarish cottage, where a forgotten freezer holds a disturbing discovery: a full set of human fingers.As more body parts are uncovered, Logan and his team hunt for a killer with a gruesome obsession for collecting trophies.Across the vast Highlands, where secrets run as deep as the lochs, the team must piece together a jigsaw puzzle of horror that's as fragmented as the remains they''ve found.But how do you solve a jigsaw when you can't see the picture on the box?Where the Pieces Lie is the 19th explosive novel from number one bestselling Scottish crime author, JD Kirk, perfect for fans of Ian Rankin, Chris Brookmyre, and Val McDermid.

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Book SynopsisTRANSLATED BY MAX HAYWARD AND MANYA HARARIBanned in the Soviet Union until 1988, Doctor Zhivago is the epic story of the life and loves of a poet-physician during the turmoil of the Russian Revolution. Taking his family from Moscow to shelter in the Ural Mountains, Yuri Zhivago finds himself embroiled in a battle between the Whites and the Reds, and in love with the beautiful nurse Lara.Trade ReviewThe first work of genius to come out of Russia since the Revolution -- V.S. PritchettOne of the great events in man's literary and moral history -- Edmund WilsonBelongs to that small group of novels by which all others are ultimately judged -- Frank Kermode * Spectator *Not since Shakespeare has love been so fully, vividly, scrupulously and directly communicated -- Isaiah Berlin * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE BETTY TRASK AWARDWINNER OF THE SOMERSET MAUGHAM AWARDLONGLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZEOn a street in a town in the North of England, ordinary people are going through the motions of their everyday existence street cricket, barbecues, painting windows A young man is in love with a neighbour who does not even know his name. An old couple make their way up to the nearby bus stop. But then a terrible event shatters the quiet of the early summer evening. That this remarkable and horrific event is only poignant to those who saw it, not even meriting a mention on the local news, means that those who witness it will be altered for ever.Jon McGregor''s first novel brilliantly evokes the histories and lives of the people in the street to build up an unforgettable human panorama. Breathtakingly original, humane and moving, If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things is an astonishing debut.Trade Review‘My book of the year. A magical, spellbinding, profound novel’ Maggie O’Farrell, Daily Telegraph ‘A sensationally accomplished debut … a convincing and moving vision of contemporary Britain’ Sunday Times ‘This is a novel of wonders’ Observer ‘This novel owes as much to poetry as it does to prose in its hypnotic portrait of industrialised society … An assured debut’ The Times ‘This is an ordinary world, shabby and melancholy, but McGregor describes it with mesmeric power … you won’t read anything much more poignant than this’ Daily Telegraph ‘This is ecstatic writing, suffused with delight both at the things evoked and at the language that can recreate them … McGregor’s conviction will carry them a long way’ TLS ‘A dream of a novel … It is not every novelist who has the gift, as Jon McGregor does, of reminding his readers of that heaven in a wild flower, that infinity in a grain of sand’ The Times ‘McGregor's publishers must be openly rejoicing …If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things is the work of a burning new talent’ Daily Mail ‘McGregor is an exemplary archivist of the humdrum … written by someone who detects so passionately the remarkable in the everyday’ Spectator ‘Extraordinary … McGregor’s triumphant prose-poem of ordinariness has a very contemporary kind of spirituality about it’ Sunday Times ‘Wonderful … Full of gentle wonder and blinding insight … He has annotated the miracle of life’ Glasgow Herald

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Book SynopsisThe historic hotel in Boonsboro has endured war and peace, changing hands, even rumored hauntings. Now it''s getting a major facelift from the Montgomery brothers and their eccentric mother. Beckett is the architect of the family, and his social life consists mostly of talking shop over pizza and beer. But there''s another project he''s got his eye on: the girl he''s been waiting to kiss since he was fifteen.After losing her husband and returning to her hometown, Clare Brewster soon settles into her life as the mother of three young sons while running the town''s bookstore. Busy, with little time for romance, Clare is drawn across the street by Beckett''s transformation of the old inn, wanting to take a closer look . . . at the building and the man behind it.With the grand opening inching closer, Beckett''s happy to give Clare a private tour - one room at a time. It''s no first date, but these stolen moments are the beginning of something new - and open the door to the extra

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Book Synopsis FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP FIVE, MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR - be swept away by the Deverill Chronicles. It is 1939 and peace has flourished since the Great War ended. But much has changed for the Deverill family and now a new generation is waiting in the wings.Martha Wallace came to Dublin from her home in America to find her birth mother. But instead she has lost her heart to the impossibly charming JP Deverill. Then she discovers that her mother comes from the same place as JP, and her fate seems sealed.Bridie Doyle, now Countess di Marcantonio and mistress of Castle Deverill, is determined to make the castle she used to work in her home. But her flamboyant husband Cesare has other ideas. And as his eye strays away from his wife, those close to the couple start to wonder if he really is who he says he is.Kitty Deverill has come to terms with her life with her husband Robert, and

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Book SynopsisThe Italian detective Commissario Brunetti takes on another intriguing, but personal case in Donna Leon's Acqua Alta, an atmospheric murder mystery filled with the sights and sounds of Venice.Commissario Guido Brunetti of the Venice Questura is shocked to hear that his friend and art historian, Brett Lynch, has suffered a savage beating.The attack, in the beautiful palazzo home of Flavia Petrelli, reigning diva of La Scala, had come with a message: 'Don't keep that appointment with Dottor Semenzato.'Then, with the storm clouds gathering fast over the city, a man's body is found . . .The fifth novel in the Commissario Brunetti Venetian crime series, which also includes The Anonymous Venetian and So Shall You Reap.'A splendid series . . . with a backdrop of the city so vivid you can almost smell it' – Sunday TelegraphTrade ReviewA splendid series . . . with a backdrop of the city so vivid you can almost smell it * Sunday Telegraph *Music and art mingle delightfully with murder and mayhem in the course of this very engaging story. * Pittsburgh Post-Gazette *

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Book SynopsisKurt Vonnegut was born in Indianapolis in 1922 and studied biochemistry at Cornell University. An army intelligence scout during the Second World War, he was captured by the Germans and witnessed the destruction of Dresden by Allied bombers, an experience which inspired his classic novel Slaughterhouse-Five. After the war he worked as a police reporter, an advertising copywriter and a public relations man for General Electric. His first novel Player Piano (1952) achieved underground success. Cat's Cradle (1963) was hailed by Graham Greene as 'one of the best novels of the year by one of the ablest living authors'. His eighth book, Slaughterhouse-Five was published in 1969 and was a literary and commercial success, and was made into a film in 1972. Vonnegut is the author of thirteen other novels, three collections of stories and five non-fiction books. Kurt Vonnegut died in 2007.Trade ReviewThe non-stop invention, the jokes and clowning are in the familiar Vonnegut tradition * Daily Telegraph *Wittily and engagingly written * Guardian *A brilliant wacky ideas-monger * Observer *A cool writer, at once throwaway and passionate and very funny * Financial Times *One of the master alchemists of modern American fiction * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisChina Miéville lives and works in London. He is three-time winner of the prestigious Arthur C. Clarke Award (Perdido Street Station, Iron Council and The City & The City) and has also won the British Fantasy Award twice (Perdido Street Station and The Scar). The City & The City, an existential thriller, was published to dazzling critical acclaim and drew comparison with the works of Kafka and Orwell (The Times) and Philip K. Dick (Guardian).

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Book SynopsisIain Pears was born in 1955. He is the author of seven detective novels, a book of art history and countless articles on artistic, financial and historical subjects, and five novels, An Instance of the Fingerpost, The Dream of Scipio, The Portrait, Stone's Fall and Arcadia.Trade ReviewOne of the very best historical novels ever written -- Tom HollandThe kind of book that has you reading it by torchlight under the bedclothes. An historical detective story set to rival The Name of the Rose, it provides the rare pleasure of combining an intricate plot with insight into the political intrigues of Restoration England * The Times *Pear's novel interweaves the grand narratives and the personal tragedies of history with a slippery thriller of audacious ingenuity * Independent on Sunday *A deeply scholarly thriller, but with the learning worn lightly and all the elements of the plot clicking together smoothly * Independent *The best fiction I have read in a long time * Times Literary Supplement, *Books of the Year* *Anyone who reads this will want to tell their friends about it... This is a novel that combines the simple pleasures of Agatha Christie with the intellectual subtlety of Umberto Eco, don't let it pass by unread * Sunday Times *A fictional tour de force which combines erudition with mysteryBrilliantly researched and imagined...a remarkable achievement * Sunday Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisAmos Decker, David Baldacci's unique special agent, who suffered a head injury that resulted in giving him the gift of a remarkable memory, takes on another case in The Fix.Walter Dabney is a family man. A loving husband and the father of four grown daughters, he’s built a life many would be proud of.But then the unthinkable happens.Standing outside the FBI Headquarters in Washington, DC, Dabney shoots school teacher Anne Berkshire in cold blood before turning the gun on himself.One of the many witnesses is Amos Decker; a man who forgets nothing and sees what most miss. Baffled by what appears to be a seemingly senseless and random killing, Decker is thrust into the investigation to determine what drove this family man to pull the trigger.As part of an FBI special task force, Decker and the team delve into the lives of Dabney and Berkshire to find a connection that doesn’t seem to exist. What they do find are secrTrade ReviewThe page-turner of the season -- The Times on The Last MileAlready among the world's bestselling writers, Baldacci hardly needs to prove himself but he's created one of the most intriguing, complex anti-heroes . . . Impossible to put down, especially because of Decker, who weaves a powerful spell -- Daily Mail on The Last MileBaldacci inhabits the skin of his creations - tripping us up with unexpected empathy and subtle identification -- Sunday Express on The Last MileA clever thriller in the Jeffrey Deaver mould * The Sun on The Last Mile *

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