Crime & Thriller

A chilling and atmospheric thriller set in a crumbling Victorian asylum, perfect for fans of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, The Silent Companions and The Strangers Diaries.

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Philip Mercer, a preeminent geologist with a taste for international intrigue and danger, rides an elevator two thousand feet into the earth at the Leister Deep Mine in Minnesota. Mercer is there to visit his old friend and mentor, Abraham Jacobs, who is leading a research team to the deepest section of the mine for a groundbreaking study on climate change. But as Mercer approaches, he is stunned to hear automatic gunfire in the massive underground chambers. By the time he finds his way to them, Abe Jacobs and the entire research team have been brutally attacked - and Mercer is left seeking not only answers but revenge.Mercer immediately retraces Jacobs's tracks, searching for clues to the secret project on which the distinguished scientist was working. Staying one step ahead of a highly trained team of assassins, Mercer follows a trail that leads from a harrowing close call in the Midwest to a nail-biting showdown in the rugged mountains of Afghanistan to a remote island in the middle of the Pacific. At stake is an extraordinary scientific discovery that could irrevocably alter the planet, centred on a cache of rare crystals called lightning stones - rumored to have been aboard Amelia Earhart's plane when it vanished on 2nd July 2 1937.

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A notorious mob boss may take Stephanie out if she doesn't take him down first...Stephanie Plum must up her game in Takedown Twenty, the hilarious twentieth adventure in the fiery Stephanie Plum series by bestselling author Janet Evanovich. The perfect read for fans of Harlan Coben and Lee Child. Praise for Evanovich's bestselling novels: 'Making trouble and winning hearts' (USA Today); 'Sharp dialogue, a little slapstick and a little romance' (The Sunday Times); 'Highly enjoyable... who can resist?' (Chicago Tribune). Someone is killing old women and leaving them in dumpsters, and Stephanie's risking the wrath of the local police by investigating behind their backs.And to top that, her latest bounty is the town's much-beloved vicious mobster, 'Uncle Sunny' Sunucchi.Stephanie doesn't mind (that much) that the local Godfather is her boyfriend Morelli's actual godfather - but since they are almost her in-laws, she could do with the Family not trying to kill her for a while...What readers are saying about Takedown Twenty:'Lively and funny. All the usual characters, with Stephanie getting into trouble both at work and with her love life''Janet Evanovich does it again, pure comedy. She never fails to deliver''I am often to be found howling with laughter with tears rolling down my face whenever I read one of Janet Evanovich's books!'

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The queen of the Victorian mystery, New York Times bestseller Anne Perry returns with the 32nd novel in the Inspector Pitt series MURDER ON THE SERPENTINE. Pitt is on a secret mission for the Queen, maybe his last...London, 1899: Head of Special Branch Commander Thomas Pitt is summoned to Buckingham Palace. In the twilight of her years, Queen Victoria is all too aware that the Prince of Wales will soon inherit her empire and must be beyond reproach. She tells Pitt she tasked her close friend and confidante, John Halberd, with investigating the Prince's friends, specifically Alan Kendrick, a wealthy playboy and betting man, but before he could report back, Halberd was found dead in a rowing boat on the Serpentine. The death has been ruled an unfortunate accident and the investigation closed, but the Queen is not convinced that all is as it seems and tasks Pitt with finding the truth. Forced to act alone in this most sensitive of investigations, Pitt finds himself embroiled in a plot that threatens not only the reputations of men, but also the safety and reputation of the Empire. . .

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From the author of the bestselling ATLANTIS comes a thrilling novel of buried secrets, age-old mysteries and a conspiracy surrounding the fabled Ark of the Covenant. 'What do you get if you cross Indiana Jones with Dan Brown? Answer: David Gibbins' Mirror586 BC The ancient world is in meltdown. The Babylonians have ravaged the Holy Land, and Jerusalem has fallen. In desperation, the temple priests look to the greatest navigators ever known to save their holiest of treasures.1943 A group of Allied codebreakers, under Churchill's direct command, work to stop a top-secret exchange between the Nazis and the Japanese. Yet even they know nothing of the ancient artefact hidden on board a ship whose fate they have just sealed.Present-day Marine archaeologist Jack Howard and his friend Costas undertake a dangerous dive hunting for Nazi gold in a wreck perched on the edge of the continental shelf. What they glimpse there leads Jack to piece together the truth of one of the greatest ancient voyages of discovery, one whose real purpose he could scarcely have imagined. Jack must fuse past and present as he never has done before in a terrifying final showdown on a desperate mission for humanity.

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L is for Lawless is the twelfth in the Kinsey Millhone mystery series by Sue Grafton.It was the week before Thanksgiving when Kinsey Millhone first heard the sad story of the late Johnny Lee, the World War II fighter pilot of whom, rather mysteriously, the military authorities have no record. His family are concerned – perhaps Kinsey could make a few calls, straighten things out? Then Johnny's apartment is ransacked. In the debris a hidden safe is uncovered – and in that safe is a mysterious key marked LAWLESS. That night Kinsey's on a plane to Dallas, at the start of a thrilling rollercoaster ride through Texas and Kentucky on the trail of long-buried treasure. Unfortunately there's a fire-raising psychopath on her tail . . . And she's going to be late for a very important wedding . . .

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M is for Malice is the thirteenth in the Kinsey Millhone mystery series by Sue Grafton.'M' is for Malek Construction, the $40 million company that grew out of modest soil to become one of the big three in California. 'M' is for Malek family: four sons now nearing middle age who stand to inherit a fortune – four men with very different temperaments and needs, linked only by blood and money. Eighteen years ago, one of them – angry, troubled and in trouble – went missing. 'M' is for Millhone, now hired to trace that missing black sheep brother. And, in brutal consequence, 'M' is for murder . . .

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A must-have book for Faye Kellerman's many fans. The collection contains: One never-before-published short mystery, THE GARDEN OF EDEN, featuring Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus, who investigate the death of a next-door neighbourTwo Decker-Lazarus short mysteries: BULL'S EYE, the debut of Cindy Decker; and A WOMAN OF MYSTERY, in which Rina Lazarus, aided by Peter Decker, solves the mystery of a student with missing memory Nine crime/mystery short stories, including MUMMY AND JACK, which Faye co-wrote with her son, JesseAnd several bonus short works: two stories about family relationships and two essays drawn from Faye's personal life

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

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PLAY DIRTY. PLAY TO WIN.From the top ten bestselling author Jessie Keane comes a gripping thriller featuring two women who will do anything to win the man they love.Josh Flynn is the king of the bare-knuckle gypsy fighters. His reputation is un-blemished; his fist a deadly weapon.Claire Milo has always loved Josh, they were destined to be together from the day they met. Two gypsy lovers with their whole lives ahead of them. If only Josh would find a different way of earning a living instead of knocking the living daylights out of another man in the boxing ring. One day, she knew something really bad was going to happen. She could feel it . . . Shauna Everett always wanted what she couldn’t have, and nobody, especially Claire Milo was going to stand in her way. She’s had her eye on Josh Flynn for years and she knew just how to get him. If it meant playing dirty, then so be it. What had she got to lose?In a world ruled by violence, crime and backstreet brawls, only one woman will win in Jessie Keane's Fearless, but how low is she prepared to go to achieve that goal?

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Today's gangsters are streets apart from the old-style gang lords of the Fifties and Sixties. The godfathers of old were seen by many as a stabilising influence. Their power inspired respect and they well and truly kept the underworld in check. The twenty-first century gangs of Britain are far more shady.Their brutality has spread far and wide and they live and thrive in our midst, on the streets and in suburbs where ordinary folk live. The creeping tentacles of crime have never stretched further. Organised crime is now worth more than GBP 10 billion in Britain every year. The old crimes of prostitution and extortion are being dropped in favour of multi-million pound drug deals, bringing gangsters more money and power than they've ever known. It is a cut-throat industry that is conducted in the shadows and driven solely by profit.Acclaimed true crime author Wensley Clarkson has met many of Britain's richest and most powerful gangs. In this fascinating and gripping account, he provides an extraordinary insight into these feared characters and takes us on a journey into the dark and glamorous underworld that seems to prove that, for many gangs, crime really does pay.This book reveals the activities of these gangs to the world, exposing such underworld legends as Kenneth Noye, who hold continuing fascination with lovers of true crime.

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At the time of his death, Erle Stanley Gardner was the best-selling American author of the 20th century, and world famous as the creator of crusading attorney Perry Mason. Gardner also created the hardboiled detective team of Cool and Lam, stars of 29 novels published between 1939 and 1970 -- and one that's never been published until now.Lost for more than 75 years, THE KNIFE SLIPPED was meant to be the second book in the series but shelved when Gardner's publisher objected to (among other things) Bertha Cool's tendency to "talk tough, swear, smoke cigarettes, and try to gyp people." But this tale of adultery and corruption, of double-crosses and triple identities -- however shocking for 1939 -- shines today as a glorious present from the past, a return to the heyday of private eyes and shady dames, of powerful criminals, crooked cops, blazing dialogue, and delicious plot twists.

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For the very first time, famous associates of the Great Detective - clients, colleagues, and of course, villains - tell their own stories in this collection of brand-new adventures. Follow Inspector Lestrade as he and Sherlock Holmes pursue a killer to rival Jack the Ripper; sit with Mycroft Holmes as he solves a case from the comfort of the Diogenes Club; take a drink with Irene Adler and Dr Watson in a Parisian cafe; and join Colonel Sebastian Moran on the hunt for a supposedly mythical creature...

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Sometimes information can be the most dangerous weapon.When the man he worked for abruptly exits the business, Quarry finds himself in the crosshairs as a rival tries to take over. But what does Quarry have that the new man wants? And how did the beautiful blonde in the swimming pool become a target?NOW A CINEMAX TELEVISION SERIES!The longest-running series from Max Allan Collins, author of Road to Perdition, and the first ever to feature a hitman as the main character, the Quarry novels tell the story of a paid assassin with a rebellious streak and an unlikely taste for justice. Once a Marine sniper, Quarry found a new home stateside with a group of contract killers. But some men aren't made for taking orders - and when Quarry strikes off on his own, God help the man on the other side of his nine-millimeter...

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It is normal to see bodies on the set of an adult film. But when they're dead bodies and the cast and crew discover they're trapped in a house with a serial killer Quarry hass got his work cut out for him. NOW A CINEMAX TELEVISION SERIES! The longest-running series from Max Allan Collins, author of "Road to Perdition," and the first ever to feature a hitman as the main character, the Quarry novels tell the story of a paid assassin with a rebellious streak and an unlikely taste for justice. Once a Marine sniper, Quarry found a new home stateside with a group of contract killers. But some men aren't made for taking orders and when Quarry strikes off on his own, God help the man on the other side of his nine-millimeter...

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Matt Helm was aware of Bultman-a legendary assassin, the leader of a group of fanatical revolutionaries, an ambitious criminal-but he had no business taking him down. Until now. Bultman blows up a restaurant on the Florida coast full of innocent people, including Helm's son. Now, it's very personal.

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There is a saying in Russian jails. Ne ver ne boysya ne prosi: don't trust, don't fear, don't beg. Don't trust because life here will always disappoint you. Don't fear because whatever you're scared of, you are powerless to prevent it. And don't beg because nobody ever begged their way out of a Russian prison cell.The plan was to attach a Greenpeace pod to Gazprom's platform and launch a peaceful protest against oil being pumped from the icy waters of the Arctic. However, heavily armed commandos flooded the deck of the Arctic Sunrise and the Arctic Thirty began their ordeal at the hands of Putin's regime. Told in the activists' own words and for the first time, this is a dramatic and inspiring story of incarceration and the ensuing emotional campaign to bring the protestors home.

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THE TRUTH BEHIND THE BBC’S THREE GIRLS The UK was shocked to its core in May 2012 when a gang of nine men was convicted of the systematic sexual abuse of disadvantaged teenage girls in the Rochdale area. The crimes included counts of rape, aiding and abetting rape, sexual assault and trafficking girls within the UK for sexual exploitation. Yet many childcare experts reckoned these crimes were just the tip of an iceberg of wide scale exploitation occurring across the country. The Deputy Children’s Commissioner Sue Berelowitz said in June 2012 that there ‘isn't a town, village or hamlet in which children are not being sexually exploited’. When this book went to press, a gang of men similar to those convicted in Rochdale stood trial for similar crimes in Oxford. Award-winning journalist Kris Hollingtontells the inside story of some of the most shocking and heartbreaking crimes of recent years, focusing on the Rochdale case but also analysing recent cases in the London area that echo the brutality of organised slavery. He seeks to expose how the British justice system is failing to protect children in the 21st century and to answer the question: ‘What is happening in Britain that means young vulnerable girls can be exploited in this way?’ It is a scandal that cannot be ignored.

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* Don't miss the latest in the Arkady Renko series, THE SIBERIAN DILEMMA, by Martin Cruz Smith, a novelist 'that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe' (Val McDermid) *'Martin Cruz Smith makes tension rise through the page like a shark's fin’ Independent Once the Chief Investigator of the Moscow Militsiya, Arkady Renko is now a pariah of the Prosecutor's Office and has been reduced to investigating reports of late-night subway riders seeing the ghost of Joseph Stalin. Part political hocus-pocus, part wishful thinking - even the illusion of the bloody dictator has a higher approval rating than Renko. After being left by his lover for a more popular and successful detective, Renko's investigation becomes a jealousy-fuelled quest leading to the barren fields of Tver, where millions of soldiers fought, and lost their lives. Here, scavengers collect bones, weapons and paraphernalia off the remains of those slain, but there's more to be found than bullets and boots.Praise for Martin Cruz Smith: 'The story drips with atmosphere and authenticity – a literary triumph' David Young, bestselling author of Stasi Child ‘Smith not only constructs grittily realistic plots, he also has a gift for characterisation of which most thriller writers can only dream' Mail on Sunday 'Smith was among the first of a new generation of writers who made thrillers literary' Guardian 'Brilliantly worked, marvellously written . . . an imaginative triumph' Sunday Times 'A wonderful surprise of a novel’ William Ryan, author of The Constant Soldier

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When American journalist Benjamin Barrett is sent to Constantinople to report on the sea trials of a new submarine, the assignment soon becomes more eventful than he had predicted, particularly after rescuing a certain professor from an attack...

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________'A fresh, clever psychological thriller. I loved it!' CLARE MACKINTOSHYou see the people you work with every day. But what can't you see?________Amira, Sarah, Paula, Ewan and Charlie have worked together for years. They know how each one likes their coffee, whose love life is a mess, whose children keep them up at night…But their comfortable routine life is suddenly shattered when an aggressive new boss walks in.Now, there's something chilling in the air.Who secretly hates everyone?Who is tortured by their past?Who is capable of murder?________'Ingeniously sharp thriller, set in an office' HEAT MAGAZINE, 5 *' Tammy Cohen is rapidly becoming one of my favourite authors' EMMA KAVANAGH'Psychological thrillers don't get much better than this!' C L TAYLOR'Truly terrifying' RUTH WARE'A thriller with startling twists and a kick to the finish' Sunday Mirror'This was so gripping!' Red Magazine'Unsettling, tense and utterly unputdownable' Woman & Home 'Will keep you guessing right until the end' i magazine________THRILLER OF THE MONTH, Good HousekeepingOne of the Daily Mail's BIGGEST SELLING bookclub authors

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St. Peter's Square, Rome. White smoke signals that a new Pope has been chosen.The world is watching as massive crowds gather in Rome, waiting for news of a new Pope. It's a turning point that could change the Catholic Church for ever, as one of the rumoured candidates, Brigid Fitzgerald, would be the first female Pope in history. But Brigid has made a legion of powerful enemies and is a target for all those who fear that the Church has lost its way – dangerous adversaries who won’t accept challenges to tradition.Locked in a deadly, high-stakes battle with forces determined to undermine her, Brigid must confront her enemies before she loses everything... including her life.

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'I adore Margery Allingham, and this is I think her finest book' Reverend Richard ColesAgatha Christie called her 'a shining light'. Have you discovered Margery Allingham, the 'true queen' of the classic murder mystery? A fog is creeping through the weary streets of London - so too are whispers that the Tiger is back in town, undetected by the law, untroubled by morals. And the rumours are true: Jack Havoc, charismatic outlaw, knife-wielding killer and ingenious jail-breaker, is on the loose once again. As Havoc stalks the smog-cloaked alleyways of the city, it falls to Albert Campion to hunt down the fugitive and put a stop to his rampage - before it's too late... As urbane as Lord Wimsey...as ingenious as Poirot... Meet one of crime fiction's Great Detectives, Mr Albert CampionA VINTAGE MURDER MYSTERY - WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY SUSAN HILL

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**NOW A MAJOR FILM AS THE HANGING SUN**'A perfectly formed thriller that pierces the heart with its icy brilliance' Sunday MirrorWhen you betray the Fisherman...Jon is on the run. He has crossed Oslo's biggest crime lord. Fleeing to an isolated corner of Norway, to a mountain town so far north that the sun never sets, Jon hopes to find sanctuary among a local religious sect.You can run.Hiding out in a shepherd's cabin in the wilderness, all that stands between him and his fate are Lea, a bereaved mother and her young son, Knut. But while Lea provides him with a rifle and Knut brings essential supplies, the midnight sun is slowly driving Jon to insanity. And then he discovers that the Fisherman's men are getting closer...But you can't hide.'Brilliant... A short, lyrical tale where every word counts' Daily Express*JO NESBO HAS SOLD OVER 50 MILLION BOOKS WORLDWIDE*Watch out for The Jealousy Man, the new Jo Nesbo book, out now

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Milo Milodragovitch is a once-successful divorce lawyer, who now prefers to spend his days drinking and staring out the window. That all changes when Helen Duffy walks into his office and asks him to find her missing brother.Though it's not his usual line of work, Milo agrees to help - he needs the money, and he wants to spend more time with this beautiful woman. But this is far from a routine case, and whispers of a long-past crime haunt Milo's every move . . .'As sweetly profane a poet as American noir could have asked for' Ian Rankin'Like James Ellroy, he is a master of American vernacular, turning tough-guy slang into something like poetry' Independent

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Washington D.C., 1953. The Cold War is heating up: McCarthyism, with all its fear and demagoguery, is raging in the nation's capital, and Joseph Stalin's death has left a dangerous power vacuum in the Soviet Union. The CIA, meanwhile, is reeling from a double agent within their midst. Someone is selling secrets to the Soviets, compromising missions around the globe. Undercover agents have been assassinated, and anti-Communist plots are being cut short in ruthlessly efficient fashion. The CIA director knows any news of the traitor, whose code name is Protocol, would be a national embarrassment and compromise the entire agency. George Mueller seems to be the perfect man to help find the mole: Yale-educated; extensive experience running missions in Eastern Europe; an operative so dedicated to his job that it left his marriage in tatters. The Director trusts him but Mueller has secrets of his own and as he digs deeper, making contact with a Soviet agent, suspicion begins to fall on him as well. Until Protocol is found, no one can be trusted and everyone is at risk . . .

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As Sandro Cellini gets to grips with the dispiriting realities of life as a private detective, touting for business among old contacts and following errant teenagers, an old case comes back to haunt him...Once the subject of a routine investigation back in Sandro's early days as an investigator, Loni Meadows - the glamorous, charming and ruthless director of an artistic Trust based in a castle in the hills outside Florence - is found dead in circumstances Sandro cannot convince himself are accidental. However inconvenient his suspicions might be, both to Sandro - whose marriage appears to be disintegrating - and to Meadows's erstwhile employers at the Trust, he presses ahead with the case. And as Sandro attempts to uncover the truth of Loni Meadows's violent and lonely death, he finds himself drawn into the lives of the castle's highly strung community and the closed world they inhabit in the Casentino's isolated hills.

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Every August, Florence shimmers in the summer heat. But this year the heatwave is fiercer than usual, and the city's inhabitants have fled to the cool of the hills. So it is no surprise that amidst the shrubbery of a normally busy roundabout, a corpse lies unnoticed, bloating in the humid air.Sandro Cellini will not be joining the crowds of holidaymakers this year. The former policeman turned private detective has a case: a man who seems to have vanished into thin air - leaving his pregnant young wife alone in the city. Meanwhile, bankteller Roxana Delfino is also stuck in the city for the season, with nothing to do but worry for her aging mother and puzzle over the disappearance of one her regular clients.As all Florence sweats it out, Cellini attempts to grapple with his case and the complications it throws up. And when the weather finally breaks, it brings with it a shocking revelation...

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PRE-ORDER RED SKY MOURNING, THE NEW JAMES REECE NOVEL, COMING MAY 2024. **NOW AN AMAZON PRIME TV SERIES STARRING CHRIS PRATT** 'Take my word for it, James Reece is one rowdy motherf***er. Get ready!' CHRIS PRATT JAMES REECE IS BACK 1978, Rhode Island: A freshman senator is gunned down, sending shockwaves through Washington that are still reverberating over four decades later. Now: In a world on the brink of war, facing rampant inflation, political division and shocking assassinations, a secret cabal of global elites are ready to assume control. And with the world’s most dangerous man locked in solitary confinement, the conspirators believe the final obstacle to complete domination has been eliminated. They’re wrong. From the firms of Wall Street to the corridors of power in Washington, DC and Moscow, secrets from the past have an uncanny ability to rise to the surface, and with the odds stacked against him, James Reece is on a deadly mission generations in the making. But for a man on the warpath, odds are not important . . . Intoxicating and timely, Only the Dead cements Jack Carr as 'a rare gut-punch writer, full of grit and insight' (Gregg Hurwitz, New York Times bestselling author). Fans of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Lee Child's Jack Reacher or Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp will love the James Reece series!Praise for Jack Carr: 'A propulsive and compulsive series. Jack Carr’s James Reece is the kind of guy you’d want to have in your corner. A suspenseful and exhilarating thrill-ride. Jack Carr is the real deal' Andy McNab 'This is seriously good . . . the suspense is unrelenting, and the tradecraft is so authentic the government will probably ban it – so read it while you can!' Lee Child 'With a particular line in authentic tradecraft, this fabulously unrelenting thrill-ride was a struggle to put down' Mark Dawson 'Gritty, raw and brilliant!' Tom Marcus 'So powerful, so pulse-pounding, so well-written – rarely do you read a debut novel this damn good' Brad Thor 'Carr writes both from the gut and a seemingly infinite reservoir of knowledge in the methods of human combat. Loved it!' Chris Hauty 'A powerful, thoughtful, realistic, at times terrifying thriller that I could not put down. A terrific addition to the genre, Jack Carr and his alter-ego protagonist, James Reece, continue to blow me away' Mark Greaney 'Thrilling' Publishers Weekly

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A sudden interest in the occult swept through the English village of Plummergen. Ouija boards were replacing the best china in many a cozy cottage. It might be quite the thing for maiden ladies and persnickity aunts, but it wasn’t Miss Seeton’s cup of tea . . . until Scotland Yard requested she go undercover to investigate sinister shenanigans in the Kentish countryside. A flim-flam was afoot in the local witches' coven - and magic could be a prelude to murder most foul. Serene amidst every kind of skullduggery, retired art teacher Miss Seeton steps in where Scotland Yard stumbles. Armed with nothing more than her sketchpad and umbrella, she is at every turn the most lovable and unlikely master of detection.

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When you think of serial killers throughout history, the names that come to mind are ones like Jack the Ripper and Ted Bundy. But what about Tillie Klimek, Moulay Hassan, Kate Bender? The narrative we're comfortable with is the one where women are the victims of violent crime, not the perpetrators. In fact, serial killers are thought to be so universally, overwhelmingly male that in 1998, FBI profiler Roy Hazelwood infamously declared in a homicide conference, 'There are no female serial killers'.Lady Killers, based on the popular online series that appeared on Jezebel and The Hairpin, disputes that claim and offers fourteen gruesome examples as evidence. Though largely forgotten by history, female serial killers such as Erzsebet Bathory, Nannie Doss, Mary Ann Cotton, and Darya Nikolayevna Saltykova rival their male counterparts in cunning, cruelty, and appetite for destruction.Each chapter explores the crimes and history of a different subject, and then proceeds to unpack her legacy and her portrayal in the media, as well as the stereotypes and sexist cliches that inevitably surround her. The first book to examine female serial killers through a feminist lens with a witty and dryly humorous tone, Lady Killers dismisses easy explanations (she was hormonal, she did it for love, a man made her do it) and tired tropes (she was a femme fatale, a black widow, a witch), delving into the complex reality of female aggression and predation. Featuring 14 illustrations from Dame Darcy, Lady Killers is a bloodcurdling, insightful, and irresistible journey into the heart of darkness.

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Guy Collins, a British hack, is hunting for an election story in Lagos. A decision to check out a local bar in Victoria Island ends up badly - a mutilated female body is discarded close by and Collins is picked up as a suspect. In the murk of a hot, groaning and bloody police station cell, Collins fears the worst. But then Amaka, a sassy guardian angel of Lagos working girls, talks the police station chief around. She assumes Collins is a BBC journo who can broadcast the city's witchcraft and body parts trade that she's on a one-woman mission to stop.With Easy Motion Tourist's astonishing cast, Tarantino has landed in Lagos. This page turning debut crime novel pulses with the rhythm of Nigeria's mega-city, reeks of its open drains and sparkles like the champagne quaffed in its upmarket districts.

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Police Inspector Robert Finlay takes on a ruthless criminal gang, as he and his new partner Nina investigate a sex-trafficking ring … the second instalment in the addictive, searingly authentic Robert Finlay series. **NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER** ‘Nothing is clear-cut in a gripping labyrinthine plot, which – despite thrills and spills aplenty – never falls short of believable’ David Young ‘Terse, tense and vivid writing’ Peter James ‘The magic mix of jeopardy, emotion and action. I could not put it down’ Louise Voss ____________________ Reeling from the attempts on his life and that of his family, Police Inspector Robert Finlay returns to work to discover that any hope of a peaceful existence has been dashed. Assigned to investigate the Eastern European sex-slave industry just as a key witness is murdered. Finlay, along with his new partner Nina Brasov, finds himself facing a ruthless criminal gang, determined to keep control of the traffic of people into the UK. On the home front, Finlay’s efforts to protect his wife and child may have been in vain, as an MI5 protection officer uncovers a covert secret service operation that threatens them all… Aided by new allies, he must not only protect his family but save a colleague from an unseen enemy … and a shocking fate. Deadly Game is a stunning, terrifying and eye-opening thriller from one of the most exciting new names in crime fiction. ____________________ ‘Utterly compelling and dripping with authenticity. This summer’s must-read thriller’ J S Law ‘From the first page to the last, an authentic, magnetic and completely absorbing read’ Sir Ranulph Fiennes ‘A genuine page-turner, very well written, and just flows from one scenario to the next. It is clear the author lived through these times and this is evident in knowledge and description. Excellent’ Ian Patrick ‘It’s this normality about Finlay that appealed to me and kept me reading. The believability of the story. The authenticity’ Rebecca Bradley ‘Gripping stuff’ New Welsh Review 'Finlay’s first-person narrative voice is punchy and to the point, and the switching between him and the third person points of view carries the story along smoothly. Mention should be made of the interesting supporting cast that add layers of intrigue into the narrative and compels the reader to look out for these thrillers from Matt Johnson. Highly Recommended’ Shots Magazine ‘This tense, edge-of-the-seat writing will keep fans frantically turning the pages as they race towards the conclusion’ Amanda Jennings ‘A top-notch thriller with a dark heart and an emotional soul’ Liz Loves Books 'Deadly Game combines spy thriller and police procedural extremely well and should certainly be destined for the shelves of anyone into their conspiracy thrillers' Crime Fiction Lover

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When he is hijacked by Islamic terrorists, an oil company engineer is forced to investigate a mysterious illness afflicting a small Yemen village … with shocking results. A stunning debut thriller and first in the addictive, eye-opening Claymore Straker series. ***Shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger*** ***Book of the Year in the TELEGRAPH*** 'Just occasionally, a book comes along to restore your faith in a genre and Paul Hardisty's The Abrupt Physics of Dying does this in spades' The Times ‘A stormer of a thriller – vividly written, utterly topical, totally gripping' Peter James ‘Remarkably well-written and sophisticated’ Literary Review ‘A page-turning adventure that grabs you from the first page and won’t let go’ Edward Wilson ____________________ One man. An oil company. A decision that could cost his life. Claymore Straker is trying to forget a violent past. Working as an oil company engineer in the wilds of Yemen, he is hijacked at gunpoint by Islamic terrorists. Clay has a choice: help uncover the cause of a mysterious sickness afflicting the village of Al Urush, close to the company’s oil-processing facility, or watch Abdulkader, his driver and close friend, die. As the country descends into civil war and village children start dying, Clay finds himself caught up in a ruthless struggle between opposing armies, controllers of the country’s oil wealth, Yemen’s shadowy secret service, and rival terrorist factions. As Clay scrambles to keep his friend alive, he meets Rania, a troubled journalist. Together, they try to uncover the truth about Al Urush. But nothing in this ancient, unforgiving place is as it seems. Accused of a murder he did not commit, put on the CIA’s most-wanted list, Clay must come to terms with his past and confront the powerful forces that want him dead. A stunning debut eco-thriller, The Abrupt Physics of Dying will not only open your eyes, but keep them glued to the page until the final, stunning denouement is reached. ____________________ ‘Trenchant and engaging’ Stav Sherez, Catholic Herald ‘A solid, meaty thriller – Hardisty is a fine writer and Straker is a great lead character’ Lee Child ‘Full of thrills, spills and moral indignation … an outstanding debut’ Jake Kerridge, Telegraph ‘Fast-paced and cleverly written, this novel has bestseller written all over it’ West Australian ‘An exceptional debut, beautifully written, blisteringly authentic, heartstoppingly tense and unusually moving. Definite award material' Paul Johnston ‘A thriller of the highest quality, with the potential to one day stand in the company of such luminaries as Bond and Bourne’ Live Many Lives ‘A big, powerful, sophisticated and page-turning thriller – thought-provoking and prescient' Eve Seymour 'A forceful first novel by a writer not afraid of weighty issues and visibly in love with the beauty of the Yemen and desert landscapes his protagonists travel through’ Maxim Jakubowski ‘Searing … at times achieves the level of genuine poetry’ Publishers Weekly STARRED review ‘A fast-paced action thriller, beautifully written’ Tim Marshall, author of Prisoners of Geography

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Varg Veum takes on the perplexing case of a missing wind-farm inspector and gets more than he bargained for, as religious zealots, environmental terrorism and then murder take centre stage … The gripping next instalment in the award-winning Varg Veum series, by one of the fathers of Nordic Noir. ‘Not many books hook you in the first chapter – this one did, and never let go!’ Mari Hannah ‘Mature and captivating’ Rosemary Goring, Herald Scotland ‘Moving, uncompromising’ Publishers Weekly _________________ 1998. Varg Veum sits by the hospital bedside of his long-term girlfriend Karin, whose life-threatening injuries provide a deeply painful reminder of the mistakes he’s made. Investigating the seemingly innocent disappearance of a wind-farm inspector, Varg Veum is thrust into one of the most challenging cases of his career, riddled with conflicts, environmental terrorism, religious fanaticism, unsolved mysteries and dubious business ethics. Then, in one of the most heart-stopping scenes in crime fiction, the first body appears… A chilling, timeless story of love, revenge and desire, We Shall Inherit the Wind deftly weaves contemporary issues with a stunning plot that will leave you gripped to the final page. This is Staalesen at his most thrilling, thought-provoking best. _________________ Praise for Gunnar Staalesen 'There is a world-weary existential sadness that hangs over his central detective. The prose is stripped back and simple … deep emotion bubbling under the surface – the real turmoil of the characters’ lives just under the surface for the reader to intuit, rather than have it spelled out for them’ Doug Johnstone, The Big Issue ‘Gunnar Staalesen is one of my very favourite Scandinavian authors. Operating out of Bergen in Norway, his private eye, Varg Veum, is a complex but engaging anti-hero. Varg means “wolf ” in Norwegian, and this is a series with very sharp teeth’ Ian Rankin ‘Staalesen continually reminds us he is one of the finest of Nordic novelists’ Financial Times ‘Chilling and perilous results — all told in a pleasingly dry style’ Sunday Times ‘Staalesen does a masterful job of exposing the worst of Norwegian society in this highly disturbing entry’ Publishers Weekly 'The Varg Veum series is more concerned with character and motivation than spectacle, and it’s in the quieter scenes that the real drama lies’ Herald Scotland 'Every inch the equal of his Nordic confreres Henning Mankell and Jo Nesbo' Independent‘With an expositional style that is all but invisible, Staalesen masterfully compels us from the first pages … If you’re a fan of Varg Veum, this is not to be missed, and if you’re new to the series, this is one of the best ones. You’re encouraged to jump right in, even if the Norwegian names can be a bit confusing to follow’ Crime Fiction Lover ‘With short, smart, darkly punchy chapters Wolves at the Door is a provocative and gripping read’ LoveReading ‘Haunting, dark and totally noir, a great read’ New Books Magazine ‘An upmarket Philip Marlowe’ Maxim Jakubowski, The Bookseller ‘Razor-edged Scandinavian crime fiction at its finest’ Quentin Bates

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After years of abuse, Bernadette makes the decision to leave her husband, only to find that he is missing … along with a little boy she’d befriended years earlier. A tense, dramatic and moving novel from the bestselling author of How To Be Brave and The Lion Tamer Who Lost. ‘Full of beautiful descriptions, images and observations … hauntingly poignant, with a relentless tension and pace’ Katie Marsh ’Moving, engrossing and richly drawn, this is storytelling in its purest form … mesmerising’ Amanda Jennings _______________ A missing boy. A missing book. A missing husband. A woman who must find them all to find herself. On the night Bernadette finally has the courage to tell her domineering husband that she’s leaving, he doesn’t come home. Neither does Conor, the little boy she’s befriended for the past five years. Also missing is his lifebook, the only thing that holds the answers. With the help of Conor’s foster mum, Bernadette must face her own past, her husband’s secrets and a future she never dared imagine in order to find them all. Exquisitely written and deeply touching, The Mountain in My Shoe is both page-turning psychological suspense and a powerful and emotive examination of the meaning of family … and just how far we’re willing to go for the people we love. _______________ ‘Deft and full of emotions’ Irish Times ‘It is a brilliantly creative work of fiction’ We Love this Book (The Bookseller) ‘A fabulous, exquisitely written novel that tugs at the soul … incredibly moving’ David Young ‘A moving and powerful book’ Jane Lythell ‘A rich, psychologically profound novel about overcoming adversity … It’s a masterpiece’ Gill Paul ‘Dark, compelling and highly thought-provoking … a fascinating page-turner that wrenches at your insides’ Off-the-Shelf Books ‘A wonderful, nuanced book probing the damages wreaked by absence and neglect, while exploring the power of love and hope … and what it means to be truly “home”. It made me laugh and cry by turns. I loved it’ Melissa Bailey ‘An exquisite novel. Darkly compelling emotionally charged. And I LOVED it!’ Jane Isaac

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In Alaska, somebody disappears every day. Hunters who head into the wilderness… Fishermen who brave the great rivers…Tourists who attempt to do both. But lately too many people have disappeared. And Kate is about to discover it's got something to do with the recent discovery of the world's second-largest gold mine in her very own backyard.

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