Fiction: literary and general non-genre

Book SynopsisMaggie Wise, a retired homicide cop turned radio presenter, is asked to help the local police with the case of two missing girls. Dr Oscar LeBlanc is close to a medical breakthrough to cure dementia and other degenerative diseases . . . but in order to succeed he needs to illegally obtain plasma from prepubescent children. He believes the ends justify the means and two young girls are abducted.The disappearance of the girls causes a lockdown of the area and, when one of the girl''s parents prove uncooperative with the police, former homicide cop turned radio presenter Maggie Wise offers to help. Maggie quickly forms a connection with the family just as the girls are recovered.LeBlanc is quickly suspected, but after he is questioned he''s found dead from an apparent suicide. However, the circumstances are suspicious and Maggie finds herself conflicted when the family become the prime suspects.

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Book Synopsis'A beautifully written emotional, absorbing story about love, family, and secrets. I absolutely loved it.' Siobhan Daiko, author of The Girl from Venice 1939 - American heiress Vivi Miles falls for naval officer Nathan as soon as she arrives in England. And, under the threat of war, they marry in a whirlwind before he leaves to join his ship.When Nathan returns from Dunkirk injured, he is distant, aloof, and no longer the man Vivi fell in love with. But it’s not just because of his brutal experiences of war. Nathan has a secret and Vivi suspects it’s linked to the mysterious evacuee at the secluded house in the woods on his Kent estate.As war continues to rage, Vivi battles her own grief and loneliness, and tries to find out the truth of the girl’s identity, uncovering a scandal from the past.Is her love for Nathan strong enough to survive?--‘I was engrossed in this beautiful, heartfelt story. Characters to care about and a plot that kept me turning the pages.’ Helen Parusel, author of A Mother's War

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Book SynopsisA retelling of Disney Dumbo, accompanied by art from the original Disney Studio artists. Collect the whole Animated Classics series!This beautiful hardback features premium cloth binding, a ribbon marker to match the cover, foil stamping and illustrated endpapers, making this the perfect gift for all those who have been enchanted by the magic of Dumbo and a book to be treasured by all.A family favourite for almost eighty years, Disney Dumbo is one of the best-loved films of all time. Relive the magic through this retelling of the classic animated film, accompanied by paintings, story sketches and concept art from the original Disney Studio artists. Also featured is a foreword by Natalie Nourigat, a storyboard artist at the Walt Disney Animation Studios. Turn to the back of the book to learn more about the artists who worked on this iconic animated film.Trade ReviewEnjoy a classic fairy tale as you have never before seen it! Dumbo is the new book in Disney Animated Classics, a sparkling series from Studio Press with each book presenting an enchanting retelling of Walt Disney's eternally popular films as seen through the animator's eye. These beautiful hardback books with their premium cloth binding, ribbon marker to match the cover, gold foil stamping and illustrated endpapers, make the perfect gifts for all those who have been spellbound by the magic of Disney's famous animated classic films. The series includes Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid and now Dumbo, some of the best-loved films of all time and family favourites for over eighty years. Relive the star-dusted magic through Lily Murray's retelling of the classic animated film, accompanied by paintings, story sketches and concept art from the original Disney Studio artists. Also featured is a foreword by Natalie Nourigat, a storyboard artist at the Walt Disney Animation Studios. And when the story is finished, youngsters can turn to the back of the book to learn more about the artists who worked on the memorable animated film. These sumptuous books, full of atmospheric retellings and fascinating illustrations, are perfect for both Disney fans and young collectors.Read more at: * Northern Regional Newspapers *a beautiful retelling of Disney's Dumbo accompanied by art from the original Disney Studio artists and EVERYONE loves Mrs Dumbo. This publication is just in time for Disney's Dumbo out in cinemas on 29th March and is a lovely hardback edition with beautiful illustrations. * Angels and Urchins *If you're getting excited about the new live-action Dumbo movie from Disney Studios, take a moment to revisit the classic animated movie instead, with another truly beautiful storified version of the movie with that utterly glorious production art and animation stills illustrating the story throughout.The story of a young elephant with a difference - born into a circus, but separated from his mother (in a scene that still reduces me to tears even after all these years), Dumbo soon realises his huge flappy ears mean that he can do something that no other elephant can.He can fly, he can fly, he can fly!This highly collectable book once again extends Studio Press's impressive range of books chronicling the processes and sketches that led to the final movie. As we said before, this is nigh on essential for Disney fans, but also fans of animation and art as the illustrations in this are just absolutely gorgeous. I mean take a look at them!I love the way these feel like classic storybooks I had as a kid.t's also great to hear that more are on the way in this fab range, including Aladdin, which should be out in the blink of a Genie's eye! YESSSS! Can't wait! * Read it Daddy *

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Book SynopsisOn the shores of a tranquil fjord in Northern Iceland, a man is brutally beaten to death on a bright summer's night. As the 24-hour light of the arctic summer is transformed into darkness by an ash cloud from a recent volcanic eruption, a young reporter leaves Reykajvik to investigate on her own, unaware that an innocent person's life hangs in the balance. Ari Thor Arason and his colleagues on the tiny police force in Siglufjoerdur struggle with an increasingly perplexing case, while their own serious personal problems push them to the limit. As silent, unspoken horrors from the past threaten them all, and the darkness deepens, it's a race against time to find the killer before someone else dies... Dark, terrifying and complex, Blackout is an exceptional, atmospheric thriller from one of Iceland's finest crime writers. `Jonasson's books have breathed new life into Nordic Noir' Jake Kerridge, Sunday Express `A distinctive blend of Nordic Noir and Golden Age detective fiction ... economical and evocative prose, as well as some masterful prestidigitation' Laura Wilson, Guardian `Jonasson's writing is a masterful reinvention of the Golden Age classic style, both contemporary and timeless ... enclosed by the poetic beauty of the location' Crime Review `A classic crime story seen through a uniquely Icelandic lens ... first rate and highly recommended' Lee Child 'A modern take on an Agatha Christie-style mystery, as twisty as any slalom...' Ian Rankin

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Book SynopsisPerfect for fans of Coco Mellors, R. F. Kuang and Yomi Adegoke, this electrifying debut and TikTok sensation charts the unlikely relationship between a pregnant teenage pizza delivery driver and a stressed-out, middle-aged mum.Eighteen years old, pregnant, and working as a pizza delivery girl, our dysfunctional heroine is deeply lost and in complete denial about it all. She's grieving the death of her father, avoiding her loving boyfriend, and flagrantly ignoring her future.Her world is further upended when she becomes obsessed with Jenny, a stay-at-home mother new to the neighbourhood, who comes to depend on weekly deliveries of pickle-covered pizzas for her son's happiness.As one woman looks toward motherhood and the other toward middle age, the relationship between the two begins to blur in strange, complicated, and ultimately heartbreaking ways.Bold, tender, and unexpected, Pizza Girl is a moving and funny portrait of a flawed, unforgettable young woman as she tries to find her plaTrade Review‘Utterly moving’ Stylist ‘A bold and unusual novel’ Vogue ‘This story is both heartbreaking and hysterical, so buckle in for a wild emotional ride’ Good Housekeeping ‘A thought provoking debut … so compelling … I loved it’ Daily Mail ‘Bold, funny and quick … a unique, satisfying read that can be devoured in one sitting’ Vice ‘Exactly the sort of read I’m looking for at the moment’ Refinery29 ‘A fine debut’ Independent ‘A punchy and riveting story about struggling to take control of your life’BuzzFeed ‘Pacy and unexpected, this is a read you'll find refreshing if you've been stuck in a rut’ Cosmopolitan ‘By turns witty and moving, this is a sharp shock of a novel … Frazier is a stylish writer who wears her skills lightly … Her debut is a blistering slice of life with all the toppings’ The Irish Times ‘Short and sweet, this is a wry and understated tale of finding your place and identity’ Heat ‘A really remarkable debut’ The Nerd Daily ‘Messy, funny, dark, with characters who feel so real you’d swear you know them already. A truly original coming-of-age tale that feels both fresh and familiar’ Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City ‘A sublime ode to obsessive outcasts and lovable screw-ups everywhere, Pizza Girl is irresistible and bold, brutal and sweet, with an ending that will thrash your heart’ Kimberly King Parsons ‘Riotously funny’ Elle ’Fresh, funny, bittersweet’ New York Times ‘This quirky, moody novel delivers in unexpected ways’ People ‘Jean Kyoung Frazier brings a flawless ear for language, great inventiveness, unfailing intelligence and empathy, and best of all a rare and shimmering wit.’ Richard Ford ‘Luminous, brooding, and, frankly, awe-inspiring’ Bryan Washington

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Book SynopsisInsurance mathematician Henri has his life under control, when a man from the past appears and a shady trio take over the adventure park’s equipment supply company. Things are messier than ever in the absurdly funny, heart-stoppingly tense second instalment in Antti Tuomainen’s bestselling series. ‘In these uncertain times, what better hero than an actuary?' Chris Brookmyre ‘One of those rare writers who manages to deftly balance intrigue, noir and a deliciously ironic sense of humour … a delight’ Vaseem Khan ‘What a book! Antti has managed to put the fun into funerals and take it out of fun fairs in a gripping nail-biter … a thrilling and hilarious read’ Liz Nugent**Soon to be a major motion picture starring Steve Carell** _______________________________ Insurance mathematician Henri Koskinen has finally restored order both to his life and to YouMeFun, the adventure park he now owns, when a man from the past appears – and turns everything upside down again. More problems arise when the park’s equipment supplier is taken over by a shady trio, with confusing demands. Why won’t Toy of Finland Ltd sell the new Moose Chute to Henri when he needs it as the park’s main attraction? Meanwhile, Henri’s relationship with artist Laura has reached breaking point, and, in order to survive this new chaotic world, he must push every calculation to its limits, before it’s too late… Absurdly funny, heart-stoppingly poignant and full of nail-biting suspense, The Moose Paradox is the second instalment in the critically acclaimed, pitch-perfect Rabbit Factor Trilogy and things are messier than ever… ________________________________ ‘Finnish crime maestro Antti Tuomainen is unique in the Scandi-crime genre, infusing his crime narratives with the darkest humour … [his] often hilarious, chaotic narrative never vitiates the novel’s nicely tuned tension’ Financial Times ‘Enter hitmen, serendipity, offbeat comedy and the reappearance of literally the last person Henri expects to see … unlike anything else out there’ The Times ‘A thriller with black comedy worthy of Nabokov’ Telegraph Book of the YearPraise for The Rabbit Factor Trilogy**Shortlisted for the CWA Crime in Translation Dagger** **Shortlisted for the Last Laugh Award** ‘The antic novels of Antti Tuomainen prove that comedy is not lost in translation … Tuomainen, like Carl Hiaasen before him, has the knack of combining slapstick with genuine emotion’ The Times 'The funniest writer in Europe, and one of the very finest … original and brilliant story-telling' Helen FitzGerald ‘British readers might think they know what to expect from Nordic noir: a tortured detective, a bleak setting, a brutal crime that shakes a small community. Finnish crime novelist Tuomainen turns all of this on its head … The ear of a giant plastic rabbit becomes a key weapon. It only gets darker and funnier’ Guardian ‘Dark, gripping and hilarious … Tuomainen is the Carl Hiaasen of the fjords' Martyn Waites ‘A triumph, a joyous, feel-good antidote to troubled times' Kevin Wignall ‘Finland's greatest export’ M.J. Arlidge 'You don’t expect to laugh when you’re reading about terrible crimes, but that’s what you’ll do when you pick up one of Tuomainen’s decidedly quirky thrillers' New York Times ‘Tuomainen is the funniest writer in Europe’ The Times ‘Right up there with the best’ Times Literary Supplement ‘Tuomainen continues to carve out his own niche in the chilly tundras of northern’ Daily Express

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Book SynopsisAlexander's beauty, strength and defiance were apparent from birth, but his boyhood honed those gifts into the makings of a king. His mother, Olympias, and his father, King Philip of Macedon, fought each other for their son's loyalty, teaching Alexander politics and vengeance from the cradle. His love for the youth Hephaistion taught him trust, while Aristotle's tutoring provoked his mind and Homer's Iliad fuelled his aspirations. Killing his first man in battle at the age of twelve, he became regent at sixteen and commander of Macedon's cavalry at eighteen, so that by the time his father was murdered, Alexander's skills had grown to match his fiery ambition.Trade ReviewRenault's skill is in immersing us in their world, drawing us into its strangeness, its violence and beauty ... a literary conjuring trick ... so convincing and passionately conjured The Times Mary Renault is a shining light to both historical novelists and their readers. She does not pretend the past is like the present, or that the people of ancient Greece were just like us. She shows us their strangeness; discerning, sure-footed, challenging our values, piquing our curiosity, she leads us through an alien landscape that moves and delights us Hilary Mantel The Alexander Trilogy contains some of Renault's finest writing. Lyrical, wise, compelling: the novels are a wonderful imaginative feat Sarah Waters All my sense of the ancient world - its values, its style, the scent of its wars and passions - comes from Mary Renault. I turned to writing historical fiction because of something I learned from Renault: that it lets you shake off the mental shackles of your own era, all the categories and labels, and write freely about what really matters to you Emma Donoghue Mary Renault's portraits of the ancient world are fierce, complex and eloquent, infused at every turn with her life-long passion for the Classics. Her characters live vividly both in their own time, and in ours Madeline Miller The Alexander Trilogy stands as one of the most important works of fiction in the 20th century ... it represents the pinnacle of [Renault's] career ... Renault's skill is in immersing us in their world, drawing us into its strangeness, its violence and beauty. It's a literary conjuring trick like all historical fiction - it can only ever be an approximation of the truth. But in Renault's hands, the trick is so convincing and passionately conjured. -- Antonia Senior The Times

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Book SynopsisBold and inventive in style, City of Night is the groundbreaking 1960s novel about male prostitution. Rechy is unflinching in his portrayal of one hustling 'youngman' and his search for self-knowledge among the other denizens of his neon-lit world. As the narrator moves from Texas to Times Square and then on to the French Quarter of New Orleans, Rechy delivers a portrait of the edges of America that has lost none of its power. On his travels, the nameless narrator meets a collection of unforgettable characters, from vice cops to guilt-ridden married men eaten up by desire, to Lance O'Hara, once Hollywood's biggest star. Rechy describes this world with candour and understanding in a prose that is highly personal and vividly descriptive.Trade ReviewRechy's tone rings absolutely true, is absolutely his own, and he has the kind of discipline which allows him a rare and beautiful recklessness. tells the truth, and tells it with such passion that we are forced to share in the life he conveys. This is a most humbling and liberating achievement. -- James BaldwinOne of the major books to be published since World War II. * The Washington Post *City of Night is a remarkable book . . . Mr. Rechy writes in an authentic jive-like slang: the nightmare existence is explored with a clarity not often clouded by sentimentality and self-pity. The book therefore has the unmistakable ring of candor and truth. * The New York Times Book Review *A breathless, amphetamine-fuelled dash across America ... Rechy's descriptive energy is instead reserved for city life's twilight world and a colourful parade of characters... his descriptive energy surpasses any queer literature label. * New Statesman *John Rechy's groundbreaking novel City of Night lifted the lid on gay life in `60's America ... it broke new ground with its depiction of the gay sexual subculture in America's cities ... The author is ripe for rediscovery. * Time Out *In his first novel, City of Night, John Rechy achieved what most authors strive for their entire career. A book that will last ... Although it was long after the original publication, through City of Night Rechy taught me that my feelings of isolation could be released, that my experiences could be written. It was Rechy who showed me that no subject matter is taboo. -- Charles Casillo * LA Review of Books *Probably no first novel is so complete, so well held together, and so important as City of Night. * The Houston Post *

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Book SynopsisTHE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLERLost in Portugal. Lost to grief.With nothing but a chimpanzee. A man thrown backwards by heartbreak goes in search of an artefact that could unsettle history. A woman carries her husband to a doctor in a suitcase. A Canadian senator begins a new life, in a new country, in the company of a chimp called Odo. From these stories of journeying, of loss and faith, Yann Martel makes a novel unlike any other: moving, profound and magical.A New York Times BestsellerAn Australian Independent Bookseller Bestseller#1 on The Globe & Mail's Bestseller List#1 on Toronto Star's Bestseller List#1 on Maclean's Bestseller List#1 on National Post's Bestseller List#1 on McNally Robinson's Bestseller ListAn ABA Indie BestsellerTrade ReviewReplete with every bizarre and beautiful thing on earth . . . his many fans will delight * * The Times * *Moments of real wonder . . . glorious * * Sunday Times * *His best since Life of Pi . . . miraculous * * Washington Post * *Martel is an original, strange and subtle thinker -- Ursula Le Guin * * Guardian * *Surprising and yet entirely believable * * Observer * *[Martel's] depiction of loss is raw and deeply affecting . . . odd, fabulous, deliberately oblique * * Telegraph * *Engagingly readable * * Daily Mail * *Martel is incapable of writing a dull sentence * * Daily Express * *A book of great wisdom and beauty -- Gavin FrancisLucid and thought provoking * * Mail on Sunday * *Engrossing . . . Martel has a way of capturing the charm, and charge, of an animal and human relationship * * Independent * *Martel is a writer with a light touch and a lively fancy . . . Engaging * * Scotsman * *An exploration of faith and how we can learn to accept death . . . [Martel] has an ability to write about the very fundamental human emotional threads that join us * * Irish Independent * *Sharp, comical, and carries a deeply poignant message * * The List * *It is an unusual novel, a vivid and uncanny adventure in storytelling * * The Skinny * *

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Book SynopsisFor fans of The Passenger, this thrilling tale of an ex-Nazi surgeon hiding in plain sight in 1960s London by the celebrated filmmaker is a lost noir gem, introduced by Anthony Quinn and narrated on audio by Mark Gatiss, as chosen by Ian Rankin on BBC Radio 4''s A Good Read.''Stunning: incredibly good, tense and compelling and morally complex.'' Ian Rankin''This extraordinary novel had me hooked from start to finish.'' Sarah Waters''An outstanding novel: gripping, tense and darkly unsettling. '' Jonathan Freedland''A wonderfully compelling noir thriller and audacious and challenging act of imagination.'' William Boyd''One of the best London novels of the 20th century.'' Benjamin Myers Nothing is more inviting to disclose your secrets than to be told by others of their own ...London, June 1965. Karl Braun arrives as a lodger in Pimlico: hatless, with a bow-tie, greying hair, slight in build. His new neighbours are intrigued by this cultured German gentleman who works as a piano tuner; many are fellow émigrés, who assume that he, like them, came to England to flee Hitler. That summer, Braun courts a woman, attends classical concerts, dances the twist. But as the newspapers fill with reports of the hunt for Nazi war criminals, his nightmares become increasingly worse ''A haunting, remarkable novel, as startlingly original as any of Pressburger''s films.'' Nicola Upson''A dark and harrowing window on the past: the ending will haunt your dreams.'' Janice Hallett

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Book SynopsisRemember you must die.Dame Lettie Colston is the first of her circle to receive insinuating anonymous phone calls. Neither she, nor her friends, wish to be reminded of their mortality, and their geriatric feathers are thoroughly ruffled. As the caller''s activities become more widespread, old secrets are dusted off, exposing post and present duplicities, self-deception and blackmail. Nobody is above suspicion.Witty, poignant and wickedly hilarious, Memento Mori may ostensibly concern death, but it is a book which leaves one relishing life all the more.Books included in the VMC 40th anniversary series include: Frost in May by Antonia White; The Collected Stories of Grace Paley; Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault; The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter; The Weather in the Streets by Rosamond Lehmann; Deep Water by Patricia Highsmith; The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West; Their Eyes Were Trade ReviewThere is a Waugh-like brilliance to this novel, in the easy economical narrative, the continuous invention producing a series of surprises, the well-cut dialogue, the controlled tone . . . the most remarkable of Miss Spark's achievements. Nothing is forced, least of all the humour -- V. S. NaipaulI am reading a trio of novels by Muriel Spark, a marvellously witty English writer . . . Her best, I think, is Memento Mori, which is chillingly brilliant -- Tennessee WilliamsThe greatest Scottish novelist of modern times . . . My admiration for Spark's contribution to world literature knows no bounds. She was peerless, sparkling, inventive and intelligent - the creme de la creme -- Ian RankinSpark is a writer who can take the meditative and make it mercurially funny, playful and mischievious -- Ali SmithThere is a Waugh-like brilliance to this novel, in the easy economical narrative, the continuous invention producing a series of surprises, the well-cut dialogue, the controlled tone. This last is the most remarkable of Miss Spark's achievements. Nothing is forced, least of all the humour * V. S. Naipaul, NEW STATESMAN *I am reading a trio of novels by Muriel Spark, a marvelously witty English writer, one of the few lady writers I like to read. Her best, I think, is Memento Mori, which is chillingly brilliant * Tennessee Williams *This funny and macabre book has delighted me as much as any novel that I have read since the war * Graham Greene *A brilliant and singularly gruesome achchievement * Evelyn Waugh *

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Book SynopsisA reissue of the powerful and troubling debut sensation - which spent over six months at top of the New York Times bestseller list on its original publication thirty years ago Recently divorced, Anna Dunlap has two passionate attachments: her daughter, four-year-old Molly, and her lover, Leo, the man who makes her feel beautiful - and sexual - for the first time. Swept away by happiness and passion, Anna feels she has everything she’s ever wanted. Then come the shocking charges that would threaten her new love, her new family - that force her to prove she is a good mother.Trade ReviewThanks to Sue Miller's gift for precise psychological detail, her sure sense of narrative and her simple compassion for ordinary lives, this powerful novel proves as subtle as it is dramatic, as durable - in its emotional afterlife - as it is instantly readable -- MICHIKO KAKUTANI * NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW *“This powerful novel proves as subtle as it is dramatic, as durable—in its emotional afterlife—as it is instantly readable.” * New York Times *A remarkable accomplishment * Chicago Tribune *Praise for Monogamy: One of the most emotionally truthful novels I have ever read * Daisy Buchanan *Almost every line glows with even-handed wisdom - a superb novel, beautifully put together * Daily Mail *An invaluably moving book * Juliet Nicholson *One to read first for the story and then to re-read at leisure and marvel at how real these people feel * Erin Kelly *Penetrating, intelligent, humane, funny too ... Smart and powerfully alive * Tessa Hadley *An underrated master of US fiction ... Miller asks big questions about marriage and whether it's worth the sacrifices involved. And these fascinating insights are wrapped up in a page-turning plot, too * Sunday Express *A poignant page-turner, delving deep into our most intimate relationships * Evening Standard *Miller is concerned with deeper mysteries of human motivation . A writer with an uncanny compass for the contrary * Sunday Telegraph *Miller's thoughtful, searching prose fills in all the background details, and her vivid characters are utterly believable. Brilliant * The Times *An eloquent chronicler of the complexities of ordinary relationships, whose informal language belies the depths of her insights . Miller nails the contradictory emotions and desires that are responsible for people so often bypassing the seemingly easy road to happiness * Independent *Miller writes with grace and poise, crafting an examination of love and loss that is both understated and emotionally charged * Guardian *Miller writes with tremendous subtlety and perception * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisNow filmed as INVICTUS directed by Clint Eastwood, and starring Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela. SHORTLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2008As the day of the final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup dawned, and the Springboks faced New Zealand's all-conquering All Blacks, more was at stake than a sporting trophy. When Nelson Mandela appeared wearing a Springboks jersey and led the all-white Afrikaner-dominated team in singing South Africa's new national anthem, he conquered the hearts of white South Africa. Playing the Enemy tells the extraordinary human story of how that moment became possible. It shows how a sport, once the preserve of South Africa's Afrikaans-speaking minority, came to unify the new rainbow nation, and tells of how - just occasionally - something as simple as a game really can help people to rise above themselves and see beyond their differences.Trade ReviewWonderful... Don't wait for the movie. * New York Times *A triumphant conversion... A portrait of South Africa's answer to George Washington... [It] works because Carlin got so close to Mandela and the people Mandela seduced. -- Simon Kuper * Financial Times *Revelatory... A tight, gripping and powerful book that shines a light on a moment of hope, not just for one nation but the whole world. * Daily Express *A fascinating story... Thirteen years on, it is possible to look back with emotion at a moment which suggested that everything was possible. -- Justin Cartwright * Sunday Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisComplete and unabridged.A towering classic of Russian literature, Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment is a compelling story of a brutal double murder and its aftermath. An impoverished ex-student, Rodion Raskolnikov, kills a pawnbroker and her sister, apparently for financial gain. But as he encounters friends and family, strangers and adversaries, Raskolnikov is compelled to face the true forces that have led him to murder. His struggle with himself and those around him becomes a battle of the individual against society, radicalism against tradition, and ultimately the will of man against the mysteries of divine providence. A sensation in its day, Crime and Punishment has left an indelible stamp on the world of literature. This beautiful Macmillan Collector's Library edition of Crime and Punishment is translated from the Russian by Constance Garnett, with an afterword by Oliver Francis.Designed to appeal to the booklover, the Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of beautiful gift editions of much loved classic titles. Macmillan Collector's Library are books to love and treasure.

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Book SynopsisJinwoo’s received some amazing gifts from the system, but the latest one might proveto be the greatest one yet-a key to the double dungeon where it all started. Perhaps asecond visit might provide him with answers for once. He’s got some time to kill untilhe can use the item though, but before he can tackle another gate, unexpectedmovement from the shadow soldiers guarding Jinah sets his alarm bells ringing...

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Book SynopsisYou live in Eden. You are a member of the Family, one of 532 descendants of Angela and Tommy. You shelter beneath the Forest's lantern trees. Beyond the forest lie mountains so forbidding that no one has ever crossed them. The Oldest recount legends of a time when men and women made boats that could travel between worlds. One day, they will come back for you. You live in Eden. You are a member of the Family, one of 532 descendants of two marooned explorers. You huddle, slowly starving, in the warmth of geothermal trees, confined to one barely habitable valley of an alien, sunless world.You are John Redlantern. You will break the laws of Eden, shatter the Family and change history. You will be the first to kill another, the first to venture into the Dark and the first to discover the truth about Eden.Trade ReviewA classic theme, beautifully told * Sunday Telegraph *This is a world I'm desperate to return to -- Alison Flood * Guardian *There's no justice if Dark Eden, with its beautiful, terrifying planet, slowly revealed, fails to bring Beckett awards * Sunday Times *A captivating and haunting book * Daily Mail *A dazzlingly inventive science-fiction writer -- A. N WilsonDark Eden is stunningly written * SciFiNow *Dark Eden is an incredible novel * SFBooks *Beckett should be on the radar of anyone who professes concern for science fiction as a literary form -- Alastair Reynolds

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Book SynopsisA marvellously inventive novel that tells the story of Johnny Ribkins, a 72-year old African-American antiques dealer from Florida who was born with a unique talent.

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Book SynopsisOriginal Sin by Michael Jan Friedman Centuries after the death of the original Ellen Ripley, her clone has joined the fight against the Alien threat. With the help of an android named Call, a brutal hired gun named Johner, and a paraplegic mechanic named Vriess, she will battle an Alien horror, and discover the answer to a question that pierces the Alien mystery to its seething acid-chamber of a heart. DNA War by Diane Carey In a bleak galaxy, the hospitable planet Rosamond 6 is a rare find. But while it may look like an oasis among the stars, it harbors a fatal secret: it is infested with Aliens. Eager to prove her theory that the Aliens can be reasoned with, anthropologist Jocasta Malvaux has set up an observation post there. And something unexpected happens: the Aliens don't attack. But, why? Could it be that the monsters are evolving? Or is it a matter of time until every person on the planet must fight for their lives?Trade Review“The novels in these Omnibuses span the width and breadth of the Alien universe, stretching its boundaries and giving it a marvelous depth of detail” - BookRiot

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Book SynopsisA moving and powerful mystery, The Forgotten Garden is the bestselling second novel from Kate Morton.1913. On the eve of the First World War, a little girl is found abandoned after a gruelling ocean voyage from England to Australia. All she can remember of the journey is that a mysterious woman she calls the Authoress had promised to look after her. But the Authoress has vanished without a trace.1975. Now an old lady, Nell travels to England to discover the truth about her parentage. Her quest leads her to Cornwall, and to a beautiful estate called Blackhurst Manor, which had been owned by the Mountrachet family. What has prompted Nell’s journey after all these years?2005. On Nell’s death, her granddaughter, Cassandra, comes into a surprise inheritance. Cliff Cottage, in the grounds of Blackhurst Manor, is notorious amongst the locals for the secrets it holds – secrets about the doomed Mountrachet family. But it is at long-abandoned Cliff Cottage, and in its forgotten garden, that Cassandra will uncover the truth about the Mountrachets – and why the young Nell was abandoned all those decades before . . .

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Book SynopsisTrapped in a stifling marriage, Anna Karenina is swept off her feet by dashing Count Vronsky. Rejected by society, the two lovers flee to Italy, where Anna finds herself isolated from all except the man she loves, and who loves her. But can they live by love alone? In this novel of astonishing scope and grandeur, Leo Tolstoy, the great master of Russian literature, charts the course of the human heart.A masterpiece of realism and illuminated by irresistible characters, Anna Karenina is among the best-loved of all novels, penetrating to the heart of the ruling class in Tsarist Russia. This beautiful Macmillan Collector's Library edition of Anna Karenina is translated by Aylmer & Louise Maude, and features an afterword by Ned Halley.Designed to appeal to the booklover, the Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of beautiful gift editions of much loved classic titles. Macmillan Collector's Library are books to love and treasure.

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Book SynopsisWhen Jinwoo gets his rank reevaluated, the results are even better than he could havedreamed of...but more importantly, a chance to heal his mother from her strangeillness falls into his lap. In order to find the cure, he must make his way further intothe Demon’s Castle—and now that there’s finally hope at the end of the tunnel, nothingcan get in his way.

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Book Synopsis'The characters are relatable and lovable; the story is uplifting and romantic, full of emotions and heart, celebrating the importance of making human connections and embracing our dreams. This book is my happy place!' Ali Hazelwood, author of The Love Hypothesis'I loved it ' Hannah Tovey'Heartwarming, gorgeously written and I fell instantly in love with the quirky cast of characters' Jessica Ryn'A must-read' Sarah J. HarrisWhen Libby Nicholls arrives in London, broken-hearted and with her life in tatters, the first person she meets on the bus is elderly pensioner Frank. He tells her about the time in 1962 he met a girl on the number 88 bus with beautiful red hair just like her own. They made plans for a date, but Frank lost the ticket with her number written on it. For the past sixty years, he's ridden the same bus trying to find her.Libby is inspired by the story and, with the help of an unlikely companion, she makes it her mission to continue Frank's search. As she begins to open her guarded heart to strangers and new connections, Libby's tightly controlled world expands. But with Frank's dementia progressing quickly, their chance of finding the girl on the 88 bus is slipping away . . .More than anything, Libby wants Frank to see his lost love one more time. But their quest also shows Libby just how important it is to embrace her own chance for happiness - before it's too late.The author of The Last Library brings us this beautifully uplifting novel about how one chance meeting can change the course of your life forever

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Book Synopsis''Absolutely one of his best - a wonderful, wonderful read'' Stephen Fry''Funny and heartfelt'' SpectatorFrom the bestselling author of A PLACE CALLED WINTER comes a compassionate, compelling new novel of boyhood, coming of age, and the confusions of desire and reality. ''An incredibly beautiful story told with compassion. Nothing is wasted. Each sentence is beautifully crafted'' Joanna Cannon1970s Weston-Super-Mare and ten-year-old oddball Eustace, an only child, has life transformed by his mother''s quixotic decision to sign him up for cello lessons. Music-making brings release for a boy who is discovering he is an emotional volcano. He laps up lessons from his young teacher, not noticing how her brand of glamour is casting a damaging spell over his frustrated and controlling mother.When he is enrolled in holiday courses in the Scottish borders, lessons in love, rejTrade ReviewAbsolutely one of his complete best. So many funny and tender and terrific scenes. He hovers between social comedy and apocalyptic tragedy without the move appearing artificial or contrived. Just a wonderful, wonderful read -- Stephen FrySafe in the arms of Patrick Gale's BEAUTIFUL writing again - I could weep with joy. -- Joanna CannonA wonderful, intelligent and enriching novel. Gale draws his protagonist with compassion and empathy, and the book is populated by some terrific supporting characters, such as former star cellist Naomi, who had to give up performing because of stage fright and becomes a surrogate sibling in Eustace's life. Ultimately, it is a forceful reminder of the emotional power of music. As Eustace is told by his teacher at summer school: "Music knits. It heals. It is balm to the soul." The same could be said for this book * i Newspaper *Sexy, joyous, funny and tender. I relished it -- Sarah WinmanJoyous and full of light. I only meant to read a chapter and I greedily gobbled down the whole lot in one go. He is a beautiful and empathetic writer. -- Cathy RentzenbrinkA compelling story of how a passion for music can be the gateway to self-discovery, and lead a young teenager to find his tribe. The storytelling is so vivid, you can actually hear the music, and the intense fusion of artistic and erotic exploration will stir up memories for quite a few readers. -- Jonathan Dove, composerA fascinating story, gripping, moving and exquisitely written, this is a wonderful gift of a book from one of the best writers working today. -- SJ WatsonVery well done indeed - brilliantly sustained -- Rachel JohnsonA tender and touching coming of age story from the always eminently readable Patrick Gale * Red Magazine *Patrick Gale has created such a wonderful character, I was bereft to leave him * Good Housekeeping *A compassionate and funny coming-of-age and coming-out novel. If you haven't read Gale before, start now * Woman & Home *A beautiful novel about longing, growth, music and family * Queen & Country Magazine *Gale is an enticing and quietly subversive storyteller . . . its depictions of strangeness and toxicity of under-the-surface conventions of middle-class life take it into darker and more surprising territory. In elegant, restrained prose, Gale writes with an eye on impermanence, showing how loss can be tinged with hope, and new beginnings with the threat of mortality. . . he taps into a range of experiences and emotions that are both specific and beautifully universal * Irish Independent *Gale is excellent on the hot, messy nature of self-discovery and sexual awakening * Daily Mail *Beguiling, vivid, wise and moving * Attitude Magazine (Book of the Month) *Beautifully told with understated glee and humanity, this novel raises smiles and shocked tears * Belfast Telegraph *This coming-of-age story is gorgeously written, full of warmth and humour * Sunday Mirror *As elegiac and contemplative as one might expect . . .suffused with the joy and wisdom of Gale's mid-life reconnection with music * Guardian *This is what imbues his work with such heart and authenticity, and what makes Take Nothing With You, so readable, so believable, so . . . lovable. You'll be carried along by the music of Gale's prose, his charm, wit and warmth, and his empathy for us, for what it means to be human and other * Irish Times *This is an emotionally charged and humane tale beautifully conveying a child's partial view of the world * Daily Express *There is a natural warmth to Gale's writing * The Times *A lovely and lyrical coming-of-age tale * Sunday Express *Patrick Gale's moving novel is a trag-comic tale of love, loss and acceptance * Sun *This warm and humane novel is not only about love but also the value of art * Sunday Times *Gale's novel is generously optimistic. It shows how our past shapes us, but suggests that we can make something from the emotional burdens that we bear * Telegraph *Funny and heartfelt * Spectator *

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Book SynopsisDorian Gray is young, arrogant, and devastatingly handsome. Confronted by his beauty in the form of a portrait, and struck by the terrible realization that he will age, Dorian wishes to retain his charms forever and finds his desire granted. He abandons himself to a life of hedonism, vice and murder, yet his face remains unmarked by his evil. But, hidden in his attic, the painting ages and corrupts, and one day Dorian must stand face to face with the man he has become.A perfect depiction of fin-de-siècle decadence, Oscar Wilde's only novel highlights the tension between the polished surface and murky depths of Victorian high society.This beautiful Macmillan Collector's Library edition of The Picture of Dorian Gray features an afterword by the playwright and actor Peter Harness.Designed to appeal to the booklover, the Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of beautiful gift editions of much loved classic titles. Macmillan Collector's Library are books to love and treasure.

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Book Synopsis'I look at all of Carver's work as just one story, for his stories are all occurences, all about things that just happen to people and cause their lives to take a turn... In formulating the mosaic of the film Short Cuts, which is based on these nine stories and a poem, 'Lemonade', I've tried to do the same thing- to give the audience one look... But it all began here. I was a reader turning these pages. Trying on these lives' - Robert Altman in his introduction.Trade ReviewRaymond Carver's stories can be counted amongst the masterpieces of American fiction * New York Times *The stories overflow with danger, excitement, mystery and the possibility of life... His eye is so clear it almost breaks your heart * Washington Post *One of America's most original, truest voices -- Salman RushdieSuperb -- Ian McEwan

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Book SynopsisAminah lives an idyllic life until she is brutally separated from her home and forced on a journey that turns her from a daydreamer into a resilient woman. Wurche, the willful daughter of a chief, is desperate to play an important role in her father’s court. These two women’s lives converge as infighting among Wurche’s people threatens the region, during the height of the slave trade at the end of the 19th century. Set in pre-colonial Ghana, The Hundred Wells of Salaga is a story of courage, forgiveness, love and freedom. Through the experiences of Aminah and Wurche, it offers a remarkable view of slavery and how the scramble for Africa affected the lives of everyday people.

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Book SynopsisEsme: eldest child, control-freak, perfect wife. In fact, her husband has run off with his dentist and their teenage daughter is live-tweeting the entire mess to her 3,000 followers. Liv: middle child, fiancé stealer, squatter. Holed up in her ex-husband's apartment with her acupuncturist and a bottle of whiskey.Ru: youngest child, writer, runaway. Hopes to find inspiration for her second novel whilst fleeing her fiancé. One-by-one the siblings return to the family home, where a box of old letters awaits them containing the answer to the mystery they have all lived with, until now: who was their father, and why the hell did he disappear?Trade ReviewSimilar to Nick Hornby... Asher's novel rewards readers with an engrossing plot rich in witty and frank dark humor... Thoughtful and provoking. * Booklist *Asher's newest title spotlights her unique voice plus an affinity for quirky, wounded characters that are both realistic and likeable... An entertaining yet astute look at family, self, story and connections. * Kirkus *The Rockwell siblings... won me over completely, and their story twists and turns in such fascinating, hilarious, heartfelt ways, that it left me in awe of Asher's abilities. -- Kevin Wilson, author of The Family Fang

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Book SynopsisA RIVETING STORY FROM ONE OF AFRICA'S MOST IMPORTANT WOMAN WRITERS 'When Rain Clouds Gather and Maru are fairy tales about the transformations that love can wreak. And they transform love into a force to be thankful for' HELEN OYEYEMIEscaping South Africa and his troubled past, Makehaya crosses the border to Botswana, in the hope of leading a peaceful and purposeful life. In the village of Golema Mmidi, he meets Gilbert, a charismatic Englishman who is trying to modernise farming methods to benefit the community. The two outsiders join forces, but their task is fraught with hazards: opposition from the corrupt chief, the pressures of tradition and the unrelenting climate ever threaten to bring tragedy. Maru: Margaret, an orphan from a despised tribe, has lived her life under the loving protection of a missionary's wife. She has only to open her mouth to cause confusion, for her education and English accent do not fit her looks. When she accepts her first teaching post, in a remote village, Margaret is befriended by Dikeledi, sister of Maru the chief-in-waiting. Despite making influential friends, Margaret faces prejudice even from the children she teaches, and her presence causes Maru and his best friend - also Dikeledi's lover - to become sworn enemies.Trade ReviewWhen Rain Clouds Gather and Maru are fairy tales about the transformations that love can wreak. And they transform love into a force to be thankful for -- Helen Oyeyemi

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Book Synopsis“if you read this after I am deadIt means I made it”-“The Creation Coffin”The People Look like Flowers at Last is the last of five collections of never-before published poetry from the late great Dirty Old Man, Charles Bukowski. In it, he speaks on topics ranging from horse racing to military elephants, lost love to the fear of death.  He writes extensively about writing, and about talking to people about writers such as Camus, Hemingway, and Stein.  He writes about war and fatherhood and cats and women.Free from the pressure to present a consistent persona, these poems present less of an aggressively disruptive character, and more a world-weary and empathetic person.Trade Review“We all knew Bukowski was a tough guy, but who would have guessed that even the grave could not shut him up? The People Look Like Flowers At Last shows him at his scruffy, hard-hitting, tender-hearted best. They say this is his final posthumous book, but don’t bet on it.” — Billy Collins, former Poet Laureate “The purportedly “fifth and final” posthumous collection of Bukowski’s inimitable poetry is. . . amazingly funny, mordant, rueful, raffish, sad, resigned; all attest as firm a dedication to the lower case as that of e. e. cummings. Standouts? Turn to “the dwarf with a punch” in section 1; the epical “Rimbaud be damned” in section 2; “I never bring my wife,” with its sublime apothegm about the lonely, in section 4. Bet you’ll then read the rest.” — Booklist "The People Look Like Flowers At Last is the final posthumous Bukowski collection. . . and it is extraordinary.” — Buffalo News

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Book SynopsisPhilip Hensher is a novelist, critic, librettist and short story writer. The Northern Clemency was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. His most recent novel is The Emperor Waltz.Trade ReviewHensher's anthology is bigger, better and broader in several senses than anything else currently available * The Spectator *Almost 100 potent doses of the form which editor Philip Hensher claims very plausibly to be "the richest, most varied and most historically extensive national tradition anywhere in the world"... Hensher has spent a couple of years searching libraries and magazine archives and comes out staggering under a weight of treasures -- Claire Harman * Evening Standard *Like one of the legion of cantankerous, eccentric hosts we meet across this generous terrain, Hensher knows how to lay a grand spread...so enjoy the feast -- Boyd Tonkin * The Independent *Anyone reading this collection just for pleasure should start at the end of the second volume and work backwards...it would quickly bring you to four outstanding stories by women...each of these, though quickly over, leaves a lasting mark in the mind -- John Carey * The Sunday Times *Big and clever...three cheers then, for this chunky two-volume anthology, edited by Philip Hensher with imagination and a dash of mischievous wit -- Robert Douglas-Fairhurst * The Times *Made me shiver with pleasure -- Michele Roberts * The Financial Times *Charted a very personal view of the form's development from the early 18th century to the present day' -- Tim Martin * Telegraph *It's been a big year for anthologies and few come bigger than The Penguin Book of the British Short Story. Philip Hensher's introduction is spiky and thought-provoking and Volume I: From Daniel Defoe to John Buchan and Volume II: From P.G. Wodehouse to Zadie Smith (Penguin Classic, £25 each) offer readers the chance to enjoy the varieties and mutations of British stories across four centuries. -- Max Liu * Independent *In two handsomely designed volumes ... you have to admire Hensher's championing of unfamiliar names alongside established greats -- Neville Hawcock * FT *

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Book SynopsisRobert Fabbri read Drama and Theatre at London University and worked in film and TV for twenty-five years. He has a life-long passion for ancient history, which inspired him to write the bestselling Vespasian series and the Alexander's Legacy series. He lives in London and Berlin.Trade ReviewRobert Fabbri has a winner on his hands. * The BookPlank *A stonking read. * Classic FM *Fabbri's Vespasian novels have been creating quite a stir. * The History Girls *

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Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling author of All the Little Children comes a novel of marriage, betrayal, and murder set in tropical, multicultural Singapore. Amanda Bonham moved halfway around the world to be with the man she loves. Although expat life in Singapore can be difficult, Edward Bonham is a dream husband and a doting father to his teenage daughter, Josie. But when their maid dies in an apparent suicide—and Amanda discovers the woman was pregnant and hiding a stash of drugs prescribed to Edward—she can’t help but wonder if her perfect husband has a fatal flaw. And if he can’t resist temptation under their own roof, what does he get up to when he travels? Camille Kemble also has questions for Edward. Recently returned to Singapore, Camille is determined to resolve a family mystery. Amid a jumble of faded childhood memories, she keeps seeing Edward’s handsome face. And she wants to know why. For one woman, the search for answers threatens everything she has. For another, it’s the key to all she lost. Both will follow his trail of secrets into the darkness to find the truth.

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE FRANÇOISE SAGAN PRIZE WINNER OF THE BOOKSTAGRAM PRIZE SHORTLISTED FOR THE GONCOURT PRIZE FOR DEBUT NOVEL 'With this book, Abigail Assor announces herself as one of the most distinctive voices in North African literature. This is a vibrant, sensual, subversive novel with an unforgettable heroine' LEÏLA SLIMANI _______________ Sarah is poor, but at least she's French, which allows her to attend Casablanca's elite high school for expats and wealthy locals. It's there that she first lays eyes on Driss. He's older, quiet and not particularly good looking-apart from his eyes, which are the deep green of thyme simmering in a tagine. Most importantly, he's rumoured to be the richest guy in the city. She decides she wants those eyes. And she wants a life like his. But to get to Driss she will have to cross the gaping divide that separates them and climb to the top of the city's society, from street corner merguez and chips to a mansion overlooking the ocean. Provocative, immersive, sensual, As Rich as the King is a twisted love story and a bittersweet ode to Casablanca.Trade Review'With this book, Abigail Assor announces herself as one of the most distinctive voices in North African literature. This is a vibrant, sensual, subversive novel with an unforgettable heroine' - Leila Slimani'The sounds, the smells, the gritty details of every scene are laid bare in a light as harsh and bright as the sun... A captivating novel' - Le Figaro'Casablanca stretches out before our astonished eyes, humming with rage and life... A captivating debut' - Lire'Abigail Assor's writing is precise, sensual, subversive and wildly lyrical. Astonishing' - Le Parisien'Stunning in its truth, cruelty and style' - Paris Match

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Book SynopsisA modern masterpiece, voted the greatest Dutch novel of all time _______________ 'I work in an office. I take cards out of a file. Once I have taken them out, I put them back in again. That is it.' Twenty-three-year-old Frits - office worker, daydreamer, teller of inappropriate jokes - finds life absurd and inexplicable. He lives with his parents, who drive him mad. He has terrible, disturbing dreams of death and destruction. Sometimes he talks to a toy rabbit. This is the story of ten evenings in Frits's life at the end of December, as he drinks, smokes, sees friends, aimlessly wanders the gloomy city streets and tries to make sense of the minutes, hours and days that stretch before him. Darkly funny and mesmerising, The Evenings takes the tiny, quotidian triumphs and heartbreaks of our everyday lives and turns them into a work of brilliant wit and profound beauty.Trade ReviewIPPY Literary Fiction Award Bronze MedalistAn Observer, Financial Times, and Irish Times Book of the Year"Exceptional... a crisp and readable translation by Sam Garrett." — The Wall Street Journal"Fascinating, hilarious, and page-turning. The publication of this novel marks the exciting introduction of a wonderful writer to an Anglophone audience." — Publishers Weekly"Reviewers have compared it favorably to J .D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, Albert Camus’s The Stranger and Karl Ove Knausgaard’s My Struggle. In The Irish Times, Eileen Battersby called it 'one of the finest studies of youthful malaise ever written,' and in The Guardian, Tim Parks described it as 'not only a masterpiece but a cornerstone manqué of modern European literature.' The Society of Dutch Literature ranked it as the country’s best 20th-century novel and its third-best of all time." — The New York Times"Sam Garrett’s precise and convincing translations ... capture the consistently anxious, suggestive, and haunting tone that runs through The Evenings like a live wire—one that, after seventy years, is still electrifying. The narrators of The Fall of the Boslowits Family and Werther Nieland, too, are persuasively rendered in the matter-of-fact and dreamlike tones of the originals." — Philip Huff, New York Review of Books"Diabolically funny... From the deep midnight of shattered Europe, Reve crafted not only an existential masterwork worthy to stand with Beckett or Albert Camus but an oblique historical testament." — The Economist"A novel as funny as it is painful . . . A little masterpiece — a provocative reminder that life goes on even in the bleakest of circumstances." — Los Angeles Review of Books"Captivating." — The Atlantic"In this first English translation of a Dutch classic . . . The author’s dry wit and ability to find humor and beauty in the banality of daily life are impressive."— Booklist“Not only a masterpiece but a cornerstone manque of modern European literature… what can I say, in a world of hype, that will put this book where it belongs, in readers’ hands and minds?... Reve’s sparkling collage of acute observation, droll internal monologue and pitch-perfect dialogue keeps the reader breathless right through to the grand finale...huge respect to Pushkin Press.” — Tim Parks, The Guardian"One of the greatest post-war Dutch novels... [a] brilliant modern classic." — Tom Chalmers, Publishers Weekly"Consistently simple, straightforward, pitch-perfect prose (translated splendidly by Sam Garrett)." — Weekly Standard"Darkly funny and mesmerizing, The Evenings takes the tiny quotidian triumphs and heartbreaks of our everyday lives and turns them into a work of brilliant wit and profound beauty… an extraordinary and highly recommended addition to both community and academic library collections’." — Midwest Book Review"a neurotic, darkly humorous and cynical treatise on youth in the Netherlands after World War II. . . the book is innovative in its use of language. Reve successfully evokes a strong sense of psychological unrest in the mind of reader." — Out and About Nashville"drily amusing, suffused with angst and post-war malaise and -- at first blush -- very impressive." — BookFilter"It’s a testament to Reve’s writing and imagination that the question of Frits will haunt the reader long after they’re finished." — Pop Matters"A classic of dry, dark humour… it captures a very specific flavour of ennui." — Herald"I warmly recommend Gerard Reve’s hilariously gloomy The Evenings… I see it as a Dutch version of Kafka’s Metamorphosis." — Observer "A Meursault-in-waiting, a blank Holden Caulfield, a precursor to the kid in Iain Bank’s The Wasp Factory. Very good." — Evening Standard"As a study of aimlessness in postwar Europe it is difficult, perhaps impossible to surpass." — Irish Times"This much lauded book, finally available in English, [is] the perfect January read." — The Spectator"The novel is dark, funny, unsettling and lingers vividly in the mind. Hats off to Pushkin Press and the outstanding translator, Sam Garrett, for making this odd, orphaned masterpiece available at last to an English-speaking readership." — Times Literary Supplement"The Evenings is packed with the minutiae of life: luckily, the minutiae are fascinating…Reve isn't the kind of novelist to give you a straightforward answer but the journey is quite a ride." — The Times“Reve’s keen eye for absurdity manages to cast the mundane in a new, albeit macabre, light.” — Financial Times"This 1947 Dutch novel, considered the Netherlands' greatest in the twentieth century and now published in English for the first time...is a savage novel, full of strange, cold laughter." — The Daily Mail"[A] dark masterpiece... a powerful story." — The Observer"I was also pleased to see Gerard Reve’s funny, poignant debut novel, The Evenings, available in English … It’s like BS Johnson and Kafka wandering the crepuscular streets of of 1940s Amsterdam together – in a good way." — Alex Preston, The Observer Best Fiction of 2016 round up"Batavophile bookworms can rejoice now that possibly the greatest Amsterdam novel is now available in English… for a testament to ennui, it’s strangely gripping." —A-Mag (Amsterdam)"With the first English translation of 1947 Dutch masterpiece The Evenings, by the out-of-time, out-of-step gay Catholic convert Gerard Reve, [Pushin Press] makes perhaps its most crucial contribution yet to bringing quietened, radical non-English voices into the open. Reve’s debut doesn’t have the mainstream-baiting sensationalism of his later, sex and religion-focused, work. But it’s debatable whether he ever wrote anything better. Trying to sum up the rare quality of this novel in a few hundred words is akin to tossing off a pithy one-liner on Karl Ove Knausgård’s six-volume opus My Struggle. Comparisons to that chronicle of domestic minutiae are actually rather neat; much of The Evenings’ enticing devilment is in its mesmerising detail." — The Big Issue"A masterwork of comic pathos...It should be acknowledged as one of the finest studies of youthful malaise ever written...In all fairness to Salinger, The Evenings is so much better...For a narrative so funny, it is also profoundly moving.'" — Eileen Battersby, The Irish Times"An undisputed classic...it's a fantastic novel." — Andre van Loon, Sunday Telegraph"This deft translation by Sam Garrett offers English readers the exploits of the cynical and awkward 23-year-old Frits van Egters as he wends his way through the last 10 days of 1946 in Amsterdam. . . In a strangely compelling way the gloom (and eventual hope) of this nearly plotless novel is its strongest quality. How does one find meaning in life when death permeates every dream? Seventy years later, the English-speaking world is gifted with a glimpse into that time. And we sigh. It is nearly as relevant now." — Winnipeg Free Press"An edgy, atmospheric and sardonically funny book which was way ahead of its time. Still possessing the power to shock but also to beguile, the novel’s bold stylistic tricks and its hero’s original thoughts and deeds mark it out as a classic in any language... it is now time for a wider audience to discover its weird textures and dark delights." — The National (UAE)"Gerard Reve's sardonic classic The Evenings is finally translated into English." — Culturetrip"An understated novel that’s funny, bizarre and yet emotionally renewing." — Attitude“If The Evenings had appeared in English in the 1950s, it would have become every bit as much a classic as On the Road and The Catcher in the Rye.” — Herman Koch, the Dutch bestselling author of The Dinner"Hilarious, disturbing and humane." - Joe Dunthorne, author of Submarine“This book, an important classic in the Netherlands and long, long overdue in English, is as funny as it is peculiar. Reve really deserves more attention in the Anglophone world.” - Lydia Davis “Unlike John Williams, Gerard Reve’s work was critically acclaimed and sold exceptionally well during his lifetime. But, just like Stoner, The Evenings is brilliantly written, and has a maximum impact on the reader’s soul.” - Oscar van Gelderen, the Dutch publisher who rediscovered John Williams’ Stoner

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Book SynopsisDetective Inspector Sep Black finds himself investigating two connected cold cases in the second of this exhilarating series of hard-hitting police procedurals.When a wealthy businessman suffers a fatal fall from his office window, the forensic evidence points to murder. But with no suspects, no clues and no apparent motive, the police investigation stalls. It''s passed over to the Cold Case Unit where it remains on file, inactive until further evidence emerges.Some months later, an attractive widow approaches DI Sep Black with a request that he look into the murder of her husband. Freelance journalist James Boswell had been working on a major story - and his widow Sandra believes it had something to do with his death. What did Boswell discover that got him killed?As he starts to ask questions, Black uncovers a possible connection between the two murders. But before he can find out more, an almost-successful attempt on his life reveals that someone is determined to stop him finding out the truth - whatever it takes.

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Book SynopsisSet in the 5th century AD, Azazeel is the exquisitely crafted tale of a Coptic monk's journey from Upper Egypt to Alexandria and then Syria during a time of massive upheaval in the early Church. Winner of the Arab Booker Prize, Azazeel highlights how the history of our civilization has been warped by greed and avarice since its very beginnings and how one man's beliefs are challenged not only by the malice of the devil, but by the corruption with the early Church. In sparse and often sparkling prose that reflects the arid beauty of the Syrian landscape, Azazeel is a novel that forces us to re-think many of our long-held beliefs and invites us to rediscover a lost history.Trade ReviewA believably human and universal tale of a man, racked with doubt and temptation, on a journey to find himself... The writing is unflashy and sincere, neatly matching the monasticism at the book's heart. * Observer *An astonishing feat of imaginative fiction... Azazeel might be the most compelling and inventive novel published this year. A triumph. * Irish Examiner *

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Book SynopsisThe completely uncut edition of James Clavell's classic KING RAT, in fresh new packaging for a new generation of readersTrade ReviewA splendidly exciting and original story * Sunday Telegraph *Terrifyingly exciting suspense * Ian Fleming *KING RAT is the best novel in English to have come out of Japanese prisoner of war camps . . . James Clavell is a teller of stories. They are complicated and exciting, and you are desperate to know what will happen to his characters because they are like the people you know from your own life and experience, set in strange and sometimes terrible circumstances * John Simpson *

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Book SynopsisA captivating debut about defying expectations, hilarious and hopeful in equal measureTrade Review'This fierce young woman's struggle for independence in a city that is way out of step with the time-honoured traditions of the rural village in which she grew up is vivid, witty and utterly absorbing.' Daily Mail'I love this book so much I turned the pages so fast... It's all about the search for independence and being true to yourself and who you really are.' Reese Witherspoon'Mesmerising... This is not a book to read with one eye on a beach volleyball tournament; it’s a story to soak up in silence, on a long, cloudy afternoon when you have time to think.' New York Times'With characters making questionable decisions and a rather brilliant ending, this is a good old-fashion book club read that'll leave you arguing about character motivations and morals.' Stylist'Bursting with warmth, humour and richly drawn characters you can’t help but root for.' Cosmopolitan'A story that kept me tied to the page, told in masterful, seamless prose... Medie depicts a vivid and dazzling Accra, and it's impossible not to root for Afi as she finds her footing within it.' BuzzFeed'A unique and unapologetic marriage story that shines with honesty, humanity, power and grace: once you pick this book up, you won't be able to put it down. Medie's urgent, intimate voice is exactly what the world needs right now.' Mathangi Subramanian, author of A People's History of Heaven'This rich, rewarding debut novel follows a Ghanaian seamstress — forced into an arranged marriage with a wealthy man she has never met — on her journey of self-discovery.' New York Times, Notable Books of 2020'A refreshingly modern Ghanaian love story.' Marie Claire'[A] witty riff on the Cinderella fairytale.' Sainsbury's Magazine'A young Ghanaian woman embarks on a questionable marriage in this entertaining comedy of manners.' i, '30 great books for Easter''Engaging, provocative... A memorable debut from a writer whose frustrations with certain aspects of the culture of her homeland come brilliantly to life.' Irish Times'If you are looking to escape to another country, take a trip to Ghana with His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie... Best of all it's all underpinned by a warm coming-of-age-tale mixed in with a subtle takedown of the patriarchy.' The Sunday Times (South Africa)

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Book SynopsisA collection of stories containing a range of emotional force and dark humour. It unfolds a series of portraits of the young, the hip, the lost, the unsettled and the unhinged of America.

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Book SynopsisJohn Stewart Collis was born in 1900. His father was a Dublin solicitor and Collis was educated at Rugby School and Balliol College, Oxford. In 1925 he published a biography of George Bernard Shaw and he later went on to write other biographical works and also became a pioneer of the ecological movement in Britain. During the Second World War his wife and daughters were evacuated to the United States and he worked for the Land Army as an agricultural labourer - accompanied by his beloved dog, Bindo. His memoirs and meditations on rural life, While Following the Plough (1946) and Down to Earth (1947) were first published together as The Worm Forgives the Plough in 1973, which has become a classic of nature writing.Trade ReviewHe is the poet among modern ecologists, a natural philosopher who , whether he is writing about trees or rainbows, an iceberg or a piece of chalk, never takes a fact without linking it to an idea, or an idea without connecting it to a fact. His book dispenses information in the language of the imagination, and by peeling back the film by which everything appears dully familiar, reveals a vision of the world miraculously transfigured -- Michael Holroyd * The Times *Collis' divine gift is to explain the extraordinary nature of the ordinary * Sunday Times *A philosopher who had a shining view of the natural world, and was able to divine the magic inherent in phenomena so commonplace that we take them for granted * Guardian *These jottings establish the man as one of the greatest recorders of English agricultural life -- Val Hennessey * Daily Mail *A little classic * The Oldie *

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Book SynopsisCIA agent Miles Brookhaven was attacked in a souk while infiltrating rebel groups in the area. No one was certain if his cover had been blown or if the act was just an arbitrary attack on Westerners. Months later, the incident remains a mystery. Now, Liz Carlyle and her Counter Terrorism unit in MI5 have been charged with the task of observing the international under-the-counter arms trade. With the Arabic region in such a volatile state, British Intelligence forces have become increasing concerned that extremist Al-Qaeda jihadis are building their power base, ready to launch another attack. As the pressure mounts, Liz and her team must intercept illegal weapons before they get into the wrong hands. But when MI5 learns that the source of the arms deals is located in Western Europe, Liz finds herself on a manhunt that leads her to Paris, to Berlin and into her own long-forgotten past. A past buried so deep that she thought it would never resurface . . .THE DEVIL''S BARGAIN, the brTrade ReviewShe bids to join the ranks of such secret-agent authors as Somerset Maugham, Graham Greene and John le Carré * Wall Street Journal *A wealth of persuasive detail, obviously drawn from first-hand experience * Marie Claire *This is something rare: the spy novel that prizes authenticity over fabrication that is true to the character and spirit of intelligence work * Mail on Sunday *For a pacy page-turner, she's a safe bet . . . Rimington is particularly strong in her accounts of procedure, unsurprisingly, given her past role as Head of MI5 * Independent *Faster than Le Carré, she creates the same sense of real characters struggling with real problems * John Sandford *Liz Carlyle is an MI5 agent with the traditional thriller-heroine mix of dysfunctional personal life and steely ambition * Daily Telegraph *Rimington’s best work demonstrates a flair for narrative, with a sense of authenticity and an insider’s grasp on the pressing issues of the day * Washington Post *Rich with authentic details from Rimington's own life as director general of MI5, this is a must-read for fans of contemporary spy fiction * Publishers Weekly *

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Book SynopsisA literary glimpse into the early decades of independent India. Drawing influences from Indian folktales, French existentialism, and the Bengali Hungryalist movement, Rajkamal Chaudhary’s œuvre is like a secret back alley in an old city—not completely forgotten but existing only for the few. Even though Chaudhary also wrote in Maithili and Bengali, it was his writings in Hindi that established him as the bold new experimentalist of Indian literature. His India of the 1950 and 60s is populated with hopeless literature professors, scattered alcohol bottles, prostitutes, hysteria patients, and sell-out painters. His unconventional life and writing place him outside the mainstream, and so he remains as uncategorizable as the characters and lives he wrote about. Bringing together twelve of his most representative short stories, translated for the first time in English, Traces of Boots on Tongue and Other Stories allows a glimpse into the early decades of independent India and its weariness, which many readers will find in today’s India as well.Table of Contents1.Pyramid2.Snakes of Silent Valleys 3.A Man in Anger4.A Champa Bud: A Venomous Snake 5.Veni Sanhar 6.Like a Wall of Glass7.Traces of Boots on Tongue8.Elementary Knowledge of Geography9.Sisters-in-Law10.Nature Morte11.Warrior Doesn’t Worry about the Right Time12.Some People in a Burning House

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Book SynopsisINTRODUCED BY PHILIP HENSHER'Elizabeth Taylor is finally being recognised as an important British author: an author of great subtlety, great compassion and great depth. As a reader, I have found huge pleasure in returning to Taylor's novels and short stories many times over. As a writer I've returned to her too - in awe of her achievements, and trying to work out how she does it' SARAH WATERSA brilliant novel about the damage caused by relentless 'niceness'. Uncritical, encouraging, 'the soul of kindness', Flora's help is the cruelest hindrance to those who love her most.'Here I am!' Flora called to Richard as she went downstairs. For a second, Meg felt disloyalty. It occurred to her of a sudden that Flora was always saying that, and that it was in the tone of one giving a lovely present.Elegant, blonde and beautiful, Flora has everything under control: her perfect home, her husband Richard, her friend Meg, adoring Kit, and the writer Patrick. Flora entrances everyone, dangling visions of happiness and success before their spellbound eyes. All are bewitched by this golden tyrant. Except, that is, for the clear-eyed painter, Liz, who can see that Flora's kindness is the sweetest poison of them all.Trade ReviewThe Soul of Kindness, like many of Elizabeth Taylor's novels, is so expert that it seems effortless. As it progresses, it seems as if the cast are so fully rounded that all the novelist had to do was place them, successively, in one setting after another and observe how they reacted to each other ... Taylor is one of the hidden treasures of the English novel -- Philip Hensher * Daily Telegraph *Elizabeth Taylor is finally being recognised as an important British author: an author of great subtlety, great compassion and great depth. As a reader, I have found huge pleasure in returning to Taylor's novels and short stories many times over. As a writer I've returned to her too - in awe of her achievements, and trying to work out how she does it * Sarah Waters *Always intelligent, often subversive and never dull, Elizabeth Taylor is the thinking person's dangerous housewife. Her sophisticated prose combines elegance, icy wit and freshness in a stimulating cocktail - the perfect toast to the quiet horror of domestic life * Valerie Martin *

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Book SynopsisWhen you look at a painting, what do you really see? When eighteenth-century poet Alison Cockburn accepts a light-hearted challenge from her friend Katherine Hume to live as a man, in order to infiltrate Edinburgh’s all-male skating club, little do they both realise how her new identity will shape their future. And in the present, art historian Claire Sharp receives a mysterious request: to settle once and for all the true provenance of the iconic painting The Skating Minister. The Edinburgh Skating Club is the tale of one woman's mission to infiltrate a male-dominated society. Imaginative, romantic and ultimately moving, this time-shift adventure celebrates the women overlooked by history – and, above all, love, in all its unexpected forms.Trade Review'The Edinburgh Skating Club is an engaging read, in which discussions about art, politics, love and gender are woven deftly into the plot' -- Kirsty McLuckie * The Scotsman *'History, humour, and plenty of heart, in a slice of Edinburgh heritage served up with more than one unexpected twist. Perfect for fans of Alexander McCall Smith, art lovers and anyone who loves the capital' -- Barbara Henderson * Highland News and Media *'A pacy tale traversing both 18th century and modern-day Edinburgh' -- Jennifer McLaren * Dundee Courier *'In this playful and poignant offering of historical fiction, Sloan celebrates love and the unsung contributions of women to Scottish culture... both heart-breaking and enchanting in equal measure' -- Kai Durkin * Press and Journal *'The Edinburgh Skating Club is warm and funny with more than a few surprises. It’s a very entertaining read with an unexpectedly emotional ending' * Portobello Book Blog *'As fascinating and pleasurable as I could have hoped... Embedded in sound historical research, this is a feel-good read which tackles issues of sexism through the ages without ever taking itself too seriously' -- Ali Bacon'Most impressive and a delight to read' * University of Edinburgh Journal *'Sloan incrementally builds up a plot of some complexity and provides an enjoyable symmetry between period and modern scenes' -- Ben Bergonzi * Historical Novel Society *

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