Narrative theme: sense of place

Book Synopsis'Wildly original, morose, uproarious... It is also one of the funniest books ever written' Susan SontagA naive young man is sent by the bishop of Iceland to investigate a small town that has reportedly lost its faith. The church is boarded up and the errant pastor lives with a woman who is not his wife. He has also allowed a corpse to be lodged in the glacier. So the rumours go.What he discovers is a community that regards itself as the centre of the world - earthly yet otherworldly, banal yet astonishing. Brimming with humour, mystery, and the supernatural this is a surprising and moving novel from the Nobel Prize-winning Icelandic author.WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY SUSAN SONTAGTrade ReviewThis is a novel of immense charm... It's a book of ideas, like no other Laxness ever wrote -- Susan SontagUnder the Glacier is hilarious, in a deadpan, northern-edge-of-the-world sort of way -- Andrew O'Hehir * Salon *Whimsical... deliriously funny... impishly chaotic * Kirkus Reviews *Under the Glacier is a journey to the center of Laxness's antic imagination, and it is well worth the trip -- Vincent Czyz * The Arts Fuse *

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Book SynopsisUnwrap this gorgeous gift of a book for an escape to the snow-peaked caps of the Scottish Highlands and a romance that will melt your heartIzzy McBride had never in a million years expected to inherit an actual castle from her great uncle Bill but here she was, in the run up to Christmas, Monarch of her own Glen a very rundown glen in need of a lot of TLC if her dream of turning it into a boutique bed and breakfast was to come true.But when Izzy's eccentric mother rents a room to enigmatic thriller author Ross Adair and the Scottish snow starts to settle like the frosting on a Christmas cake, it's a race to get the castle ready before they're all snowed in for the holidays.Praise for Julie Caplin:One unputdownable story' Katie FfordeAn irresistible slice of escapism' Phillipa AshleyFive big fat stars' Sue MoorcroftTrade Review‘A fantastic, huggable, hilarious and addictive read’ The Writing Garnet ‘It’s all about the feels…I absolutely loved it’ The Cosiest Corner ‘Sweet, funny and deliciously heart-warming’ Frankly, My Dear… ‘I've already read it again since I finished it… a true sign of how much I enjoyed it’ Life Appears

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Book SynopsisA Richard & Judy Book Club Pick, Mum & Dad is a heartwarming family drama set in the vineyards of Spain. From the number one bestselling author of An Unsuitable Match, Joanna Trollope, and told with all her trademark wit and wisdom.'Trollope’s bestselling novel brings elegance and warmth to a painfully familiar dilemma' – Daily MailWhat happens when family roles are reversed and the children must look after mum and dad?It’s been twenty-five years since Gus and Monica left England to start a new life in Spain, building a wine business from the ground up. However, when Gus suffers a stroke and their idyllic Mediterranean life is thrown into upheaval, it’s left to their three grown-up children in London to step in . . .As the children descend on the vineyard, it becomes clear that each has their own idea of how best to handle their mum and dad, as well as the family business. But as long-simmering resentments rise to the surface and tensions reach breaking point, will the family finally fall apart?'No-one dissects the intricacies of family relationships quite like Joanna Trollope' - Good HousekeepingTrade ReviewNo-one dissects the intricacies of family relationships quite like her -- Good HousekeepingTrollope's mastery of the family saga means this tightly plotted tale makes for a thoughtful, absorbing read -- Daily MailA meticulous family drama, bristling with resentment and regret -- Mail on SundayTrollope is an extremely assured writer, with a brilliant eye for detail and a finely tuned emotional intelligence . . . she writes absorbing, wise stories that dramatize the dilemmas we face * Sunday Times *With her compassion for her characters, Trollope cuts to the quick of family life, and the difference between men and women -- Fanny Blake * Woman & Home *Joanna Trollope's novels address the issues and emotional journeys that face women today * Sunday Express *Trollope writes about family relationships with intelligence and clear-eyed sympathy * The Times *Nobody writes about family tensions better than Joanna Trollope * Good Housekeeping *Trollope’s bestselling novel brings elegance and warmth to a painfully familiar dilemma * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisFor fans of The Little Paris Bookshop and The Elegance of the Hedgehog, The Girl Who Reads on the Métro is the French phenomenon by Christine Féret-Fleury, ready to charm book-lovers everywhere . . .When Juliette takes the métro to her loathed office job each morning, her only escape is in books – she avidly reads on her journey and imagines what her fellow commuters’ choices might say about them.Then she meets Soliman – the mysterious owner of the most enchanting bookshop Juliette has ever seen – and things will never be the same again. For Soliman believes in the power of books to change the course of a life, and he’s about to change Juliette’s forever . . .

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Book SynopsisA moving novel of love and war by the author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo and Songbirds.It is July 1974 and on a bright, sunny morning, the Turkish army has invaded the town of Kyrenia in Cyprus. For many people, this means an end to life as they know it. But for some, it is a chance to begin living again. Everyone has always talked about Koki. They never believed she was her father's daughter and her mother died too soon to quiet their wagging tongues. And when she became pregnant and there was no sign of a husband, her fate was sealed. So she lives outside the town and hides from her neighbours' eyes. But, held captive with the very women who have made her life so lonely, Koki is finally able to tell them the truth. To talk of the Turkish shoe-maker who came to the town and took her heart away with him when he left. And how she has longed for him all these years. Meanwhile, Adem Berker finds himself back in Kyrenia, his former home, now as a member of the invading force. Here he left everything he ever wanted and, by cover of darkness, risking his life, he is searching every house, every cafe, every old pathway, for just a glimpse of the only woman he has ever loved.For readers of The Island, The Book Thief and The Kite Runner.Trade ReviewSo much more than another romantic beach, this is a powerful piece of writing - Sunday Telegraph

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Book SynopsisThree men go out fishing, returning to a favourite spot on the river despite their memories of a terrible accident there years earlier. As a long, sultry day passes, they drink and cook and talk and dance, and try to overcome the ghosts of their past. But they are outsiders, and this intimate, peculiar moment also puts them at odds with the inhabitants of this watery universe, both human and otherwise. The forest presses close, and violence seems inevitable, but can another tragedy be avoided?Rippling across time like the river that runs through it, Selva Almada’s latest novel is the finest expression yet of her compelling style and singular vision of rural Argentina.This masterful novel reveals once again Selva Almada's unique voice and extraordinary sensitivity, allowing its characters to shine and express in action what the depths of their souls harbour.One of the Best Books of 2020 in Clarín and La NaciónShortlisted for the Mario Vargas Llosa Novel PrizeTrade Review"A virtuoso literary work. […] Flashbacks and side scenes deepen the story which curls and twines like a thrusting tropical vine through the past, roping in sisters, wives, old lovers, boyhood adventures, and jealousies."" —Annie Proulx , author of THE SHIPPING NEWS"Told with the hallucinatory atmosphere of a dream, this astonishing, stark novel doesn’t turn away from the hypnotic and disturbing effects of violence. Not a River plunges us straight into the depths of its silences, bracingly so—the longer the quiet goes, the more terrible the rupture."" —Manuel Muñoz , author of WHAT YOU SEE IN THE DARK"Selva Almada constructs a lyric of roughness, of few words, a lyric in which the strong, calloused hands of her characters hardly need to be described to make themselves felt. They touch you. "" —Gabriela Cabezón Cámara , author of THE ADVENTURES OF CHINA IRON"Whether we are on an island or not, water is displacement, and reading this novel gently carries us through characters and places. " —Agencia Paco Urondo"Selva Almada’s voice has made its own mark on contemporary Argentinean literature, to such an extent that situating her as a writer by referring to the Southern Gothic of authors such as Faulkner, O’Connor or McCullers are superfluous. With Not a River, she establishes her own way of looking at things in order to create literature. " —Pagina/12"Almada is not a folkloric writer, but even so, she knows how to capture the idiosyncrasy of a region. Her characters reveal, in their parsimony, a dense inner life, plagued by existential concerns. Perhaps silence and the voices of nature take the place of possible answers. " —La Nación"This is a narrative of great depth in which the settings (the river, fishing, the island) emerge from a very powerful poetic narration that keeps quiet more than it says aloud, that omits more than it recounts, a dreamlike voice marked by an infinite and familiar wound anchored in a dialectic between dreams and an indestructible future. " —El periódico"In some passages of the novel, Almada seems to whisper what she is recounting rather than saying it out loud: her asymptomatic, almost invisible writing, punctuates the breathing of the sentences to create brief, beautiful images. " —El Tiempo"It is worth asking ourselves whether, as has often been said, Selva Almada’s literature has reinvented the rural imaginary of a region of our country, or whether her task is rather to point out the contrasts and contradictions of the dominant culture, in order to indirectly confront it. " —Revista Otra Parte************Praise for Selva Almada"I always read Selva Almada with devotion but NOT A RIVER is something else. I had to stand up and read it out loud in my living room. It is that good." —Samanta Schweblin."A major Latin American literary force." —Shelf Awareness"Almada is forceful in her depictions of sex, violence, and rage. I feel her prose in my body: a punch in the gut, the sharpness of glass." —Chicago Review of Books"There is a tremendous carnality to Almada’s writing, vividly captured in McDermott’s translation" —LA Review of Books"Almada combines reportage, fiction, and autobiography to explore femicide in Argentina in her acute, unflinching latest." —Publishers Weekly, starred review"An unassuming yet intensely felt narrative. (4 stars)" —The Arts Desk"Not an easy book, but it feels like an important one – a work of investigative writing about how easily women’s lives are obscured." —The Scotsman"Part journalism, part history, part autobiography, part relentless nightmare." —Shelf Awareness, starred review"This is a powerful read...[Almada's] effective use of fiction ensures a deep empathy in her readers which strict reportage sometimes fails to evoke." —The Big Issue"Almada’s prose is sparse, but the details count. Her ear for dialogue and especially gossip is pitch perfect. Her eye for detail is hawkish." —LA Review of Books"A tense, precise chronicle that treats seriously a still serious subject." —El Cultural"You’ll walk away from this book with a vivid memory of where you were, how you were feeling, and what the weather was like on the day that you read Dead Girls." —Books and Bao"This is not a book that will make you feel at peace with the world, but that is precisely where its strength and persuasion lie." —Translating Women"The literary quality of the text shines." —Sound and Vision"The prose strikes a perfect tone – clinical and punchy when necessary, angry and lyrical, brutal yet humanistic." —TN2"Challenge[s] the true crime obsession in an indirect way. " —Pendora Magazine"A powerful read, shedding a stark light on the horrors of gender violence." —The Big Issue"What makes the book compelling is how the author explores issues of domestic violence, state complicity, machismo and family negligence, along with class and social inequalities, in a non-sentimental prose which is all the more effective as result." —Morning Star"Genre-defying, with beautifully crafted and reflective prose." —The F Word"The devastating conclusion of the narrator is that the women who survive are unlikely to have made it unscathed but they are lucky ones – lucky to be alive." —NB Magazine"It is a profound novel and call to action still relevant as activists continue to take to the streets throughout Latin America to decry, ‘ni una más’ (not one more)." —The Skinny"It’s crisp, bracing, and beautiful." —White Review"Part coming-of-age, part detective work, partly a web of rumors, Almada’s story fuses a variety of genres to create a work that splits the seams of personal narrative, journalism, and fiction." —NACLA"Exquisite prose that vibrates with a deep, melodious rage." —The Monthly Booking"Recounted with a lyrical simplicity that is almost brutal." —The Oxonian Review"Painstakingly investigated ... imbued with personal connection" —The Oxonian Review"Fate has in Dead Girls the perfume of a Greek tragedy: immutable, irreversible, lethal." —El País"Far from the detective story, this is an intimate tale, a certain negative of the autobiography of a young woman looking at other young women and how all of them are perceived by a society where misogyny and violence against them is still an everyday affair." —Pagina/12"Selva Almada reinvents the imaginative rural world of a country. She is an author gifted with a very uncommon power and sensitivity." —Rolling Stone (Argentina)"Gripping, shocking and sad." —The Book Satchel"Dead Girls is a brutal, necessary story in which Almada describes the crimes, states the facts and lays bare the horror of these femicides." —Tony's Reading List**********Edinburgh International Book Festival First book Award (Winner)Book Cover of the Year (Saltire Awards) (Winner)"Like Flannery O’Connor and Juan Rulfo, Almada fills her taut, eerie novel with an understanding of rural life, loneliness, temptation and faith." —BBC Culture"Billed as a ‘promising voice’ in Latin American literature, this tale delivers readily on that promise." —Booklist"The drama of this refreshingly unpredictable debut . . . smolders like a lit fuse waiting to touch off its well-orchestrated events. . . . A stimulating, heady story." —Publishers Weekly"The story packs a punch in its portraits of a man who exalts heaven and another who protests." —Kirkus"A dynamic introduction to a major Latin American literary force." —Shelf Awareness, starred review"[The Wind That Lays Waste] delivers exactly that compressed pressurised electricity of a gathering thunderstorm: it sparks and sputters with live-wire tension." —TANK Magazine"The Wind That Lays Waste is elegant and stark, a kind of emblem or vision fetched from the far edges of things, arrested and stripped to its essence, as beautiful as it is unnerving. "" —Paul Harding , author of TINKERS"The Wind That Lays Waste is a mesmerizing novel, at once strange and compelling."" —Bonnie Jo Campbell , author of MOTHERS, TELL YOUR DAUGHTERS"The quality and resolve of her prose produce a power of suggestion that is unique to Selva Almada." —El País"The best novel written in Argentina in the last few years? Don’t know, and don’t care, but you must read Selva Almada." —El País"Almada’s prose has a touch of the Faulkner of As I Lay Dying but passed through the filters of the dirty light of the cotton fields and the clean clothes worn by country people to Sunday mass."" —Germán Machado"A distinctive debut: atmospheric, tension-packed, and written in vivid, poetic language." —Books from Scotland"Perhaps most powerful in the book is Almada’s focus on detail―she skillfully renders the story of a day in brief chapters that reveal the thoughts and fleeting encounters of characters, who are largely living inside themselves." —Ploughshares"Almada’s nuanced approach leaves room to explore her characters’ pasts in some detail, but, crucially, these individuals . . . are not defined by their mistakes." —ZYZZYVA"What seems fantastical soon turns hyper-realistic, in a style that is reminiscent of Juan Rulfo or Sara Gallardo." —La Nación**********"A successful riff on a classic Shakespearean tale." —Publishers Weekly"Such is Almada’s command of shape and pace, and the clean-edged vigour of the style McDermott voices with such skill, that we take Brickmakers on its own uncompromising terms – as pulp, tragedy and epic all at once." —The Arts Desk"Almada is forceful in her depictions of sex, violence, and rage. I feel her prose in my body: a punch in the gut, the sharpness of glass. McDermott’s translation captures the bite of Almada’s sentences, which render both tenderness and violence with devastating clarity." —Chicago Review of Books"Almada's breathtaking multigenerational tragedy is a haunting, unforgettable examination of the lasting consequences of careless inhumanity." —Shelf Awareness, starred review"Best books of 2021" —The Financial Times"There is a tremendous carnality to Almada’s writing, vividly captured in McDermott’s translation" —LA Review of Books"A rich, confident and urgent read." —Lunate"Brickmakers is one of the best books I've read this year ... It’s a brilliant, sizzling, unmissable treat" —Translating Women**********

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Book SynopsisPeter James is a UK No.1 bestselling author, best known for his Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series, now a hit ITV drama starring John Simm as the troubled Brighton copper.Much loved by crime and thriller fans for his fast-paced page-turners full of unexpected plot twists, sinister characters, and accurate portrayal of modern day policing, he has won over 40 awards for his work including the WHSmith Best Crime Author of All Time Award and Crime Writers' Association Diamond Dagger. In 2024, it was announced that he is the creator of Her Majesty Queen Camilla's favourite fictional detective.To date, Peter has written an impressive total of 20 Sunday Times No. 1s, sold over 21 million copies worldwide and been translated into 38 languages. His books are also often adapted for the stage, with his six stage shows grossing over 17 million at the box office the most recent being Wish You Were Dead.Trade ReviewImpeccable . . . * Sunday Times *Superbly creepy modern horror story. -- Book of the Week * Sunday Mirror *This novel from the brilliant Peter James had the hairs standing up on our arms from the first page. -- Book of the Week * Heat Magazine *James is a compelling storyteller and he ratchets up the tension in increments, so that his readers will be suitably terrified. By the time you want to scream 'Look behind you!', it's already too late. -- Halloween Chillers * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisStep right up for the most captivating read of the year . . .Filled with the sights and sounds of Victorian England, Circus of Wonders is the instant Sunday Times bestseller from Elizabeth Macneal, author of The Doll Factory.‘Intensely satisfying’ – Stacey Halls, author of The FamiliarsEngland, 1866. When Jasper Jupiter’s Circus of Wonders arrives in a coastal village, Nell soon catches the showman’s eye. Shunned by her community because of the birthmarks speckling her skin, to Jasper she is a prize – she could be his very own leopard girl. But how to make her his?Soon Nell finds herself the star of Jasper’s show. Suddenly she is famous. Crowds rush to watch her soar through the air. Figurines are cast in her image. Even Queen Victoria wants to see her perform. But is Nell free to live and love as she chooses? And when her fame begins to eclipse Jasper’s own, could she be in danger? After all, the higher you fly, the steeper the fall . . .‘Filled with character and life’ – The Times‘Utterly beguiling’ – Daily Mail‘Brilliantly involving’ – Daily Express‘Exhilarating’ – Sunday Times, Books of the Year‘An immersive gem’ – Red‘Joyous, frightening, heartbreaking’ – Independent‘Deliciously vivid’ – Woman & HomeThe Burial Plot, Elizabeth's latest cat-and-mouse thriller, is available to pre-order now!Trade ReviewA glittering follow-up to The Doll Factory . . . a mark of Macneal's subtlety and originality * Guardian *Elizabeth Macneal’s marvellous debut, The Doll Factory, was a bestselling success. This second book, beautifully written and filled with character and life, cements her reputation as a new talent * The Times *Elizabeth Macneal has done it again . . . Entrancing, tender, captivating. A marvel. I couldn’t put it down. -- Sara Collins, author of Costa First Novel Award winner The Confessions of Frannie LangtonWonderful . . . Glitters and gleams with the grimy stories of a travelling circus . . . Utterly beguiling * Daily Mail *Spectacular . . . A brilliantly involving story, vivid with the sights and sounds of Victorian England. A fantastic read * Daily Express *Exhilarating . . . shows the same rich imagination Macneal revealed in her debut novel, The Doll Factory * Sunday Times, Books of the Year *An absolute triumph. Exquisitely written, intensely satisfying -- Stacey Halls, author of The FamiliarsDark but tender, evocative and compelling. I loved it -- Laura Shepherd-Robinson, author of Blood & SugarAn equally satisfying exploration of some of the odder corners of Victorian life . . . a novel that again highlights Macneal’s rich imagination and vivid prose * Sunday Times Ireland, Historical Fiction Book of the Month *A fantastical, absolutely immersive gem of a read * Red *Macneal’s complex characters allow her to question how society treats difference, the price of power and vanity, and the pursuit of self-determination. At turns dark, joyous, frightening and heartbreaking, Circus Of Wonders makes for an absorbing read * Independent *A tremendous read. Richly imagined, vividly rendered, each scene is like an old painting in which light gleams off the detail . . . The story is full-bodied and addictive from the outset, told with pace and verve but never compromising style . . . Circus of Wonders displays in abundance everything readers loved about The Doll Factory . . . an ambitious, enlightening novel -- Emma Stonex, author of The LamplightersDeliciously vivid . . . every bit as atmospheric as you’d expect . . . A hopeful story of a girl taking charge of her destiny * Woman & Home *Set in the same Victorian London as her stunning debut, The Doll Factory, Macneal's second novel is both thrilling and humane, bringing to life the brutal world of the freak show * Mail on Sunday *You can’t help but be drawn into the exciting and sometimes macabre world of the circus, with its colourful cast of characters * Good Housekeeping *Another seductive slice of Victorian noir * Sunday Times Scotland *Circus of Wonders is confident and beautifully written -- Sarah Vaughan, author of Anatomy of a ScandalA glittering, begrimed tale of love and self-determination flush with richly detailed prose. Sumptuous, macabre, enthralling; a perfect slice of Victoriana. -- Jane Healey, author of The Animals at Lockwood ManorElizabeth Macneal's novel is spectacular - a book of wonders! -- Alix Nathan, author of The Warlow ExperimentA beautifully told and immersive look at a complex dance between exploitation and empowerment, and the question of what it really means to have control over your own life. I adored its characters, I was utterly gripped throughout, and I loved having my eyes opened to the troubling yet fascinating world of Victorian circuses -- Naomi Ishiguro, author of Escape RoutesCircus of Wonders is a soaring, tumbling, whip-cracking book. Elizabeth Macneal has brought an extraordinary group of characters together in these pages; the result is a glittering world, a story as moving as it is deeply entertaining -- Daniel Mason, author of The Piano TunerExpansive and tender . . . it really pulls you into this fascinating world. -- Beth Underdown, author of The Witchfinder's SisterI loved The Doll Factory and I loved Circus Of Wonders just as much . . .An intriguing and beautifully written love story as well as an exploration of the journey from rejection to adoration . . . Elizabeth Macneal explores the nature of exploitation, pride and vanity through her vibrant and believable characters -- Jenny Quintana, author of The Missing GirlAt turns dark, joyous, frightening and heartbreaking, Circus of Wonders is an absorbing read * Sunday Life *A glittering, soaring, magical exploration of showmanship, voyeurism and storytelling, Circus of Wonders is also a wonderful, sumptuously-written love story. Visceral & cerebral. I loved it. -- Caroline Lea, author of The Glass WomanEngaging and enjoyable * Scotsman *I loved it. Circus of Wonders is a terrific successor to The Doll Factory. I adored the vibrant cast of characters - they are tenderly drawn yet dazzle off the page -- Rachel Hore, author of Last Letter HomeI was dazzled by it from beginning to end. What a fabulous, riveting, engrossing story! There's such a creepy undercurrent of dread and violence running just beneath the surface of everything she writes, yet there's humanity and kindness, a palpable love for Nell and the other circus performers that makes all the characters come to life -- Whitney Scharer, author of The Age of LightAn enjoyable and engrossing novel, which captivates from beginning to end * Historical Novel Society *The gritty glamour of the circus and the horrors of war. Macneal’s characters are finely drawn, their entwined stories playing out against the backdrop of the big top * Daily Mirror *Wonderful * Woman's Weekly *The author of The Doll Factory returns with more high Gothic Victoriana * i newspaper *Deliciously vivid . . . every bit as atmospheric as you'd expect * Woman's Own *The kaleidoscopic world of the Victorian circus, at once enchanting and grotesque, is vividly brought to life . . . a gripping tale * Northern Echo *Fantastic * Psychologies *Packed with atmosphere * Prima *Wonderful * My Weekly *I loved this story for its plot, its characters and its beautiful writing. The author engages all our senses to explore illusion versus reality, keeps us on a tightrope of emotions and presents us with a truly dazzling show * NFOP Magazine *A gripping exploration of fame, love, hope, friendship and whether we can ever own our own stories * New European *[Macneal's] great strength is in imagining vivid inner lives and narratives for people usually sidelined, who in the historical great-man theory merely provide delicacies and amusements for the rich * Catholic Herald *Brilliantly involving, vivid with the gritty glamour of the circus and horrors of war. * Sunday Express *

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Book SynopsisFor fans of I MAY DESTROY YOU and FLEABAG and for readers who want to laugh and cry: the brave, beautiful, sometimes brutal story of a young misfit and her rocky road to womanhood, stopping at each year along the way.'I loved Tennis Lessons so much. Susannah is a phenomenally talented writer' ELIZABETH DAY'A raw, fierce, shockingly honest coming-of-age story' LOUISE O'NEILL 'Incredibly funny . . . by turns charming and disgusting and I loved it' NELL FRIZZELL You're strange and wrong. You've known it from the beginning.This is the voice that rings in your ears. Because you never say the right thing. You're a disappointment to everyone. You're a far cry from beautiful - and your thoughts are ugly too.You seem bound to fail, bound to break. But you know what it is to laugh with your best friend, to feel the first tentative tingles of attraction, to take exquisite pleasure in the affront of your unruly body.You just need to find your place.From dead pets and crashed cars to family traumas and misguided love affairs, Susannah Dickey's revitalizing debut novel plunges us into the private world of one young woman as she navigates her rocky way to adulthood.'Brilliant . . . a wonderful writer, hugely talented, very funny and insightful' ALAN DAVIES'Propulsive . . . brilliantly vivid . . . stays in the mind long after reading' IRISH TIMES'A beautifully written and psychologically incisive bildungsroman...the arrival of a young writer to watch' OBSERVERTrade ReviewThis is a raw, fierce, shockingly honest coming-of-age story. Tennis Lessons heralds the arrival of a startling new voice in literary fiction * Louise O'Neill *I loved Tennis Lessons so much * ELIZABETH DAY *An incredibly funny and poignant portrait of what it is to be young, female and human. The whole thing is witty - the narrative voice, the dialogue, the plot and the detail - while also having searing moments of sadness, discomfort and cruelty. Susannah Dickey has created a world and a main character that is by turns disgusting and charming and I loved it. * Nell Frizzell *A beautifully written and psychologically incisive bildungsroman...the arrival of a young writer to watch * Observer *Brilliant . . . a wonderful writer, hugely talented, very funny and insightful. * Alan Davies *

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Book Synopsis''A tender, heart-felt read, with the perfect blend of ingredients: New York, food, family and romance!'' Sophie Cousens-----Where better to start again than New York?Iris arrives in the city of dreams, intent on restarting her culinary career, and leaving her recent heartache behind.Wandering the streets at a famous food festival, Iris feels like she''s living in a movie. Then she stumbles upon a gelateria that looks strangely familiar. Inside, she meets Gio: a perfect leading man with an irresistible smile - and a crisis of his own.As fate would have it, Iris is the one person with the answer to his problem. She just can''t tell him that . . .So, can Iris finally let go of the past - and let herself fall in love?A sumptuously cosy seasonal love story set in sparkling New York, from the queen of the ''what if?'' romance Josie Silver.-----''Joyous, uplifting and heart-racingly romantic. I devoured it. You''ll find me in Little Italy licking gelato off a hot Italian stallion''s chest'' Cathy Bramley''A unique and gorgeously written love story bursting with characters you''ll want to protect'' Lizzie Damilola Blackburn''Deliciously romantic - I loved everything about it'' Libby Page''A magical love story that had me hooked from the first page'' Cressida McLaughlinTrade Review'The sweetest love story . . . you're going to LOVE it' * Marian Keyes on ONE DAY IN DECEMBER *'Heartbreakingly beautiful, butterfly-inducing and laugh-out-loud funny' * Paige Toon on THE TWO LIVES OF LYDIA BIRD *'Sexy, funny and poignant' * Sophie Cousens on ONE NIGHT ON THE ISLAND *

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Book SynopsisJames Herbert was not just Britain's number one bestselling writer of chiller fiction, a position he held ever since publication of his first novel, but was also one of our greatest popular novelists. Widely imitated and hugely influential, his twenty-three novels have sold more than fifty-four million copies worldwide, and have been translated into over thirty languages, including Russian and Chinese. In 2010, he was made the Grand Master of Horror by the World Horror Convention and was also awarded an OBE by the Queen for services to literature. His final novel was Ash. James Herbert died in March 2013.Trade ReviewThis is a powerfully disturbing read…two pages in, the reader is hooked, and Herbert has done his job. The horror. The horror. * Guardian *A literary Steven Spielberg * Sunday Times *A chilling classic haunted house tale -- Publishers Weekly, starred reviewA new James Herbert novel is always a mesmerizing experience * Fangoria *

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Book SynopsisThe New York Times Top Ten BestsellerFrom the author of Writers & Lovers, Euphoria is Lily King’s gripping novel inspired by the true story of a woman who changed the way we understand our world.‘Pretty much perfect’ – Curtis Sittenfeld, author of RodhamIn 1933 three young, gifted anthropologists are thrown together in the jungle of New Guinea. They are Nell Stone, fascinating, magnetic and famous for her controversial work; her intelligent but aggressive husband Fen, who is uneasy with her success; and Andrew Bankson, who stumbles into the lives of this strange couple and becomes totally enthralled by Nell. Within months the trio are producing their best ever work, but soon a firestorm of fierce love and jealousy begins to burn out of control, threatening their bonds, their careers and, ultimately, their lives . . .‘Lily King is one of our great literary treasures’ – Madeline Miller, author of The Song of Achilles‘Dazzling’ – Emma Donoghue, author of Room‘Taut, witty, fiercely intelligent . . . a love triangle in extremis’ – The New York TimesTrade ReviewPretty much perfect. It's a novel about a Margaret Mead-like character in New Guinea in the 30s, and it's so smart and rich and alive. -- Curtis Sittenfeld, author of American Wife, Best Books of 2014This dazzling novel bites like a tropical insect, and makes anthropology seem more exciting than any other profession -- Emma Donogue, author of RoomA brilliant reimagining of Mead's pioneering exploits . . . the artfulness of her characterisation is so adept that her prose has the force of truth. * Daily Telegraph *Jaw-droppingly, heart-stoppingly beautiful -- Paula McLain, author of The Paris WifeA taut, witty, fiercely intelligent tale of competing egos and desires in a landscape of exotic menace . . . Exquisite * New York Times *Dramatic, insightful and absorbing . . . she captures the amber of one man's exquisite longing for a woman who changed the way we look at ourselves * Washington Post *Persuasive and evocative . . . Finely crafted . . . it shows a talented writer unwilling to settle for what she already does well and eager to give herself new challenges; her ambition is laudable * Los Angeles Times *From Conrad to Kingsolver, the misdeeds of Westerners have inspired their own literary subgenre, and in King's insightful, romantic addition, the work of novelist and anthropologist find resonant parallel: In the beauty and cruelty of others, we discover our own * Vogue *Thrilling . . . intense, seductive, sexual, and intellectual . . . It's grit-in-your-teeth sensuous * San Francisco Chronicle *Euphoria is simply one of the finest novels I've read in years -- Andre Dubus III, author of House of Sand and FogI have come to expect Lily King's nuanced explorations of the human heart, but in this novel she pulled me in to the exotic world of a woman anthropologist working with undiscovered tribes in 1930s New Guinea and I was totally captivated -- Karl Marlantes, author of MatterhornDazzling . . . in King's expert hands the three protagonists soon become richly rendered characters, each with her or his own suspenseful narrative . . . an exhilarating novel * Boston Globe *This impeccably researched story illuminates the state of the world as clearly as the passion of its characters . . . a thrilling read that, at its end, does indeed feel like 'the briefest, purest euphoria'' * Publishers Weekly *A small gem, disturbing and haunting * Kirkus *Atmospheric and sensual, with startling images throughout, Euphoria is an intellectually stimulating tour de force -- Jane Ciabattari, author of Stealing the FireAdventure and romance, danger and knowledge, desire and desolation . . . exquisitely braided, they form the core of Euphoria . . . I'm left breathless, excited, ready to wander and explore, a little afraid, enamored, enlightened -- Bill Roorbach, author of Life Among GiantsMasterful . . . A great novelist is like an anthropologist, examining what humans do by habit and custom . . . This is a riveting and provocative novel, absolutely first-rate * Seattle Times *Fresh, brilliantly structured, and fully imagined -- Andrea Barrett, author of Archangel and Ship FeverEuphoria is a brilliantly written book and entirely fascinating from start to finish -- Alice Greenway, author of The Bird SkinnerKing's novel turns an episode in the life of Margaret Mead into a taut tale of competing egos and desires in a landscape of exotic menace -- Notable Books of 2014 * New York Times *

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Book Synopsis'The kind of book that gives you hope and courage. I loved it' Kit de Waal'Insightful, thoughtful' Carys Bray'I relished every word' Shelley Harris'Such a warm and touching novel' Lissa Evans A moving and courageous exploration of belonging and finding home in a rapidly-changing world from the critically acclaimed author of Shelter.Jo grew up in the Forest of Dean, but she was always the one destined to leave for a bigger, brighter future. When her parents retire from their butcher's shop, she returns to her beloved community to save the family legacy, hoping also to save herself. But things are more complex than the rose-tinted version of life which sustained Jo from afar.Tessa is a farrier, shoeing horses two miles and half a generation away from Jo, further into the forest. Tessa's experience of the community couldn't be more different. Now she too has returned, in flight from a life she could have led, nursing a secret and a past filled with guilt and shame.Compelled through circumstance to live together, these two women will be forced to confront their sense of identity, and reconsider the meaning of home.Trade ReviewA tender story about finding your place in the world, about ordinary lives, belonging and being brave. The kind of book that gives you hope and courage. I loved it. * Kit de Waal *In this insightful, thoughtful novel about a farrier and a butcher, Franklin explores the meaning of home and the importance of belonging. It's replete with gorgeous descriptions of forest life * Carys Bray *Sarah writes intimately about the forest and the lives it sustains, exploring the human condition with forensic tenderness; we feel every step of Tessa and Jo's journeys. It's a big-hearted novel about how we learn to belong despite ourselves, and I relished every word * Shelley Harris, author of Jubilee *This novel is perfect for anyone who has left home, returned, and found that they are a little out of place everywhere. Sarah Franklin deals sensitively and thoughtfully with her subject matter - two women adrift in places that used to be their homes - and creates an involving, thought-provoking story * Stephanie Butland *This set up - the farrier and the butcher - is so unusual, and so engaging. I was VERY curious to see how this relationship between Jo and Tessa would unfold, and Sarah Franklin's skilful weaving of their backstories into the captivating present keeps up a constant, subtle tug of intrigue, as well as thematic poignancy. It's thoughtful, and fresh, and such a vibrant setting. The place feels completely alive - I can walk through it and practically smell those horses, that forest, the butcher's shop, the woodsmoke. And the wider community is also wonderfully colourful and alive. It's just a pleasure to read! * Lucy Atkins *How to Belong is set in the Forest of Dean and is steeped in the spirit of the place. Such a warm and touching novel * Lissa Evans *Life-affirming and compelling . . . Sarah Franklin is a breath of fresh air * Clare Mackintosh, on Shelter *Its characters pulse with life and energy * Daily Mail, on Shelter *This beautifully crafted tale of survival and solace reveals that you can find a home in the most unusual places * Sunday Express, on Shelter *An accomplished debut from Sarah Franklin . . . with humour, warmth and a real sense of place * Daily Record, on Shelter *Beautiful * Adele Parks, on Shelter *Powerful and moving * Essie Fox, on Shelter *A wonderful, affecting debut novel about the redemptive power of nature * Red, on Shelter *Beautifully written and filled with complex, real characters, it's about hope, loss, family and dreams. Deeply profound and moving, it was also laugh-out-loud funny * Bridget Christie, on Shelter *This atmospheric read is simply beautiful * Woman and Home *

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Book SynopsisFollowing the astonishing Plainsong, Eventide is Kent Haruf's second novel set in his imaginary landscape of Holt, Colorado.Harold and Raymond McPheron are finally waving goodbye to their beloved Victoria, a young mother with a first chance at an education. Betty and Luther Wallace are struggling to keep their heads above water and their children out of care, and in the same town young friends Dena and DJ find solace away from their own troubled homes. As these stories unfold and entwine, tragedy strikes the McPheron household and life is thrown irrevocably off course. Heart-breaking yet hopeful, Kent Haruf's Eventide is an unflinching depiction of the hardships of small-town life, lit up by astonishing moments of redemption.Trade ReviewPossesses the haunting appeal of music, the folksy rhythms of an American tale and the lovely, measured grace of an old hymn. -- Michiko Kakutani * New York Times *Wonderful . . . peopled with individuals whose ordinary lives are invested with epic quality and truth. -- Niall Williams * Sunday Times *This is a novel that succeeds in affirming life without ducking its hardships. * Mail on Sunday *Two taciturn bachelor brothers, a dim-bulb couple living in a trailer, a quiet preteen boy living with his grandfather, a social worker, and a young mother abandoned by her husband . . . The plain truth is you can’t stop reading or caring about them. * Boston Globe *Haruf’s laconic style – with nouns as strong and upright as fenceposts, the verbs as clean and sharp as razor wire – creates a richly symphonic effect . . . In creating a place whose people are tethered to each other by history and emotion as much as place, Haruf’s work is now competing with Faulkner’s Mississippi. * Chicago Sun-Times *Luminous . . . Haruf’s uncanny ability to stay out of his characters’ way is evident again in Eventide. What comes out of their mouths, whether it is kind, mean, ignorant, confused, intelligent or clouded by loneliness, is true and hard, spare as life on the plains . . . Eventide depicts a time, a place and its people so sincerely and so compellingly, with moments of such rare beauty, that the reader cannot walk away. * Colorado Springs Independent *Melancholy truths set to gorgeous melody . . . Haruf sings the second verse of his moving hymn to life on America’s great plains. * Kirkus *Haruf makes us care about these plain-spoken, small-town folks without ever resorting to sentimentality or clichés. Instead, he uses their language to capture the mood and mores of the town . . . His story possesses the haunting appeal of music, the folksy rhythms of an American ballad and the lovely, measured grace of an old hymn. * New York Times *Highly charged and compassionate . . . Every action in Holt casts a long shadow, and the gist of Haruf ’s story is what happens when those shadows touch. The results are equal parts grace and calamity . . . slow, deliberate, highly charged. * New Yorker *This novelist writes with such unabashed wonder before life’s mysteries, such compassion for frail humanity that he seems to have issued from another time, a better place. * Newsday *Haruf ’s follow-up to the critically acclaimed and bestselling Plainsong is as lovely and accomplished as its predecessor . . . And while there is much sadness and hardship in this portrait of a community, Haruf ’s sympathy for his characters, no matter how flawed they are, make this an uncommonly rich novel. * Publishers Weekly *Eventide is imbued with an unspoken affection that transforms the commonplace into specific, intimate and moving reality. * Times Literary Supplement *A kind book in a cruel world . . . Honest impulses, real people and the occasional workings of grace. * Washington Post *Haruf’s fiction, though emotionally rich, is delivered in surprisingly naked language; it is delicate and meticulous, but unembellished. The author fades out of view, becoming not the reporter speaking to the camera, but the invisible operator behind the lens. We are left alone in the world of Holt, watching and listening to the small warm hum of daily life, unable to tear ourselves away until the hidden cameraman stops the film and we step out, blinking, into the cold light of day. * Waterstone’s Books Quarterly *

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Book SynopsisThe Pulitzer Prize-winning, bestselling novel from one of America's greatest contemporary writers.Larry Cook's farm is the largest in Zebulon County, Iowa, and a tribute to his hard work and single-mindedness. Proud and possessive, his sudden decision to retire and hand over the farm to his three daughters, is disarmingly uncharacteristic.Ginny and Rose, the two eldest, are startled yet eager to accept, but Caroline, the youngest daughter, has misgivings. Immediately, her father cuts her out.In A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley transposes the King Lear story to the modern day, and in so doing at once illuminates Shakespeare's original and subtly transforms it. This astonishing novel won both of America's highest literary awards, the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Critics' Circle Award.Trade Review‘A Thousand Acres is a strong, gnarled shocker of a novel… superb. Its success is down to Smiley’s ambitious gusto, her intuitive handling of the relationship between character and landscape, and her willingness to haul genuine moral freight across the panorama she has so expertly painted.’ Sunday Times ‘Epic fiction of the very highest order, naturalistic , penetrating and wholly absorbing.’ Literary Review ‘Superlative, extraordinary, amazing. A Thousand Acres is a great American tragedy about the failure of a family’s land and the failure of its love. There may have been better novels than A Thousand Acres, but I fear I didn’t read them – a haunting inquisition into the decline and fall of a family.’ Independent ‘A studied, ingenious variation on the brutal clashing of sexes and generations in King Lear. Its style is relaxed, conversational, unhurried; the novel flows gently onwards like a broad river. In its solidity and poise, A Thousand Acres is a book that will outlast this year’s rainy season.’ Vogue‘Powerful, poignant, intimate and involving.’ New York Times

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Book SynopsisA feel-good tale of unlikely friendship, community and learning to live life in the slow lane, perfect for fans of Clare Pooley and Hazel Prior Daniel isn’t used to living life in the slow lane. So when he finds himself unexpectedly jobless and back in his old Cornish hometown, he can’t sit still. Hazel used to be adventurous too. But now widowed and in her eighties, she barely leaves the house. When she sees an advert for Daniel’s new walking club, she grabs at the chance of some excitement. Daniel’s heart sinks when he sees that the only person who’s turned up for his walking club is the crazy old lady from two doors down. But what he doesn’t expect is to discover that Hazel is one of the most fascinating people he’s ever met . . .A gorgeous, warm and uplifting story about friendship, community, adventure and the joy of walking. 

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Book SynopsisAS READ ON BBC RADIO 4A SPECTATOR BEST OF THE YEAR - AS CHOSEN BY REVIEWERSThe year is 1742. Goody Brown, saved from drowning and adopted when just a babe, has grown up happily in the smuggling town of Winchelsea. But when she turns sixteen, her father is murdered by men he thought were friends. In a town where lawlessness prevails, Goody and her brother Francis must enter the cut-throat world of her father's killers in order to find justice. Facing high seas and desperate villains, she discovers what life can be like without constraints or expectations, developing a taste for danger that makes her blood run fast. Goody was never born to be a gentlewoman. But what will she become instead?Trade ReviewImagine Daphne du Maurier crossed with Quentin Tarantino, and you will have some idea of just what a thrilling, bloody and heady ride this novel is -- TOM HOLLANDI was riveted. Winchelsea is a great read - terrific narrative drive, credible characters, and such an elegant creation of the backdrop in terms of both time and place -- PENELOPE LIVELYBoisterous . . . evocative . . . What holds the novel together as much as its driving plot are its incantatory atmosphere and spellbinding language * * Guardian * *Preston is a gifted prose cartographer, conjuring up the Sussex coastline in a crisp, clear fashion . . . He has written a bawdy, thunderous romp that echoes with cannon fire, sea shanties and the occasional plaintive cry of a nightjar * * Financial Times * *Glorious * * Spectator * *Winchelsea is a remarkable act of literary time travel: dark and gripping and soaked in blood and salt water -- EVIE WYLD[A] spellbinding read, both gory and gorgeous * * Daily Mail * *Truly epic . . . The richness and enthusiasm of the prose speaks of a novelist who loves the process of spinning an unpredictable, fabulist yarn * * i * *A rip-roaring yarn about smugglers and seafarers in Romney Marsh and its coastal hinterland in the 18th century. The energy, word play and attention to contemporary detail could not be bettered -- The Books of the Year 2022 * * Spectator * *There's a wild piratical darkness to Winchelsea which is charged by the evocative and strange wilderness of its setting on the Romney Marshes. At its heart is a gripping tale: a life-and-death struggle, set in the eighteenth century yet vibrantly heightened by a sureness of visceral detail and a vivid depth of characterisation. This is historical drama on a deft and uproarious scale, and it makes for a breathlessly exciting and engaging read -- PHILIP HOARE

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Book SynopsisThe Sunday Times Number One Bestseller and Richard and Judy Book Club Pick.Sweeping from London in the sixties to 1930s rural Spain, The Muse is an unforgettable novel about love, obsession and a mysterious painting. From Jessie Burton, the million-copy bestselling author of The Miniaturist.'Those who loved The Miniaturist will find here all the cliffhangers, twists and heart-stopping revelations they expected, and in two evocative settings' – Daily TelegraphA picture hides a thousand words . . .On a hot July day in 1967, Odelle Bastien climbs the stone steps of the Skelton gallery in London, knowing that her life is about to change forever. Having struggled to find her place in the city since she arrived from Trinidad, she has been offered a job as a typist under the tutelage of the glamorous and enigmatic Marjorie Quick. But though Quick takes Odelle into her confidence, and unlocks a poTrade ReviewBurton's multi-layered story is never less than engaging . . . she has an undoubted gift for seizing the reader's attention and holding it . . . powerful . . . genuinely surprising * Sunday Times *Deftly plotted, a masterclass in pacing, tension and suspense, and richly characterised . . . exquisitely written, evocative and suspenseful * Sunday Express *Those who loved The Miniaturist will find here all the cliffhangers, twists and heart-stopping revelations they expected, and in two evocative settings . . . as a study of female creativity, it triumphs * Daily Telegraph *An exhilarating read, Jessie Burton can expect more awards to soon be coming her way * The Herald *Tremendous vitality . . . her craftsmanship and surefooted prose ensure a satisfying conclusion * Daily Mail *Rich and gripping . . . excellently explores the writing process itself . . . Burton breathes life into her words * Independent *An intricate story of imposture . . . strong on the emotional and sensual . . . who would bet against it selling a million copies like its predecessor? * Guardian *Readers who enjoyed The Miniaturist won't be disappointed * The Times *Richly atmospheric and engrossing . . . you'll turn the pages feverishly * Daily Express *Impressive . . . It takes all the promise of The Miniaturist - the complex female characters, an entrancing mystery, a lush and evocative sense of place - and executes it with wit and style. My book of the summer * Elle *A painterly writer with an eye for the telling detail . . . suspenseful . . . when the postman rang the doorbell bang in the middle of the denoument, I sprinted back up six flights of stairs to know who was going to get out of Arazuelo alive * The Spectator *Burton is also adept at generating atmosphere and a sense of place (both Spain and London are vividly realised) and she brings her characters' lives a degree of commitment, imaginative compassion and detail that brings them palpably and affectingly to life * The National *Clever and complex, with a shocking climax . . . Seductive, exhilarating and suspenseful . . . a masterpiece * Belfast Telegraph *Delves deep into another world . . . the must-read of summer 2016 * Glamour *Jessie Burton's gripping new novel follows a young London art-gallery employee whose discovery of a lost masterpiece draws her into the mystery surrounding its provenance * Harper’s Bazaar *A deeply involving and thought-provoking read * Woman & Home *Another surefire bestseller * Fabulous *I found it to be one of the most powerful and beautiful and original things I have read in a very long time. It is exquisite in every way -- Claire Kendal, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Book of YouA beautifully crafted, simmering love story * Glamour (10 Best Novels of 2016) *Jessie Burton’s The Muse is both elegant and as gripping as a thriller, even better than her first -- SJ Watson * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisFrom the double Man Booker prize-winning author of Wolf Hall' and Bring Up the Bodies', this is an epic yet subtle family saga about broken trusts and buried secrets.Ralph and Anna Eldred live in the big Red House in Norfolk, raising their four children and devoting their lives to charity. The constant flood of good souls and sad cases', children plucked from the squalor of the East London streets for a breath of fresh countryside air, hides the growing crises in their own family, the disillusionment of their children, the fissures in their marriage.Memories of their time as missionaries in South Africa and Botswana, of the terrible African tragedies that have shaped the rest of their lives, refuse to be put to rest and threaten to destroy the fragile peace they have built for themselves and their children.This is a breathtakingly intelligent novel that asks the most difficult questions. Is there anything one can never forgive? Is tragedy ever deserved? Can you ever escape your own pasTrade Review‘A beautifully crafted novel’ Guardian ‘There are very few novels that not only bristle with ideas but leave you asking questions about those ideas, again and again, your world turned upside down. Mantel has managed to do this.’ Sunday Times ‘The best book she’s written … She writes about punishing subjects so freshly it is as if they had never been written about before.’ Observer ‘It has the tension of a first-rate thriller and the breadth of a family saga … Its compassion and its intellectual energy mark her as the novelist of her generation who will achieve a lasting greatness.’ Literary Review ‘A complex and highly intelligent portrayal of injustice, bereavement and the loss of faith … Hilary Mantel has created that rare thing, a page-turner with a profound moral dimension.’ Daily Telegraph ‘A work of exquisite craftsmanship that asks enormous questions.’ Independent

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisTO ACHIEVE GREATNESS, HE MUST SACRIFICE EVERYTHING . . .Discover 2024''s most original new thriller, a story of glamour, secrets and obsession . . .''GRABS YOU FROM THE OPENING LINE AND WON'T LET YOU GO' ALEX MICHAELIDES, AUTHOR OF THE SILENT PATIENT ''MASTERFULLY PLOTTED'' ERIN KELLY''A FIRST-CLASS THRILLER'' DAILY MAIL''A BARNSTORMING PERFORMANCE'' THE TIMES*****At long last, Adam Sealey has an Oscar within reach. Working with his controversial former mentor, Jonathan, he''s given the performance of a lifetime, and he almost believes it might be worth the cost.Because Adam subscribes to the method. It''s the secret that the world''s greatest actors swear by - digging into their darkest, most personal traumas to bring a role to life. And Adam''s greatest trauma is worse than most. Losing his mother when he was just a boy. A forced choice betweenTrade ReviewBrilliantly evoked, totally compelling. A first-class thriller * Daily Mail *This compelling psychological thriller set in the acting world is both uncompromising and unsettling, with deeply layered characters and a narrative voice that grabs you from the opening line and won’t let you go. Fascinating. -- Alex MichaelidesA barnstorming performance * The Times *Twisty, compulsive fun * i *The Actor is both a compulsive thriller and a fascinating insight into the world of method acting. Chris MacDonald's writing captures it all, and beautifully: from the glamour of Hollywood to the grunge of 90s Camden. It's also very, very moving, packed with characters both lovable and entirely detestable. I adored it. -- Abigail DeanEgo and ambition, guilt and redemption collide in this masterfully plotted and beautifully written psychological thriller. I couldn’t tear my eyes from the page. -- Erin KellyA darkly dazzling and glamorously wicked thriller. Take a bow, Chris MacDonald. -- Chris WhitakerWhat an incredibly tense, immersive debut. I was completely absorbed by this window into the world of method acting and the dark, twisted consequences of such intense commitment. A bravura performance from MacDonald - I didn’t want it to end. -- Amy McCullochAn intense, absorbing read about the danger of sacrificing everything for your art, with echoes - in its fascinating depiction of the relationship between student and mentor - of The Secret History and Black Swan. -- Mark EdwardsBrilliantly twisting (and twisted) tale of method acting, madness and Hollywood glamour. I loved it. -- Mat OsmanIf you are interested in the world of acting, this is one for you. If you like to be kept at the edge of your seat, this one is for you. If you like classy, unique thrillers with richly-drawn characters at their heart, then, you've guessed it - this one is for you. I loved it! -- Emily Koch, bestselling author of If I Die Before I WakeA blistering story of obsession and where it can lead; a crackling whiplash of a book -- Lou MorganAn unsettling, all-encompassing read that explores obsession and ambition. So sharp, so visceral, I just couldn't look away. -- Jo JakemanI was obsessed. Laughing one moment, absolutely speechless the next, I was completely swept away in Adam’s story. This book lives up to expectations – and then exceeds them -- Sam HollandBrilliant, dark, immersive, and ultimately hugely satisfying -- Jennie Godfrey, author of The List of Suspicious ThingsEnthralling and unsettling, The Actor will get you wondering how far one would go for recognition and acceptance -- Laure Van RensbergA masterful thriller that keeps you guessing until the final twist. Exploring a group of drama students in thrall to a toxic tutor and methodology, it has echoes of The Secret History. MacDonald skilfully treads the line between taut, suspenseful thriller and a layered exploration of method acting, with a very moving ending -- Alice McIlroy, author of The Glass Woman

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Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling author of Crazy Rich Asians, now a MAJOR MOTION PICTURE starring Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh and Gemma Chan, comes a deliciously fun story of family, fortune, and fame in Mainland China. It's the eve of Rachel Chu's wedding, and she should be over the moon. She has a flawless oval-cut diamond, a wedding dress she loves, and a fiancé willing to give up one of the biggest fortunes in Asia in order to marry her. Still, Rachel mourns the fact that her birth father, a man she never knew, won't be there to walk her down the aisle.Then a chance accident reveals his identity. Suddenly, Rachel is drawn into a dizzying world of Shanghai splendor, a world where people attend church in a penthouse, where exotic cars race down the boulevard, and where people aren't just crazy rich... they're China rich.Trade ReviewJust as Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice gave us insight into the English class system of the Regency era, Kevin Kwan uses biting social commentary to illuminate the lives of Asia's modern-day wealthy elite. Except he's 10 times funnier than Austen. * Herald Sun *His novels are the equivalent of a Bubble Tea concoction laced with Henry James extracts and Jackie Collins sprinkles - tracking a level of wealth that makes even Downton Abbey look more like Downton Arriviste. * The Daily Beast *To be let loose into the decadent playground of the filthy rich offers the reader a heady taste of vicarious escapism. Yet to dismiss this book as merely a soulless lark would be a disservice to Kwan and his impeccable writing. * Sunday Age *Deliciously fun... Comic satire at its best. * Who Weekly *His novels are comedies of bad manners; a Far-Eastern mash-up of Trollope, Austen and Gossip Girl. * Financial Review *High jinks, high living and hilarity * Sydney Morning Herald *

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Book SynopsisFrom Sunday Times bestselling author and the nation's best loved TV presenter Carol Kirkwood comes a glittering escape to the French Riviera.Deliciously escapist' Cathy KellyA stunning holiday read with passion and heart, perfect!' Anton Du BekeBy the sapphire blue waters of the French Riviera, a decades-long secret is about to be revealedWayward Greek heiress, Ariana Theodosis, inherits the Hotel du Soleil as part of a mysterious legacy. Captivated by its faded glamour, she hopes it offers her the chance to start again.Hotelier Gabriel du Lac's family have owned the hotel for decades and he has no intention of giving it up for a beautiful stranger.Madame du Lac has watched the rich and famous pass through the doors of the hotel for almost half a century, and she has kept its secrets too.As the past finally catches up with them all, will this summer reveal a forgotten secret, and change their lives forever?Praise for Carol Kirkwood:Sizzles with secrets and passion' Jo ThomasIntrigue and drama a great sunshine read' ChoiceA real treat marvellous!' Anton du BekeTrade Review ‘Soak up the glamour … A great summer read’ Prima ‘Expect plenty of glamour and dramas in this sunshine read’ – Choice Praise for Carol KIrkwood: ‘Loved it! It sizzles with secrets and passion.’ Jo Thomas ‘Utterly engaging, deliciously escapist, with a heart as warm as its author's’ Cathy Kelly, bestselling author of The Family Gift ‘A real treat, wonderfully escapist with heart and drama – marvellous!’ Anton du Beke ‘An exquisite tale of love lost and found that’s full of intriguing characters and romantic locations. A perfect summer read.’ Judy Murray ‘An absolute cracking read – it’s brilliant!’ Steph McGovern presenter of Packed Lunch ‘Sun-soaked, glamorous escapism.’ Cressida McLaughlin ‘A sizzling summer read. I couldn’t put it down.’ Alex Brown, bestselling author of The Secret of Orchard Cottage

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Book SynopsisMy Heart’s In the Highlands: Classic Scottish Poems is a glorious celebration of poetry and verse by the greatest classic Scottish poets, and introduced by the acclaimed poet John Glenday.Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket-sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. The poems in this collection are selected by editor, Gaby Morgan.With poems from famous Scottish writers such as Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Mary Queen of Scots herself there is plenty here to enjoy and inspire. The collection roams across so many aspects of Scottish life and culture; its landscape and its history, its people and its celebrations. It’s a country that has always inspired poets to write about love, nature and heritage, and to reflect on the important things of life.

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Book SynopsisSet in turn-of-the-century New York, E.L. Doctorow''s Ragtime seamlessly blends fictional characters and realistic depictions of historical figures to bring to life the events that defined American history in the years before the First World War. This Penguin Modern Classics edition includes an introduction by Al Alvarez.Welcome to America at the turn of the twentieth century, where the rhythms of ragtime set the beat. Harry Houdini astonishes audiences with magical feats of escape, the mighty J. P. Morgan dominates the financial world and Henry Ford manufactures cars by making men into machines. Emma Goldman preaches free love and feminism, while ex-chorus girl Evelyn Nesbitt inspires a mad millionaire to murder the architect Stanford White. In this stunningly original chronicle of an age, such real-life characters intermingle with three remarkable families, one black, one Jewish and one prosperous WASP, to create a dazzling literary mosaic that brings to life an era of dire poverty, fabulous wealth, and incredible change - in short, the era of ragtime.E.L. Doctorow (b.1931) is one of America''s most accomplished and acclaimed living writers. Winner of the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award (twice), the PEN/Faulkner Award, and the National Humanities Medal, he is the author of nine novels that have explored the drama of American life from the late 19th century to the 21st, including Ragtime, The Book of Daniel and Billy Bathgate.If you enjoyed Ragtime, you might like John Dos Passos'' U.S.A., also available in Penguin Classics.''In its perfection it stuns and holds from beginning to end''Daily Mail''Witty, lyrical, put together with admirable craft ... dazzling economy and insight ... Mr Doctorow knows what he is doing and has done it beautifully''Guardian''One of the best American novels for years''Economist

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Book SynopsisBrinkley's sentences are daggers' RAVEN LEILANIExtraordinary moving, compelling and virtuosic'OBSERVERA triumph' COLIN BARRETTAn electric collection of stories set in contemporary New York, from the award-winning author of A Lucky Man and National Book Award finalist, Jamel Brinkley.What does it mean to take action? To bear witness? What does it cost?These stories take us into the heart of contemporary New York City and its residents' lives. We meet children, grandmothers and even ghosts as they strive to connect, to stand up for, and to really see each other. Their relationships shape not only their own futures but those of their families and their city.In its portraits of families and friendships, Witness enacts its own testimony. Here is a world where fortunes can be made and stolen in a generation, where strangers sometimes show kindness while those we trustdoctors, employers, siblingstoo often turn away, where joy comes in snatches.With prose as upendingly beautiful as it is artfTrade Review‘Extraordinary … Confirms Brinkley’s place among the most moving, compelling and virtuosic practitioners of the short form’ Observer ‘Exhilarating … Each story is a gift’ New York Times ‘An important new voice … Taut and convincing’ Guardian ‘Brinkley’s sentences are daggers. He writes about the shifting intimacies of community and love with wit and warmth’ Raven Leilani, author of Luster ‘Virtuosic, fine-tuned and thrillingly assured’ Colin Barrett, author of Homesickness ‘Each story in Witness brings a novel's worth of richness and complexity … Dazzling’ Yiyun Li, author of The Book of Goose ‘Jamel Brinkley is brilliant, the real thing, a revelation’ Garth Greenwell, author of What Belongs to You ‘Stories of rare beauty and insight, that glitter with humour and hurt’ David Hayden, author of Darker With the Lights On ‘Beautiful, original … I will revisit this collection again and again’ Rachel Connolly, author of The Lazy City ‘One of the best story writers we have … A book of psychological acuity, of graceful sentences, of devastation and heart’ Justin Torres, author of We the Animals 'Read Witness and allow yourself the pleasure of seeing the world as Brinkley sees it' Angela Flournoy, author of The Turner House ‘There is all the involvedness and complexity of a novel in each story … Brilliant’ Caoilinn Hughes, author of The Wild Laughter ‘Brinkley’s voice is unflinching, his eye panoramic’ Saba Sams, author of Send Nudes ‘One of the finest young writers working today’ Vulture ‘One of the year’s most anticipated works’ NPR ‘Brinkley’s stories carry a rich veneer worthy of such exemplars of the form as Chekhov, Eudora Welty, Alice Munro … A grand master of the short story’ Kirkus

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Book SynopsisLonglisted for the Center for Fiction's 2021 First Novel Prize'A striking first novel . . . unusual and surprisingly witty' Sunday Times Culture'Inspired by a real man, this modern-day Call of the Wild is funny, moving and ceaselessly compelling' People MagazineIn 1916, Sven Ormson leaves Stockholm to seek adventure in Svalbard, an Arctic archipelago where darkness reigns four months of the year, and where he might witness the splendour of the Northern Lights one night or be attacked by a polar bear the next. After a devastating accident while digging for coal, Sven heads north again and ends up on an uninhabited fjord living in a hut he builds, alone except for the company of a loyal dog, testing himself against the elements. Years into his routine isolation, the arrival of an unlikely visitor sparks a chain of events that brings Sven into a family of fellow outsiders and determines the course of the rest of his life. Inspired by a real person and written with wry humour, in prose as beautiful as the stark landscape it evokes, The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven is a testament to the strength of human bonds, reminding us that even in the most inhospitable conditions, we are not beyond the reach of love.Trade ReviewA striking first novel . . . an unusual, surprisingly witty tale, with a memorable central character * Sunday Times Culture *Picaresque, gentle and slyly humorous; the glacial beauty of the northern landscape is the backdrop to arresting horrors, concealed passions, and a lifetime of kindnesses - all superbly rendered by Miller: a joy to read * Oisin Fagan, author of Nobber *A kind of Odyssey, complete with dogs worthy of Argos and a few precious human companions, this spare and unusual novel plumbs the dark side of polar narratives * Andrea Barrett, National Book Award–winning author of The Voyage of the Narwhal and Ship Fever *Both a polar adventure and a consideration of what makes our lives worth living * Caitlin Horrocks, author of The Vexations *The magic of The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven is in its defiance of dark expectations . . . some of the most convincing portrayals I've seen of human beings creating connection and kindnesses despite their brutal circumstances and unhealed wounds * David James Duncan, author of the national bestsellers The River Why and The Brothers K *In attempting to inhabit the uninhabitable, one man shows us that no place is inhospitable to the human heart, and in delivering this searing portrait, Nathaniel Ian Miller ascends to the firmament of today's most exciting young novelists * Adam Johnson, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Orphan Master’s Son *This novel's hard-won wisdom, droll humor, and offhanded insights about human nature will pierce you to the core * Christina Baker Kline, New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train and The Exiles *Miller's prose is lit by sparks of Sven's somber humor and descriptive elegance . . . Miller's characterization is exceptional and thoroughly engaging . . . vividly portrayed * Booklist, starred review *Captivating ... Miller offers a marvelously detailed look at a way of life and a profession practiced in an extreme environment, and though purportedly based on a historical figure, the character's colorfully rendered experiences are the stuff of powerful dramatic fiction * Publishers Weekly, starred review *Readers will love the beauty and depth of his story... A Swedish trapper relates his unique life with insights about friendship, hardship, and solitude * Kirkus, starred review *Transporting and wholly original . . . Inspired by a real man, this modern-day Call of the Wild is funny, moving and ceaselessly compelling * People Magazine *

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Book SynopsisThe desert hides dark secrets'MARRAKECH 1966Vicky Baudin steps onto a train winding through Morocco, looking for the grandmother she has never met.It's an epic journey that'll take her to the edge of Atlas Mountains and closer to the answers she's been craving all her life.But dark secrets whisper amongst the dunes. And in unlocking the mystery of Clemence's past, Vicky will unearth great danger too . . .Five-star reader reviews for Night Train to MarrakechA love story and a thriller all in one' ?????Epic storytelling' ?????Utterly spellbinding' ?????A book to lose yourself in' ?????Fabulous, heart-stopping read, absolutely unputdownable in places' ?????Full of mystery and drama' ?????Political tensions, murders and love, this book has them all.' ?????Full of twists and turns' ?????A historical novel, this is also a suspenseful thriller'' ?????Atmospheric, drew me into the souks of Marrakech' ?????This is a story of family, friendships, love and war' ?????A gripping story of love, betrayal and danger'Woman's Weekly An enthralling story' WomanAn utterly atmospheric, gripping read that transports you to Marrakech . . . a real page-turner' SUSAN LEWISA world of stunning beauty and extreme danger . . . Dinah Jefferies is at the top of her game' GILL PAULA mouthwatering read, intense and emotional. I loved it. Its characters hooked me irresistibly and stole my heart . . . a wonderful, heart-wrenching tale of love, danger and bone-chilling secrets' KATE FURNIVALL'The seductive colours, sights, sounds and aromas of Marrakech, with a hidden, darker side, are so powerfully evoked that you are instantly transported there' LIZ TRENOW'A tense, thrilling story full of murders and mysteries . . . this atmospheric story will transport you to the heart of Morocco'Daily RecordTrade Review‘A wonderfully evocative and sensual writer’ SANTA MONTEFIORE ‘A warm and engrossing tale of passion and courage. I loved it’ RACHEL HORE ‘Love, grief, abandonment, betrayal and secrets … I adored it’ LIZ NUGENT ‘A stirring, richly-imagined novel about bravery and love and family loyalty tested to its limits’ RACHEL RHYS ‘As layers of long-hidden family secrets emerge, you are sure to be hooked to the very last page’ LIZ TRENOW ‘Rich in courage, love and sacrifice, but chilling and taut in its portrayal of the horrors of war’ KATE FURNIVALL ‘Lushly descriptive, exciting and vivid, this is a warm and exciting tale that will pull you in and refuse to let you go’ TRACY REES ‘A tender, moving and at times heartbreaking story’ SINEAD MORIARTY ‘Completely swept me away to another place and time. Dinah is the queen of sumptuous settings, transporting the reader effortlessly from chocolate-box Devonshire to the cabaret clubs of 1920s Paris and war-torn Malta. A marvellous, multi-layered story, populated with characters to really care for’ HAZEL GAYNOR ‘Dinah Jefferies wields her storytelling magic on the island of Malta . . . It’s engrossing and sensual, full of the heat of the Mediterranean sun’ GILL PAUL ‘Sweeping and sumptuous with a gorgeous described sense of place. A marvellous adventure’ TRACY REES

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Book SynopsisA TIMES AND EVENING STANDARD BOOK OF THE YEARWINNER OF THE DESMOND ELLIOTT PRIZE 2019WINNER OF THE AUTHORS'' CLUB FIRST NOVEL AWARDWINNER OF THE MCKITTERICK PRIZE 2020ONE OF THE BBC''S ''100 NOVELS THAT SHAPED OUR WORLD''LONGLISTED FOR THE JHALAK PRIZE AND THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FIRST BOOK AWARDWINNER OF BARNES & NOBLE''S 2019 DISCOVER NEW WRITERS PRIZESo hard to put down.' Daily MailStartling . . . Remarkable.' EconomistRight away I was utterly absorbed.' Sarah Jessica ParkerOne father. Two sons. An impossible choice.When thirteen-year-old Paul doesn''t return home one afternoon, even his twin brother, Peter, doesn''t know where he is. So their father, Clyde, must set out into the dark Trinidadian bush with a torch, to search for him on foot. And when the reasons for Paul''s disapp

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Book SynopsisMalcolm, Peter and Charlie and their Soave-sodden wives have one main ambition left in life: to drink Wales dry. But their routine is both shaken and stirred when they are joined by professional Welshman Alun Weaver (CBE) and his wife, Rhiannon.Trade ReviewA copy should be given out with every bus pass. -- John Sutherland * The Times *A brilliant novel. It is sadly comic and comically sad -- Anthony BurgessHe was a genuine comic writer, probably the best after P. G. Wodehouse ... He had a lasting influence and was a very good novelist -- John MortimerA bloody funny lovely bloody book... A genius at full throttle * Financial Times *In these explicit days, Mr Amis is the laureate of the unsayable, the literary it man * Sunday Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisTHE ISLES OF SCILLY MYSTERIES #6 'An absolute master of pace, plotting and character' ELLY GRIFFITHS REVENGE DI Ben Kitto made many enemies in his time working as an undercover officer for the Met police, none more ruthless and calculating than gang leader Craig Travis.IS WORTH Travis has longed to make Kitto pay for his role in getting him convicted – and that day has finally arrived. Now, a dark and twisted killer is heading for the Scilly Isles, one who has waited a long time for revenge.WAITING FOR . . . With Kitto busy investigating the discovery of a body on the islands and distracted by the imminent arrival of his first child, his defences are down. He has so much to lose.And Travis will stop at nothing to take it all from him.  PRAISE FOR KATE RHODES:  ‘Gripping, clever and impossible

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Book Synopsis'A writer at the very height of his powers' – Ian RankinPlaying With Fire is the fourteenth novel in Peter Robinson's Inspector Banks series, following on from The Summer That Never Was.In the early hours of a cold January morning, two narrowboats catch fire on a dead-end stretch of the Eastvale canal. When signs of accelerant are found at the scene, DCI Banks and DI Annie Cabbot are summoned. But by the time they arrive, only the smouldering wreckage is left, and human remains have been found on both boats.The evidence points towards a deliberate attack. But who was the intended victim? Was it Tina, the sixteen-year-old who had been living a drug-fuelled existence with her boyfriend? Or was it Tom, the mysterious, lonely artist?As Banks makes his enquiries, it appears that a number of people are acting suspiciously: the interfering 'lock-keeper', Tina's cold-hearted stepfather, the wily local art dealer, even Tina's boyfriend . . .Then the arsonist strikes again, and Banks's powers of investigation are tested to the limit . . .The Inspector Banks books became the major British ITV crime drama DCI Banks. Continue the series with Strange Affair.Trade ReviewThe Alan Banks mystery-suspense novels are the best series on the market. Try one and tell me I'm wrong. -- The Alan Banks mystery-suspense novels are the best series on the market. Try one and tell me I'm wrong. -- Stephen KingNear, perhaps even at the top of, the British crime writers' league * The Times *An award-winning writer with ideas that are imaginative and plots that are refreshingly cliché-free * Time Out *Robinson also has a way of undercutting the genre's familiarity. With a deceptively unspectacular language, he sets about the process of unsettling the reader. * Independent *A writer at the very height of his powers -- Ian Rankin

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Book SynopsisShehan Karunatilaka is the multi-award winning author of two novels. He won the Commonwealth Book Prize and the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature for his debut novel, Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew. He won the Booker Prize 2022 for his second novel, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida. In addition to his novels he has written rock songs, screenplays and travel stories.Trade ReviewThe strength of the book lies in its energy, its mixture of humour and heartwrenching emotion, its twisting narrative, its playful use of cricketing facts and characters, and its occasional blazing anger about what Sri Lanka has done to itself... * Guardian *Carries real weight...a mixture of, say, CLR James, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Fernando Pessoa and Sri Lankan arrack...essential to anyone with a taste for maverick genius * The Times *Karunatilaka has a real lightness of touch. He mixes humour and violence with the same deftness with which his protagonist mixes drinks * Observer *Chinaman is a debut bristling with energy and confidence, a quixotic novel that is both an elegy to lost ambitions and a paean to madcap dreams * Sunday Times *Chinaman's free-wheeling, zany tempo is part of its charm too. Its picaresque action, mainly based in Colombo and narrated in short bite-sized chunks, gives a vibrant comic pulse to Sri Lankan life, even though Karunatilaka's portrait of the country is scathing...it confirms that cricket, a game that is largely played in the head and inhabits a bizarrely detailed parallel world to our own, is ideally suited to the purposes of fiction * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisA captivating novella about long-term relationships, getting older and how to live a good life, by the great Simone de Beauvoir.Nicole and André, a retired French couple, take a summer holiday to Russia. It is the 1960s and Russia is a beautiful, complicated place. Their guide is Macha, André's daughter from a previous relationship - a woman they both love. Adventure, inspiration, good food and good vodka are promised.Once thrilled by their romance, Nicole and André have now become too used to each other. Both harbour a growing feeling of not being fully understood - of being alone. Father and daughter engage in the grand debates of East-West relations, nationalism and socialism. But getting older, long-term relationships and how to enjoy life turn out to be the more pressing issues.Trade ReviewSimone de Beauvoir is a feminist icon. She didn't just write the feminist book, she wrote the movement's bible, The Second Sex * Guardian *A beautiful novel, depicting how aging intersects with life and love. Full marks * Lyransnoblesser, Sweden *Born from the challenge of transmitting ideas and real experiences into a story, Misunderstanding in Moscow relates the atmosphere of the cold war and the growing anxiety of aging * Il manifesto, Italy *Having experimented in life, De Beauvoir also experimented with literary form, finding new ways to write her autobiography and her philosophy simultaneously. Each of her novels, memoirs and works of philosophy was a new venture in this * Guardian *The French writer and philosopher Simone de Beauvoir has drawn a nuanced portrait of an older couple * 8weekly cultuur, Netherlands *

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Book SynopsisA brilliantly conceived and audacious novel from one of our most consistently intelligent and beguiling writers' William BoydSurefooted and emotionally generous A serious achievement' GuardianMasterful' TelegraphA revelation' SpectatorThe new novel from the Booker shortlisted author of The Northern ClemencyAn order is issued. A population may not meet, or touch or speak to each other. They stay inside, and the reality of a few streets in a capital city emerges. An underground river is discovered; an urban grove of pomeloes emerges. The imagination reaches out, and makes sense of the world. By the sea, two men walk into a future of uncertain violence.There is time now to see the human dramas within a hundred yards (an abduction, a quiet breakdown, an outbreak of violence, a young mind beginning to stretch itself); to wait for the weather to change; to understand that what lies underneath this part of the city are seasonally wet pastures and woodlands.Written in four parts, To BatterseaTrade Review‘A brilliantly conceived and audacious novel from one of our most consistently intelligent and beguiling writers’ William Boyd, author of The Romantic ‘Surefooted and emotionally generous … A serious achievement … Less a book about the pandemic and more a book about the stories we tell ourselves about the pandemic; billions of stories, fragile, partial, and essential, each one a small but vital act of reclamation and remembrance’ Guardian ‘Interesting and innovative … A different kind of state-of-the-nation novel; an exercise in imagination and empathy born out of a moment of collective crisis’ Daily Telegraph ‘A revelation: a comedy of suburban manners slowed to the point of nightmare’ Spectator ‘Challenges everything we might have taught ourselves to expect from fiction… Wise, ingenious and passionate’ TLS ‘Bears [Hensher’s] hallmark brilliance … Magnificently succeeds in excavating the sedimentary layers of a neighbourhood in lockdown’ Financial Times ‘Eloquently distils the way in which enforced social distancing made us see the world around us through fresh eyes … an impressive addition to the canon of lockdown fiction’ Mail on Sunday ‘Playful, philosophical, sensual, violent and funny … But above all, it’s defiant: an account of confinement that refuses to be confined’ Literary Review ‘A master novelist and prose stylist … Shifts from sublimely evoked reality to terrifyingly, clearly imagined dystopia’ Country Life ‘Masterly in marrying observations of the minutiae of the lives of ‘ordinary’ people with huge, soaring themes’ AnOther Magazine ‘An imaginative tour de force. The first great lockdown novel, and perhaps the only one we'll need’ Mick Herron, author of Bad Actors ‘Utterly engrossing’ Lissa Evans, author of V for Victory

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Book SynopsisFrom the author of The Power, winner of the Women''s Prize for Fiction''Sharp, funny and poignant'' - Hilary Mantel Ronit has left London and transformed her life. She has become a cigarette-smoking, wise-cracking, New York career woman, who is in love with a married man.But when Ronit''s father dies she is called back into the very different world of her childhood, a world she thought she had left far behind. The orthodox Jewish suburb of Hendon, north London is outraged by Ronit and her provocative ways. But Ronit is shocked too by the confrontation with her past. And when she meets up with her childhood girlfriend Esti, she is forced to think again about what she has left behind.Funny, tender and insightful - GuardianTrade ReviewFunny, tender and insightful * Guardian *A wonderful novel . . . rich and fresh and fascinating * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisPolice Chief Josie Gray''s life is complicated when sparks and bullets begin to fly after her small town in Texas is overrun by a community wishing to live off grid. The residents of the small town of Artemis are suspicious when a community called The Drummers moves into a local abandoned church. Their leader, Gideon, claims their aim is simple: to live peacefully off the grid without government interference. But when local power substations are sabotaged and the whole of West Texas loses electricity, all fingers point to them. Forced to intervene, Police Chief Josie Gray and her team try to enter the church only for gunshots to be exchanged. Inside the church one young girl is killed, with Gideon claiming Josie''s stray bullet hit her.Was Josie responsible? Did one of The Drummers murder the girl and use Josie as a patsy? Were The Drummers responsible for the power outage? As Josie identifies an ever-widening pool of suspects, she learns of a shocking connection reaching far beyond West Texas.

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Book SynopsisAs autumn draws in, a series of unexplained vicious attacks occur in a small northern town renowned for being a bohemian backwater. As the national media descends, local journalist Roddy Mace attempts to tell the story, but finds the very nature of truth brought into question. He turns to disgraced detective James Brindle for help. When further attacks occur the shattered community becomes the focus of an accelerating media that favours immediacy over truth. Murder and myth collide in a folk-crime story about place, identity and the tangled lives of those who never leave.Trade ReviewAs good as anything being written in Britain today -- HORATIO CLARELayers of landscape, myth and the hidden underbelly of everyday life outside of the metropolis are built up as the plot unfolds and the darkness grows. By now you should all know how good a writer Myers is. If you don’t, These Darkening Days will be more than enough to convince you * LOUD & QUIET *A powerful novel by a writer who has found his subject and the voice that best expresses it … He could be Yorkshire’s Iain Sinclair as well as its Cormac McCarthy * BOOKMUNCH *Subtle and compelling, controlled and atmospheric – perfect, in fact, for the long dark nights ahead * MORNING STAR *He’s James Ellroy with a flat cap and a terrier -- JOHN MITCHINSONThe collective blood pressure of the Yorkshire tourist board must ratchet up several notches every time that Myers publishes a new novel, but for the rest of us this is gripping stuff * THE CRACK *Everything here, from the now-familiar landscapes to the description of life at the local newspaper and the behaviour of parachuted-in Sun reporters, is note perfect…But the book goes much further, delving into society’s hysterical narcissism and the way its tendrils snake all the way back into myth, legend and half-forgotten community history. There’s no question that this is a superb piece of work….a fantastic eye for landscape and great political and cultural insight…it’s funny, brutal and properly thrilling * THRILL FILTER *The writing is stunning, from the occasional sentence which catches you and brings you up short – The streetlights wear soft halos in the mist – through to the ability to evoke the grittiness of this northern town in a few words. Sometimes I found myself going back and rereading sections, just for the pleasure the words gave. In places it’s almost poetic. And it’s all brilliant * BOOK BAG *

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Book SynopsisCornwall is steeped in poetry, legend and storytelling. Join Luke Thompson on a literary tour around its dramatic coastline, its cliffs and coves, across the moor and down the mines.Meet Cornish poets such as Jack Clemo and Charles Causley, enjoy retellings of thrilling legends and stirring songs and read inspiring fiction and non-fiction from famous Cornish writers and residents including Daphne du Maurier, Thomas Hardy, Winston Graham and D. H. Lawrence. What each and every one has in common is a deep-rooted connection to a county defined by its awe-inspiring and varied landscape, its folklore and its fiercely independent people.Treasures of Cornwall: A Literary Anthology is edited by Luke Thompson.Trade ReviewLuke Thompson's anthology Treasures of Cornwall enthusiastically celebrates the region's attractions for writers, poets and fans of folklore * TLS *

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Book SynopsisThe Interview is a gripping locked-room thriller from C. M. Ewan, the acclaimed author of A Window Breaks and the half-a-million-copy bestseller Safe House.It’s 5 p.m. on a Friday.You have been called to an interview for your dream job.In a stunning office thirteen floors above the city below, you are all alone with the man interviewing you.Everyone else has gone home for the weekend.The interview gets more and more disturbing.You’re feeling scared.Your only way out is to answer a seemingly impossible question.If you can’t . . . what happens next?What authors are saying . . .‘C.M. Ewan never once drops the pace in this heart-pounding rollercoaster of a thriller that had me up all night’ - Clare Mackintosh, author of Hostage‘A brilliant hook, a breakneck game of cat and mouse, and twists galore’ - Tim Weaver, author of The Shadow at the Door‘A fast-paced twisty read that races along like an action movie’ - Sarah Pinborough, author of Insomnia‘I can’t stop thinking about The Interview. I loved it’ - Sarah Hilary, author of Fragile‘I couldn’t put The Interview down. Totally brilliant’ - B A Paris, author of The Therapist‘A terrifying, heart-stopping ride’ - Sharon Bolton, author of The Split‘So tense and twisty. An absolute nail-biter of a novel!’ - Gilly Macmillan, author of The Long WeekendWhat readers are saying . . .‘Oh boy did I enjoy this book! The definition of a keep you up all night, read in one sitting thriller’‘I read this beauty in a day, had so much else to do but just couldn't put it down’‘Wow, this book blew me away! I was hooked immediately and found the concept, both exciting and highly original’‘YOU GUYS! If you haven't read this book, DO IT NOW!’Trade ReviewC M Ewan never once drops the pace in this heart-pounding rollercoaster of a thriller that had me up all night. -- Clare Mackintosh, Sunday Times bestselling author of The HostageA brilliant hook, a breakneck game of cat and mouse, and twists galore: Ewan always delivers . . . -- Tim Weaver, author of the David Raker seriesA terrifying, heart-stopping ride and a highly original and deeply disturbing thriller. I've been a Chris Ewan fan for a while, but in this book he soars to another level entirely. -- Sharon Bolton, author of The SplitI couldn't put The Interview down. Totally brilliant -- B A ParisC. M. Ewan has created the most incredible cat and mouse game in his propulsive novel, The Interview. He is an absolute master of the knife-edge thriller. -- Liv Matthews, author of The PrankI can't stop thinking about The Interview. I loved it -- Sarah Hilary, author of FragileCM Ewan has a well-deserved reputation as one of Britain’s best thriller writers. The Interview is a tense, twisting novel that will keep you gripped until the very last page. -- Adam Hamdy, author of Black 13 and Red WolvesA fast-paced and incredibly tense locked room thriller. Kept me guessing all the way to the end. It makes the job interviews in The Apprentice look like a walk in the park . . . -- John Marrs, author of The OneThis was so tense and twisty! An absolute nail biter of a novel. It inspires me to double down on the writing career as I'm never, ever going to a job interview again! -- Gilly Macmillan, author of To Tell You The TruthA slick, adrenalin-soaked corporate thriller that will keep you right on the edge of your seat -- Catherine Ryan Howard, author of 56 DaysIt's brilliant. This startling novel upends the reader’s cocky expectations. I have never found it so difficult to resist flipping ahead to see if what I think is happening is happening. Don’t do it! You’ll be wrong and you’ll miss half the fun. -- Hart Hanson, the creator/showrunner of BonesA fast-paced twisty read that races along like an action movie -- Sarah PinboroughThis is the sort of novel you read with your heart in your mouth. When you think you know where it's going, there's another plot-altering twist . . . a terrific, quite frightening read. * Belfast Telegraph *What a fantastic thriller. A clever set up and a relentlessly gripping, surprising and vividly written story. -- Cath Staincliffe, author of Running out of RoadGripping. * Choice Magazine *

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Book SynopsisOriginally published in 1922, Elizabeth Von Arnim's The Enchanted April is a charming and light-hearted novel about unlikely female friendships and the power of a blissful escape.Complete & Unabridged. Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, cloth-bound, pocket-sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover.Four mismatched women respond to an advert in The Times offering a beautiful medieval castle to rent on the Italian Riviera. Bashful Mrs Wilkins, cheerless Mrs Arbuthnot, widowed Mrs Fisher and socialite Lady Caroline Dester are each enchanted by the promise of ‘wisteria and sunshine’, and they arrive on the tranquil Mediterranean shores full of hope for a heavenly escape. Tensions mount between the group at first, but, as the idyllic spring days tick by, each is slowly transformed by the warm sunshine and unexpected company.Trade ReviewElizabeth von Armin's most charming novel in every sense: it casts a spell . . . a sun-washed fairytale * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisV.S. Naipaul was born in Trinidad in 1932. He came to England on a scholarship in 1950. He spent four years at University College, Oxford, and began to write, in London, in 1954. He pursued no other profession.His novels include A House for Mr Biswas, The Mimic Men, Guerrillas, A Bend in the River, and The Enigma of Arrival. In 1971 he was awarded the Booker Prize for In a Free State. His works of nonfiction, equally acclaimed, include Among the Believers, Beyond Belief, The Masque of Africa, and a trio of books about India: An Area of Darkness, India: A Wounded Civilization and India: A Million Mutinies Now.In 1990, V.S. Naipaul received a knighthood for services to literature; in 1993, he was the first recipient of the David Cohen British Literature Prize. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2001. He lived with his wife Nadira and cat Augustus in Wiltshire, and died in 2018Trade ReviewImpeccable . . . Guerrillas seems to me Naipaul’s Heart of Darkness: a brilliant artist’s anatomy of emptiness, and of despair. * Observer *

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Book SynopsisIn a small Aboriginal town dominated by a haze cloud, which heralds both ecological disaster and a gathering of the ancestors, Cause Man Steel is chasing a mad vision: a national donkey transport scheme that will guarantee his people’s independence forever. He finds, however, as he bundles feral donkeys into his Ford Falcon and dumps them en masse in the cemetery, that not all of Praiseworthy agrees. Outrage ferments at his desecration of traditional land, while Cause’s wife Dance seeks refuge with butterflies and dreams of moving their family to China. Bad feelings reach fever pitch when citizens catch wind of the suicide of Aboriginal Sovereignty, Cause’s eldest son. All are distraught – all, that is, except eight-year-old Tommyhawk Steel, who, with his brother gone, gleefully pursues his dream of becoming white and powerful. Told with the richness of language and scale of imagery for which Alexis Wright has become renowned, Praiseworthy is a marvel of explosive sentences, a shock to allegory, an outraged cry against oppression, and a biting satire for the end of days.y for which Alexis Wright has become renowned.Trade Review'The great Moana Jackson declared the doctrine of discovery a legal fiction. In Praiseworthy, farce, satire, tragedy, the colloquial, myth, pun, repetition, elegy, and the epic expose the absurdity of the doctrine and the everyday lies, habits and horrors keeping it in place. Praiseworthy is simply astonishing.' Judges of the 2023 Queensland Award for Literary Fiction ---- 'I'm awed by the range, experiment and political intelligence of Alexis Wright's work. She is vital on the subject of land and people.' Robert Macfarlane, New York Times Book Review ---- 'Monumental. Praiseworthy blew me away. If you think you know what assimilation is, you should read Praiseworthy and think again.' Tony Hughes-d'Aeth, Australian Book Review ---- ‘Linguistically commodious, panoramically plotted, Praiseworthy’s 700-plus-page scale would have given Henry James a heart attack: it is a baggy monster, and more monstrous than most. Its vision is dark, humour tar-black, narration irrepressible, language roiling and rococo. All life, as in Balzac, is here … Wright gives us the living and the dead, material and non-material, Country and people; all the masters dreamed of, and all they neglected to; the entire human (and non-human) comedy … Long after the lesser concerns of contemporary fiction have ceased to matter, the work of Alexis Wright will remain.’ Declan Fry, The Guardian ---- 'The rich interrelations of ancestral spirits, larger-than-life characters, and Country all derive from the Aboriginal traditions of storytelling. But there are also signs of literary influence from every compass point on the map, including, most notably, the surrealism and magic realism of writers such as Jorge Luis Borges and Gabriel Garcia Marquez.' Jack Cameron Stanton, The Age ---- 'Praiseworthy is Alexis Wright's most formidable act of imaginative synthesis yet . . . A hero's journey for an age of global warming, a devastating story of young love caught between two laws, and an extended elegy and ode to Aboriginal law and sovereignty.' Jane Gleeson-White, The Conversation

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Book Synopsis‘The Alan Banks mystery-suspense novels are the best series on the market. Try one and tell me I'm wrong’ - Stephen King.From the master of police procedural and bestselling author of Standing in the Shadows comes A Dedicated Man, book two in Peter Robinson’s the Inspector Banks series.A dead body. Hidden secrets. Banks will find the truth.The brutally murdered body of a supposedly well-liked local historian is found half-buried under a dry stone wall. But who would kill such a thoughtful, dedicated man?Young Sally Lumb, locked in her lover's arms on the night of the murder, tries to find the killer herself. But her good-intentions only leads to more danger. And when Chief Inspector Alan Banks is called to investigate and soon discovers that disturbing secrets lie behind the seemingly untroubled façade . . .A Dedicated Man is followed in the gripping Inspector Banks crime series by A Necessary End.Trade ReviewThe novels of Peter Robinson are chilling, evocative, deeply nuanced works of art -- Dennis LehaneIf you haven't encountered Chief Inspector Alan Banks before, prepare for a crash course in taut, clean writing and subtle psychology. And watch for those twists - they'll get you every time -- Ian RankinInspector Banks - a man for all seasons, he knows that often the answers to the clues are hidden in his own heart -- Michael Connelly

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Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE RNA POPULAR ROMANTIC NOVEL AWARD 2023. 'Grab a hot chocolate and lose yourself in this heart-warming story of romance, community and secrets. The perfect story to read by the fire!' PHILLIPPA ASHLEY ‘Brimming with warmth and Christmas cheer’ SARAH MORGAN When Paige turns up unannounced at Wynthorpe Hall, she discovers the place she knew when she was growing up has changed beyond all recognition. She’s only planning to stay for a short time, but is quickly pulled into local life.   One night while driving home after delivering library books and shopping to residents she stumbles across an isolated cottage and meets Albert, its elderly and rather grumpy owner. She quickly realises there’s more to Albert than meets the eye and the same can be said for the other man she can’t seem to help running into, handsome but brooding Brodie.   All three Trade Review'Grab a hot chocolate and lose yourself in this heart-warming story of romance, community and secrets. The perfect story to read by the fire!' -- Phillipa Ashley‘Dive head-first into some festive spirit with this gorgeous read’ * Fabulous Magazine *‘An uplifting read’ * Woman’s Weekly *‘Brimming with emotion, drama, romance and friendship, Swain’s magical tale of love, community, cheer and charm is guaranteed to leave readers with a special snow-sprinkled glow that wraps itself around you like a cosy blanket of love and laughter. With its tasty festive concoction of real life, heart-fluttering romance, laugh-out-loud comedy and heart-warming happy-ever-after, this is the perfect Christmas book hug for winter nights’ * Lancashire Evening Post * ‘this is the magic season for optimism, self-forgiveness and love’ * Woman & Home *‘A heart-warming read’ * HELLO *‘…if you love Christmas and romantic stories, this is definitely going to be one of your favourite reads this festive season’ * Simply Cards and Papercraft *'... A heart-warming read packed with seasonal cheer.' * Daily Express *'Paige stumbles across an isolated cottage and meets Albert. She realises there's more to Albert than meets the eye - and the same can be said for the other man she keeps running into - handsome Brodie. All have a desire to hide from the world, but is that the best way to celebrate the festive season?' * Take A Break Monthly *"Swain's latest sparkles with joy and wisdom." * Heat *‘Heidi Swain has become a go-to author when it comes to fun and festive reads’ * Culturefly *

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Book SynopsisA stunning early novel by the twice Booker-shortlisted author of Hot Milk and Swimming Home, Deborah Levy. Like her namesake Jack Kerouac, J.K. is always on the road, travelling Europe with her typewriter in a pillowcase. From J.K.''s irreverent, ironic perspective, Levy charts a new, dizzying, end-of-the-century world of shifting boundaries and displaced peoples._________________________________''An exciting writer, sharp and shocking as the knives her characters wield'' Sunday Times ''Levy is a brilliant writer'' Telegraph ''Levy''s strength is her originality of thought and expression'' Jeanette WintersonTrade ReviewOne of the few British writers comfortable on a world stage * New Statesman *Levy is a brilliant writer * Telegraph *An exciting writer, sharp and shocking as the knives her characters wield * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisA chilling ritual is being acted out by a sadistic killer in Dark Flight, the fourth novel in Lin Anderson's forensic crime series featuring Rhona MacLeod.Six-year-old Stephen Devlin has vanished, his mother and grandmother horrifically murdered. At the scene of the devastating crime, forensic scientist Rhona Macleod finds a chilling African talisman, made from the bones of a child. Working with DS Michael McNab, Rhona joins a task force that has been formed in a desperate attempt to track down the missing child before it’s too late. As the case builds momentum, it becomes clear the killer’s motive was linked to the fact that the boy and his mother had recently returned from Nigeria.When further victims are found, Rhona realizes she must decipher the talisman’s meaning if they are to have any hope of finding Stephen before he becomes the next link in the killer’s chain . . . Dark Flight is the fourth book in the Rhona MacLeod series by Lin Anderson.Trade ReviewForensic scientist Rhona MacLeod has become one of the most satisfying characters in modern crime fiction — honourable, inquisitive and yet plagued by doubts and, sometimes, fears . . . As ever, the landscape is stunningly evoked and MacLeod’s decency and humanity shine through on every page * Daily Mail *The best Scottish crime series since Rebus * Daily Record *Lin Anderson is one of Scotland’s national treasures – don’t be fooled by comparisons, her writing is unique, bringing warmth and depth to even the seediest parts of Glasgow. Lin’s Rhona MacLeod is a complex and compelling heroine who just gets better with every outing -- Stuart MacBride

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Book SynopsisAnd the Land Lay Still is the sweeping Scottish epic by James RobertsonAnd the Land Lay Still is nothing less than the story of a nation. James Robertson''s breathtaking novel is a portrait of modern Scotland as seen through the eyes of natives and immigrants, journalists and politicians, drop-outs and spooks, all trying to make their way through a country in the throes of great and rapid change. It is a moving, sweeping story of family, friendship, struggle and hope - epic in every sense.The winner of the Saltire Society Scottish Book of the Year Award 2010, And the Land Lay Still is a masterful insight into Scotland''s history in the twentieth century and a moving, beautifully written novel of intertwined stories.''Toweringly ambitious, virtually flawlessly realized, a masterpiece and, without a doubt, my book of the year'' Daily Mail''A jam-packed, dizzying piece of fiction'' Scotland on Sunday''GTrade ReviewWonderful, brilliant, panoramic, illuminating. A joy to read -- Irvine Welsh * Guardian *Gripping, vivid, beautifully realized * The Times *Powerful and moving. A brilliant and multifaceted saga of Scottish life in the second half of the twentieth century * Sunday Times *Toweringly ambitious, virtually flawlessly realized, a masterpiece and, without a doubt, my book of the year * Daily Mail *Big, ambitious, intricately organised . . . it's some achievement * New Statesman *Dizzying . . . subtle and profound . . . And The Land Lay Still reads like an alternative history of Scotland told by its everyday people instead of its movers and shakers . . . eminently readable * Independent on Sunday *Both epic and domestic, it delivers a wonderful lifelikeness * Scotsman *A hugely ambitious and compassionate novel . . . a jam-packed, dizzying piece of fiction . . . already it's being spoken of as the most important novel about Scotland since Lanark * Scotland on Sunday *

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