Narrative theme: sense of place

Book SynopsisPRESENT. PAST. SPELLBOUND. Sybil and Blake Gregory live a well-ordered, predictable Manhattan life — she as a cutting-edge design authority and museum consultant, he in high-tech investments — raising their teenagers Andrew and Caroline and six-year-old Charlie. But when Blake is offered a dream job as CEO of a start-up in San Francisco, he accepts it, without consulting his wife, and buys a magnificent, historic mansion as their new home in Pacific Heights.Past and present collide at their elegant mansion, when they meet the large and lively family who lived there a century ago. All long dead but very much alive in spirit—visible to the Gregorys and no one else. Within these enchanted rooms, it is at once 1917 and a century later. Have the Gregorys been given a perfect gift; beloved friends, a chance to relive the past and the wisdom and grace to shape the future?

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Book SynopsisA tense, evocative, portrait of love and deceit set during one long hot summer in France, The Greengage Summer is a hauntingly beautiful coming-of-age story by from Rumer Godden, the author of Black Narcissus, now a major BBC drama series.When their mother is suddenly taken ill on holiday, five siblings are left to fend for themselves at the elegant, faded hotel, Les Oeillets. Under the increasingly jealous gaze of the glamorous patronne, Mademoiselle Zizi, the children gravitate towards her mysterious and charming lover, Eliot, for comfort. And, amongst the gnarled trees of the old orchards, thirteen-year-old Cecil watches from the sidelines as her achingly beautiful sister, Joss, is drawn into the heart of a toxic affair.Designed to appeal to the booklover, the Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of beautiful gift editions of much loved classic titles. Macmillan Collector's Library are books to love and treasure.

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Book 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 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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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 SynopsisTim Winton has published over twenty books for adults and children, and his work has been translated into twenty-eight languages. Since his first novel, An Open Swimmer, won the Australian/Vogel Award in 1981, he has won the Miles Franklin Award four times (for Shallows, Cloudstreet, Dirt Music and Breath) and twice been shortlisted for the Booker Prize (for The Riders and Dirt Music). Active in the environmental movement, he is the Patron of the Australian Marine Conservation Society. He lives in Western Australia.Trade Review‘Always a writer of crystalline prose, his lines of sinewy leanness achieve such clarity here that it seems one is reading line after line of perfect music . . . To read Winton is to be reminded not just of the possibilities of fiction but of the human heart’ The Times ‘The laureate of Western Australia is back . . . this is like Carver, happily with a very large dose of Winton’ Time Out 'These stories are threaded through with subtleties and oblique connections; to be fully appreciated, they need to be read more than once. But Winton's writing – vigorous, vivid, precise – is so good that you'd want to do that anyway’ Sunday Times‘Sublime. Winton is a great writer’ Daily Mail‘Vivid, elegiac and humorous . . . and told in a relaxed prose that frequently strikes sparks’ Daily Telegraph‘Winton is marvellous at locating the small moment of crisis. His prose is leavened throughout by a kind of poetry . . . so exquisitely written, so precise in its construction, that it is a joy to read’ Sunday Telegraph‘Winton is a poet of baffled souls . . . Always a writer of crystalline prose, his lines of sinewy leanness achieve such clarity here that it seems one is reading line after line of perfect music. His unbounded humanity and his sympathy for his characters descend on them like grace as they struggle to salvage their lives’ The Times

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE 2014 DEBUT CATEGORY - KITCHIES PRIZELONGLISTED FOR THE 2013 IMPAC DUBLIN LITERARY AWARDSA New York Times bestseller, Mr Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore is an entirely charming and lovable first novel of mysterious books and dusty bookshops; it is a witty and delightful love-letter to both the old book world and the new.Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon out of his life as a Web-design drone and serendipity coupled with sheer curiosity has landed him a new job working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. And it doesn't take long for Clay to realize that the quiet, dusty book emporium is even more curious than the name suggests. There are only a few fanatically committed customers, but they never seem to actually buy anything, instead they simply borrow impossibly obscure volumes perched on dangerously high shelves, all according to some elaborate arrangement with the eccentric proprietor. The store must be a front for something larger, Clay concludes, and soon he has plugged in his laptop, roped in his friends (and a cute girl who works for Google) and embarked on a high-tech analysis of the customers' behaviour. What they discover is an ancient secret that can only be solved by modern means, and a global-conspiracy guarded by Mr. Penumbra himself... who has mysteriously disappeared.Trade ReviewThe story is gripping, the characters are terrific and the writing is clever and funny. As intelligent as it is enjoyable * Daily Mail *It's a proper novel. By which I mean, not that it has pages you actually turn - that is optional with novels nowadays - but pages that you actually want to turn, which is getting rarer and rarer.... Charming, gently comedic, sweetly nerdy and enthusiastic about media both old and new * Irish Times *Rollicking... an ode to the beauty of dead-tree books * New York Times *Delightful... Smart, hip and witty * Washington Post *The pages swell with Mr Sloan's nerdy affection and youthful enthusiasm for both tangible books and new media... A clever and whimsical tale with a big heart * The Economist *

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Book SynopsisIn the small Bosnian town of Visegrad the stone bridge of the novel's title, built in the sixteenth century on the instruction of a grand vezir, bears witness to three centuries of conflict. Visegrad has long been a bone of contention between the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires, but the bridge survives unscathed until 1914, when the collision of forces in the Balkans triggers the outbreak of World War I.The bridge spans generations, nationalities and creeds, silent testament to the lives played out on it. Radisav, a workman, tries to hinder its construction and is impaled alive on its highest point; beautiful Fata leaps from its parapet to escape an arranged marriage; Milan, inveterate gamble, risks all in one last game on it. With humour and compassion, Andric chronicles the lives of Catholics, Muslims and Orthodox Christians unable to reconcile their disparate loyalties.Trade ReviewIn high school, one Saturday, I started reading a book by the Yugoslav novelist Ivo Andric: The Bridge on the Drina. By the time I finished it something in me had shifted forever * New Statesman *Despite its scale, what makes the book extraordinary is the tender insight with which it treats these individual lives, whether Catholic, Orthodox, Muslim or Jewish * Independent *Perhaps the most widely translated Yugoslav book since the last war is Ivo Andric's The Bridge on the Drina... No better example could have been selected with which to introduce the American public to contemporary Yugoslav prose * New York Times *The best kind of fictionalised history * Daily Telegraph *The wealth and variety of its fictional elements carry it so far beyond the confines of a straightforward novel, it cannot be limited to such a description. It puts one in mind of a collection of tales, but no collection of tales (not even A Thousand and One Nights or Washington Irving's stories) ever possessed such a unity and continuity of theme * Le Monde *

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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 Synopsis‘The Alan Banks mystery-suspense novels are the best series on the market. Try one and tell me I'm wrong’ – Stephen KingFrom the master of police procedural and bestselling author of Standing in the Shadows comes The Hanging Valley, book four in Peter Robinson’s the Inspector Banks series.TWO MURDERS. A MISSING PERSON. A VILLAGE WITH A TERRIBLE SECRET.A faceless corpse is found in a tranquil, hidden valley below the village of Swainshead, the victim’s identity deliberately obscured. And when Chief Inspector Alan Banks arrives, he finds that no-one is willing to talk. Banks's frustration only grows when he suspects his latest case might be connected with an unsolved murder and a missing local woman, which occurred in the same area five years ago.Among the silent suspects are the Collier brothers, the wealthiest and most powerful family in the area. When they start using their influence to slow down the investigation, Banks finds himself in a race against time . . .The Hanging Valley is followed by Past Reason Hated in the Inspector Banks series.Trade ReviewThe novels of Peter Robinson are chilling, evocative, deeply nuanced works of art -- Dennis LehaneIf you haven't caught up with Peter Robinson already, now is the time to start * Independent on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisFresh from rehab, Norwegian PI Varg Veum faces his most complex investigation yet, when a man is found drowned, a young woman disappears, and the case of a missing child is revived. The classic Nordic Noir series continues…‘As searing and gripping as they come’ New York Times ‘One of my very favourite Scandinavian authors’ Ian Rankin‘The Norwegian Chandler’ Jo Nesbø ***Now a major TV series starring Trond Espen Seim***________________________PI Varg Veum has returned to duty following a stint in rehab, but his new composure and resolution are soon threatened when a challenging assignment arrives on his desk.A man is found dead in an elite swimming pool and a young woman has gone missing. Most chillingly, Varg Veum is asked to investigate the ‘Camilla Case’: an eight-year-old cold case involving the disappearance of a little girl, who was never found.As the threads of these apparently unrelated crimes come together, against the backdrop of a series of shocking environmental crimes, Varg Veum faces the most challenging, traumatic investigation of his career.________________________ 'Every inch the equal of his Nordic confreres Henning Mankell and Jo Nesbø' Independent‘Staalesen continually reminds us he is one of the finest of Nordic novelists’ Financial Times ‘There are only two other writers that I know of have achieved the depth of insight in detective writing that Staalesen has: Chandler, and Ross MacDonald …’ Mystery Tribune ‘Employs Chandleresque similes with a Nordic Noir twist … simply superb’ Wall Street Journal‘Masterful pacing’ Publishers Weekly 'The Varg Veum series is more concerned with character and motivation than spectacle, and it’s in the quieter scenes that the real drama lies’ Herald Scotland ‘Unsettling, moving, sad, hopeful and hopeless … it’s rich and it’s sharp and it’s cynical and sentimental all at once’ NB Magazine ‘A complex, layered plot in which human tragedy and mystery combine to play out beautifully in a classic Nordic noir with a touch of Christie’ Live & Deadly For fans of Henning Mankell, Jo Nesbø, Jorn Lier Horst, Harlan Coben and Jussi Adler-Olse

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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 KingFrom the master of police procedural and bestselling author of Standing in the Shadows comes Gallows View, the first book in Peter Robinson’s the Inspector Banks series.New Town. New Cases. New Danger . . .Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks has recently relocated with his family from stressful London to the Yorkshire Dales, but soon finds that life in the countryside is not quite as idyllic as he had imagined.Three cases come to the fore: a voyeur is terrorizing the women of Eastvale; two thugs are breaking into homes; and an old woman is dead, possibly murdered. As the tension mounts, Banks must also deal with his attraction to a young psychologist, Jenny Fuller – and when both Jenny and Banks’s wife are drawn deeper into events, Banks realizes that his cases are weaving closer and closer together . . .Gallows View is followed by A Dedicated Man in the DCI Banks series.'If 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 Rankin, author of A Game Called MaliceTrade ReviewIf 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 RankinThe novels of Peter Robinson are chilling, evocative, deeply nuanced works of art -- Dennis LehanePeter Robinson is a master -- Tess GerritsenAn author with amazing empathy, a snare trap ear for dialogue and a clear eye for the telling detail -- Michael ConnellyPeter Robinson’s first, and extremely well-fashioned, police procedural. An expert plotter with an eye for telling detail, Mr. Robinson can also make acute social observations * New York Times Book Review *

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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 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 SynopsisThe new novel from the award-winning writer, Ben Fergusson, author of The Spring of Kasper Meier and The Other Hoffmann Sister.Trade ReviewA compelling story of love and betrayal in the divided Berlin of the 1980s * Sunday Times Best Books of 2019 *A beautifully written, evocative literary thriller set in Berlin shortly before the fall of the Wall * Financial Times Best Books of 2019 *In An Honest Man, Ben Fergusson richly evokes West Berlin in 1989 through his narrator's nineteen-year-old self. Absorption in his own friendships and sexual self-discovery obscures from him his larger community's confusion of hopes and fears, though he is appealingly sensitive to Berlin's natural, geological realities * Times Literary Supplement, Books of the Year 2019 *Love and loyalty in Cold War-era Berlin: an outstanding novel * Sunday Times Must Read *The divided Berlin of the Cold War era is brilliantly resurrected on the cusp of momentous change in Ben Fergusson's An Honest Man...the novel movingly recounts Ralf's painful discoveries about love and loyalty * Sunday Times *During the hot summer of 1989, a group of friends mooch about, fall in love, swim and party. All perfectly normal - except this is West Berlin which is still divided by the Wall and awash with spies and paranoia . . . The author won awards for his debut, The Spring of Kasper Meier. This is equally atmospheric and thought-provoking * Daily Mail *A genre-melding mix of coming of age and spy thriller...Fergusson's prose combines a reporter's eye for detail with poetic scene-setting...But the Cold War and greater forces are in play. The party will soon be over and a profound betrayal is about to turn Ralf's world upside down. A fine summer read * Financial Times *Subtle and intense...a morally complex tale...This is a beautifully written and engaging novel that comes from the heart * NB magazine *The stunning, powerful and addictive new novel by the prize-winning author of The Spring of Kasper Meier... * Attitude magazine *A powerful and moving love story by a writer at the top of his game * John Boyne *I quickly found myself hooked. The character of Ralf and his relationships with both his family and friends (particularly Oz) are beautifully drawn. Ralf's journey from innocence to adulthood is fascinating, surprising and poignant as the plot twists and turns and the reader, along with Ralf, has no idea who to trust. It is a compelling story that held me captive until the last page. And thank God it had a proper ending that left me smiling!' * Ruth Hogan *Profoundly moving - a deftly crafted story of love and loss, I believed every word of it * Jake Arnott *Fiercely beautiful, this tender, yet powerfully told story of love and discovery cradles the reader in the most pleasurable way. A lush, unforgettable read * Kate Mayfield, author of The Parentations *I was completely enthralled by the story of Ralf and the complex friendships and family ties that surround him in the last days of the Berlin Wall. Both a literary thriller and a moving love story, An Honest Man magically captures that strange hinterland between childhood and what lies ahead - and it will keep you guessing until the very last page * Sarah Day, author of Mussolini's Island *Ben Fergusson paints a vivid picture of a divided city . . . An Honest Man stays taut and claustrophobic . . . As well as a poignant love story, it's also a gripping, original thriller; a final twist I definitely didn't see coming sets a powerful climax in motion . . . But this is a novel as much about the end of innocence, the limits of ideology and the pain of realising the people we love are far from perfect - in this case very far indeed -- Jeff Robson * The i *Ben Fergusson's compelling story is as sensitive as it is moving. It vividly evokes Berlin in 1989 and perfectly captures the atmosphere and mood of what was then a tragic city. And his characters are all too believable, their flaws and attributes neatly defining the human condition * Daily Express *A love story at its heart, this unsettling and wonderfully atmospheric historical novel, set in West Berlin in 1989 (the year the wall was torn down), sizzle with suspense and intrigue . . . This is a beguiling read, crackling with tension, unease and anticipation, all of which builds slowly like a gathering summer storm * The Lady *

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Book Synopsis''The ultimate in immersive fiction . . . magnificent'' Sunday Times''Highly readable, entirely engaging and frequently funny'' Observer''Perfectly pitched . . . A deft and resonant alchemy of fact and fiction, of literary myth and imagination'' Guardian Book of the WeekAround the turn of the twentieth century young pianist Brodie Moncur quits Edinburgh''s slate skies for the lights of Paris, his preacher father''s words of denunciation ringing in his ears. There he joins forces with the fiery Irish virtuoso John Kilbarron and together the pair take Europe by storm.But when he falls for Kilbarron''s lover - the mesmerizing Russian soprano Lika Blum - Brodie quickly realizes that the tide has turned and he must flee across a continent, haunted by his love for Lika, and pursued by the vengeful wrath of his rival.''A giddying read . . . his most immersive historical novel to date'' Daily Telegraph''Elegant and affecting. A racing fin-de-siècle romance'' The Times''Boyd''s talents as a rollicking storytelling [are] full on display in this historical blockbuster'' Metro Trade ReviewBoyd on form is the ultimate in immersive fiction, and Love is Blind is Boyd at the top of his game . . . magnificent * Sunday Times *Boyd is back on a form few of his contemporaries can match. This fine, touching and clever book is the best thing he's written since [Any Human Heart] and deserves similar adulation * Observer *The book begins and continues at a cracking pace - or perhaps a cinematic stride - with scenes, scenarios, set-pieces and minor characters aplenty, all of which and all of whom might easily detain another writer for an entire book . . . He makes it look easy: he's a pro * New Statesman *Boyd's talents as a rollicking storytelling [are] full on display in this historical blockbuster * Metro *A deft and resonant alchemy of fact and fiction, of literary myth and imagination * Guardian *He has probably written more classic books than any of his contemporaries * Daily Telegraph *Boyd is a brilliant novelist * Observer *William Boyd is arguably one of Britain's finest living writers * Sunday Express *

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Book SynopsisWelcome back to Sweetwater Springs, North Carolina, for a heartwarming second-chance romance between a quirky cafe owner and a handsome park ranger. Thirty is just a number, but the thought of turning the same age her mother was when she died is terrifying to cafe owner Emma St. James. Emma wants to do something to keep her mom's memory alive, but what she has in mind would require looping in Jack Hershey, and Emma is still upset with him after he stood her up for their high school prom. It was just a silly dance, but she'd needed him back then. She wished she didn't need him now too.Park Ranger Jack Hershey is caring for his nephew, Sam, this summer while Sam's mom is in the hospital. To convince his sister that Sam will be in good hands, Jack lets his sister believe that he and Emma are a couple and will be watching Sam together. However, Emma will only agree to go along with this facade if Jack helps her organize her event at Evergreen Park. As Jack and Emma work together to plan the biggest celebration of the season in Sweetwater Springs, their long-running attraction intensifies and their summer charade shows forever potential...if they can overcome the roadblocks of the past.Includes the bonus novella A Fairytale Bride!

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Book Synopsis**Winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award 2020** 'The great African novel of the twenty-first century' Tade Thompson, author of Rosewater On the banks of the Zambezi River, a few miles from the majestic Victoria Falls, there was once a colonial settlement called The Old Drift. In 1904, in a smoky room at the hotel across the river, an Old Drifter named Percy M. Clark, foggy with fever, makes a mistake that entangles his fate with those of an Italian hotelier and an African busboy. So begins a cycle of unwitting retribution between three Zambian families as they collide and converge over the course of the century, into the present and beyond. 'Extraordinary, ambitious, evocative, dazzling' Salman Rushdie 'Brilliant . . . heartbreaking' Sunday Times 'Charming, heartbreaking and breathtaking' Carmen Maria Machado, author of In the Dream HouseTrade ReviewExtraordinary, ambitious, evocative… The Old Drift is an impressive book, ranging skillfully between historical and science fiction, shifting gears between political argument, psychological realism and rich fabulism…a dazzling debut, establishing Namwali Serpell as a writer on the world stage -- Salman Rushdie * New York Times Book Review *Brilliant...there are moments of such heart-wrenching poignancy that I had to put the book down several times and recompose myself. Serpell writes with the emotional maturity and sardonic smile of one who has lived several times already -- Leaf Arbuthnot * Sunday Times *An intimate, brainy, gleaming epic... The reader who picks up The Old Drift is likely to be more than simply impressed. This is a dazzling book, as ambitious as any first novel published this decade. It made the skin on the back of my neck prickle...she’s such a generous writer. The people and the ideas in The Old Drift, like dervishes, are set whirling -- Dwight Garner * New York Times *From the poetry and subtle humor constantly alive in its language, to the cast of fulsome characters that defy simple categorization, The Old Drift is a novel that satisfies on all levels. Namwali Serpell excels in creating portraits of resilience—each unique and often heartbreaking. In The Old Drift the individual struggle is cast against a world of shifting principles and politics, and Serpell captures the quicksand nature of a nation’s roiling change with exacting precision. My only regret is that once begun, I reached the end all too soon -- Alice SeboldAn impressive first novel… The Old Drift is electric with the sense that Serpell is laying down pieces in a puzzle kept teasingly out of sight... A growing sense that The Old Drift could go on for ever is tribute to its inventiveness -- Anthony Cummins * Observer *

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Book SynopsisFall in love with Marina Adair's Sugar, Georgia, a small town with lots of character, where a woman starting over and a local contractor become inexplicably drawn to each other while renovating an old house.He's trouble she doesn't need...Thanks to a cheating fiancé, Josephina Harrington's perfect life just crashed and burned. Moving in with her overbearing parents is definitely not an option. No, she needs to prove she can make it on her own. And she will-by turning her great-aunt's old house into a destination getaway. She's just not expecting her contractor to be so hands-on-and so totally irresistible....but everything she wants.Bad-boy golf champion Brett McGraw figured his hometown of Sugar, Georgia was the perfect place to lay low and get his life back up to par. The leggy blonde with a pint-sized pup is the kind of sweet 'n sassy trouble he never saw coming. She doesn't know a nut from a bolt and before long, he's renovating her house . . . as she steals his heart. Can he convince Josephina that his womanizing ways are in the past and he's ready for forever?

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Book SynopsisThe glittering new uplifting Christmas read from bestselling author Cressida McLaughlin.A wonderfully cosy festive treat' My weeklyOllie Spencer has started a new life in the idyllic Cornish seaside town of Port Karadow. Throwing herself into her job at the town's bookshop, A New Chapter, is one way to make friends. The shop is glitzing up for first Christmas and Ollie hopes her inspired ideas will give the shop the edge it needs to dazzle the town.But far from being the Sugar Plum fairy the place needs, Ollie is fast becoming its Christmas pudding. With the bookshop's success at stake, Ollie turns to twinkly-eyed café owner Max for help. Can he help Ollie to turn the page, and put the sparkle back into her Cornish dream?Praise for the Cornish Cream Tea series:Gorgeous!' Phillipa AshleyPerfect' Cathy BramleyWarm-hearted fun with a sprinkle of love' Holly MartinTrade Review Praise for Cressida McLaughlin: ‘One of our favourite women’s fiction stars’ – Heat ‘A warm and wonderful read’ – Woman’s Own ‘The perfect summer treat; as sweet as a cream scone and just as moreish’ – Cathy Bramley ‘Gorgeously romantic’ – Rachael Lucas ‘Cressida's characters are wonderful. So warm and relatable… A delicious summer treat!’ – Sarah Morgan ‘Evocative and gorgeous’ – Phillipa Ashley ‘Warm and wonderful… bursting with characters you’ll adore’ – Miranda Dickinson ‘So many perfect romantic moments that made me melt.’ – Jules Wake ‘You’ll want to cancel plans and stay in’ – Pernille Hughes ‘Sizzingly romantic and utterly compelling’ – Alex Brown ‘I just LOVED this story. All the characters are wonderful’ – Isabelle Broom ‘Real heart and soul’ – Sarra Manning ‘I absolutely love Cressida’s warm-hearted, romantic stories – they’re the perfect escape’ – Rachael Lucas ‘A wonderful ray of reading sunshine’ – Heidi Swain ‘A little slice of a Cornish cream tea but without the calories’ – Bella Osborne ‘Perfectly pitched between funny, sexy, tender and downright heartbreaking’ – Jane Casey 'A lovely warm gem’ – Alex Brown ‘McLaughlin writes so warmly and vividly, the rest of the world melts away!’ – Kirsty Greenwood ‘Beautiful, heartwarming. Drew me in and I didn’t want to leave!’ – Zara Stoneley ‘As hot & steamy as a freshly made hot chocolate, and as sweet & comforting as the whipped cream & sprinkles that go on top’ – Helen Fields

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Book SynopsisBurial of Ghosts is a page-turning standalone crime novel from Ann Cleeves, author and creator of the three astounding TV series Shetland, Vera and The Long Call.Abandoned as a baby, twenty-five-year-old Lizzie Bartholomew spent her childhood moving between foster homes and has had more than her fair share of troubles.Now a holiday in Morocco seems to be the perfect escape. Especially when she meets Philip, a fellow tourist. After a brief affair, Lizzie returns to England, only to find a solicitor's letter waiting for her.Philip Samson has died and has left Lizzie a gift of £15,000 in his will. But there are conditions attached to this unexpected legacy that will soon force Lizzie to confront terrifying secrets from her past life . . .Trade ReviewCleeves combines a flair for evoking sense of place with a thoughtful, complex plot * The Mail on Sunday *A traditional mystery of the best sort * The Guardian *Hauntingly written, it evokes every possible emotion with Ann’s gripping narrative’ * Woman *Brilliant, thoughtful and deeply engaging -- Sara Paretsky, New York Times bestselling author of the V. I. Warshawski seriesAnn Cleeves is a phenomenal talent. With unfailing skill, gorgeous setting, flawless plot and seamless voice, she brilliantly conjures new worlds in crime fiction. -- Hank Phillippi Ryan, author of The Murder ListCleeves writes of the left-behind and the unfortunate with intelligence and compassion’ * Literary Review *

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Book SynopsisSpring 2024 Jimmy Fallon Book Club Winner DISCOVER THE THRILLER KEEPING EVERYONE AWAKEThe most gripping thriller I have ever read' GILLIAN McALLISTERLike nothing I''ve read before. I wolfed it down in two sittings, it''s amazing' LISA JEWELLAs tender as it is terrifying' ABIGAIL DEALYou won't be able to look away' SHARI LAPENAHeart-thumping and mesmerizing' ASHLEY AUDRAINOne of the best thrillers I've ever read' JENNIE GODFREYWASHINGTON POST FEBRUARY 2024 PICKTODAY SHOW Books we can't wait to read in 2024'----There was someone in the house.Home alone with her young children during a blizzard, a mother tucks her son back into bed in the middle of the night. Then she hears a noise - old houses are always making some kind of noise. But this sound is disturbingly familiar: it''s the tread of footsteps, unusually heavy and slow, coming up the stairs...In that split second, she has three choices.Should she hide? Should she run? Or should she fight?----NIGHTWATCHING is the unmissable thriller of the year:''Terrifying and unputdownable'' KARIN SLAUGHTER''Absolutely, breathtakingly superb'' SOPHIE HANNAH''A scalpel-sharp thriller'' NIKKI SMITH''I couldn''t put it down'' ALAFAIR BURKEEerily atmospheric, pulse-pounding and unputdownable' SARAH PEKKANEN''One of the most haunting, gripping novels I''ve read in a long time'' KATIE GUTIERREZI am trying to think of a book that has grabbed me by the throat more quickly' LINWOOD BARCLAYTrade ReviewAmong the best debuts I’ve read in years * LA Times *Tackles some big themes such as motherhood and grief… you may want to read during daylight hours * Woman and Home *Hold-your-breath suspense * Washington Post *Triumphs in a gripping and convincing finale * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisTHE SPINE-TINGLING AND GRIPPING NEW THRILLER FROM THE AUTHOR OF SUNDAY TIMES CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH, BREATHLESS''Enthralling. Combines an intricate murder mystery with lyrical passages describing ice cliffs and spectacular skies'' SUNDAY TIMES''Chillingly atmospheric, with sub-zero tension and a creeping plot that makes it impossible to look away'' JANICE HALLETT''A chilling, atmospheric rollercoaster of a read filled with clever unpredictable twists'' CLAIRE DOUGLAS''Transportive, absorbing and perfectly paced. You won''t want to miss it!'' LUCY CLARKE___________With her life back in London falling apart, Olivia cannot believe her luck when she''s invited on a once-in-a-lifetime Antarctic cruise with her boyfriend, Aaron.Olivia has never been anywhere so spectacular: huge cliffs of ice loom high on the horizon, penguins dive through the sparkling sea, aTrade ReviewEnthralling... combines an intricate murder mystery with lyrical passages describing ice cliffs and spectacular skies... She has an eye for edgy and unusual settings, and the new novel is easily as good as her first * Sunday Times *A chilling, atmospheric rollercoaster of a read filled with clever unpredictable twists and beautiful imagery of Antarctica. I loved it! Amy McCulloch is the queen of the adventure thriller! -- Claire DouglasAmy McCulloch is the ice queen of the stone-cold, twisting thriller. Midnight is chillingly atmospheric, with sub-zero tension and a creeping plot that makes it impossible to look away. I will never not read what she writes!" -- Janice HallettIn Midnight, Amy McCulloch takes us on her most adrenaline-fuelled adventure yet. Transportive, absorbing and perfectly paced. You won't want to miss it! -- Lucy ClarkeChills, thrills and intense suspense... Midnight is a clever mystery, a twisting page-turner, and a blistering adventure -- Chris WhitakerAn atmospheric, chilling book where Amy's knowledge of Antarctica shines through. It was difficult to put down -- Catherine CooperEnthralling. Combines an intricate murder mystery with lyrical passages describing ice cliffs and spectacular skies. Easily as good as her first * Sunday Times *Gripping, and as thrilling as a blast of Antarctic air -- Lou Morgan

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Book SynopsisLonglisted for the 2023-2024 Gordon Burn Prize Longlisted for the 2018 Scotiabank Giller Prize Winner of the 2019 Indigenous Voices Award for Published Prose in English Fact can be as strange as fiction. It can also be as dark, as violent, as rapturous. In the end, there may be no difference between them. An Inuk girl grows up in Nunavut, Canada, in the 1970s. She knows joy, and friendship, and parents' love. She knows boredom, and listlessness, and bullying. She knows the tedium of the everyday world, and the raw, amoral power of the ice and sky, the seductive energy of the animal world. She knows the ravages of alcohol, and violence at the hands of those she should be able to trust. She sees the spirits that surround her, and the immense power that dwarfs all of us. When she becomes pregnant, she must navigate all this. In this acclaimed debut novel - haunting, brooding, exhilarating, and tender all at once - Tanya Tagaq explores the grittiest features of a small Arctic town and the electrifying proximity of the worlds of animals and of myth.Trade Review'Tagaq's surreal meld of poetry and prose transmutes the Arctic's boundless beauty, intensity, and desolation into a wrenching contemporary mythology.' The New Yorker ---- 'Though the protagonist's coming-of-age story, generously and lovingly documented by Tagaq, is the anchor, Split Tooth is not a book that can be fully absorbed in one sitting. It's possible to sink deeper and deeper into the narrative with each successive reading. Like a smirking teenager, Split Tooth blithely gives typical literary expectations the finger, daring us to see and experience narrative as chaotic, emotional, and deeply instinctive. And it succeeds.' Quill and Quire ---- 'A raw, powerful voice breathes fresh air into traditional Inuit folklore to create a modern tale of mythological proportions.' Kirkus ---- '[Split Tooth] straddles the line between memoir and fiction, prose and poetry, magic and harsh reality. . . [and] is infused with Tagaq's intimate knowledge of life in the Arctic.' Oprah Magazine ---- '[A] forceful coming-of-age tale.' Toronto Life magazine ---- 'In [Tanya Tagaq]'s forthcoming novel, Split Tooth, there's a chapter called "Ritual" that is such a distillation of childhood magic and refuge that it made me feel like I was reading Tove Jansson or Roald Dahl for the first time.' Sean Michaels ---- 'Tanya Tagaq has written a book that should re-arrange the reader's mind and very being in her astounding Split Tooth. She uses the narrative arc of a coming of age story to tell of coming of age in a northern, indigenous community that includes close experience of abuse, village violence, colonial exploitation, and also close kin ties, birth, death, a knowing of how we are really fed, an awareness of how small life can be, and how large ... I look forward to putting this book in people's hands.' Rick Simonson, owner of Elliott Bay Book Company ---- 'In simplest terms, Split Tooth is a punch to the throat...a stellar first novel; an incredible work of Canadian, indigenous, and world literatures.' PopMatters ---- 'Tagaq has broken a new trail for all future Inuit writers to tread upon, describing the lived world of an Inuk child with writing that is breathtaking and singular...With this work Tagaq has reshaped what Inuit literature is... it is impossible to stop reading. It is delicious. And offers a new way forward for Inuit authors.' Inuit Art Quarterly

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Book SynopsisWhile her rehab counselor’s advice replays in her mind, Ansley Boone takes on the role of dutiful bridesmaid in her little sister’s wedding at an isolated resort in the middle of hill country, a place where cell reception is virtually nonexistent and everyone else there seems a stranger primed to spring. Tensions are already high between the Boones and their withdrawal suffering eldest, who has since become the family embarrassment, but when the wedding reception takes a vicious turn, Ansley and her sister must work together to fight for survival and escape the resort before the groom’s cannibalistic family adds them to the post wedding menu.

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Book SynopsisAward-winning, New York Times bestselling author S. A. Cosby's debut novel My Darkest Prayer is republished in a new edition, with a new introduction from the author.S.A. Cosby's reissued debut thriller proves he was a master from the startCosby has in three books emerged as one of the genre's best living practitioners...its reissue is a brilliant idea. Los Angeles TimesI handle the bodies.Whether it''s working at his cousin''s funeral home or tossing around the local riffraff at his favorite bar, Nathan Waymaker is a man who knows how to handle the bodies. A former marine and sheriff''s deputy, Nathan has built a reputation in his small Southern town as a man who can help when all other avenues have been exhausted. When a beloved local minister is found dead, his parishioners ask Nathan to make sure the death isn't swept under the rug.What starts out as an easy payday soon descends into a maze of mayhem fille

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Book SynopsisA sizzling historical romance perfect for all fans of Bridgerton and Jilly CooperFortune favours the bold. But is Lady Anne daring enough to accept a favour from a wicked gentleman? Lady Anne Deveril has voluntarily renounced any fanciful notions of love and marriage. And yet, fate now puts Anne back into the entirely too enticing path of Mr. Felix Hartford. The youthful torch Hart once held for Anne has long since cooled. Or so he keeps telling himself. But now Anne needs a favour. Hart will play along with her little ruse - on the condition that Anne attends his grandfather''s country estate. Away from society, Anne makes the tantalising discovery that beneath the roguish exterior is a man with hidden depths, scorching passions - and a tender heart.A fun, romantic slow-burn love story that you won''t be able to put down, The Lily of Ludgate Hill is one of the Belles of London tales readers can''t help falling in love

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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 Synopsis'Holds you captive like a blues song' Olivia SudjicIn San Padua you can never get the ocean out of your brain. Anne Marie's husband Cal left her on their first anniversary. Two years later and she is still adrift, living a precarious life of shift work and shared apartments. When he shows up on the doorstep, clearly in trouble, she reluctantly agrees to a drink. But later that night a gun goes off in an alley near the shore and the young couple flee together, crammed into a beat-up car with their broken past, desperate to fill their lives on this long stretch of road under hot skies. ______________________PRAISE FOR HIGHWAY BLUE'Poignant, moving and cinematic' An Yu'Beautiful' Observer'Unforgettable' Elaine Feeney'Gripping' StylistTrade ReviewPoignant, moving, and cinematic, this is a story imbued with love and loss that feels at once distantly dreamlike and vividly recognisable. * An Yu, author of BRAISED PORK *Highway Blue is a beautiful, inspired rendering of the on-the-road journey. At its core is an unforgettable protagonist in Anne Marie. McFarlane has written an irresistible story of love and life's meanderings. A very gifted writer, I was entranced. * Elaine Feeney, author of AS YOU WERE *Ailsa McFarlane's prose combines the razor sharp truth telling of Ottessa Moshfegh with the troubled heart of Raymond Carver, using plain language to conjure a shockingly intense way of seeing. I've never read anything quite like it. * Emma Copley Eisenberg, author of THE THIRD RAINBOW GIRL *I loved Highway Blue - a dark, glimmering, journey deep into modern America on a knife edge between love and dependence. * Rosie Price, author of WHAT RED WAS *Hypnotic, stylish, cinematic: Highway Blue holds you captive like a blues song or incantation. * Olivia Sudjic, author of ASYLUM ROAD *

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Book SynopsisTHE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!"A powerful portrait of the courageous women who fought against ignorance, misogyny, and racial prejudice." -William Kent Krueger, New York Times bestselling author of This Tender Land and Lightning StrikeThe new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek!Bestselling historical fiction author Kim Michele Richardson is back with the perfect book club read following Honey Lovett, the daughter of the beloved Troublesome book woman, who must fight for her own independence with the help of the women who guide her and the books that set her free.In the ruggedness of the beautiful Kentucky mountains, Honey Lovett has always known that the old ways can make a hard life harder. As the daughter of the famed blue-skinned, Troublesome Creek packhorse librarian, Honey and her family have been hiding from the law all her life. But when her mother and father are imprisoned, Honey realizes she must fight to stay free, or risk being sent away for good.Picking up her mother's old packhorse library route, Honey begins to deliver books to the remote hollers of Appalachia. Honey is looking to prove that she doesn't need anyone telling her how to survive. But the route can be treacherous, and some folks aren't as keen to let a woman pave her own way.If Honey wants to bring the freedom books provide to the families who need it most, she's going to have to fight for her place, and along the way, learn that the extraordinary women who run the hills and hollers can make all the difference in the world.Praise for The Book Woman's Daughter:"In Kim Michele Richardson's beautifully and authentically rendered The Book Woman's Daughter she once again paints a stunning portrait of the raw, somber beauty of Appalachia, the strong resolve of remarkable women living in a world dominated by men, and the power of books and sisterhood to prevail in the harshest circumstances. A critical and profoundly important read for our time. Badassery womanhood at its best!"-Sara Gruen, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Water for Elephants"Fierce, beautiful and inspirational, Kim Michele Richardson has created a powerful tale about brave extraordinary heroines who are downright haunting and unforgettable."-Abbott Kahler, New York Times bestselling author (as Karen Abbott) of The Ghosts of Eden ParkTrade Review"In Kim Michele Richardson's beautifully and authentically rendered The Book Woman's Daughter she once again paints a stunning portrait of the raw, somber beauty of Appalachia, the strong resolve of remarkable women living in a world dominated by men, and the power of books and sisterhood to prevail in the harshest circumstances. A critical and profoundly important read for our time. Badassery womanhood at its best!" - Sara Gruen, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Water for Elephants"Fierce, beautiful and inspirational, Kim Michele Richardson has created a powerful tale about brave extraordinary heroines who are downright haunting and unforgettable." - Abbott Kahler, New York Times bestselling author (as Karen Abbott) of The Ghosts of Eden Park"A mesmerizing and beautifully rendered Appalachian tale of strong women, bravery, and resilience, told through the eyes of a new heroine reminiscent of Harper Lee's own Scout Finch." - Ron Rash, New York Times bestselling author of One Foot in Eden and Serena

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Book SynopsisFor fans of Riley Sager with a classic slasher twist, Always the First to Die follows a former horror movie actress as she returns to the set of her most iconic film, only to find that the strange circumstances begin to resemble the plot of her most famous film.After her husband's death, Lexi has refused to return to the Pinecrest Estate on the Florida Keys, too many hard memories on that strip of land. Memories of meeting her husband on the set of an iconic horror movie. Of being cast as an extra, of watching herself get killed on screen. And of scoffing at the rumors of the Pinecrest Estate "curse," until she witnessed a cast member die that very summer. But when her daughter sneaks away to visit her grandfather, legendary horror movie director Rick Plummer, Lexi is forced to face her past. That's when a Category Four hurricane changes course, and hits the southern coast.Unable to get through to her daughter, Lexi drives to the Keys in the wake of the storm. What she finds is an island without cell service, without power, and with limited police presence. A desolate bit of land, with only a few remaining behind: the horror director, the starlet once cast as the final girl, the young teenager searching for clues of her father, the mother determined to get off the island, and...the person picking them off one-by-one.Soon enough Lexi's life begins to resemble Rick's most famous horror film, and she must risk her life to save her daughter before someone, or something, destroys them all.

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Book SynopsisAn island of secrets. A runaway. And a promiseA rebellious daughter1925. Among the ancient honey-coloured walls of the tiny island of Malta, strangers slip into the shadows and anyone can buy a new name. Rosalie Delacroix flees Paris for a dancer's job in the bohemian clubs deep in its winding streets.A sister with a secret1944. Running from the brutality of war in France, Florence Baudin faces a new life. But her estranged mother makes a desperate request: to find her vanished sister, who went missing years before.A rift over generationsBetrayals and secrets, lies and silence hang between the sisters. A faded last letter from Rosalie is Florence's only clue, the war an immovable barrier and time is running outPraise for The Hidden PalaceCompletely 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,Trade ReviewPraise for Daughters of War ‘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

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