Search results for ""macmillan""

Lin Anderson is a Scottish author and screenwriter known for her bestselling crime series featuring forensic scientist Dr Rhona MacLeod. Four of her novels have been longlisted for the Scottish Crime Book of the Year, and in 2022 she was shortlisted for the Crime Writers Association Dagger in the Library Award. Lin is the co-founder of the international crime-writing festival Bloody Scotland, which takes place annually in Stirling.

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The Special Dead is the thrilling tenth book in Lin Anderson's forensic crime series featuring Rhona MacLeod.When Mark is invited back to Leila's flat and ordered to strip, he thinks he's about to have the experience of his life. Waking later he finds Leila gone from his side. Keen to leave, he opens the wrong door and finds he's entered a nightmare; behind the swaying Barbie dolls that hang from the ceiling is the body of the girl he just had sex with.Rhona MacLeod's forensic investigation of the scene reveals the red plaited silk cord used to hang Leila to be a cingulum, a Wiccan artefact used in sex magick. Sketches of sexual partners hidden in the dolls provide a link to nine powerful men, but who are they? As the investigation continues, it looks increasingly likely that other witches will be targeted too.Working the investigation is the newly demoted DS Michael McNab, who is keen to stay sober and redeem himself with Rhona, but an encounter with Leila's colleague and fellow Wiccan Freya Devine threatens his resolve. Soon McNab realizes Freya may hold the key to identifying the men linked to the dolls, but the Nine will do anything to keep their identities a secret.Follow Rhona MacLeod in more forensic thrillers with None but the Dead, Follow the Dead, Sins of the Dead and Time for the Dead.

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Darkly funny, shockingly honest, Brothers in Arms is an unforgettable account of a soldier's tour of Afghanistan, the brutal reality of war – every scary, exciting moment – and the bonds of friendship that can never be destroyed.‘If you could choose which two limbs got blown off, what would you go for?’ Danny said. ‘Your arms or your legs?’In July 2009, Geraint (Gez) Jones was sitting in Camp Bastion, Afghanistan with the rest of The Firm – Danny, Jay, Toby and Jake, his four closest friends, all junior NCOs and combat-hardened infantrymen. Thanks to the mangled remains of a Jackal vehicle left tactlessly outside their tent, IEDs were never far from their mind. Within days they’d be on the ground in Musa Qala with the rest of 3 Platoon – a mixed bunch of men Gez would die for. As they fight furiously, are pushed to their limits, hemmed in by IEDs and hampered by the chain of command, Gez starts to wonder what is the point of it all. The bombs they uncover on patrol, on their stomachs brushing the sand away, are replaced the next day. Firefights are a momentary victory in a war they can see is unwinnable. Gez is a warrior – he wants more than this. But then death and injury start to take their toll on The Firm, leaving Gez with PTSD and a new battle just beginning.'Jones writes of his brothers and their Afghan experience, from its adrenalin-filled highs to the many lows, with passion and candour.' – Major Adam Jowett, bestselling author of No Way Out'A gritty, brutal book about men at war. Raw and real. Brilliant.' – Tom Marcus, author of Soldier Spy

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Join Sam the farm dog for a day on the farm to meet lots of animals and their babies in this interactive lift-the-flap story from Rod Campbell, creator of bestselling preschool classic, Dear Zoo.Children will love lifting the flaps to discover their favourite farm animals and their babies in Noisy Farm. Meet Sam the farm dog, visit the animals and don't forget to join in by calling out their noises!With bright, bold artwork, a simple, engaging text and a whole host of favourite farm animals, Noisy Farm is a perfect first farm animal story book – and the chunky board book format and sturdy card flaps make it great for small hands.Rod Campbell, the creator of the preschool lift-the-flap classic Dear Zoo, has been a trusted name in early learning for over thirty-five years.Little animal lovers will also enjoy Rod Campbell's Look After Us, a lift-the-flap animal book for toddlers with a positive message about conservation.

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Enter a fantastical, underwater world in Deeplight, from Frances Hardinge, the Costa Award-winning author of The Lie Tree.'One of our finest storytellers,' – Sarah Perry, author of The Essex SerpentThe gods of the Myriad were as real as the coastlines and currents, and as merciless as the winds and whirlpools. Now the gods are dead, but their remains are stirring beneath the waves . . .On the streets of the Island of Lady's Crave live 14-year-old urchins Hark and his best friend Jelt. They are scavengers: diving for relics of the gods, desperate for anything they can sell. But there is something dangerous in the deep waters of the undersea, calling to someone brave enough to retrieve it.When the waves try to claim Jelt, Hark will do anything to save him. Even if it means compromising not just who Jelt is, but what he is . . .

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A compellingly beautiful tale of magic, intrigue and deception, set against the backdrop of eighteenth-century Paris on the cusp of revolution.Paris in 1789 is a labyrinth of twisted streets, filled with beggars, thieves, revolutionaries – and magicians . . . When seventeen-year-old Camille is left orphaned, she has to provide for her frail sister and her volatile brother. In desperation, she survives by using the petty magic she learnt from her mother. But when her brother disappears Camille decides to pursue a richer, more dangerous mark: the glittering court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.Using dark magic Camille transforms herself into the ‘Baroness de la Fontaine‘ and presents herself at the court of Versaille, where she soon finds herself swept up in a dizzying life of riches, finery and suitors. But Camille’s resentment of the rich is at odds with the allure of their glamour and excess, and she soon discovers that she’s not the only one leading a double life . . .Enchantée is a compelling historical fantasy and is Gita Trelease's debut novel.

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The Rookery, city of secrets, lies and magic, is facing destruction. But does Alice have the power to save her new home? And will she give her life to save its secrets?When Alice discovered this alternate London, her life changed forever. She discovered she was seeing Nightjars – miraculous birds that guard our souls. But her newfound magic has a dark side. So in an effort to protect her friends, Alice is training to wield her rare abilities under House Mielikki – the House of Life. Yet something isn't right. And after a series of attacks leaves her reeling, it's clear someone wants her to fail. Alice must plunge into a world of seductive magic and unimaginable perils to uncover the conspiracy. And when she discovers why the Rookery itself is at risk, she realizes the price she must pay to save it. The Rookery is the dazzling, magical sequel to The Nightjar by Deborah Hewitt.Praise for The Nightjar: 'The wildly imaginative Hewitt is a writer to watch' – Publishers Weekly starred review 'An unusual and exciting story . . . the plot explodes off the page' – TheBookbag'A magical adventure full of danger, betrayal, and devotion' – Booklist

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A laugh-out-loud cautionary tale (for children and grown-ups) written by Catherine Emmett and illustrated by David Tazzyman, bestselling illustrator of the Mr Gum series and You Can't Take an Elephant on a Bus.Shortlisted for Oscar's Book Prize 2022Digby David slammed the door, and dumped his bag upon the floor."Daddy! I DEMAND a pet,Why have I not got one yet?"Digby David wants a pet, but not just any pet - it has to be TWICE as big as Reuben's guinea pig and even better than Lily Jean's cat. Digby David's Daddy does what he's told, and soon Digby has a guinea pig, which he loves with all his heart... for half a day. Digby demands bigger and better, Daddy's hair gets greyer and greyer, and when Digby's dog gets boring too, he insists Daddy buy him... a gorilla! A hilarious tale with a 'be careful what you wish for' message, especially if you wish for a gorilla and don't look after it properly.

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*Shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize 2020**Winner of non-fiction book of the year at the Irish Book Awards*An extraordinarily intimate book of essays that chart the experiences that have made Sinéad Gleeson the woman and the writer she is today, for readers of The Last Act of Love and I Am, I Am, I Am.'Utterly magnificent. Raw, thought-provoking and galvanising; this is a book every woman should read.' – Eimear McBride, author of A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing.I have come to think of all the metal in my body as artificial stars, glistening beneath the skin, a constellation of old and new metal. A map, a tracing of connections and a guide to looking at things from different angles. How do you tell the story of a life in a body, as it goes through sickness, health, motherhood? How do you tell that story when you are not just a woman but a woman in Ireland? In the powerful and daring essays in Constellations Sinéad Gleeson does that very thing. All of life is within these pages, from birth to first love, pregnancy to motherhood, terrifying sickness, old age and loss to death itself.Throughout this wide-ranging collection she also turns her restless eye outwards delving into work, art and our very ways of seeing. In the tradition of some of our finest life writers, and yet still in her own spirited, generous voice, Sinéad takes us on a journey that is both uniquely personal and yet universal in its resonance. Here is the fierce joy and pain of being alive.'Breathtaking and sublime.' – Nina Stibbe'Absolutely extraordinary and life-enhancing.' – Daisy Buchanan, author of How to be Grown-up.

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Will the war be over by Christmas?As the war moves into 1945 the lives of the women of Woolworths continue. When store manager, Betty Billington, announces she is expecting Douglas’s baby her future life is about to change more than she expects.Freda has fallen in love with the handsome Scottish engineer but will it end happily?Maisie loves being a mother and also caring for her two nieces although she still has her own dreams. When her brother appears on the scene he brings unexpected danger to the family.Meanwhile Sarah dreams of her husband’s return and a cottage with roses around the door but Woolworths beckons.Will our girls sail into times of peace, or will they experience more heartache and sorrow? With a wedding on the horizon, surely only happiness lies ahead – or does it?A Gift from Woolworths is the fourth instalment in Elaine Everest's much-loved Woolworths series.

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Sweden 2012. When Inspector Gunnar Barbarotti returns to work after a terrible personal tragedy his boss asks him to investigate a cold case, hoping to ease him back gently into his police duties.Five years previously a shy electrician, Arnold Morinder, disappeared from the face of the earth, the only clue his blue moped abandoned in a nearby swamp. At the time his partner, Ellen Bjarnebo, claimed that Arnold had probably travelled to Norway never to return. But Ellen is one of Sweden’s most notorious killers, having served eleven years in prison after killing her abusive first husband and dismembering his body with an axe. And when Barbarotti seeks to interview Ellen in relation to Arnold’s disappearance she is nowhere to be found . . .But without a body and no chance of interviewing his prime suspect Barbarotti must use all the ingenuity at his disposal to make headway in the case. Still struggling with his personal demons, Barbarotti seeks solace from God, and the support of his colleague, Eva Backman. And as he finally begins to track down his suspect and the cold case begins to thaw, Barbarotti realizes that nothing about Ellen Bjarnebo can be taken for granted . . .The Axe Woman is the fifth and final Inspector Barbarotti novel from bestselling author Håkan Nesser.

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A secluded hut in the middle of the woods. A double life that could be his downfall. The Secret Life of Mr Roos is the third Inspector Barbarotti novel from the ‘Godfather of Swedish crime’ (Metro), Håkan Nesser. At fifty-nine years old, Valdemar Roos is tired of life. Working a job he hates, with a wife he barely talks to and two step-daughters he doesn’t get on with, he doesn’t have a lot to look forward to. Then, one day, a winning lottery ticket gives him an opportunity to start afresh.Without telling a soul, he quits his job and buys a hut in the remote Swedish countryside. Every day he travels down to this man-made oasis, returning each evening to his unsuspecting wife. Life couldn’t be better, until a young woman arrives in paradise . . .Anna Gambowska is a twenty-one-year-old recovering drug addict. On the run from the rehab centre she hated and an abusive relationship she can’t go back to, all Anna’s prayers are answered when she comes across a seemingly vacant hut in the Swedish woodland. But it’s not long before Anna’s ex discovers her location, and an incident occurs that will mar the lives of both Anna and Valdemar forever.Inspector Barbarotti doesn’t take much interest when a woman reports her husband as missing. That is, until a dead body is found near the missing man’s newly bought hut, and Mr Roos becomes the number one murder suspect . . .The Secret Life of Mr Roos is the third novel in Håkan Nesser’s Inspector Barbarotti quintet.

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Longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-FictionLonglisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Writing'If you have even the slightest interest in Orwell or in the development of our culture, you should not miss this engrossing, enlightening book.' - John Carey, The Sunday TimesGeorge Orwell's last novel has become one of the iconic narratives of the modern world. Its ideas have become part of the language - from 'Big Brother' to the 'Thought Police', 'Doublethink', and 'Newspeak' - and seem ever more relevant in the era of 'fake news' and 'alternative facts'.The cultural influence of 1984 can be observed in some of the most notable creations of the past seventy years, from Margaret Atwood's The Handmaids Tale to Terry Gilliam's Brazil, from Alan Moore and David Lloyd’s V for Vendetta to David Bowie's Diamond Dogs – and from the launch of Apple Mac to the reality TV landmark, Big Brother.In this remarkable and original book. Dorian Lynskey investigates the influences that came together in the writing of 1984 from Orwell's experiences in the Spanish Civil War and war-time London to his book's roots in utopian and dystopian fiction. He explores the phenomenon that the novel became on publication and the changing ways in which it has been read over the decades since.2019 marks the seventieth anniversary of the publication of what is arguably Orwell’s masterpiece, while the year 1984 itself is now as distant from us as it was from Orwell on publication day. The Ministry of Truth is a fascinating examination of one of the most significant works of modern English literature. It describes how history can inform fiction and how fiction can influence history.

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Blom’s hypothesis is forceful, and has the potential to be both frightening and, if you hold it up to the light at just the right angle, a little optimistic. The idea can be put like this: climate change changes everything' John Lanchester, New Yorker In this innovative and compelling work of environmental history, Philipp Blom chronicles the great climate crisis of the 1600s, a crisis that would transform the entire social and political fabric of Europe. While hints of a crisis appeared as early as the 1570s, by the end of the sixteenth century the temperature plummeted so drastically that Mediterranean harbours were covered with ice, birds literally dropped out of the sky, and ‘frost fairs’ were erected on a frozen Thames – with kiosks, taverns, and even brothels that become a semi-permanent part of the city. Recounting the deep legacy and sweeping consequences of this ‘Little Ice Age’, acclaimed historian Philipp Blom reveals how the European landscape had ineradicably changed by the mid-seventeenth century. While apocalyptic weather patterns destroyed entire harvests and incited mass migrations, Blom brilliantly shows how they also gave rise to the growth of European cities, the appearance of early capitalism, and the vigorous stirrings of the Enlightenment. A sweeping examination of how a society responds to profound and unexpected change, Nature’s Mutiny will transform the way we think about climate change in the twenty-first century and beyond.

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Join Digger at the roadworks where she decides she no longer likes digging down – she wants to dig UP!This is quite tricky for a digger used to going into mud, dark and worms – maybe some balloons will help? But Digger quickly discovers that adventures aren't fun without her friends and she needs to dig her way back . . . but how?With a witty text, bright colours and a finger trail to follow from the award-winning Morag Hood, young children and adults will love reading Dig, Dig, Digger! together.Keep digging in the hilarious follow-up, Runaway Cone.

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Vera Stanhope, star of ITV’s Vera, returns in the tenth novel in number one bestseller Ann Cleeves’ acclaimed series.Fifty years ago, a group of teenagers spent a weekend on Holy Island, forging a bond that has lasted a lifetime. Now, they still return every five years to celebrate their friendship, and remember the friend they lost to the rising waters of the causeway at the first reunion.Now, when one of them is found hanged, Vera is called in. Learning that the dead man had recently been fired after misconduct allegations, Vera knows she must discover what the friends are hiding, and whether the events of many years before could have led to murder then, and now . . .But with the tide rising, secrets long-hidden are finding their way to the surface, and Vera and the team may find themselves in more danger than they could have believed possible . . .

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The Deadly 7 is a monster adventure by Garth Jennings, writer and director of animated movie Sing, and is packed full of hilarious illustrations.'Funny, weird and the perfect mix of dark and light, this is a fantastic new voice in middle-grade fiction. I loved it!' – Robin Stevens, bestselling author of Murder Most Unladylike.One night, deep in the catacombs of St Paul’s Cathedral, eleven-year-old Nelson stumbles across a strange and ancient machine, which accidentally extracts the seven deadly sins from his soul in the form of living breathing, grumpy, smelly monsters. Suddenly he’s stuck with seven angry, sneaky, greedy, vain, adorable, thieving, farting new friends, who help him form the best (and weirdest) plan ever: to find and rescue his missing beloved big sister . . .

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The House of Fortune is the sequel to Jessie Burton’s million-copy bestseller The Miniaturist. Set in the golden city of Amsterdam in 1705, it is a story of fate and ambition, secrets and dreams, and one young woman’s determination to rule her own destiny.Thea Brandt is turning eighteen, and is ready to welcome adulthood with open arms. At the theatre, Walter, the love of her life, awaits her, but at home in the house on the Herengracht, winter has set in – her father Otto and Aunt Nella argue endlessly, and the Brandt family are selling their furniture in order to eat. On Thea’s birthday, also the day that her mother Marin died, the secrets from the past begin to overwhelm the present.Nella is desperate to save the family and maintain appearances, to find Thea a husband who will guarantee her future, and when they receive an invitation to Amsterdam’s most exclusive ball, she is overjoyed – perhaps this will set their fortunes straight. And indeed, the ball does set things spinning: new figures enter their life, promising new futures. But their fates are still unclear, and when Nella feels a strange prickling sensation on the back of her neck, she wonders if the miniaturist has returned for her . . .

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The Winged Horse Race is a breathtaking adventure from Kallie George, beautifully illustrated by Lucy Eldridge, with an ancient setting and a thoroughly modern heroine.Pippa is a foundling working in a stables in ancient Greece, until one day she catches a glimpse of an enormous silver wing in the clouds. When she wakes the next morning on Mount Olympus, Pippa discovers that she has been selected as one of the riders in Zeus's Winged Horse Race. The winner's prize is immortality. Pippa falls instantly in love with her easily-distracted young horse, Zeph and they quickly become a fantastic team, exploring the mountain and meeting the interesting characters who live on Olympus. But as race day approaches, it's difficult for Pippa to know who her real friends are and it's a tough job to outsmart the Gods and their games.

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Winner of the International Dublin Literary Award'Remarkable . . . a novel about people that never loses its sense of humanity.' Sunday Times'Zeniter’s extraordinary achievement is to transform a complicated conflict into a compelling family chronicle' Wall Street JournalNaïma has always known that her family came from Algeria – but up until now, that meant very little to her. Born and raised in France, her knowledge of that foreign country is limited to what she’s learned from her grandparents’ tiny flat in a crumbling French sink estate: the food cooked for her, the few precious things they brought with them when they fled.On the past, her family is silent. Why was her grandfather Ali forced to leave? Was he a harki – an Algerian who worked for and supported the French during the Algerian War of Independence? Once a wealthy landowner, how did he become an immigrant scratching a living in France?Naïma’s father, Hamid, says he remembers nothing. A child when the family left, in France he re-made himself: education was his ticket out of the family home, the key to acceptance into French society.But now, for the first time since they left, one of Ali’s family is going back. Naïma will see Algeria for herself, will ask the questions about her family’s history that, till now, have had no answers.Spanning three generations across seventy years, Alice Zeniter’s The Art of Losing tells the story of how people carry on in the face of loss: the loss of a country, an identity, a way to speak to your children. It’s a story of colonization and immigration, and how in some ways, we are a product of the things we’ve left behind.Translated from the French by Frank Wynne

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In Kremlin Winter, Robert Service, acclaimed biographer of Lenin, Stalin and Trotsky and one of the finest historians of modern Russia, brings his deep understanding of that country to bear on the man who leads it. 'One of our most accomplished, erudite and prolific historians of modern Russia.' – Rodric Braithwaite, New StatesmanVladimir Putin has dominated Russian politics since Boris Yeltsin relinquished the presidency in his favour in May 2000. He served two terms as president, before himself relinquishing the post to his prime minister, Dimitri Medvedev, only to return to presidential power for a third time in 2012. Putin’s rule, whether as president or prime minister, has been marked by a steady increase in domestic repression and international assertiveness. Despite this, there have been signs of liberal growth and Putin – and Russia – now faces a far from certain future.Robert Service reveals a premier who cannot take his supremacy for granted, yet is determined to impose his will not only on his closest associates but on society at large. Kremlin Winter is a riveting insight into power politics as Russia faces a blizzard of difficulties both at home and abroad.'A masterful portrait of Putin and Russia' – Jack Coleman, Daily Telegraph

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'They were not just reporters; they were also pioneers, and Judith Mackrell has done them proud.' –SpectatorGoing with the Boys follows six intrepid women as their lives and careers intertwined on the front lines of the Second World War.Martha Gellhorn got the scoop on D-Day by traveling to Normandy as a stowaway on a Red Cross ship; Lee Miller went from being a Vogue cover model to the magazine’s official war correspondent; Sigrid Schultz hid her Jewish identity and risked her life by reporting on the Nazi regime; Virginia Cowles, transformed herself from ‘society girl columnist’ to combat reporter; Clare Hollingworth was the first English journalist to break the news of the war, while Helen Kirkpatrick was the first woman to report from an Allied war zone to be granted equal privileges to her male colleagues.Barred from official briefings and from combat zones, their lives made deliberately difficult by entrenched prejudice, all six set up their own informal contacts and found their own pockets of war action. In this gripping, intimate and nuanced account, Judith Mackrell celebrates these extraordinary women and reveals how they wrote history as it was being made, changing the face of war reporting forever.'This is a book that manages to be thoughtful and edge-of-your-seat thrilling.' – Mail on Sunday 'Like the copy filed by her subjects, it is an essential read.' – BBC History Magazine

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A story of imagination and adventure from the acclaimed author of The Misadventures of Frederick, Ben Manley, and Daddy Long Legs illustrator Aurélie Guillerey.Who will Albert be next? A fearless mountaineer, a brilliant mechanical engineer or a galactic megalord? Anything is possible with an imagination like Albert's as he powers through his day.As a boy, Albert is nervous in a swimming lesson, but as Zandrian Delaclair, Antarctic Submariner and slayer of vampire cuttlefish, he's as brave and bold as can be. Show and Tell in front of the whole class can be a bit scary, but by imagining himself to be Professor Octavius Pickleswick he's proud to show off his greatest invention yet.A brilliantly funny story, full of exciting things to look at, about the joys of being whoever you want to be . . . and the comfort of sometimes just being yourself.

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'How refreshing, to read a book about music written for a music lover and not a musicologist. In clear, lucid, entertaining prose, Jane Glover makes those of us who lack musical literacy better understand and appreciate Handel’s divinity.' - Donna Leon, author of Handel's Bestiary and the Inspector Brunetti mysteries.Handel in London tells the story of a young German composer who in 1712, followed his princely master to London and would remain there for the rest of his life. That master would become King George II and the composer was George Frideric Handel.Handel, then still only twenty-seven and largely self-taught, would be at the heart of musical activity in London for the next four decades, composing masterpiece after masterpiece, whether the glorious coronation anthem, Zadok the Priest, operas such as Giulio Cesare, Rinaldo and Alcina or the great oratorios, culminating, of course, in Messiah. Here, Jane Glover, who has conducted Handel’s work in opera houses and concert halls throughout the world, draws on her profound understanding of music and musicians to tell Handel’s story. It is a story of music-making and musicianship, of practices and practicalities, but also of courts and cabals, of theatrical rivalries and of eighteenth-century society. It is also, of course, the story of some of the most remarkable music ever written, music that has been played and sung, and loved, in this country – and throughout the world – for three hundred years.

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'The best historical crime novel I will read this year' – The TimesFrom the pleasure palaces and gin-shops of Covent Garden to the elegant townhouses of Mayfair, Laura Shepherd-Robinson’s Daughters of Night follows Caroline Corsham as she seeks justice for a murdered woman whom London society would rather forget . . .'This is right up there with the best of C. J. Sansom and Andrew Taylor' – Amanda Craig, author of The Golden RuleLondon, 1782. Desperate for her politician husband to return home from France, Caroline ‘Caro’ Corsham is already in a state of anxiety when she finds a well-dressed woman mortally wounded in the bowers of the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. The Bow Street constables are swift to act, until they discover that the deceased woman was a highly paid prostitute, at which point they cease to care entirely. But Caro has motives of her own for wanting to see justice done, and so sets out to solve the crime herself. Enlisting the help of thieftaker Peregrine Child, their inquiry delves into the hidden corners of Georgian society, a world of artifice, deception and secret lives.But with many gentlemen refusing to speak about their dealings with the dead woman, and Caro’s own reputation under threat, finding the killer will be harder, and more treacherous, than she can know . . .'Spectacularly brilliant . . . One of the most enjoyable and enduring stories I have ever read' – James O'Brien, journalist, author and LBC Presenter

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Justin A. Reynolds, author of Opposite of Always, returns with Forever Ends on Friday, another charming and powerful YA contemporary novel with a twist. What if you could bring your best friend back to life – but only for a short time?Jamal’s best friend, Q, doesn’t know that he died, and that he’s about to die . . . again. He doesn’t know that Jamal tried to save him. And that the reason they haven’t been friends for two years is because Jamal blames Q for the accident that killed his parents.But what if Jamal could have a second chance? A new technology allows Q to be reanimated for a few weeks before he dies . . . permanently. And Q’s mom is not about to let anyone ruin this miracle by telling Q about his impending death. So how can Jamal fix everything if he can’t tell Q the truth?Forever Ends on Friday weaves together loss, grief, friendship, and love to form a wholly unique homage to the bonds that bring people together for life - and beyond.Forever Ends on Friday is published in the US as Early Departures

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Gods, demons and dragons collide in one final epic battle in The Discord of Gods, the unmissable conclusion to A Chorus of Dragons by Jenn Lyons.The end times have come.Relos Var’s final plans to enslave the universe are on the cusp of fruition. He believes there’s only one being in existence that might be able to stop him: the demon Xaltorath.As these two masterminds circle each other, neither is paying attention to the third player on the board, Kihrin. Unfortunately, keeping himself classified in the ‘pawn’ category means Kihrin must pretend to be everything the prophecies threatened he’d become: the destroyer of all, the sun eater, a mindless, remorseless plague upon the land. It also means finding an excuse to not destroy the people he loves (or any of the remaining Immortals) without arousing suspicion.Kihrin’s goals are complicated by the fact that not all of his ‘act’ is one. His intentions may be sincere, but he’s still being forced to grapple with the after-effects of the corrupted magic ritual that twisted both him and the dragons. Worse, he’s now tied to a body that is the literal avatar of a star – a form that is becoming increasingly, catastrophically unstable. All of which means he’s running out of time.After all, some stars fade – but others explode.The Discord of Gods is the fifth and final book in Jenn Lyons’ epic fantasy series A Chorus of Dragons, which starts with The Ruin of Kings.Praise for A Chorus of Dragons:'Everything epic fantasy should be: rich, cruel, gorgeous, brilliant, enthralling and deeply deeply satisfying. I loved it' – Lev Grossman, author of The Magicians'A fantastic page-turner' – John Gwynne, author of A Time of Dread'This is top-notch adventure fantasy' – Kirkus Reviews, starred review

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According to the great diarist, John Evelyn, Charles II was ‘addicted to women’, and throughout his long reign a great many succumbed to his charms. Clever, urbane and handsome, Charles presided over a hedonistic court, in which licence and licentiousness prevailed.Mistresses is the story of the women who shared Charles’s bed, each of whom wielded influence on both the politics and cultural life of the country. From the young king-in-exile’s first mistress and mother to his first child, Lucy Walter, to the promiscuous and ill-tempered courtier, Barbara Villiers. From Frances Teresa Stuart, ‘the prettiest girl in the world’ to history’s most famous orange-seller, ‘pretty, witty’ Nell Gwynn and to her fellow-actress, Moll Davis, who bore the last of the king’s fifteen illegitimate children. From Louise de Kéroualle, the French aristocrat – and spy for Louis XIV – to the sexually ambiguous Hortense Mancini. Here, too, is the forlorn and humiliated Queen Catherine, the Portuguese princess who was Charles’s childless queen. Drawing on a wide variety of original sources, including material in private archives, Linda Porter paints a vivid picture of these women and of Restoration England, an era that was both glamorous and sordid.

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Garth Greenwell is the author of Cleanness and What Belongs to You. The recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Vursell Award for prose style from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, he is currently a Distinguished Writer in Residence at NYU.

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Cleanness revisits and expands the world of Garth Greenwell’s beloved debut, What Belongs to You, declared ‘an instant classic’ by the New York Times Book Review. In exacting, elegant prose, Greenwell transcribes the strange dialects of desire, cementing his stature as one of our most vital living writers.‘This is an exceptional work of fiction, which places Greenwell among the very best contemporary novelists.’ – IndependentSofia, Bulgaria, a landlocked city in southern Europe, stirs with hope and impending upheaval. Soviet buildings crumble, wind scatters sand from the far south, and political protesters flood the streets with song.In this atmosphere of disquiet, an American teacher navigates a life transformed by the discovery and loss of love. As he prepares to leave the place he’s come to call home, he grapples with the intimate encounters that have marked his years abroad, each bearing uncanny reminders of his past. A queer student’s confession recalls his own first love, a stranger’s seduction devolves into paternal sadism, and a romance with a younger man opens, and heals, old wounds. Each echo reveals startling insights about what it means to seek connection: with those we love, with the places we inhabit, and with our own fugitive selves.Chosen as a book of the year in the New Yorker, Daily Telegraph, Observer and Irish Times.

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Mixed is a charming and thought-provoking picture book with characterful illustrations and humour. Follow the colours as they overcome their differences in this sweet tale of acceptance and celebrating difference.The Blues, Reds and Yellows lived in harmony. Reds were the loudest, Yellows the brightest and Blues were the coolest. However when one of the colours proclaims they are the best, discord breaks out and eventually the colours decide to live in different parts of the city. Then one day a Yellow befriends a Blue and they become inseparable, discovering a world of different possibilities and colours.From the brilliantly talented Arree Chung comes a timely tale of difference and acceptance.

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Orbus continues the adventure of Captain Orbus in Neal Asher's high-octane, science fiction Spatterjay series.A cold war is turning white hot.Old Captain Orbus commandeered a ship to flee Spatterjay, desperate to escape the violent planet. Orbus’s alien enemy, the Prador Vrell, is also moving on. The Spatterjay virus mutated him into something even more dangerous. And he’s hunting the Prador King himself – who sought to kill him, to bury the secret of their similar transformations.Orbus and Vrell clash in the Graveyard, a lawless zone where the Prador have seized a key space station. Official action by humanity or Prador would end peace, as a centuries-long cold war simmers. So Earth commands Orbus to destroy the station, even as the King recruits a monster to exterminate Vrell. But their actions will awaken an intelligence that annihilated civilizations, as it stirs after five million years . . .

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It was a quest for vengeance; now it’s full-blown rebellion. Zero Point is the second book in Neal Asher’s high-octane Owner trilogy.He must flee or face his enemy . . .Earth’s Zero Asset citizens no longer face extermination from orbit. Thanks to Alan Saul, the Committee’s network of control is a smoking ruin. Its robotic enforcers also lie dormant. But power abhors a vacuum, and the Committee’s Serene Galahad seizes command.On Mars, Var Delex is fighting to save the Antares Base. She must also crush the first signs of its own rebellion, while the Argus Space Station speeds towards the red planet. Var knows that whoever trashed Earth is still aboard. And aboard Argus Station, Alan Saul’s mind has expanded into its computer network. There, he learns of the Humanoid Unit Development and its ghastly experiments; the possibility of eternal life; and of a madman who may hold the keys to interstellar flight. But Earth’s agents are close, and the killing will soon begin.'A thoroughly enjoyable novel' – Walker of Worlds'A real page turner' – I Will Read Books'Asher’s ability to write exciting set-piece action scenes featuring cool SF hardware is undimmed . . . Those who enjoy Neal Asher’s fast-paced, technologically rich SF stories will find a lot to like' – Concatenation

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In Neal Asher's The Technician, the Theocracy has been dead for twenty years, and the Polity rules on Masada – but it is an order that the rebels of the Tidy Squad cannot accept, and the iconic Jeremiah Tombs is top of their hitlist.Its secrets could mean our survival . . .On the savage planet of Masada, one of the native aliens is spreading terror through the human population. It creates sculptures from its victims’ remains, earning it its nickname: the Technician. And only Jeremiah Tombs has survived an encounter. This sent him mad, but he may have learned something key to humanity’s survival – if he lives to remember it. Jeremiah was a member of a brutal regime, now deposed, and a radical sect still wants its revenge. The Technician buried something in Jeremiah’s mind about the alien Atheter, an entire race that committed suicide. However, in seeking to understand their disappearance, we may somehow be attracting the same fate. And to unlock Jeremiah’s secrets, Polity operatives must keep him alive.

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Set in a lethal waterworld where sudden death is a way of life, The Skinner is the first novel in the far-future Spatterjay series by Neal Asher.The savage ocean planet of Spatterjay draws visitors with very different agendas. Erlin is immortal and seeks a reason to keep living. Janer hosts a hive mind, which paid him to find this planet. And Keech is an agent of Earth who’s been dead for seven hundred years – but still hunts a notorious criminal.On Spatterjay’s vast waterscapes, only the Old Captains risk the native life forms and their voracious appetites. However, they are now barely human. And somewhere out there Keech’s target – the Skinner – runs wild. Keech pursues the Skinner for atrocities committed in a centuries-past war, fought with the alien Prador. But one of these Prador is fast approaching Spatterjay to exterminate witnesses to his own war crimes. And he won’t spare its visitors.Continue the science fiction adventure with The Voyage of Sable Keech and Orbus.

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For fans of He Said/She Said and Anatomy of a Scandal, Penny Hancock’s I Thought I Knew You is about secrets and lies – and whose side you take when it really matters.Who do you know better? Your oldest friend? Or your child?And who should you believe when one accuses the other of an abhorrent crime?Jules and Holly have been best friends since university. They tell each other everything, trading revelations and confessions, and sharing both the big moments and the small details of their lives: Holly is the only person who knows about Jules’s affair; Jules was there for Holly when her husband died. And their two children – just three years apart – have grown up together.So when Jules’s daughter Saffie makes a serious allegation against Holly’s son Saul, neither woman is prepared for the devastating impact this will have on their friendship or their families.Especially as Holly, in spite of her principles, refuses to believe her son is guilty.

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A Times Literary Supplement Book of the YearA riveting account of a forgotten holocaust: the slaughter of over one hundred thousand Ukrainian Jews in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution. In the Midst of Civilized Europe repositions the pogroms as a defining moment of the twentieth century.'Exhaustive, clearly written, deeply researched' – The Times'A meticulous, original and deeply affecting historical account' – Philippe Sands, author of East West StreetBetween 1918 and 1921, over a hundred thousand Jews were murdered in Ukraine by peasants, townsmen, and soldiers who blamed the Jews for the turmoil of the Russian Revolution. In hundreds of separate incidents, ordinary people robbed their Jewish neighbors with impunity, burned down their houses, ripped apart their Torah scrolls, sexually assaulted them, and killed them. Largely forgotten today, these pogroms – ethnic riots – dominated headlines and international affairs in their time. Aid workers warned that six million Jews were in danger of complete extermination. Twenty years later, these dire predictions would come true.Drawing upon long-neglected archival materials, including thousands of newly discovered witness testimonies, trial records, and official orders, acclaimed historian Jeffrey Veidlinger shows for the first time how this wave of genocidal violence created the conditions for the Holocaust. Through stories of survivors, perpetrators, aid workers, and governmental officials, he explains how so many different groups of people came to the same conclusion: that killing Jews was an acceptable response to their various problems.

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A brand new title from award-winning Marta Altes.This dog may be alone and without a home, but he’s excited and ready to embrace a new life in a new town - and EVERYONE in it! This town is a busy, vibrant place but sometimes it’s hard being new and feeling different. Who will embrace him back?A big-hearted celebration of kindness and human connection, from the award-winning creator of Little Monkey. Rich in detail and meaning, with beautiful artwork, this uplifting story is ideal for any child facing a new or daunting situation.

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Meet a big, friendly dog looking for a home in this warm and reassuring story by award-winning Marta Altes.This dog may be alone and without a home, but he’s excited and ready to embrace a new life in a new town – and EVERYONE in it! This town is a busy, vibrant place but sometimes it’s hard being new and feeling different. Who will embrace him back?A big-hearted celebration of kindness and human connection, from the award-winning creator of Little Monkey. Rich in detail and meaning, with beautiful artwork, this uplifting story is ideal for any child facing a new or daunting situation.

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Set amid the decadence of Victorian England, A Dangerous Fortune tells of the dramatic highs and lows of the wealthy Pilaster family in Victorian England, from the author of The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett.A Tragic Accident1866: at an exclusive school, a student drowns in a mysterious accident. His death and its aftermath will have repercussions for decades to come . . .A Fierce RivalryThere on that fateful day were Hugh Pilaster and his older cousin Edward, heirs of a powerful banking dynasty with connections that reach from London to far-afield colonies.A Lethal SecretThe cousins find themselves locked in a vicious competition for the top job at the bank. But the respectable veneer of the family, and even Victorian England itself, looks to shatter as the deadly event from their schooldays threatens everything the Pilasters have built.'A compulsively readable, enjoyable thriller-cum-saga' – Sunday Times'Banks, brothels, and a high body count . . . it's all there' – Financial Times

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The Breakfast Club meets One Day in Floored, a unique collaborative novel by seven bestselling and award-winning YA authors: Sara Barnard, Holly Bourne, Tanya Byrne, Non Pratt, Melinda Salisbury, Lisa Williamson and Eleanor Wood. When they got in the lift that morning, they were strangers. Sasha, who is at the UK's biggest TV centre desperately trying to deliver a parcel; Hugo, who knows he's by far the richest – and best-looking – guy in the lift; Velvet, who regrets wearing the world's least comfortable shoes to work experience; Dawson, who isn't the good-looking teen star he was and desperate not to be recognized; Kaitlyn, who's slowly losing her sight but won't admit it, and Joe, who shouldn't be there at all, but who wants to be there the most. And one more person, who will bring them together again on the same day every year . . .

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A moving true story of love on the front lines.It was July 1944 when Madge stepped onto a troopship that was to carry her thousands of miles away from home. Only twenty years old and not long qualified as a nurse, she had signed up to serve in the Burma Campaign. She would be based on the Indian border, near the frontline where a fierce battle was raging between Allied forces and the Japanese.As Madge arrived in Chittagong, she wondered how she would adapt to the ever present danger of invasion and to life in a military hospital. She spent long, exhausting hours nursing the badly-injured young soldiers in her care, but found strength in her friendship with the other nurses. And then, one day, she met Captain Basil Lambert . . . Could their fragile, new found romance survive the terrifying final months of war? Heart-warming and poignant, Some Sunny Day by Madge Lambert is a story of courage, sacrifice and the power of true love.

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The phenomenal international number one bestseller with exclusive interviews with Richie McCaw, Steve Hansen, Beauden Barrett and Dan Carter, The Jersey is the definitive story behind the greatest sports team on the planet.‘Extremely well written. Compelling, accurate, insightful and brilliant in the way it captures the New Zealand way’ – John Hart, former All Blacks coach.With a better winning record than any other sports team in history, they stand head and shoulders above their nearest rugby rivals. How did a country of just 4.8 million people conquer the world?Peter Bills, who has reported on international rugby for more than forty years, was given exclusive access to all the key figures in New Zealand rugby as he set out to understand the secrets behind the All Blacks success. Peter talked at length with ninety people, both in New Zealand and around the world, with intimate knowledge of what makes the All Blacks tick.The Jersey goes to the heart of the All Blacks success. It is also an epic story of not just a rugby team but a nation, whose identities are inextricably linked.

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A young woman finds herself on the wrong side of the law in The Knock, a gripping gangland thriller from top ten bestselling author Jessie Keane.Dora O’Brien had a good start in life, but things went bad when she began to mix with the wrong company. Pregnant by her gangster lover, she found herself on the streets and then in the grips of a bent copper called Donny Maguire.When her daughter Angel is born, Dora is already under the influence of drink and drugs. Growing up in the shadow of her mother’s abusive relationship, Angel is nothing like her mother, but when matters turn murderous, Angel is forced to grow up fast and survival becomes the name of the game.For some, being on the wrong side of the law is the safest place to be . . .No one uncovers the underworld like Jessie Keane.

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Full of heart and humour, Molly Flatt's The Charmed Life of Alex Moore is one woman's adventure – with a most unexpected twist How would you feel if everything in your life suddenly started to go . . . right? Six months ago, Alex Moore was stuck in a dead-end job, failing to unleash one grand plan after another. Then, seemingly overnight, she launched her dream start-up and became one of London's fastest rising tech stars. At thirty, her life has just begun. But Alex’s transformation isn’t easy for those around her. Her friends are struggling to accept her sudden success, her parents are worried that she’s running on empty and her fiancé is getting cold feet. Then weird things start to happen. Muggings, stalkers and even a claim that she murdered a stranger. But when Alex visits the Orkney Islands to recharge, weird turns into WTF. Because there she discovers the world’s oldest secret – and it’s a secret that Alex’s stratospheric rise has royally messed up.'I was hooked after the first paragraph' Minnie Driver'A fabulous tale for the fabulist in all of us. Black Mirror for Generation Me' Philip Jones, Editor of The Bookseller

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The epic exploration of football in the twenty-first century through the prism of sociology, politics, and economics, by David Goldblatt, the critically acclaimed author of The Ball is Round.'David Goldblatt is not merely the best football historian writing today, he is possibly the best there has ever been' - Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday TimesIn the twenty-first century football is first. First among sports themselves, but it now commands the allegiance, interest and engagement of more people in more places than any other phenomenon. In the three most populous nations on the earth - China, India and the United States where just twenty years ago football existed on the periphery of society - it has now arrived for good. Nations, peoples and neighbourhoods across the globe imagine and invent themselves through playing and following the game.In The Age of Football, David Goldblatt charts football’s global cul

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Meet 10-year-old Zac – a boy on a mission – in Katy Regan’s Little Big Man . . .You can't see the truth from the outside, that's what I've worked out. Ten-year-old Zac has never met his dad, who allegedly did a runner before he was born. But when his mum lets slip that he’s the only man she’s ever loved, Zac turns detective and, roping in his best friend, hatches a plan to find his father and give his mum the happy-ever-after she deserves. What he doesn’t realize, though, is that sometimes people have good reasons for disappearing . . .Little Big Man is a story about family secrets and fierce, familial love. It's about growing up and being accepted; grief and lies, and the damage they can do. Most of all though, it’s about a little boy determined to hunt down the truth; a boy who wants to give the Dad he’s never met a second chance to be a father – and his mum a second chance at love.

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'An adrenalin-fuelled, gritty story of heroism on the frontline in Afghanistan' - Andy McNabUnflinching and laced with wry humour, Johnny Mercer's We Were Warriors is an action-packed account of his journey from young commando to a captain with one of the most pressurized and skilled jobs in the army.A captain in 29 Commando, Johnny Mercer served in the army for twelve years. On his third tour of Afghanistan he was a Joint Fires Controller, with the pressurized job of bringing down artillery and air strikes in close proximity to his own troops. Based in an area of northern Helmand that was riddled with Taliban leaders, he walked into danger with every patrol, determined to protect them. Then one morning, in brutal close quarter combat, everything changed . . . In We Were Warriors Johnny takes us from his commando training to the heat, blood and chaos of battle. With brutal honesty, he describes what it is like to risk your life every day, pushing through the fear that follows watching your friends die. He took the fight back to the enemy with a relentless efficiency that came at a high personal cost. Back in the UK, seeing the inadequate care available for veterans and their families, he was inspired to run for Parliament in the hope he could improve their plight.'This is NOT the stereotypical account of war, it's without doubt the best first hand account in a war zone I've ever read.' – Tom Marcus, ex MI5 Surveillance Officer, author of Soldier, Spy

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