He plots perfect murders. Did he commit one?Award-winning author Diane Jeffrey returns with this blistering, dark thriller. 2019. 34 year-old Leona Walsh vanishes on a bitter afternoon while jogging on Exmoor. It’s a mystery which captures public interest and ignites wild speculation. The police have a prime suspect: Leona’s husband, Matthew, a renowned crime writer. He can plot the perfect crime. But is he capable of committing the perfect murder? Despite extensive searches, the police find no trace of Leona. As public interest dwindles, Matthew returns to raising their daughters, aware the cloud of suspicion is never far away. 2024. Some human bones are discovered in a garden. Could they be Leona’s remains? And if so, is there enough evidence to find out what really happened five years ago? Journalist Gabriela Conti covered the news story back in 2019. The police may have stopped watching Matthew, but Gabriela hasn’t forgotten him. And she is determined this case will define her career… even if that means getting close to a murderer. 'The Crime Writer bursts with suspense and intrigue with lots of thrilling twists' Jane Corry 'Such a clever premise and so brilliantly executed, The Crime Writer brims with authenticity and atmosphere – I was completely immersed in what it feels like to be at the heart of a high profile missing person case. Tense and twisty’ T. Orr Munro 'An engrossing, enthralling, intriguing thriller' Liz Nugent ‘Compelling storytelling’ Daily Mail Readers are gripped by The Crime Writer:'Mysterious, gripping and a real page turner' (Five stars) 'A really intelligent thriller' (Five stars) 'An effortless read … flawless' (Five stars) 'This book was just perfect' (Five stars) 'Speechless' (Five stars) 'It’s impossible to put down – cancel all your plans for the day!' (Five stars) 'Diane Jeffrey has a way of instantly drawing you in' (Five stars) 'Pacey and brilliantly gripping' (Five stars) 'Definitely one I recommend to psychological thriller fans' (Five stars) 'Keeps you guessing right to the end' (Five stars)

The Crime Writer

THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER‘Every time Churchill took to the airwaves it was as if he were injecting adrenaline-soaked courage directly into the British people … Larson tells the story of how that feat was accomplished … Fresh, fast and deeply moving.’ New York Times A STARTLING, GRIPPING PORTRAIT OF WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE ALIVE IN BRITAIN DURING THE BLITZ, AND WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE AROUND CHURCHILL. On Winston Churchill’s first day as prime minister, Hitler invaded Holland and Belgium. Poland and Czechoslovakia had already fallen, and the Dunkirk evacuation was just two weeks away. For the next twelve months, the Nazis would wage a relentless bombing campaign, killing 45,000 Britons and destroying two million homes. In The Splendid and the Vile, Erik Larson gives a new and brilliantly cinematic account of how Britain’s most iconic leader set about unifying the nation at its most vulnerable moment, and teaching ‘the art of being fearless.’ Drawing on once-secret intelligence reports and diaries, #1 bestselling author Larson takes readers from the shelled streets of London to Churchill’s own chambers, giving a vivid vision of true leadership, when – in the face of unrelenting horror – a leader of eloquence, strategic brilliance and perseverance bound a country, and a family, together.

The Splendid and the Vile

Best Debut, The Swedish Academy of Crime Writers' Award 2017 'Thrilling, unnerving, clever and beautiful' Fredrik Backman The year is 1793, Stockholm. King Gustav of Sweden has been assassinated, years of foreign wars have emptied the treasuries, and the realm is governed by a self-interested elite, leaving its citizens to suffer. On the streets, malcontent and paranoia abound. A body is found in the city's swamp by a watchman, Mickel Cardell, and the case is handed over to investigator Cecil Winge, who is dying of consumption. Together, Winge and Cardell become embroiled in a brutal world of guttersnipes and thieves, mercenaries and madams, and one death will expose a city rotten with corruption beneath its powdered and painted veneer. The Wolf and the Watchman depicts the capacity for cruelty in the name of survival or greed - but also the capacity for love, friendship, and the desire for a better world. (P)2019 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

The Wolf and the Watchman

THE GRIPPING DEBUT THRILLER FROM THE UK'S TOP POLITICAL JOURNALIST, ROBERT PESTON. 1997. A desperate government clings to power; a hungry opposition will do anything to win. And journalist Gil Peck watches from the sidelines, a respected commentator on the sport of power politics. He thinks he knows how things work. He thinks he knows the rules. But when Gil's estranged sister Clare dies in a hit-and-run, he begins to believe it was no accident. Clare knew some of the most sensitive secrets in government. One of them might have got her killed. As election day approaches, Gil follows the story into the dark web of interests that link politics, finance and the media. And the deeper he goes, the more he realises how wrong he has been. Power isn't sport: it's war. And if Gil doesn't stop digging, he might be the next casualty.

The Whistleblower

Isabelle Wareham has not seen much of the world, caring for her beloved widowed father. At his death, she finds she is no longer her own mistress but under the guardianship of her unscrupulous brother-in-law, Lord Dunsfold, who sees her as a way to improve his own fortunes. The outlook looks bleak until events throw Isabelle and the impoverished Earl of Idsworth together. However, Dunsfold is determined to force her into a more lucrative match and Isabelle will need to rise above her circumstances to reach her chance of happiness.

Isabelle - A classic Regency romance in the spirit of Georgette Heyer (Unabridged)

Captain William Hawksmoor of the Royal Navy never expected to inherit Kingscastle and is none too pleased when he does so. Especially when he learns that he must marry within a year or be forever dealing with trustees. As the new Marquis of Athelney, the captain takes command of Kingscastle and discovers much to be done to set it in order. He must also contend with his aunt, Lady Willoughby Hawksmoor, who is determined that her daughter will be his wife. When she discovers he is far more interested in Eleanor Burgess, her underpaid and much put-upon companion, Lady Willoughby shows she will stop at nothing to keep them apart.

Kingscastle - A classic Regency romance in the tradition of Georgette Heyer (Unabridged)

Sophy Hadlow does not want to return for another London Season. Her own debut into Society was marred by self-consciousness and her cringing embarrassment every time she was announced as 'The Lady Sophronia Hadlow'. Yet, much to her dismay, Sophy is back in London to oversee the debut of her younger sister and their wild cousin, Susan Tyneham, who risks ruining both her own and her innocent cousin's chances of marriage. Sophy, a most reluctant chaperone, is left to guide her sister and attempt to keep Susan from complete disaster, all whilst dealing with her own unexpected feelings for the disarming Lord Rothley.

The Chaperone (Unabridged)

'A beautiful, beautiful book . . . archaeology is changing so much about the way we view the so-called Dark Ages … [Williams] is just brilliant at bringing them to light' Rory Stewart on The Rest is PoliticsFrom the bestselling author of Viking Britain, a new epic history of our forgotten past.As Tolkien knew, Britain in the ‘Dark Ages’ was a mosaic of little kingdoms. Many of them fell by the wayside. Some vanished without a trace. Others have stories that can be told. ELMET. HWICCE. LINDSEY. DUMNONIA. ESSEX. RHEGED. POWYS. SUSSEX. FORTRIU. In Lost Realms, Thomas Williams, bestselling author of Viking Britain, uncovers the forgotten origins and untimely demise of nine kingdoms that hover in the twilight between history and fable, whose stories hum with saints and gods and miracles, with giants and battles and the ruin of cities. Why did some realms – like Wessex, Mercia, Northumbria and Gwynedd – prosper while these nine fell? From the Scottish Highlands to the Cornish coastline, from the Welsh borders to the Thames Estuary, Williams brings together new archaeological revelations with the few precious fragments of written sources to have survived to rebuild a lost world; a world where the halls of farmer-lords survive as ghost-marks in the soil, where the vestiges of hill-forts cling to rocky outcrops and grave-fields and barrow-mounds shelter the bodies of the ancient dead. This is the world of Arthur and Urien, Bede and Taliesin; of the Picts and Britons and Saxon migration; of magic and war, myth and miracle. In riveting detail, Williams uses Britain’s ancient landscape to resurrect a lost past where lives were lived with as much vigour and joy as in any other age, where people fought and loved and toiled and suffered grief and disappointment just as cutting as our own. In restoring some of these voices, he raises questions matching many we face today: how do nations form and why do some fail? How do communities adapt to catastrophe, and how do people insulate themselves from change? How do we construct the past, and why do we – like the people of early medieval Britain – revere it, often finding in the tales of those long-gone a curious sense of belonging?

Lost Realms

In A Philosophical Enquiry... Edmund Burke sets out to define the nature of beauty and sublimity, and establish an objective criterion for discussing aesthetics. His definition of beauty as rooted in pleasure and sexuality, and the sublime in pain and survival, aligned him with the empiricists John Locke and David Hume, as he replaced the metaphysics of Plato’s aesthetics with a psychological and physiological perspective. According to Burke, the sublime and the beautiful are experiences that can be explained by biological and sensual factors; thus he proceeds to explain how smooth lines, sweet tastes and middle frequencies of sound can be considered beautiful, and the terror created by high mountains and dark forests can be sublime. These revolutionary ideas ushered in the age of Romanticism, and the Gothic genre of novels, with their delight in horror and fright, and continue to influence aesthetic theories today.

A Philosophical Enquiry into the Sublime and Beautiful

Compiled in Middle Welsh during the 12th and 13th centuries, The Mabinogion is a mesmerising panorama of fantasy, romance, tragedy and humour. Blending Arthurian romance, Welsh legend and mythology, it tells tales of heroic knights, fair maidens, dramatic battles and magical beasts across 12 fantastical stories. These comprise the ‘Three Welsh Romances’, Arthurian tales that also appear in the work of Chrétien de Troyes; the myths of Branwen, Pwyll Manawydan and Math; and the five ‘native tales’, which include a romance about the Roman emperor Magnus Maximus. It continues to inspire writers today and is said to have influenced Alan Garner’s The Owl Service and J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion.

The Mabinogion

The Lair of the White Worm was published in 1911, shortly before Bram Stoker’s death. Set in rural England, the novel follows Adam Salton, recently returned from Australia, who encounters a mysterious series of events, all of which seem to be connected to the legend of the white worm. In the course of his investigations, Adam comes across a host of unusual characters – including the newly returned heir to the local estate, Edwin Caswell, who practises mesmerism, his brutish African servant, Oolanga, and the penniless and beautiful widow Lady March. Combining elements of gothic horror, adventure and folklore, this audiobook is sure to keep listeners on the edge of their seats. Based in part on the legend of the Lambton Worm, the book has also given rise to a film directed by Ken Russell.

The Lair of the White Worm

The Honourable Catherine Elford – Kitty – is presented with an awful choice. Either she is cast off, penniless, by her step-brother, or she marries the handsome Earl of Ledbury, who would be perfect were he not a serial womaniser. Ledbury has only ever courted other men's wives, and does not want a wife of his own. However, Kitty's generous dowry, which will keep him from selling his beloved racehorses, proves too tempting. Kitty believes her only chance of survival is to make her head rule her heart. For his part, Ledbury has spotted a spark in Kitty, and sets out to woo her. But as Kitty begins to succumb to his seduction, Ledbury's past starts to catch up with them.

The Devil You Know

Written in the form of a letter to a Frenchman, Edmund Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France is an impassioned attack on the French Revolution and its hasty destruction of the Church, the old elites and the Crown. Burke tackles the new republic and its allegiance to principles such as liberty and equality, as well as its failure to recognise the complexities of human nature, society, and wisdom accumulated over time, contending that gradual change and adjustment is far better than immediate upheaval. Burke’s treatise later became the target of Thomas Paine’s own reflections on the French Revolution in Rights of Man, a devastating work that predicted more revolutions to come.

Reflections on the Revolution in France

October 1143. A mysterious archer who kills cleanly and "dissolves" into the forest, a missing train of pack mules on the salt road from Wich, and a lord in the wrong place at the wrong time, mean a crime the lord Sheriff of Worcestershire cannot ignore. Bradecote, Catchpoll, and the eager Walkelin, are hunting a killer and a gang, and whoever is giving them orders. They are not helped by a reeve keen to keep his position, a lord with his own ends to serve, and a distrusting and vengeful widow with a haunted past, to whom Bradecote is increasingly attracted.

Bradecote and Catchpoll

Marked to Die

***NOW A MAJOR FILM STARRING KATE BECKINSALE, CHLOE SEVIGNY AND STEPHEN FRY*** With a pitch-perfect Austenian sensibility and wry social commentary, filmmaker and writer Whit Stillman cleverly re-imagines and completes one of our greatest writers' unfinished works. Love & Friendship is a sharp comedy of manners, and a fiendishly funny treat for Austen and Stillman fans alike. 'LADY SUSAN IS FINALLY GETTING SOME LONG OVERDUE RESPECT' New York Times 'LADY SUSAN REMAINS DELICIOUSLY WICKED' Vogue PRAISE FOR LOVE & FRIENDSHIP - THE FILM 'A RACY DELIGHT' Guardian ***** 'FIND ME A FUNNIER SCREEN STAB AT AUSTEN, AND I'M TEMPTED TO OFFER YOUR MONEY BACK PERSONALLY' Telegraph ***** 'TREMENDOUSLY WITTY' Independent ***** 'MAY JUST BE THE BEST JANE AUSTEN FILM EVER MADE' London Evening Standard ***** JANE AUSTEN'S FUNNIEST NOVEL IS ALSO HER LEAST KNOWN - UNTIL NOW. Impossibly beautiful, disarmingly witty, and completely self-absorbed: meet Lady Susan Vernon, both the heart and the thorn of Love & Friendship. Recently widowed with a daughter who's coming of age as quickly as their funds are dwindling, Lady Susan makes it her mission to find them wealthy husbands - and fast. But when her attempts to secure their futures result only in the wrath of a prominent conquest's wife and the title of 'most accomplished coquette in England', Lady Susan must rethink her strategy. Unannounced, she arrives at her brother-in-law's country estate. Here she intends to take refuge - in no less than luxury, of course - from the colorful rumors trailing her, while finding another avenue to 'I do'. Before the scandalizing gossip can run its course, though, romantic triangles ensue. A SPECIAL EDITION FEATURING JANE AUSTEN'S ORIGINAL NOVELLA AS ANNOTATED BY THE NARRATOR.

Love & Friendship

Archaeologist Clare Hills is struggling to finance her recently established university research institute along with her long-time friend, Dr David Barbrook. When Professor Margaret Bockford finds the Hart Unit work with a housing developer in the Cotswolds, the pair are hardly in a position to refuse. There is just one catch: the previous site director, Beth Kinsella, was found hanged on-site, surrounded by mutilated wildlife. Despite initial misgivings, Clare leads a team to continue work on the dig, but with rumours about Beth's mental state and her claims that the site was historically significant, progress is impeded at every turn. When one of the workers finds something unsettling, Clare suspects there may be more to Beth's claims than first thought.

Hills and Barbrook

Lost Shrine, The

January 1144. Hugh Bradecote does not want his betrothed heading off on pilgrimage to the shrine of St Eadgyth at Polesworth, but the Archbishop of Canterbury's envoy and his entourage of monks seem Heaven sent as escorts, right up until they are captured by a renegade who wants his forger out of the lord Sheriff's cells; a renegade who loathes the Benedictines, and kills for pleasure. Against a backdrop of a hard winter and even a frozen River Severn, Bradecote and Catchpoll are struggling to rescue the clerics, and Christina, before a psychopath does his worst, the lord Sheriff loses patience, and Bradecote cracks under the pressure.

Hostage to Fortune

From the man who won the Wellcome Trust Science Writing Prize 2014 and married a human statue comes a book of weird and wonderful psychological science from the far-flung corners of human experience. Who knew that having sex can reduce stress, or a cheeky whisky could give you the edge at charades? Is it really true that people who are smart swear more and that dropping the F-bomb makes great pain relief? 'Richard Stephens demonstrates that the bad ("NEVER DO THAT!") things in life do have their good, practical side' Marc Abrahams, founder of the Ig Nobel Prize 'A genial and knowledgeable guide to everyday vices from alcohol to chewing gum, which finds that there are often hidden virtues to be found in them, too' Michael Regnier, Science Writer/Editor at the Wellcome Trust Richard Stephens became the focus of international media attention in 2009 for his research on the psychological benefits of swearing as a response to pain. Now, fresh from winning the 2014 Wellcome Trust Science Writing Prize, Richard's first popular science book uncovers other pieces of surprising and occasionally bizarre scientific enquiry showing that what we at first perceive as bad can, in fact, be good. More pub conversation than science book, Richard's writing style is very accessible - both engaging and humorous. Think wasting time is bad? Not always! Research shows that taking time out can help you solve difficult problems. And if you can't be bothered tidying up, well fine, research shows that people are more creative in a messy environment. Swearing is rude but research shows that in some situations it can be a form of politeness. Swearing can also be used as a tool of persuasion. Black Sheep casts a slant on a range of human experiences from life to death, sex to romance, from speed thrills to halting boredom and from drinking alcohol (in moderation) to headily excessive bad language. This is a fascinating left-field tour of the world of psychological science. Get ready for the many hidden benefits of being bad that you really won't have seen coming. (P)2018 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

Black Sheep: The Hidden Benefits of Being Bad

April, 1145. Thorgar the Ploughman is found by the bloodied body of Father Edmund, a village priest in Ripple, and is summarily hanged for being caught in the act, despite his pleas of innocence. When his sister goes to Worcester to seek justice for Thorgar, the lord Sheriff sends Hugh Bradecote, with Serjeant Catchpoll and Underserjeant Walkelin, to discover the truth. They soon expose strong motives for placing the blame on the ploughman's shoulders, some unpleasant secrets festering among the villagers, as well as the whisper of a treasure long lost and now rediscovered. The shadow the noose casts is a long one, but the Sherrif's men will need to plumb the darkness to uncover the true killer.

Bradecote and Catchpoll Mystery Series

Too Good To Hang - Bradecote and Catchpoll Mystery Series, Book 11 (Unabridged)

Written in 1791 as a response to Edmund Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France, Thomas Paine’s Rights of Man is a seminal work on human freedom and equality. Using the French Revolution and its ideals as an example, he demonstrates his belief that any government must put the inherent rights of its citizens above all else, especially politics. After its publication, Paine left England for France and was tried in his absence for libel against the crown. Authoritatively read by Matt Addis.

Rights of Man

Whose was the hand that poisoned Godfrey Bowyer? Bradecote and Catchpoll are on the trail of the killer. January, 1145. Godfrey Bowyer, the best but least likeable bow maker in Worcester, dies an agonising death by poisoning. Although similarly struck down after the same meal, his wife Blanche survives. The number of people who could have administered the poison should mean a very short investigation for the Sheriff's men, Hugh Bradecote, Serjeant Catchpoll and Underserjeant Walkelin, but perhaps someone was pulling the strings, and that widens the net considerably. Could it be the cast-out younger brother or perhaps Orderic the Bailiff, whose wife may have had to endure Godfrey's attentions? Could it even be the wife herself? With Bradecote eager to return to his manor and worried about his wife's impending confinement, and Walkelin trying to get his mother to accept his choice of bride, there are distractions aplenty, though Serjeant Catchpoll will not let them get in the way of solving this case.

Bradecote & Catchpoll - The gripping medieaval mystery series

Bradecote & Catchpoll - The gripping medieaval mystery series, book 10: A Taste for Killing

April 1144. A body is found floating in Fladbury mill leat, a man in green who has been stabbed but not robbed. The lord sheriff's trio discover him to be an Evesham horse dealer, who has a beautiful young wife who 'strays'. Did the wife or one of her lovers get rid of him? What is the connection with the lord of Harvington, who wed the man's sister, and how did that lady meet her death? The trio have to work seamlessly together to unravel the thread that links seemingly disparate deaths before even more people die, and in the process keep Walkelin from the noose.

Bradegate & Catchpoll

Vale of Tears

August 1144. Osbern de Lench is known far and wide as a hard master, whose temper is perpetually frayed. After his daily ride to survey his land, his horse returns to the hall riderless, and the lifeless body of the lord is found soon after. Was it the work of thieves, or something closer to home? With an heir who is cast in the same hot-tempered mould, sworn enemies for neighbours and something amiss in the relationship between Osbern and his wife, undersheriff Hugh Bradecote, the wily Serjeant Catchpoll and apprentice Walkelin have suspects aplenty.

Bradecote & Catchpoll - The must-read mediaeval mysteries series

Blood Runs Thicker - Bradecote & Catchpoll - The must-read mediaeval mysteries series, book 8 (Unabridged)

All Hallow's Eve, 1144. The savaged body of Durand Wuduweard, the solitary and unpopular keeper of the King's Forest of Feckenham, is discovered beside his hearth, his corpse rendered barely identifiable by sharp teeth. Whispers of a wolf on the prowl grow louder and Sheriff William de Beauchamp's men, Hugh Bradecote and Serjeant Catchpoll, are tasked with cutting through the clamour. They must uncover who killed Durand and why while beset by superstitious villagers, raids upon manors and further grim deaths. Out of the shadows of the forest, where will the wolf's fangs strike next?

Bradecote & Catchpoll - The spellbinding mediaeval mysteries series

Wolf at the Door - Bradecote & Catchpoll - The spellbinding mediaeval mysteries series, book 9 (Unabridged)

Clara receives a nutcracker from her godfather Drosselmeyer on Christmas Eve. That night she dreams the nutcracker is fighting with toy soldiers against the army of the Mouse King. Clara helps the nutcracker and it transforms into a prince. Together they travel to the land of sweets and celebrate a wonderful sweet festival with the Sugar Plum Fairy. It was all just an amazing dream - or was it...?

The Nutcracker, The Full Cast Audioplay with Music - Classics for Kids, Classic for everyone

A dangerous snake attacks Prince Tamino in the forest but three noble ladies protect him. Together with the bird catcher Papageno, Tamino is supposed to free Princess Pamina because the dreaded Sarastro has imprisoned her in his castle. Tamino and Papageno receive a magic flute and a glockenspiel from Pamina's mother, the Queen of the Night. The brave rescuers must overcome difficult tests, but the daring rescue plan succeeds. In the end, Tamino and Pamina, Papageno and his new girlfriend Papagena are happily in each other's arms.

The Magic Flute, The Full Cast Audioplay with Music - Opera for Kids, Classic for everyone

‘Adored it . . . What are you waiting for? Go and read this book. It's brilliant’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ They survived once. Can he save them this time? When Detective Kjeld Nygaard is called to the discovery of a body in the burnt-out shell of a house, his heart sinks. He never wanted to see this house again. The house of a notorious serial killer. The house where he rescued Louisa Karlsson from being murdered. But when they discover the body is in fact Louisa, the mystery deepens. It can’t be the old serial killer. He’s dead. Then another body is found, again killed in the exact place where Kjeld saved them from another murderer. Another survivor dead. With the clock ticking Kjeld and his partner Detective Esme Jansson are desperate to stop any more survivors from being murdered. But every clue they find leads to a dead end. Why is the killer picking off people Kjeld rescued? Could it be connected to another of his previous cases? When Kjeld’s daughter is kidnapped – it’s a race against time to save her life. Can Kjeld stop the killer without paying the ultimate price or will he be the last one alive? A heart-stopping and gripping crime thriller that will keep you up all night! Perfect for fans of Helen Phifer, Lisa Regan and D.K. Hood. Praise for Last One Alive ‘I was hooked from the first page to the last and was shocked when the murderer was revealed . . . wow, I never saw that coming’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Dark and intense with a brilliant plot line that kept me gripped throughout . . . Please don’t miss this if you love a good thriller’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A riveting and gripping mystery that kept me turning pages into the late hours of the night . . . This book is impossible to put down!’ Stephanie DeCarolis, USA Today bestselling author of The Guilty Husband ‘A high-stakes story which ratchets up the tension as it plunges the reader into a dark and suspenseful tale. Nygaard is becoming one of my favourite detectives. Recommended!’ Louise Mumford, bestselling author of Sleepless

Last One Alive

The much-feared and hated Eudo – the Lord Bishop of Winchester's clerk – is bludgeoned to death in Pershore Abbey and laid before the altar in the attitude of a penitent. Everyone who had contact with him had reason to dislike him, but who had reason to kill him? The Sheriff of Worcestershire's thief taker, wily Serjeant Catchpoll, and his new and unwanted superior, Undersheriff Hugh Bradecote, have to find the answer. And as the claustrophobic walls of the Abbey close in on the suspects, the killer strikes again…

Servant of Death

Tucked away in a near-derelict library in the center of London, The House of Marvellous Books is a publishing house on the brink of financial disaster. With assistant Ursula asleep at her desk, head publisher Gerard going health and safety mad, and chief editor Drusilla focused on finding a supposedly priceless but famously missing manuscript, there is hardly anyone left to steer the ship. Young Mortimer Blackley, assistant editor, charts the descent of the House in his logbook as it lurches from one failure to the next. Will mysterious Russian buyers, lurking in the wings, stop the ship from sinking at great cost to all? Or will Drusilla find the legendary Daybreak Manuscript and save the day? With witty and sharp observations, Fiona Vigo Marshall draws upon a career spent working in small publishing houses to create a laugh-out-loud ode to the publishing industry. ´The House of Marvellous Books´ will delight those interested in books about books, such as ´Book Lovers´ and ´The Hating Game´. What readers are saying: "This book was hilarious and quirky! The eccentric characters were fun to follow along with. The pace of everything was well-timed, and kept interesting throughout!" - Goodreads reviewer "I loved this hilarious, a bit eccentric, and witty book. It's populated by quirky and fleshed-out characters and there's plenty of literary references. A book written in diary format that I loved." - Goodreads reviewer Fiona Vigo Marshall was born in London and educated at Somerville College, Oxford. Her debut novel ´Find Me Falling´, published by Fairlight Books in 2019, was shortlisted for the Paul Torday Memorial Prize 2020. ´The House of Marvellous Books´ is her second novel. Her short stories and poems have been nominated for numerous awards, including the V. S. Pritchett Memorial Prize, which she won in 2016 with her short story ‘The Street of Baths’. Her work has appeared in Prospect, Ambit, The Royal Society of Literature Review, Orbis International Literary Journal, and The London Journal of Fiction.

The House of Marvellous Books

‘A novel like none other’ AMITAV GHOSH‘A masterpiece’ AVNI DOSHI‘Wise, funny, touching’ ROBERT MACFARLANEWinner, Sushila Devi 2023 Winner, Atta Galatta 2023 for Best Fiction Winner, AutHer Award 2023 for Fiction Finalist, Tata Live Award for Fiction 2023 Longlisted, 2023 JCB Prize for Literature Shortlisted, Valley of Words Awards 2023 for English Fiction ABest Book of 2022 in The New Yorker Four lives, uniquely linked, in a story that journeys across continents and centuries… For Shai, lost and drifting, a visit to her hometown in India’s Northeast offers the possibility of new ways of living. For Evelyn, a Cambridge student, scientific inspiration guides her to the forests of the lower Himalayas and a world she has only read about. For Johann, a German writer, travelling through Italy inspires him to develop ground-breaking ideas that will cement his place in history. And for a young Swede, an unwavering curiosity for Earth’s natural wonders takes him on an expedition that will forever alter the way we understand the world around us. A multi-layered literary saga bringing together people and places that seem, at first, far removed, Everything the Light Touches is a marvellous exploration of our ways of seeing, told through the eyes of four unexpectedly intertwined people.

Everything the Light Touches

London, 2007. It's summer in the City: the economy is booming, profits are up and the stock market sits near record highs. But journalist Gil Peck is a lone voice worrying it can't last. Deep in the plumbing of the financial system, he has noticed strange things happening which could threaten the whole economy. But nobody wants to hear it: not the politicians taking credit for an end to boom and bust, not the bankers pocketing vast bonuses, not even Gil's bosses at the BBC, who think it's irrelevant. When Gil gets a tip-off that a small northern bank has run out of money, everything changes. His report sparks the first run on a UK bank in 140 years. The next day, Marilyn Krol, a director of the Bank of England dies in an apparent suicide. For Gil, it's personal. Marilyn was his lover: was his scoop connected to her suicide? Or is there something more sinister in her death?

The Crash

The brand-new domestic thriller from the #1 bestselling author of ObsessionA new couple moves in next door. And nothing will ever be the same again… I watched you move in next door and thought we might be friends. I saw you watching from the window – and knew I’d have to keep you well away from my husband. I started to trust you. Confide in you. I started to mistrust you. Suspect you. I was confused when I blacked out after an evening at your place. Was I really that drunk? I came up with a plan. A plan to make you both pay . . . Sexy and sinister – this book will keep you up all night . . .‘The tension builds and builds and then… BAM! Dark, gripping, brutal. I loved every minute’ Jackie Kabler ‘As more-ish as a box of chocolates. I kept trying to put it down, but it was almost impossible. A wickedly twisty plot with a satisfying end’ Emma Curtis ‘Robson delivers shock after shock in her new page-turner which is filled with characters behaving badly. Dark and utterly twisted. What a ride!’ Sam Carrington ‘Another addictive, wonderfully descriptive and vibrant domestic thriller from the queen of the page-turner’ Caroline England 'A delicious tale of sinister rivalry that descends into darkness. An excellent page turner – loved it!' Elisabeth Carpenter

My Darling

Sir William Benedict, a working-class man turned entrepreneur, has everything money can buy, including an island paradise in the Caribbean. The only thing he is missing is acceptance from society's elite. When he begins to fund Andrew Maynard MP, a rising political star, he has what he has always wanted within reach. But political scandal soon erupts, and William finds himself an outcast once again. Desperate, he turns to Andrew's ex-lover to plot his retribution. Soon his island goes from paradise to the backdrop for revenge.

Sleeping Cruelty

In his haunting follow-up to the acclaimed Beneath the Mountain, Luca D’Andrea returns to the stunning Italian landscape of Alto Adige in this clever, twisting thriller that follows a woman on the run from her crime boss husband and the assassin sent to kill her. The Italian region of Alto-Adige is the northernmost part of the county, bordering Switzerland and Austria. The majestic Dolomites mountain range encompasses the area creating stark, beautiful landscapes. But this place of beauty also hides an evil side. For within the shadows of the towering Dolomites’ peaks, one man has forged a reign of terror. Since World War II, when he was only a boy, Herr Wegener has been entrenched in a black market crime organization. He is feared by all and controls everyone: politicians, police, and his wife Marlene. But Marlene has finally had enough... Unable to take her husband’s abuse and cruelty anymore, Marlene has reached her breaking point and goes on the run—but not before stealing millions of lire worth of sapphires from Wegener’s safe as well as his car. Marlene was a young woman when Wegener fell into her life by chance while she was working at a hotel to earn money for her family who still lives in a rural mountain town. He represented protection and sanctuary—until she found out too late how he made his money. But no one escapes Wegener, and he will make sure Marlene pays for her betrayal. Wegener sends a notorious assassin to kill his wife—an assassin known solely as The Trusted Man and who always gets the job done. Once he is given an assignment, he sees it through to the end no matter how difficult. Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem for Wegener. But then one of his men discovers the one fact that would make him want Marlene alive. She’s pregnant with his son…. With nightmarish villains and kind-hearted heroes, Sanctuary is a fairy tale-esque thriller that will leave readers racing through its pages to keep up with a cat and mouse game between a lunatic crime boss and his desperate, pregnant wife.

Sanctuary

‘A delicious slice of Scandi noir – such a dark, atmospheric and compelling story! And ahh, if only those ravens could talk…’ Jackie Kabler, author of The Perfect Couple Shortlisted for the 2022 CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger award In a small town full of secrets, anyone could be a killer. Detective Kjeld Nygaard wants nothing more than to forget his family and Varsund, the small mining town he once called home, even exist. But while on suspension after his last case went disastrously wrong, his estranged father Stenar leaves a message on Kjeld’s phone claiming he’s seen a murder. But with no evidence and Stenar suffering from Alzheimer’s, the local police think he must have imagined it. Kjeld can’t stop himself from investigating what actually happened, and soon discovers a body. But when the police start to suspect Stenar, it’s a race against time to discover the truth before it’s lost forever. But will uncovering the truth expose family secrets that are best left buried? Atmospheric and addictive, Where Ravens Roost is a gripping crime thriller perfect for fans of J M Dalgliesh, Angela Marsons and Jo Nesbo. Readers are OBSESSED with Where Ravens Roost! ‘I LOVED THIS BOOK!’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars ‘Be ready to stay up at night until you're done!’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars ‘A real page turner. Kept me engrossed from start to finish. Loved it’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars ‘As soon as I started I had a Jo Nesbo feeling and was hooked’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars ‘A fantastic start to what should be a promising series!’ NetGalley reviewer ‘A stunning debut novel from Karin Nordin that keeps you on the edge of your seat’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars ‘Brooding and atmospheric – full of mystery and twists where nothing is quite as it seems’ Catherine Cooper, author of The Chalet ‘Such a dark, atmospheric and compelling story!’ Jackie Kabler, author of The Perfect Couple

Detective Kjeld Nygaard

Where Ravens Roost

Learn the innovative strategies Microsoft pioneered that created a virtuous cycle of giving and volunteerism that has benefited the company and fulfilled its employees while making the world a better place. Early on in the Microsoft story, Bill Gates and other key executives met to decide how they would incentivize employees to make a charitable impact. The status quo was to offer a small percentage of your paycheck as a pretax deduction to a charity selected by your company. Microsoft decided to so something revolutionary instead. The Purpose Mindset tells the inside story behind how Microsoft built its culture of giving, including powerful stories from Microsoft alumni who were in the room when these decisions were made or who went on to make powerful change in the world, emboldened by their time at Microsoft. Throughout these pages, alumni such as author Akhtar Badshah, the head of Microsoft’s Philanthropy program from 2004-2014, take you through the first-of-its-kind decisions that have empowered and incentivized employees: Hear the first-hand accounts from interviews with Microsoft executives such as Jeff and Tricia Raikes, Patrick Awuah, Paul Maritz, and many others.Learn how Microsoft’s early decision to encourage employees to support causes personal to them was a key impetus to multiplying the impact.Get insider accounts on the key decisions Microsoft has made along its journey to make individual philanthropy a core element of their culture.See how its culture of giving is one of the key elements to Microsoft’s success in attracting and retaining top talent.The Purpose Mindset examines how this culture of giving that has been successful at Microsoft regarding job satisfaction, recruiting, and employee retention can be duplicated in your own work life, whether you are a business leader or you are seeking employment at a company that contributes to something greater than themselves.

Purpose Mindset

In many corners of the world these days the climate of hostility hangs over any overt Christian faith commitment. Any kind of Christian commitment is now assumed to imply intolerance and often prompts reactions that range from a low-grade hostility and exclusion in the West to the vicious and murderous assaults on Christian believers in Pakistan, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, Syria and Iraq and elsewhere. Such issues are not new. Christians have faced them ever since Nero’s lions, and even before that. Jews also have faced the same questions all through their history, most tragically sometimes enduring horrendous persecution from states claiming to be Christian. So it is not surprising that the Bible gives a lot of attention to these questions. The book of Daniel tackles the problem head on, both in the stories of Daniel and his friends, and in the visions he received. A major theme of the book is how people who worship the one, true, living God—the God of Israel—can live and work and survive in the midst of a nation, a culture, and a government that are hostile and sometimes life-threatening. What does it mean to live as believers in the midst of a non-Christian state and culture? How can we live “in the world” and yet not let the world own us and squeeze us into the shape of its own fallen values and assumptions? The book was written to encourage believers to keep in mind that the future, no matter how terrifying it may eventually become, rests in the hands of the sovereign Lord God—and in that assurance to get on with the challenging task of living in God’s world for the sake of God’s mission.

Hearing the Message of Daniel

Hansel and Gretel are sent into the forest by their mother to collect berries as a punishment. The siblings get lost in the twilight and discover the gingerbread house of an old ugly witch. She enchants the children and wants to bake them into gingerbread. Hansel and Gretel use their wits to save themselves and push the wicked old woman into her own oven. The children are finally found by their worried parents, who are looking for them in the forest. In the end the family is happily united.

Hansel and Gretel, The Full Cast Audioplay with Music - Opera for Kids, Classic for everyone

Pretty Celia Mardham should have been a success in her London Season, but a near fatal riding accident has left her with a pronounced limp which means she cannot even make a good curtsey, let alone dance. There can be no expectation of marriage, but her mama makes one last effort. She draws up a list of guests for a country house sojourn, picking only young ladies she feels will not be rivals, and some potential suitors. Among the well-bred gentlemen is Lord Levedale. When he meets Celia he sees her, not the limp, but even as his heart draws him to her, he is held back by his duty to his family name.

Bless Thine Inheritance

A Best Book of the Year in The New Yorker • Winner, Sushila Devi Award 2023 • Winner, Atta Galatta 2023 for Best Fiction • Winner, AutHer Award 2023 for Fiction • Finalist, Tata Live Award for Fiction 2023 • Longlisted, 2023 JCB Prize for Literature • Shortlisted, Valley of Words Awards 2023 for English Fiction “Wise, funny, touching, wide-ranging, deep-delving; whip-smart dialogue and graceful, paced sentences, thousands upon thousands of them. Written by a novelist with the eye of a poet, and a poet with the narrative powers of a novelist, this is a book that needed to be written, that tells true things, and is entirely its own being.”—Robert Macfarlane, author of The Lost Words and Underland One of the most acclaimed and revered writers of her generation returns with her most ambitious novel yet—an elegant, multi-layered work, rich in imagination and exquisitely told, that interweaves a quartet of journeys across continents and centuries. As emotionally resonant as Kiran Desai’s The Inheritance of Loss, as inspired as Anthony Doerr’s Cloud Cuckoo Land, as inventive as Louisa Hall’s Speak, and as visionary as David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas, Everything the Light Touches is Janice Pariat’s magnificent epic of travelers, of discovery, of time, of science, of human connection, and of the impermanent nature of the universe and life itself—a bold and brilliant saga that unfolds through the adventures and experiences of four intriguing characters. Shai is a young woman in modern India. Lost and drifting, she travels to her country’s Northeast and rediscovers, through her encounters with indigenous communities, ways of being that realign and renew her. Evelyn is a student of science in Edwardian England. Inspired by Goethe’s botanical writings, she leaves Cambridge on a quest to wander the sacred forests of the Lower Himalayas. Linnaeus, a botanist and taxonomist who famously declared “God creates; Linnaeus organizes,” sets off on an expedition to an unfamiliar world, the far reaches of Lapland in 1732. Goethe is a philosopher, writer, and one of the greatest minds of his age. While traveling through Italy in the 1780s, he formulates his ideas for “The Metamorphosis of Plants,” a little-known, revelatory text that challenges humankind’s propensity to reduce plants—and the world—into immutable parts. Drawn richly from scientific and botanical ideas, Everything the Light Touches is a swirl of ever-expanding themes: the contrasts between modern India and its colonial past, urban and rural life, capitalism and centuries-old traditions of generosity and gratitude, script and “song and stone.” Pulsating at its center is the dichotomy between different ways of seeing, those that fix and categorize and those that free and unify. Pariat questions the imposition of fixity—of our obsession to place permanence on plants, people, stories, knowledge, land—where there is only movement, fluidity, and constant transformation. “To be still,” says a character in the book, “is to be without life.” Everything the Light Touches brings together, with startling and playful novelty, people and places that seem, at first, removed from each other in time and place. Yet as it artfully reveals, all is resonance; all is connection.

The Hundred Years' War comes to life in this spellbinding tale of love, betrayal and conspiracy …A quest born on the battlefield will change a young boy’s destiny… Rafi Dubois is five years old when his mother is murdered after the Battle of Crecy in 1346. Alone and lost, Rafi is given a token by the dying Englishman who tried to save his mother’s life: a half-broken family seal which he urges Rafi to return one day to Winchester. Years later, when Rafi saves a wealthy merchant’s wife from a brutal robbery, he is rewarded with the chance to travel to England, taking the seal with him. But when he reaches Winchester, Rafi finds himself in a turbulent world full of long-held allegiances, secrets and treachery. His path is fraught with danger and with powerful enemies working against him, Rafi falls in love with Edith, a market apothecary. But in doing so, Rafi unleashes a deadly chain of events which threatens to overwhelm them both… The Herb Knot is a sweeping and passionate novel set in one of the most tumultuous times in English history, from a powerful new voice.

The Herb Knot

Prince Siegfried comes of age and celebrates his 21st birthday in the palace gardens. The next day he is to finally choose his future bride at the court ball. Near the castle, on the shores of Swan Lake, the beautiful swan girl Odette emerges from the water in the moonlight. She is actually a princess transformed by the magician Rothbart. Siegfried is overwhelmed by her beauty and immediately swears his eternal love and loyalty. The curse of the evil wizard Rothbart is now supposed to be broken, but he has his own plans for Odette.

Swan Lake, The Full Cast Audioplay with Music - Classics for Kids, Classic for everyone

Following the recent death of her husband, Clare Hills is unsure of her place in the world. When her former university friend Dr David Barbrook asks her to help him sift through the effects of deceased archaeologist Gerald Hart, she sees this as a useful distraction. During her search, Clare stumbles across the unpublished journals detailing Gerald's most glittering dig. Supposedly destroyed in an arson attack, she cannot believe her luck. Finding the Hungerbourne Barrows archive is every archaeologist's dream. Determined to document Gerald's career-defining find for the public, Clare and David delve into his meticulously kept records of the excavation. But the dream suddenly becomes a nightmare as the pair unearth a disturbing discovery.

Hills & Barbrook

Hidden Bones, The

If you murder your soulmate to save your tribe, when and how will revenge and retribution arrive? Karma is coming for you. Olympic event rider Juliet Jermaine may run, but can she hide……? A gifted psychic but an emotional wreck, Rosetta Barrett is much more than a simple Criminal Investigation Detective seconded to a sleepy, rural English constabulary. She's part of the International psychic CID and also a high-ranking member of EPIS (Elite Paranormal Intelligence Services) a super-secret, Inter-Governmental, global organization, based in Dulce, USA. EPIS, deals with the new realities of the 21st Century – the rise of AI and ensuring robotic deep-learning doesn't lead to humanity’s destruction; alien visitation and cracking their telepathic communication codes; expanding psychic powers, including prophecy, in order to automate crime prediction and prevention. Also, Inter-generational Karma and time-travel, as they straighten out and atone for the crime generated wrinkles causing contorted disasters throughout history. When Juliet Jermaine's Olympic Champion horse Gothic, and its teenage stable-hand rider, are callously murdered, in what appears to be a terrorist-inspired road-rage incident, Detective Barrett immediately knows there is more to this than meets the eye and feels a powerful karmic connection to an old Apache Chief and his horse, dating back to the 1800’s. Gold-medallist rider Juliet, and Rosetta must unravel the karmic connection and also nail the present day criminals before another cycle of revenge and retribution is unleashed. Can they stop the death count inexorably rising? Finally, seeking closure, Juliet and Rosetta find themselves near EPIS headquarters, around a camp- fire on the red-tinged, wide rolling plains of the nearby Native American reservation.........." N.B: This book was previously published under the author’s pen name of J.J. Hughes. 1st Prize Winner - Audiobooks across all genres in the 2018 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards

Spirit of Prophecy

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