Fiction & Non-Fiction Books from The Orion Publishing Group

  • Dead Ever After

    Charlaine Harris

    The final Sookie Stackhouse novel
  • New from Alison McQueen

    Under the Jewelled Sky

    A vibrant and powerful story of forbidden love and secrets in a divided India.
  • The latest from Harlan Coben

    Read SIX YEARS

    International No. 1 bestseller Harlan Coben returns with a standalone thriller that explores the depth and passion of a lost love...and the secrets and lies at its heart.
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Orion

The Honest Toddler

By The Honest Toddler
The Honest Toddler's wickedly funny guide to parenting contains everything you need to know to keep your little angel happy.A laugh-out-loud funny parenting guide from the Honest Toddler, the Internet's most infamous tot, whose unchecked sense of entitlement and undeniable charm on the Honest Toddler blog and on Twitter @HonestToddler have captivated hundreds of thousands of fans online.

Are you a confused parent to a toddler? Are you constantly disappointing the small child in your life? Are you tired, stressed out and looking for relief? This book can't help with the last one but it can help you become a better servant/parent to the toddler at the heart of your world.

You'll learn about everything from meal preparation (hint: just put the crackers on a plate), play date etiquette (don't touch. Just don't!), to how time outs make you look like a fool. The Honest Toddler says a firm 'NO' to popular, fashionable parenting trends and instead embraces the big questions: Who Does Mommy Belong To? How Can You Prevent Siblings? And Sleep and Weaning Yourself Off it.This is the best thing I've ever seen or heard of"Did you hide my phone?"You're out of controlThe author was raised in the Bay Area. She started her first media company at age eighteen while attending Long Beach State University. Soon after, she launched and sold a social networking site geared toward moms and began a social media agency, working with Fortune 500 companies. She is a regular contributor to The Huffington Post, Mothering, and iVillage.com, where her satirical pieces on parenting and politics have often gone viral. In May 2012, she created Honest Toddler, a character based on her youngest child. She lives with her family outside of Montreal.An internet sensation and Twitter phenomenon, the Honest Toddler is poised to become a cultural phenomenon like Sh*t My Dad Says and Go the F*ck to Sleep.This wickedly funny antidote to Tiger Mothers and Toddler Tamers will strike a chord with every parent who's ever wondered at what point their angelic baby morphed into a tyrannical despot.The majority of this book will be made up of brand-new never-before-seen content.The Honest Toddler's indispensable guide to parenting provides all the answers to keeping your little darling happy at all costs: with the toddler's eye view on the best way to provide food, sleep and fun for your tyrannical pre-schooler.Pre-empted in the UK, Germany, Spain, the subject of a major auction in the US and Canada, the Honest Toddler is now deciding whether to accept a major film deal or to keep stamping on mommy's mascara instead.Sure to have parents laughing through their tears as they recognise their own child in the shenanigans of one bravely honest toddler.Given the constancy of bad toddler behaviour, this is sure to be read and re-read, loved and passed on for years to come.
W&N

The Hairy Dieters

By Hairy Bikers
How to love food and lose weight.

The Hairy Bikers have lost almost 6 stone between them and you can lose weight too...

Si King and Dave Myers are self-confessed food lovers. Food isn't just fuel to them, it's their life. But, like many of us, they've found that the weight has crept on over the years. So they've made a big decision to act before it's too late and lose some pounds. In this groundbreaking diet book, Si and Dave have come up with tasty recipes that are low in calories and big on flavour. This is real food for real people, not skinny minnies. There are ideas for family meals, hearty lunches and dinners, even a few knock-out bakes and snacking options. The Hairy Bikers will always love their food - pies and curries won't be off the menu for long! - but using these recipes, and following their clever tips and heartfelt advice, you can bake your cake, eat it, and lose the pounds.

The Hairy Bikers, self-proclaimed food lovers, decided it was time to cut back on some of the caolries and adopt a healthier lifestyle, without sacrificing flavour. This book is packed with delicious recipes that are for "real people, not skinny minnies" - including hearty family meals and baked treatsBikers ought to be hirsute, cider-loving and tubby. But in their latest book of recipes Si King and Dave Myers have shed the pounds and immediately reaped the benefit in sales. The moral being that you don't have to lose flavour along with the hefty calorie contentSi King and Dave Myers have become national treasures - big hearted, down-to-earth cooks with a love of good food.Will tie-in with the BBC2 4-part series by the same name, scheduled to kick-off on 2nd August 2012.The show will result in the Bikers building an online Big Eaters Diet Bible - a comprehensive healthy eating resource that everyone can contribute to and use at home.The Hairy Bikers are now the 3rd largest cookery brand in the UK, right behind Nigella and Jamie.The Bikers were also in the Top 10 of non-fiction authors in the UK, according to the Bookseller analysis of 2011.

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Video: Harlan Coben introduces Six Years

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An exceptionally powerful novel

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink Chosen for World Book Night 2013

Today sees the launch of the 2013 World Book Night, with Bernhard Schlink's The Reader one of the twenty titles that make up the 500,000 to be given away to spread the joy and love of reading.
Phoenix

The Reader

By Bernhard Schlink
An exceptionally powerful novel exploring the themes of betrayal, guilt and memory against the background of the Holocaust. An international bestseller.

For 15-year-old Michael Berg, a chance meeting with an older woman leads to far more than he ever imagined. The woman in question is Hanna, and before long they embark on a passionate, clandestine love affair which leaves Michael both euphoric and confused. For Hanna is not all she seems. Years later, as a law student observing a trial in Germany, Michael is shocked to realize that the person in the dock is Hanna. The woman he had loved is a criminal. Much about her behaviour during the trial does not make sense. But then suddenly, and terribly, it does - Hanna is not only obliged to answer for a horrible crime, she is also desperately concealing an even deeper secret.

'A tender, horrifying novel that shows blazingly well how the Holocaust should be dealt with in fiction. A thriller, a love story and a deeply moving examination of a German conscience' INDEPENDENT SATURDAY MAGAZINE

A stunning examination of evil, this novel explores crime and punishment, love and guilt, dignity and degradation.Bernhard Schlink was born in Germany is 1944. A professor of law at Humboldt University, Berlin and Cardozo Law School, New York, he is the author of the major international bestselling novel and movie The Reader, short story collection Flights of Love and several prize-winning crime novels. He lives in Berlin and New York.THE READER has become an international sensationPublished to critical acclaim across the world, THE READER has been sold in 24 countries'For generations to come, people will be reading and marvelling over Bernhard Schlink's THE READER' EVENING STANDARD'THE READER is a fine novel, as far above a Holocaust genre as CRIME AND PUNISHMENT is above the average thriller. A sensitive, daring, deeply moving book about the tragic results of fear and the redemptive power of understanding' Ruth Rendell300,000 copies of the Phoenix Paperback edition already soldTHE READER was an 'Oprah Choice'
Orion

The Great Gatsby

By F. Scott Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald's classic tale of jazz-era New York and the mysterious, party-throwing millionaire Jay Gatsby.It's 1922 and New York is electric. A hotbed of jazz, glamour and scandal. The playground of the super-rich. And the new home of Nick Carraway, a Mid-Western man chasing his American dream.

For eighty dollars a month, Carraway finds himself the unlikely neighbour of his beautiful cousin Daisy Buchannan and a mysterious millionaire - Jay Gatsby.

From the shadow of Gatsby's mansion, Carraway is drawn into the glittering, captivating world of the wealthy - their parties, their love affairs, and their lies. And as he watches his new friends, he writes their story. A tale of roaring excess, impossible love and the devastating, tragic consequences.Born in 1896, Fitzgerald was considered a member of the 'Lost Generation', along with Steinbeck, T.S. Eliot and Waldo Peirce. His novels epitomize the Jazz Age - a term he coined himself - and The Great Gatsby is often considered as 'the great American novel'.Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of THE GREAT GATSBY is coming to UK cinema's on May 17. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan.With a beautiful 1920s-style cover, this new edition will appeal to those who have seen the film or the film artwork, rekindling an interest in this classic novel.
W&N

The Hairy Bikers' Great Curries

By Hairy Bikers, Dave Myers, Si King
The Hairy Bikers celebrate the nation's favourite dish - the curry.Who doesn't love a curry? Whether it's a take-away korma at your kitchen table or a lamb biryani at your local Indian restaurant, a curry is everyone's favourite Friday night supper. But curry is so much more. A proper curry can be an exquisitely fragrant dish, with delicate flavours that surprise and titillate your taste buds, and the Hairy Bikers, bestselling authors and BBC presenters, are here to show you how to make the most delicious, authentic curries you've ever tasted in your own kitchen.

In this book, Si and Dave have put together loads of brand-new recipes from around the world - from simple dishes for a quick midweek taste treat to fantastic feasts for a weekend celebration. Their recipes are the real deal, using great techniques and secrets they've discovered on their travels in Asia as well as years of cooking curries themselves. You'll find all the recipes and tips you need to make some mouth-watering meals, with everything from starters to pickles and chutneys. This is the one-stop shop for the best curries you've ever tasted - fresh, full of flavour and fantastic. These are curries for the 21st century.This is an absolute boon for thrifty cooks. Covering curries from near and far, it brings the Bikers' love of good food to one of Britain's favourite cuisines. Whether you favour a delicately spiced korma or crave the chilli hit of a vindaloo, this is a curry-eaters delightSi and Dave have thought of everything, with recipes for obscure Afghan aubergines alongside crowd-pleasers like lamb pasanda and Thai green curry, as well as simple side dishes and accompaniments, such as mango chutney, lime pickle and chapatisIf you love tucking into a good curry this book is for you. The Hairy Bikers show us that a curry should be an exquisitely fragrant dish, with delicate flavours that surprise and titillate your taste budsThe Hairy Bikers have added their magic to curries in their latest book, The Hairy Bikers' Great Curries. The book is overflowing with enticing recipes for all sorts of curries - some familiar, some not. There are recipes for a vast array of accompaniments as well in this really enjoyable bookRanging from simple midweek meals to fantastic weekend treats, all of these curries are fragrant, delicious and made from easy-to-find ingredientsBorn and bred in Barrow-in-Furness, Dave Myers joined the BBC as a make-up artist, and while travelling the world with hit TV series he picked up recipes with Si, Dave's travelling companion and the other half of the hairy bikers.

Si King hails from North East England and is a big, blond bearded biker with an infectious laugh. His love of food was established at a young age when his father bought exotic ingredients back from his Royal Navy voyages.

Si King hails from North East England and is a big, blond bearded biker with an infectious laugh. His love of food was established at a young age when his father bought exotic ingredients back from his Royal Navy voyages. Born and bred in Barrow-in-Furness, Dave Myers joined the BBC as a make-up artist, and while travelling the world with hit TV series he picked up recipes with Si, Dave's travelling companion and the other half of the hairy bikers.

www.hairybikers.com

https://www.facebook.com/HairyBikers


https://twitter.com/HairyBikers



In 2011, The Hairy Bikers were Orion's biggest non fiction brand, with sales over 2.4 million.There are two shows scheduled in 2013 which will feature recipes from the book. These are EVERYDAY GOURMET (starting at 8pm on 30 Jan 2013, 6x60 episodes) and BEST OF BRITISH (April-December, shoulder-peak, 30x60 episodes).They were also in the Top 10 of non fiction authors in the UK, according to the Bookseller analysis of 2011.Like PERFECT PIES, this is the perfect marriage of author and subject.In the UK, we spend 400 million a week on takeaway curries.The Hairy Bikers will take the fear out of cooking curry, with an easy to use guide to the spices and equipment the home cook will need to produce perfect curries every time.The Hairy Bikers will promote on publication with a nationwide theatre tour.
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W&N

Gone Girl

By Gillian Flynn
The art of marriage truly is the art of war in the new novel from the CWA AWARD-winning author of SHARP OBJECTS and DARK PLACES.What are you thinking, Amy? The question I've asked most often during our marriage, if not out loud, if not to the person who could answer. I suppose these questions stormcloud over every marriage: What are you thinking? How are you feeling? Who are you? What have we done to each other? What will we do?'

Just how well can you ever know the person you love? This is the question that Nick Dunne must ask himself on the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, when his wife Amy suddenly disappears. The police immediately suspect Nick. Amy's friends reveal that she was afraid of him, that she kept secrets from him. He swears it isn't true. A police examination of his computer shows strange searches. He says they aren't his. And then there are the persistent calls on his mobile phone. So what did really did happen to Nick's beautiful wife? And what was left in that half-wrapped box left so casually on their marital bed? In this novel, marriage truly is the art of war. . .The set-up is simple: girl goes missing, husband looks increasingly suspect. But there's much more going on beneath the surface of this fiendishly clever thriller''Single-handedly defines a genre of Media GothicYou think you're reading a good, conventional thriller and then it grows into a fascinating portrait of one averagely mismatched relationship...Nothing's as it seems - Flynn is a fabulous plotter, and a very sharp observer of modern life in the aftermath of the credit crunchFlynn's portrait of a woman trying to please an impossible husband is subtly drawn, but there are hints that all is not as it seems. One version of events hides another in a novel that cleverly manipulates the readerIn what is so much more than a straightforward crime novel (with a mid-story twist so shocking you'll drop the book), Flynn unpicks the minutiae of the couple's personalities and relationshipA chilling tale of a hip, New York couple's failing marriage: smart, suspenseful and brilliantly written, Gone Girl is a class actThis is Flynn's third novel and she's more than found her voice, creating taut, thrilling, deeply intense narratives about characters very much on the edgeMs Flynn's latest novel of psychological suspense will confound anyone trying to keep up with her quicksilver mind and diabolical rules of playJust about everyone I meet, and everyone on Twitter, is telling me it's brilliant, so I can't wait to see what the fuss is all about.Gripping thriller: Nick's wife, Amy, is missing and he's a suspect. The story is told by Nick, then Amy, but who's telling the truth?A brilliant switchback ride, you'll beg others to read it so you can discuss it with themThe set-up is simple: girl goes missing, husband looks increasingly suspect. But there's much more going on beneath the surface of this fiendishly clever thriller''Exhilarating and creepy, it has sent me rushing off to her other novels.You think you're reading a good, conventional thriller and then it grows into a fascinating portrait of one averagely mismatched relationship...Nothing's as it seems - Flynn is a fabulous plotter, and a very sharp observer of modern life in the aftermath of the credit crunchFlynn's portrait of a woman trying to please an impossible husband is subtly drawn, but there are hints that all is not as it seems. One version of events hides another in a novel that cleverly manipulates the readerIn what is so much more than a straightforward crime novel (with a mid-story twist so shocking you'll drop the book), Flynn unpicks the minutiae of the couple's personalities and relationshipA brilliant switchback ride, you'll beg others to read it so you can discuss it with thema near-masterpiece. Flynn is an extraordinary writer who, with every sentence, makes words do things that other writers merely dream of''Gripping thriller: Nick's wife, Amy, is missing and he's a suspect. The story is told by Nick, then Amy, but who's telling the truth?A chilling tale of a hip, New York couple's failing marriage: smart, suspenseful and brilliantly written, Gone Girl is a class actThis is Flynn's third novel and she's more than found her voice, creating taut, thrilling, deeply intense narratives about characters very much on the edgeFlynn, an extraordinarily good writer, plays her readers with the finesse and delicacy of an expert angler. She wields her unreliable narrators to stunning effect, baffling, disturbing and delighting in turn, practically guaranteeing an immediate reread once her terrifying, wonderful conclusion is reached... an early contender for thriller of the year, and an absolute must-read.a near-masterpiece. Flynn is an extraordinary writer who, with every sentence, makes words do things that other writers merely dream of''These voices are wonderfully authentic, to the point where the reader becomes a gawker at the full-spectrum of marital dysfunction. Excellent.Ms Flynn's latest novel of psychological suspense will confound anyone trying to keep up with her quicksilver mind and diabolical rules of playGone Girl is superbly constructed, ingeniously paced and absolutely terrifying... a Five-star suspense mystery.Just about everyone I meet, and everyone on Twitter, is telling me it's brilliant, so I can't wait to see what the fuss is all about.Gripping thriller: Nick's wife, Amy, is missing and he's a suspect. The story is told by Nick, then Amy, but who's telling the truth?A brilliant switchback ride, you'll beg others to read it so you can discuss it with themThe set-up is simple: girl goes missing, husband looks increasingly suspect. But there's much more going on beneath the surface of this fiendishly clever thriller''You think you're reading a good, conventional thriller and then it grows into a fascinating portrait of one averagely mismatched relationship...Nothing's as it seems - Flynn is a fabulous plotter, and a very sharp observer of modern life in the aftermath of the credit crunchFlynn's portrait of a woman trying to please an impossible husband is subtly drawn, but there are hints that all is not as it seems. One version of events hides another in a novel that cleverly manipulates the readerIn what is so much more than a straightforward crime novel (with a mid-story twist so shocking you'll drop the book), Flynn unpicks the minutiae of the couple's personalities and relationshipA chilling tale of a hip, New York couple's failing marriage: smart, suspenseful and brilliantly written, Gone Girl is a class actThis is Flynn's third novel and she's more than found her voice, creating taut, thrilling, deeply intense narratives about characters very much on the edgea near-masterpiece. Flynn is an extraordinary writer who, with every sentence, makes words do things that other writers merely dream of''Ms Flynn's latest novel of psychological suspense will confound anyone trying to keep up with her quicksilver mind and diabolical rules of playJust about everyone I meet, and everyone on Twitter, is telling me it's brilliant, so I can't wait to see what the fuss is all about.Gripping thriller: Nick's wife, Amy, is missing and he's a suspect. The story is told by Nick, then Amy, but who's telling the truth?A brilliant switchback ride, you'll beg others to read it so you can discuss it with themThe set-up is simple: girl goes missing, husband looks increasingly suspect. But there's much more going on beneath the surface of this fiendishly clever thriller''a brilliant, darkly comic taleOne of the most popular thrillers of the year is also one of the smartest... Flynn's book cleverly outpaces its neo-noir trappings and consistently surprises the reader.A completely gripping account of a dysfunctional (is there any other sort?) marriage.You think you're reading a good, conventional thriller and then it grows into a fascinating portrait of one averagely mismatched relationship...Nothing's as it seems - Flynn is a fabulous plotter, and a very sharp observer of modern life in the aftermath of the credit crunchFlynn's portrait of a woman trying to please an impossible husband is subtly drawn, but there are hints that all is not as it seems. One version of events hides another in a novel that cleverly manipulates the readerIn what is so much more than a straightforward crime novel (with a mid-story twist so shocking you'll drop the book), Flynn unpicks the minutiae of the couple's personalities and relationshipA chilling tale of a hip, New York couple's failing marriage: smart, suspenseful and brilliantly written, Gone Girl is a class actThis is Flynn's third novel and she's more than found her voice, creating taut, thrilling, deeply intense narratives about characters very much on the edgea near-masterpiece. Flynn is an extraordinary writer who, with every sentence, makes words do things that other writers merely dream of''in this riveting noirish thriller and intense dissection of a marriage, nothing is as it seems.Ms Flynn's latest novel of psychological suspense will confound anyone trying to keep up with her quicksilver mind and diabolical rules of playFlynn keeps the accelerator firmly to the floor, ratcheting up the tension with wildly unexpected plot twists, contradictory stories and the tantalising feeling that nothing is as it seems. Deviously good.Just about everyone I meet, and everyone on Twitter, is telling me it's brilliant, so I can't wait to see what the fuss is all about.Gripping thriller: Nick's wife, Amy, is missing and he's a suspect. The story is told by Nick, then Amy, but who's telling the truth?Read it and stay single.A brilliant switchback ride, you'll beg others to read it so you can discuss it with themfunny, cunning thriller... the tale takes some stomach-churning turns, right to its chilling conclusionThe set-up is simple: girl goes missing, husband looks increasingly suspect. But there's much more going on beneath the surface of this fiendishly clever thriller''One of the most popular thrillers of the year is also one of the smartest... Flynn's book cleverly outpaces its neo-noir trappings and consistently surprises the reader.A chilling, stylish read about another unknowable womanRead Gone Girl: The Thriller of 2012... Flynn relentlessly plays with her reader, dangling hints and hushing up truths through two narrators who become more and more unreliable as the plot unravels.You think you're reading a good, conventional thriller and then it grows into a fascinating portrait of one averagely mismatched relationship...Nothing's as it seems - Flynn is a fabulous plotter, and a very sharp observer of modern life in the aftermath of the credit crunchFlynn has created a gripping tale and a page-turner.Flynn's portrait of a woman trying to please an impossible husband is subtly drawn, but there are hints that all is not as it seems. One version of events hides another in a novel that cleverly manipulates the readerIn what is so much more than a straightforward crime novel (with a mid-story twist so shocking you'll drop the book), Flynn unpicks the minutiae of the couple's personalities and relationshipA chilling tale of a hip, New York couple's failing marriage: smart, suspenseful and brilliantly written, Gone Girl is a class actThis is Flynn's third novel and she's more than found her voice, creating taut, thrilling, deeply intense narratives about characters very much on the edgea near-masterpiece. Flynn is an extraordinary writer who, with every sentence, makes words do things that other writers merely dream of''Ms Flynn's latest novel of psychological suspense will confound anyone trying to keep up with her quicksilver mind and diabolical rules of playJust about everyone I meet, and everyone on Twitter, is telling me it's brilliant, so I can't wait to see what the fuss is all about.Gripping thriller: Nick's wife, Amy, is missing and he's a suspect. The story is told by Nick, then Amy, but who's telling the truth?A brilliant switchback ride, you'll beg others to read it so you can discuss it with themThe set-up is simple: girl goes missing, husband looks increasingly suspect. But there's much more going on beneath the surface of this fiendishly clever thriller''One of the most popular thrillers of the year is also one of the smartest... Flynn's book cleverly outpaces its neo-noir trappings and consistently surprises the reader.You think you're reading a good, conventional thriller and then it grows into a fascinating portrait of one averagely mismatched relationship...Nothing's as it seems - Flynn is a fabulous plotter, and a very sharp observer of modern life in the aftermath of the credit crunchFlynn's portrait of a woman trying to please an impossible husband is subtly drawn, but there are hints that all is not as it seems. One version of events hides another in a novel that cleverly manipulates the readerIn what is so much more than a straightforward crime novel (with a mid-story twist so shocking you'll drop the book), Flynn unpicks the minutiae of the couple's personalities and relationshipA chilling tale of a hip, New York couple's failing marriage: smart, suspenseful and brilliantly written, Gone Girl is a class actThis is Flynn's third novel and she's more than found her voice, creating taut, thrilling, deeply intense narratives about characters very much on the edgea near-masterpiece. Flynn is an extraordinary writer who, with every sentence, makes words do things that other writers merely dream of''Ms Flynn's latest novel of psychological suspense will confound anyone trying to keep up with her quicksilver mind and diabolical rules of playJust about everyone I meet, and everyone on Twitter, is telling me it's brilliant, so I can't wait to see what the fuss is all about.Gripping thriller: Nick's wife, Amy, is missing and he's a suspect. The story is told by Nick, then Amy, but who's telling the truth?A brilliant switchback ride, you'll beg others to read it so you can discuss it with themImmensely dark and deeply intelligent, Gone Girl is a book about how well one person can truly know anotherThe set-up is simple: girl goes missing, husband looks increasingly suspect. But there's much more going on beneath the surface of this fiendishly clever thriller''One of the most popular thrillers of the year is also one of the smartest... Flynn's book cleverly outpaces its neo-noir trappings and consistently surprises the reader.Flynn is a brilliantly accomplished psychological crime writer and this latest book is so dark, so twisted and so utterly compelling that it actually messes with your mindYou think you're reading a good, conventional thriller and then it grows into a fascinating portrait of one averagely mismatched relationship...Nothing's as it seems - Flynn is a fabulous plotter, and a very sharp observer of modern life in the aftermath of the credit crunchYou think you're reading a good, conventional thriller and then it grows into a fascinating portrait of one averagely mismatched relationship...Nothing's as it seems - Flynn is a fabulous plotter, and a very sharp observer of modern life in the aftermath of the credit crunchFlynn's portrait of a woman trying to please an impossible husband is subtly drawn, but there are hints that all is not as it seems. One version of events hides another in a novel that cleverly manipulates the readerIn what is so much more than a straightforward crime novel (with a mid-story twist so shocking you'll drop the book), Flynn unpicks the minutiae of the couple's personalities and relationshipA chilling tale of a hip, New York couple's failing marriage: smart, suspenseful and brilliantly written, Gone Girl is a class actThis is Flynn's third novel and she's more than found her voice, creating taut, thrilling, deeply intense narratives about characters very much on the edgeFlynn's portrait of a woman trying to please an impossible husband is subtly drawn, but there are hints that all is not as it seems. One version of events hides another in a novel that cleverly manipulates the readera near-masterpiece. Flynn is an extraordinary writer who, with every sentence, makes words do things that other writers merely dream of''definitely a contender for thriller of the year... Flynn is, without a doubt, at the front of the pack of American thriller writers.Ms Flynn's latest novel of psychological suspense will confound anyone trying to keep up with her quicksilver mind and diabolical rules of playJust about everyone I meet, and everyone on Twitter, is telling me it's brilliant, so I can't wait to see what the fuss is all about.Gripping thriller: Nick's wife, Amy, is missing and he's a suspect. The story is told by Nick, then Amy, but who's telling the truth?A brilliant switchback ride, you'll beg others to read it so you can discuss it with themThe set-up is simple: girl goes missing, husband looks increasingly suspect. But there's much more going on beneath the surface of this fiendishly clever thriller''One of the most popular thrillers of the year is also one of the smartest... Flynn's book cleverly outpaces its neo-noir trappings and consistently surprises the reader.A stunning psychological thriller to send a chill through the heart of every married couple... Read it now, it is that good.You think you're reading a good, conventional thriller and then it grows into a fascinating portrait of one averagely mismatched relationship...Nothing's as it seems - Flynn is a fabulous plotter, and a very sharp observer of modern life in the aftermath of the credit crunchFlynn's portrait of a woman trying to please an impossible husband is subtly drawn, but there are hints that all is not as it seems. One version of events hides another in a novel that cleverly manipulates the readerIn what is so much more than a straightforward crime novel (with a mid-story twist so shocking you'll drop the book), Flynn unpicks the minutiae of the couple's personalities and relationshipIn what is so much more than a straightforward crime novel (with a mid-story twist so shocking you'll drop the book), Flynn unpicks the minutiae of the couple's personalities and relationshipA chilling tale of a hip, New York couple's failing marriage: smart, suspenseful and brilliantly written, Gone Girl is a class actA chilling tale of a hip, New York couple's failing marriage: smart, suspenseful and brilliantly written, Gone Girl is a class actThis is Flynn's third novel and she's more than found her voice, creating taut, thrilling, deeply intense narratives about characters very much on the edgea terrifically intelligent thriller with a gasp-inducing twistshe skillfully manages to sustain tension and uncertainty to the end, as well as presenting a beautiful portrait of marriage disintegrationa near-masterpiece. Flynn is an extraordinary writer who, with every sentence, makes words do things that other writers merely dream of''This is Flynn's third novel and she's more than found her voice, creating taut, thrilling, deeply intense narratives about characters very much on the edgeMs Flynn's latest novel of psychological suspense will confound anyone trying to keep up with her quicksilver mind and diabolical rules of playJust about everyone I meet, and everyone on Twitter, is telling me it's brilliant, so I can't wait to see what the fuss is all about.Gripping thriller: Nick's wife, Amy, is missing and he's a suspect. The story is told by Nick, then Amy, but who's telling the truth?A brilliant switchback ride, you'll beg others to read it so you can discuss it with themThe set-up is simple: girl goes missing, husband looks increasingly suspect. But there's much more going on beneath the surface of this fiendishly clever thriller''One of the most popular thrillers of the year is also one of the smartest... Flynn's book cleverly outpaces its neo-noir trappings and consistently surprises the reader.a near-masterpiece. Flynn is an extraordinary writer who, with every sentence, makes words do things that other writers merely dream of''Ms Flynn's latest novel of psychological suspense will confound anyone trying to keep up with her quicksilver mind and diabolical rules of playJust about everyone I meet, and everyone on Twitter, is telling me it's brilliant, so I can't wait to see what the fuss is all about.Gripping thriller: Nick's wife, Amy, is missing and he's a suspect. The story is told by Nick, then Amy, but who's telling the truth?A brilliant switchback ride, you'll beg others to read it so you can discuss it with themGone Girl confirms that Gillian Flynn is the smartest new crime writer for years.Toxic marriage simmers in this thriller with a gasp-inducing twist.You think you're reading a good, conventional thriller and then it grows into a fascinating portrait of one averagely mismatched relationship...Nothing's as it seems - Flynn is a fabulous plotter, and a very sharp observer of modern life in the aftermath of the credit crunchFlynn's portrait of a woman trying to please an impossible husband is subtly drawn, but there are hints that all is not as it seems. One version of events hides another in a novel that cleverly manipulates the readerIn what is so much more than a straightforward crime novel (with a mid-story twist so shocking you'll drop the book), Flynn unpicks the minutiae of the couple's personalities and relationshipA chilling tale of a hip, New York couple's failing marriage: smart, suspenseful and brilliantly written, Gone Girl is a class actThis is Flynn's third novel and she's more than found her voice, creating taut, thrilling, deeply intense narratives about characters very much on the edgea near-masterpiece. Flynn is an extraordinary writer who, with every sentence, makes words do things that other writers merely dream of''Ms Flynn's latest novel of psychological suspense will confound anyone trying to keep up with her quicksilver mind and diabolical rules of playJust about everyone I meet, and everyone on Twitter, is telling me it's brilliant, so I can't wait to see what the fuss is all about.Gripping thriller: Nick's wife, Amy, is missing and he's a suspect. The story is told by Nick, then Amy, but who's telling the truth?A brilliant switchback ride, you'll beg others to read it so you can discuss it with themYou think you're reading a good, conventional thriller and then it grows into a fascinating portrait of one averagely mismatched relationship...Nothing's as it seems - Flynn is a fabulous plotter, and a very sharp observer of modern life in the aftermath of the credit crunchFlynn's portrait of a woman trying to please an impossible husband is subtly drawn, but there are hints that all is not as it seems. One version of events hides another in a novel that cleverly manipulates the readerIn what is so much more than a straightforward crime novel (with a mid-story twist so shocking you'll drop the book), Flynn unpicks the minutiae of the couple's personalities and relationshipA chilling tale of a hip, New York couple's failing marriage: smart, suspenseful and brilliantly written, Gone Girl is a class actThis is Flynn's third novel and she's more than found her voice, creating taut, thrilling, deeply intense narratives about characters very much on the edgea near-masterpiece. Flynn is an extraordinary writer who, with every sentence, makes words do things that other writers merely dream of''Ms Flynn's latest novel of psychological suspense will confound anyone trying to keep up with her quicksilver mind and diabolical rules of playJust about everyone I meet, and everyone on Twitter, is telling me it's brilliant, so I can't wait to see what the fuss is all about.Gripping thriller: Nick's wife, Amy, is missing and he's a suspect. The story is told by Nick, then Amy, but who's telling the truth?A brilliant switchback ride, you'll beg others to read it so you can discuss it with themYou think you're reading a good, conventional thriller and then it grows into a fascinating portrait of one averagely mismatched relationship...Nothing's as it seems - Flynn is a fabulous plotter, and a very sharp observer of modern life in the aftermath of the credit crunchFlynn's portrait of a woman trying to please an impossible husband is subtly drawn, but there are hints that all is not as it seems. One version of events hides another in a novel that cleverly manipulates the readerIn what is so much more than a straightforward crime novel (with a mid-story twist so shocking you'll drop the book), Flynn unpicks the minutiae of the couple's personalities and relationshipA chilling tale of a hip, New York couple's failing marriage: smart, suspenseful and brilliantly written, Gone Girl is a class actThis is Flynn's third novel and she's more than found her voice, creating taut, thrilling, deeply intense narratives about characters very much on the edgea near-masterpiece. Flynn is an extraordinary writer who, with every sentence, makes words do things that other writers merely dream of''Ms Flynn's latest novel of psychological suspense will confound anyone trying to keep up with her quicksilver mind and diabolical rules of playJust about everyone I meet, and everyone on Twitter, is telling me it's brilliant, so I can't wait to see what the fuss is all about.Gripping thriller: Nick's wife, Amy, is missing and he's a suspect. The story is told by Nick, then Amy, but who's telling the truth?A brilliant switchback ride, you'll beg others to read it so you can discuss it with themYou think you're reading a good, conventional thriller and then it grows into a fascinating portrait of one averagely mismatched relationship...Nothing's as it seems - Flynn is a fabulous plotter, and a very sharp observer of modern life in the aftermath of the credit crunchFlynn's portrait of a woman trying to please an impossible husband is subtly drawn, but there are hints that all is not as it seems. One version of events hides another in a novel that cleverly manipulates the readerIn what is so much more than a straightforward crime novel (with a mid-story twist so shocking you'll drop the book), Flynn unpicks the minutiae of the couple's personalities and relationshipA chilling tale of a hip, New York couple's failing marriage: smart, suspenseful and brilliantly written, Gone Girl is a class actThis is Flynn's third novel and she's more than found her voice, creating taut, thrilling, deeply intense narratives about characters very much on the edgea near-masterpiece. Flynn is an extraordinary writer who, with every sentence, makes words do things that other writers merely dream of''Ms Flynn's latest novel of psychological suspense will confound anyone trying to keep up with her quicksilver mind and diabolical rules of playJust about everyone I meet, and everyone on Twitter, is telling me it's brilliant, so I can't wait to see what the fuss is all about.Gripping thriller: Nick's wife, Amy, is missing and he's a suspect. The story is told by Nick, then Amy, but who's telling the truth?A brilliant switchback ride, you'll beg others to read it so you can discuss it with themYou think you're reading a good, conventional thriller and then it grows into a fascinating portrait of one averagely mismatched relationship...Nothing's as it seems - Flynn is a fabulous plotter, and a very sharp observer of modern life in the aftermath of the credit crunchFlynn's portrait of a woman trying to please an impossible husband is subtly drawn, but there are hints that all is not as it seems. One version of events hides another in a novel that cleverly manipulates the readerIn what is so much more than a straightforward crime novel (with a mid-story twist so shocking you'll drop the book), Flynn unpicks the minutiae of the couple's personalities and relationshipA chilling tale of a hip, New York couple's failing marriage: smart, suspenseful and brilliantly written, Gone Girl is a class actThis is Flynn's third novel and she's more than found her voice, creating taut, thrilling, deeply intense narratives about characters very much on the edgea near-masterpiece. Flynn is an extraordinary writer who, with every sentence, makes words do things that other writers merely dream of''Ms Flynn's latest novel of psychological suspense will confound anyone trying to keep up with her quicksilver mind and diabolical rules of playJust about everyone I meet, and everyone on Twitter, is telling me it's brilliant, so I can't wait to see what the fuss is all about.Gripping thriller: Nick's wife, Amy, is missing and he's a suspect. The story is told by Nick, then Amy, but who's telling the truth?A brilliant switchback ride, you'll beg others to read it so you can discuss it with themThe set-up is simple: girl goes missing, husband looks increasingly suspect. But there's much more going on beneath the surface of this fiendishly clever thriller''You think you're reading a good, conventional thriller and then it grows into a fascinating portrait of one averagely mismatched relationship...Nothing's as it seems - Flynn is a fabulous plotter, and a very sharp observer of modern life in the aftermath of the credit crunchFlynn's portrait of a woman trying to please an impossible husband is subtly drawn, but there are hints that all is not as it seems. One version of events hides another in a novel that cleverly manipulates the readerIn what is so much more than a straightforward crime novel (with a mid-story twist so shocking you'll drop the book), Flynn unpicks the minutiae of the couple's personalities and relationshipA chilling tale of a hip, New York couple's failing marriage: smart, suspenseful and brilliantly written, Gone Girl is a class actThis is Flynn's third novel and she's more than found her voice, creating taut, thrilling, deeply intense narratives about characters very much on the edgea near-masterpiece. Flynn is an extraordinary writer who, with every sentence, makes words do things that other writers merely dream of''Ms Flynn's latest novel of psychological suspense will confound anyone trying to keep up with her quicksilver mind and diabolical rules of playJust about everyone I meet, and everyone on Twitter, is telling me it's brilliant, so I can't wait to see what the fuss is all about.Gillian Flynn's first novel SHARP OBJECTS was the winner of two CWA DAGGERS, and was shortlisted for the GOLD DAGGER, and also for an EDGAR. She lives in Chicago with her husband.Gillian Flynn's first novel, SHARP OBJECTS, won two CWA Daggers, as well as being shortlisted for the Gold Dagger and an EdgarHUGE marketing and publicity campaign. We are sending proofs to every key buyer and manager .SHARP OBJECTS is being made into a film by Pathé and film rights in Dark Places have just been sold to the director of Sarah's Key
W&N

The Handmade Home

By Cherry Menlove
Create, craft and bake - Cherry Menlove shows you how to make your house a warm and cosy home all year round.A love of home is Cherry's philosophy and at the heart of everything she does. Covering all aspects of homemaking and lifestyle from her own stunning house in West Sussex, Cherry Menlove presents a host of inspirational ideas to make your home feel special to you and your family. Including cookery, crafting, design, gardening and re-upholstery, Cherry is the expert at transforming a house into a cosy, warm and happy home. In this beautifully illustrated book, Cherry transports you into a world of homemade luxury, teaching you everything from how to create a patchwork quilt to baking delicious cupcakes and hosting the perfect children's party. With 12 self-contained and easy-to-follow chapters, Cherry will show you that preparing for any occasion can be inspiring, adventurous, but most of all, simple.This is a staggeringly beautiful book, and Cherry is a really true inspirational figureIt has simple instructions, fab advice, delicious recipes and beautiful photos. It's also full of ideas for annual events, from Valentine's Day to Christmas - giving you plenty of reasons to stitch, bake and make to your heart's content all year round. We love.Cherry Menlove started writing her homemaking blog in 2006, from the spare bedroom in her flat in London. Now working and creating in West Sussex, Cherry has fulfilled her dream of documenting how the simple things in your home can transform your life. The classes at her baking school 'Picket Fence Baking, feel good baking' are regularly sold out and her video tutorials reach a global audience. She is a wife to Robert and a mother to young twins. For more information and inspiration, go to Cherry's website www.cherrymenlove.com and keep up to date with her blog www.cherrymenlove.com/my-blog. Like her on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/CherryMenlove, tweet her at https://twitter.com/CherryMenlove and follow on Instagram at http://followgram.me/cherrymenlove. Watch Cherry on https://www.youtube.com/user/CherryMenlove, follow her on Pinterest at http://pinterest.com/cherrymenlove/ and see more pictures on http://www.flickr.com/photos/75474948@N00/.Her website was launched just over a year ago and has already had 2 million hits from 173 countries.Her blog was featured in an eight-page spread in the Christmas edition of BBC HOMES AND ANTIQUES magazine. She is the Craft columnist for SAINSBURY'S MAGAZINE.Foreword by Emma Freud.Cherry's informal story-telling style will breathe new life into the current lifestyle genre by giving it a unique twist, and mixing traditional 'how-to' books with 'real life' drama.
Orion

Call Nurse Millie

By Jean Fullerton
An absorbing and richly detailed novel following the life and work of a young nurse in post-war East London.It's 1945 and, as the troops begin to return home, the inhabitants of London attempt to put their lives back together. For 25-year-old Millie, a qualified nurse and midwife, the jubilation at the end of the war is short-lived as she tends to the needs of the East End community around her. But while Millie witnesses tragedy and brutality in her job, she also finds strength and kindness. And when misfortune befalls her own family, it is the enduring spirit of the community that shows Millie that even the toughest of circumstances can be overcome.

Through Millie's eyes, we see the harsh realities and unexpected joys in the lives of the patients she treats, as well as the camaraderie that is forged with the fellow nurses that she lives with. Filled with unforgettable characters and moving personal stories, this vividly brings to life the colourful world of a post-war East London.Jean Fullerton was born in the East End. She is a trained nurse and teaches healthcare. Jean's husband is a Church of England vicar, and his parish includes the site of the 2012 Olympic Games. She has three daughters.A GLIMPSE AT HAPPINESS was shortlisted for the 2010 RNA AWARD. NO CURE FOR LOVE won the 2006 HARRY BOWLING PRIZE.Jean has received glowing reviews for her previous novels.Jean's writing brings together her own experiences as a nurse in London, coupled with fascinating research. The many non-fiction titles in the charts at the moment show the enduring popularity for nostalgic social history.
Orion

Appetite

By Philip Kazan
Florence, 1466. A lust for life, a passion for power and a taste for adventure . . .In Florence, everyone has a passion. With sixty thousand souls inside the city, crammed into a cobweb of clattering streets, countless alleys, towers, workshops, tanneries, cloisters, churches and burial grounds, they live their lives in the narrow world between the walls. Nino Latini knows that if you want to survive without losing yourself completely, then you've got to have a passion.

But Nino's greatest gift will be his greatest curse. Nino can taste things that other people cannot. Every flavour, every ingredient comes alive for him as vividly as a painting and he puts his artistry to increasingly extravagant use.

In an age of gluttony and conspicuous consumption, his unique talent leads him into danger. His desire for the beautiful Tessina Delmazza and his longing to create the perfect feast could prove deadly. Nino must flee Florence to save his life and if he ever wants to see his beloved again, he must entrust himself entirely to the tender mercies of fortune.A celebration of the senses: what Patrick Suskind's Perfume did for scents, this does for flavours. A love story which will also appeal to fans of Joanne Harris' Chocolat . . . The ultimate foodie version of Perfume, this is an addictive page-turner filled with lavish literary gastro-pornAPPETITE by Philip Kazan has had me salivating. Yes Kazan writes good food... [Florence] is wonderfully evoked... Delicious stuff.Kazan brings medieval Italy to life with an astonishing degree of historical detail. Appetite has the vivid colours of Tracy Chevalier's Girl With a Pearl Earring and the sharp odours of Patrick S?skind's Perfume... Readers will certainly come away with an appetite for more.Philip Kazan is an informed historian, a passionate cook and a keen traveller. He brings real gusto and humanity to his writing.In the style of Patrick Suskind's PERFUME and Tracy Chevalier's GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING, APPETITE shines a light on the secret corners of Florence, the amazing characters within and their dark desires.Philip Kazan is incrediby knowledgeable - an informed historian, a passionate cook and a keen traveller, he brings real gusto and humanity to his top-notch writing.
Gollancz

Dead Ever After

By Charlaine Harris
This is the final Sookie Stackhouse novel. Who will love, who will live, and who will be dead ever after?Sookie Stackhouse has one last adventure in store.

Life has taken her from a waitress in Merlotte's Bar, Bon Temps, to part owner; from social outcast to the heart of her community; from a vampire's girlfriend to the wife of one of the most powerful vampires in the state.

She has survived explosions, revolutions and attempts on her life. Sookie has endured betrayal, heartbreak and grief...and she has emerged a little stronger, and little wiser, every time.

But with life comes new trials...

The question is, in the end: who will love, who will live, and who will be dead ever after?Charlaine Harris is the author of the No. 1 SUNDAY TIMES bestselling Sookie Stackhouse series. She is married, with children, and lives in Texas.Total sales for the Sookie Stackhouse series now exceed three million copies.Charlaine Harris is a No. 1 SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author, and a superstar in the urban fantasy field.TRUEBLOOD, Alan Ball's (SIX FEET UNDER) award-winning TV adaptation of the Sookie Stackhouse novels, has taken the UK and USA by storm.The final Sookie Stackhouse novel is the best yet - lies, love, mystery and danger!Packaged in our trend-setting cover style, this is guaranteed to stand out brilliantly in store, and in our full advertising campaign.
Orion

Little White Lies

By Lesley Lokko
LITTLE WHITE LIES is the glorious new novel from the bestselling Lesley Lokko; an epic tale of three women whose lives interweave over decades.

In a gorgeous beachfront mansion in Martha's Vineyard, Annick and Rebecca have left their young children in the care of their life-long friend Tash. Tash has made millions from her fashion business and treating her friends to a luxury holiday makes all the hard work worthwhile. But by the end of the afternoon, one of the children will have vanished . . .

As the daughter of an iconic actress and an assassinated president, Annick has spent a lifetime running from the truth of her family's wealth. For her, Rebecca and Tash have always felt more like family than friends. But can she truly trust them with the secret of her past?

Rebecca, the dutiful daughter of a financial dynasty, has always done the right thing. And when the pressure of pleasing her parents gives way to the pressure of being a model wife and mother, she begins to wonder if she'll ever have the chance, or the courage, to please herself.

And Tash, who's worked so hard to escape the poverty of her mother's Russian roots, now has the world at her feet.But despite her millionaire lifestyle - the business, the houses, the holidays - why is she struggling to keep a grip on her life?

Money, it would seem, isn't the answer to everything.

Weaving the stories of three women together across decades, this sweeping tale of friendship, ambition, love affairs and betrayals is the new bestseller from Lesley Lokko.

After various careers from cocktail waitress to kibbutz worker, Lesley Lokko trained as an architect, but always dreamt of writing. Eight novels later, Lesley now splits her time between Edinburgh and Hastings.Lesley's recent novels, A PRIVATE AFFAIR, ONE SECRET SUMMER, BITTER CHOCOLATE and RICH GIRL, POOR GIRL have sold over 250,000 copies in total in mass market paperback alone.Tasmina Perry said of RICH GIRL, POOR GIRL: 'A smart, sophisticated blockbuster with a big, beating heart.' Lesley gets great publicity and fantastic reviews.
W&N

Give and Take

By Adam Grant
Why givers - not takers or matchers - are life's most successful winners.Everybody knows that hard work, luck and talent each plays a role in our working lives. In his landmark book, Adam Grant illuminates the importance of a fourth, increasingly critical factor - our reciprocity, the way we interact with others when exchanging value. GIVE AND TAKE changes our fundamental understanding of why we succeed, offering a new model for our relationships with colleagues, clients and competitors. It demolishes the argument of the 'me first' worldview and shows that the best way to get to the top is to focus not on your solo journey but on bringing others with you.

Engaging, intriguing and filled with surprising success stories from history to Hollywood, GIVE AND TAKE presents an approach to work, team building, productivity and profitability that is nothing short of revolutionary. We have been taught to think that people who give without expecting anything in return are at risk of being exploited, or burning out, but the truth is that they are often the most successful people in any given field.

Using his own cutting-edge research as a professor at Wharton Business School, Adam Grant shows how helping others can lead to greater personal success. He demonstrates how smart givers avoid becoming doormats, and why this kind of success has the power to transform not just individuals and groups, but entire organisations and communities.Give and Take is perfectly timed and beautifully weighted...Above all, Grant's book is optimistic, a refreshing change after years of reading angry indictments of fallen corporate idols...(an) excellent book.Backed up by anecdotes of success across a range of industries and scenarios, as well as numerous academic studies, the arguments of Give and Take are grounded in ample research...His writing style draws you in...it's an interesting take on game theory in a practical context, and the notion that givers can succeed is an inspirational one.Adam Grant is an organisational psychologist and the youngest tenured professor at Wharton Business School. He has won numerous research and teaching awards, earned a research fellowship from the National Science Foundation, and consulted and presented for organisations including Google, the NFL, IBM, Merck, the World Economic Forum, the United Nations and the US Army and Navy.

https://twitter.com/AdamMGrant

http://www.giveandtake.com/

http://www.facebook.com/profadamgrantA book that is right on the pulse of our times dominated by greedy and inept bankers, tax avoidance schemes and 'Greed is Good' adherents, as it presents a persuasive rationale for success through altruism, giving not taking.Adam Grant is a talented lecturer and skilled public speaker, and will vigorously promote the book when he visits the UK.The book promotes a way of working that can be applied to both personal and professional life: its central ideas about reciprocity are as broadly applicable as those of other highly successful 'ideas' books such as Thinking, Fast and Slow.
Phoenix

Going to Sea in a Sieve

By Danny Baker
Comedy writer, journalist, radio DJ and screenwriter Danny Baker charts his 30 years in showbiz.Danny Baker was born in Deptford, South East London in June 1957, and from an early age was involved in magazine journalism, with the founding of fanzine 'Sniffin' Glue', alongside friend Mark Perry. From there he moved to documentary series for LWT and over the years worked on a variety of quiz shows (Win, Lose or Draw, Pets Win Prizes, TV Heroes), as well two television commercials which made him a household name - Daz and Mars Bars.

This book charts Danny's showbiz career, the highs and lows, and everything in between, including the accusation that he killed Bob Marley...Danny Baker was born in Deptford in South East London. He has worked on magazines and radio for over 30 years, and currently presents on BBC London 94.9 and BBC Radio 5 Live.Danny Baker is a hugely popular figure. He was voted Sony Radio Personality of the Year and recently appeared on Desert Island Discs.There is always plenty of media interest in Danny from fans of his magazine SNIFFIN' GLUE in 1976 to his current listeners on BBC London 94.9 and Radio 5 Live. Danny has also presented on BBC Radio since 1989, and was the script writer for the massively successful TFI FRIDAY.Most recently he has presented a weekday show on BBC London 94.9 and a weekly show on BBC Radio 5 Live.The hardback has sold over 50,000 copies and over 6000 ebooks.
W&N

Golden Boy

By Abigail Tarttelin

GOLDEN BOY IS A COMING OF AGE STORY LIKE NO OTHER

Once you start GOLDEN BOY you won't be able to stop reading it

Once you finish GOLDEN BOY you won't be able to stop talking about it

Max Walker is the golden boy

He's the perfect son, the perfect friend and the perfect crush for the girls at his school

He's attractive, he's intelligent, he's athletic

He's even nice to his little brother

Max is going to pass his exams with flying colours

He's going to make his parents proud

Max Walker has a terrible secret

If his secret gets out, his perfect life will be blown apart

The consequences are unimaginable

But someone knows his secret, someone close to him

And that person must not be trusted because he could do great damage to Max

In fact he's already started

Golden Boy is terrific. A poignant, brave and important bookAbigail Tarttelin is a fearless writer. In Golden Boy, she balances a harrowing coming of age with a deeply compassionate portrait of a family in crisis, and the result is sometimes brutal, often tender, and always compelling. This is a gripping and fully-realized novelAbigail Tarttelin has written a novel that goes beyond the page and reaches into a reader's heart and stays there, never to leave, never to be forgotten. Golden Boy is that good of a novel, and Tarttelin is that gifted of a writer. This book simply deserves to be read and treasuredGolden Boy is at once meditative and swift, a coming-of-age tale about the difficulties of growing up amid shame and secrets and success. Abigail Tarttelin writes with a sharp-eyed grace in this fascinating, heartfelt gem of a novelAbigail Tarttelin, an actress and writer, was born in Grimsby in 1987. Her first novel, FLICK, published when she was 22, was heralded as a 'cult classic' by GQ. She blogs for THE HUFFINGTON POST and is Books Editor of PHOENIX magazine. She lives in London.http://www.facebook.com/AbigailTarttelinhttps://twitter.com/abigailsbrainhttp://imakethingsup.tumblr.comDealing with issues of identity, gender, sexuality and the freedom of the press, this novel is set to be a contemporary classic.Effortlessly cool, highly promotable and social media savvy young author who will generate masses of publicity.This is sure to be controversial and will generate pages of review coverage.GOLDEN BOY has stimulated much international interest, with rights now sold in Italy, the Netherlands, Brazil, Spain, China and Taiwan.Abigail's first novel, FLICK, published when she was just 22, was called a 'cult classic' by GQ.
Orion Childrens

Tiger Wars

By Steve Backshall
Action, adventure, predators and peril - the first novel by BAFTA AWARD-winning DEADLY TV presenter and wildlife expert Steve Backshall about saving tigers.

Saker is a member of the Clan. They're like brothers, but once you're a member you can never leave - ever. Each member has their own animal identity and tattoo, each is an expert in jungle law, survival and the ways of animals in order to make them better spies, thieves or assassins.

Saker's latest assignment takes him to India to bring down the men who protect tigers. He's being employed by a Chinese overlord who specialises in poaching for tiger farms and tiger organs for high-priced medicines. But something happens to make Saker change sides and now he's on the run from his predatory brothers. They're hunting him down and they're professionals. He meets 15-year-old Sinter, a spoiled rich girl, who is running away from an arranged marriage, and their uneasy friendship will eventually form an unshakeable bond, as together they face adventure and danger as two young eco-warriors in a truly threatening world.

TIGER WARS is the first in DEADLY presenter Steve Backshall's high-octane adventure series, The Falcon Chronicles, which introduces Saker and Sinter on a quest to right some of the horrific wrongs perpetrated against wildlife around the planet. As they rescue tigers or mountain gorillas, thwart shark finners and cyanide fishers, rainforest exploiters and canned hunters, they come face to face with the world's most fascinating, majestic and lethal creatures.

Steve Backshall is the hugely popular and fearless presenter of the Children's BBC series Deadly 60, Live and Deadly, Deadly 360 and Deadly Art. Steve travels the world to learn about the most inspiring predators, from boxing mantis shrimp to charging tigers. Steve also regularly writes articles for newspapers and magazines including the NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER and BBC WILDLIFE and is an inspirational public speaker.

Visit Steve's website at www.stevebackshall.com

New series. Steve Backshall is the hugely popular and fearless presenter of the BBC kids' series Deadly 60 and Live and Deadly.The hardback edition of TIGER WARS has sold more than 15,000 copies.In November 2011, Steve won a BAFTA for Best Presenter for DEADLY 60, and DEADLY 60 won a BAFTA for Best Factual Programme. Steve has also been shortlisted for the 2012 BAFTA for Best Presenter.The Deadly brand has been watched by 41 million, which is 70% of the UK population.Exotic locations, fast-moving plots, exciting writing.Feisty and engaging male and female protagonists who young readers will look up to and who will appeal to all readers.34 4 and 5-star customer reviews on Amazon.Territories: World, all languages.
Orion

A Cornish Affair

By Liz Fenwick
A sweeping, romantic novel set in Cornwall, reminiscent of Rosamunde Pilcher.Running out on your wedding day never goes down well. When the pressure of her forthcoming marriage becomes too much, Jude bolts from the church, leaving a good man at the altar, her mother in a fury, and the guests with enough gossip to last a year.

Guilty and ashamed, Jude flees to Pengarrock, a crumbling cliff-top mansion in Cornwall, where she takes a job cataloguing the Trevillion family's extensive library. The house is a welcome escape for Jude, full of history and secrets, but when its new owner arrives, it's clear that Pengarrock is not beloved by everyone.

As Jude falls under the spell of the house, she learns of a family riddle stemming from a terrible tragedy centuries before, hinting at a lost treasure. And when Pengarrock is put up for sale, it seems that time is running out for the house and for Jude.

Following on from her bestselling debut, THE CORNISH HOUSE, Liz Fenwick's A CORNISH AFFAIR is touched with intrigue and romance, a bewitching, escapist read that is certain to delight readers.Growing up in Boston, Liz discovered early on that her best friends could be books. While waiting on a place for Harvard, she moved to London to see if life looked different from the other side of the Atlantic. It did and she soon fell in love with an Englishman. Now happily married with three children, she spends as much time as possible at her home in Cornwall.A gorgeous, romantic read from the author of well-received debut THE CORNISH HOUSE.Liz Fenwick writes with real emotional maturity, compelling characterisation and weaves in genuine twists and surprises to the plot.Liz Fenwick has a strong online presence with a much-read writer's blog, over 2,500 followers on Twitter and her own website. She is also involved with organising the Dubai Literary Festival.
Orion

The Flowers of the Field

By Sarah Harrison
The superb, bestselling novel of one family, and the devastating changes brought by the First World War.Thea Tennant, eldest daughter of a wealthy industrialist father and beautiful aristocratic mother, yearns to do more than follow the traditional path laid out for her. When her beautiful but flighty sister Dulcie brings trouble to the family, both Thea and Dulcie are sent to relatives in Austria. But with the onset of War, their lives change beyond recognition.

It isn't just the Tennants whose lives have changed: for their parlourmaid, Primmy, the War brings opportunities she is determined to take.

From the Kent countryside to the suffragette movement in London and the horrors of the Western Front, THE FLOWERS OF THE FIELD is an epic novel of the dreams and aspirations of a generation who found a voice above history's most horrifying conflict.Sarah Harrison is the renowned author of more than 25 books. She is also a journalist and broadcaster (she's appeared on WOMAN'S HOUR, ANY QUESTIONS?, and most recently the book panel on Radio Five's SIMON MAYO PROGRAMME). Her novels THE FLOWERS OF THE FIELD and A FLOWER THAT'S FREE were bestsellers around the world. www.sarah-harrison.netTHE FLOWERS OF THE FIELD was a huge bestseller on its first publication, and has been sold around the world.The sequel, A FLOWER THAT'S FREE, was also massively successful and is also being published in Orion paperback.They have sold over a million copies.A brand new novel in the series - THE WILDFLOWER PATH - is being published in Orion Trade in 2013.This latest novel has been long-awaited by her many fans, and will attract plenty of media coverage.The massive popularity of DOWNTON ABBEY has proved there is a renewed interest in stories about families changed by the First World WarSarah is a highly promotable author, with extremely good media contacts.All her novels have received wonderful reviews.
W&N

Perilous Question

By Antonia Fraser
The two-year revolution that totally changed how Britain is governed.Internationally bestselling historian Antonia Fraser's new book brilliantly evokes a key period of pre-Victorian political and social history - the passing of the Great Reform Bill of 1832. For our inconclusive times, there is an attractive resonance with 1832, with its 'rotten boroughs' of Old Sarum and the disappearing village of Dunwich, and its lines of most resistance to reform. This book is character-driven - on the one hand, the reforming heroes are the Whig aristocrats Lord Grey, Lord Althorp and Lord John Russell, and the Irish orator Daniel O'Connell. They included members of the richest and most landed Cabinet in history, yet they were determined to bring liberty, which whittled away their own power, to the country. The all-too-conservative opposition comprised Lord Londonderry, the Duke of Wellington, the intransigent Duchess of Kent and the consort of the Tory King William IV, Queen Adelaide. Finally, there were 'revolutionaries' and reformers, like William Cobbett, the author of RURAL RIDES.

This is a book that features one eventful year, much of it violent. There were riots in Bristol, Manchester and Nottingham, and wider themes of Irish and 'negro emancipation' underscore the narrative. The time-span of the book is from Wellington's intractable declaration in November 1830 that 'The beginning of reform is the beginning of revolution', to 7th June 1832, the date of the extremely reluctant royal assent by William IV to the Great Reform Bill, under the double threat of the creation of 60 new peers in the House of Lords and the threat of revolution throughout the country. These events led to a total change in the way Britain was governed, a two-year revolution that Antonia Fraser brings to vivid dramatic life.A political thriller - Borgen in the era of Middlemarch... It is a remarkable story told by an excellent storyteller, with a flair for character and a rare sympathy for context.This is history as it should be written: lively, witty and, above all, a cracking good read. I found it almost impossible to put down.Not a typical summer blockbuster, but Fraser's analysis of the years preceding the Great Reform Act of 1832 is a rollicking good read, with rakish revolutionaries and reforming heroesThe 1820s and early 1830s have all too often been seen as a historical backwater between the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 and the start of the Victorian era that began with the queen's accession in 1837. With Fraser's erudite and acute portrait of this age of reform, it won't be thought so anymore.Her deft pen portraits and gift for dramatic narrative had me on the edge of my seat, even though I know the plot backwardsAntonia Fraser's vivid account is particularly strong on charactersBrisk and engrossing...Her book is a mine of juicy details, not all of the familiar. Until 1832, Britain's democracy was so ramshackle and corrupt that while Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds had no MPs at all, the rotten borough of Old Sarum, which consisted of "a lump of stone and a green field", had two.You could almost be reading a novel as the reforming Whigs take on the Conservative opposition aided by a cast of revolutionaries like William Cobbett.Fraser deftly charts the parliamentary brinkmanship - including the Prime Minister threatening to drown the Tory opposition in the House of Lords in a flood of newly created Whig peers - that finally brought victory to the Reformists, and nationwide celebrations at the passage of the legislation in 1832.This, then, was probably the closest we ever got to full-blooded revolution, and Fraser describes it all with gusto. As she says in her introduction, we know the Reform Bill will pass, but the people who fought for it did not. And the people are the meat and drink of this story...It all makes for a rich landscape, a gripping tale and another fine book from one of our best popular historians.She is a knowledgeable guide, spicing her narrative with vivid sketches of the anxieties of individuals involved, from the kings dismay at the indiscretions of Queen Adelaide to Lord Grey's grief at the death of his little grandson, the "Red Boy" of Thomas Lawrence's portrait. Such details give humanity and vigour to the story of one of the most important moments in British history.Antonia Fraser is the author of many widely acclaimed historical works, including the biographies MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS (a 40th anniversary edition was published in May 2009), CROMWELL: OUR CHIEF OF MEN, KING CHARLES II and THE GUNPOWDER PLOT (CWA Non-Fiction Gold Dagger; St Louis Literary Award). She has written five highly praised books which focus on women in history, THE WEAKER VESSEL: WOMEN'S LOT IN SEVENTEENTH CENTURY ENGLAND (Wolfson Award for History, 1984), THE WARRIOR QUEENS: BOADICEA'S CHARIOT, THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII, MARIE ANTOINETTE: THE JOURNEY (Franco-British Literary Prize 2001), which was made into a film by Sofia Coppola in 2006 and most recently LOVE AND LOUIS XIV: THE WOMEN IN THE LIFE OF THE SUN KING. She was awarded the Norton Medlicott Medal by the Historical Association in 2000. Antonia Fraser was made DBE in 2011 for her services to literature. Her most recent book is MUST YOU GO?, celebrating her life with Harold Pinter, who died on Christmas Eve 2008. She lives in London.

Visit Antonia Fraser's website at www.antoniafraser.comAuthoritative and vivid new work from the doyenne of popular historians.As ever with Antonia Fraser, the core of the book is a drama, character-led and grippingly written.The political resonance today of the troubled history of parliamentary reform in 1832 is rich in promotional possibilities.
Phoenix

The Prisoner of Heaven

By Carlos Ruiz Zafon
You've read THE SHADOW OF THE WIND - now read what happens next...

THE PRISONER OF HEAVEN returns to the world of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books and the Sempere & Sons bookshop.

It begins just before Christmas in Barcelona in 1957, one year after Daniel and Bea from THE SHADOW OF THE WIND have married. They now have a son, Julian, and are living with Daniel's father at Sempere & Sons. Fermin still works with them and is busy preparing for his wedding to Bernarda in the New Year. However something appears to be bothering him.

Daniel is alone in the shop one morning when a mysterious figure with a pronounced limp enters. He spots one of their most precious volumes that is kept locked in a glass cabinet, a beautiful and unique illustrated edition of THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO. Despite the fact that the stranger seems to care little for books, he wants to buy this expensive edition. Then, to Daniel's surprise, the man inscribes the book with the words 'To Fermin Romero de Torres, who came back from the dead and who holds the key to the future'. This visit leads back to a story of imprisonment, betrayal and the return of a deadly rival...

Carlos Ruiz Zafón is the author of six novels, including the international phenomenon The Shadow of the Wind, and The Angel's Game. His work has been published in more than forty different languages, and honoured with numerous international awards. He divides his time between Barcelona, Spain, and Los Angeles, California.The third in the cycle of novels that began with THE SHADOW OF THE WIND and THE ANGEL'S GAME.This book takes up where THE SHADOW OF THE WIND left off and is very much the story of Fermin, everyone's favourite character from SHADOW.THE SHADOW OF THE WIND was a Richard & Judy Best Read and has sold 15 million copies worldwide, with 1.4 million copies sold in the UK alone.THE ANGEL'S GAME was the fastest selling novel ever in Spain, and was an instant SUNDAY TIMES bestseller in the UK.This long-awaited novel will attract massive media attention.All his previous novels have received terrific reviews.
W&N

How to Create the Perfect Wife

By Wendy Moore
From the Number 1 bestselling author of WEDLOCK, the story of a man who tried to create the perfect wife. A true MAY FAIR LADY set in the Georgian era.

This is the story of how Thomas Day, a young man of means, decided he could never marry a woman with brains, spirit or fortune. Instead, he adopted two orphan girls from a Foundling Hospital, and set about educating them to become the meek, docile women he considered marriage material.



Unsurprisingly, Day's marriage plans did not run smoothly. Having returned one orphan early on, his girl of choice, Sabrina Sidney, would also fall foul of the experiment. From then on, she led a difficult life, inhabiting a curious half-world - an ex-orphan, and not quite a ward; a governess, and not quite a fiancée. But Sabrina also ended up figuring in the life of scientists and luminaries as disparate as Erasmus Darwin and Joseph Priestley, as well as that pioneering generation of women writers who included Fanny Burney, Maria Edgeworth and Anna Seward.



In HOW TO CREATE THE PERFECT WIFE, Wendy has found a story that echoes her concerns about women's historic powerlessness, and captures a moment when ideas of human development and childraising underwent radical change.

In this enthralling, brilliantly researched book, Wendy Moore has uncovered a story so weird that you have to keep reminding yourself that it actually happened.Moore has again found an excruciatingly gruesome and fascinating story. But instead of turning these portraits into misery biographies, she weaves them into the broader context of the time...In How to Create the Perfect Wife, she investigates education, liberty and the role of women. It is pleasing to see a writer bringing together painstaking research with gripping storytelling. I can't wait for her next book.Wendy Moore has written before about brutal oddball Georgians, but what is so intriguing about this rollicking and well-researched book is just how confoundedly, detestably hypocritical her central character is...This is a sordid tale, splendidly told.A true Pygmalion-style story set in Georgian EnglandWith gusto and glee Wendy Moore takes on the paradoxes of "the Age of Reason" and the tyranny of public probity and private morality.Wendy Moore is the author of the acclaimed Wedlock and like that this story zips along. It is firmly anchored against the backdrop of Georgian politics, abolition and the American War of Independence, all of which Day was passionate about. Moore is under no illusions about the desirability of her hero and tells his story with a wry wit that makes him engaging even as his audacity, arrogance and egotism send your jaw hurtling to the floor.Moore uncovers for the first time the full story of Sabrina, and it is to the original Eliza Doolittle that this book belongs.Wendy Moore likes odd subjects...The subject of her latest is equally bizarre, a sort of double biography; of an 18-th century sociopath, Thomas Day, and of the orphans he illegally acquired, to groom one for his future wife. But aside from its dark content, the plotline is a comedy of manners gone right off the rails, lit by flashes of sardonic authorial wit.This is the best kind of non-fiction, the kind that reads like a novel and yet couldn't be made up.The real discovery here is Sabrina and her background. Some of the most fascinating parts of the book are about the foundling hospitals and orphanages of the period, and the unhappy mothers who gave up their babies to them. Ms Moore has combed the orphanages archives, read the forms for each baby and seen the tokens left with them - a single earring, a piece of fabric, a playing card torn in half - in the hope of a future reunion. Sadly, stories of mothers rediscovering long-lost children were rare, the stuff of plays and novels.Compelling and meticulously researchedBack before online dating gave everyone the power to construct an idealised bullshit version of themselves, Londoners had to work a little harder to find their perfect mate. For eighteenth-century gent Thomas Day, profiled in impressive detail in this biography, this involved adopting a pair of pre-pubescent girls and moulding them to a ridiculously specific set of womanly criteria.Moore has such a captivating story to tell, which she conveys with the pace and ingenuity of a novelist...What in less skilled hands could have been another misery biography is a paean to the obstinacy of the human spirit.Moore's story is beautifully told and researched - all credit to her for discovering the real origins of Sabrina and Lucretia, when so many declared there were no such records of these girls, and for telling as much of their incredible story as she has.Nowhere, however, is she better than on the procedures of the London Foundling Hospital, and tracing the trajectory of her 'foundlings'. As a champion of the lost she finds her own most authentic and compelling voice.She has done an exceptional job of tracking Sabrina through the records and produced a cheerful, lively version of her tale.His somewhat bizarre Pygmalion-style social experiment to create the perfect wife and live in frugal, romantic and rural seclusion captured the attention of his radical circle of friends, who included Erasmus Darwin and Anna Seward, as Day tried to rear foundlings and orphans to his 'requirements'. Did he succeed? Find out more with this page-turning true tale from award-winning journalist and author.Ms Moore has done an especially fine job of tracking Sabrina in archives and across England, even locating her previously unrecognized grave. How To Create The Perfect Wife is to be relished by those who enjoy slices of 18th century life. It should, however, be read as a cautionary tale by anyone thinking of embarking on, say, a radical program of home schooling.It's an extraordinary story, which highlights the powerlessness of women at the time; it also provides an insight into this era of profound change in ideas about human progress and child development.Only Wendy Moore has the genius to find and bring to glorious life the hidden histories, the personal follies, and very human desires of our 18th-century ancestors. How to Create the Perfect Wife is a perfect read.In this riveting tale of Enlightenment theory gone haywire, Wendy Moore offers an unforgettable portrait of Rousseau's most deranged 18th-century acolyte (Robespierre included!). With exemplary research and tremendous wit, she offers an invaluable, if utterly disturbing, cautionary tale about the uses and abuses of the philosophes' putatively progressive thought.Read How To Create The Perfect Wife and feel your emotions pulled this way and that. Hate Thomas Day, and then see why people loved him; admire Sabrina, and wonder how on earth she did it. Be amazed at the famous names and the strange things they thought and did. Be surprised at the astonishing twists in the plot. Be unequivocally impressed by the depth of research, and be unable to put it down.Where she succeeds intensely, though, is in redeeming Sabrina from the shadow of Day, and painting a portrait of supposed rationalism as a vehicle for an unsettling species of inhumanityMoore tells the tale with panache, winkling out hitherto unknown details from the records, letters and personal papers of the Shrewsbury Foundling Hospital from where Day obtained two pubescent orphan girls for his experiment.Wendy Moore recounts this tale with a mixture of fascination and disgust, drawing a man with such a conviction of being right and so little empathy, that he saw the girls only as his work-in-progress rather than as independent human beings.Wendy Moore's book is a biography of Day, focusing on his attempt to find a compatible wife, as well as describing his wider intellectual interests in philosophy, poetry and science.Day was part of the intellectual and literary establishment of England in the 1700s, and he did not conceal his wife experiments from his friends. Consequently, Moore finds it directly echoed by novelists Maria Edgeworth and Fanny Burney (who both knew Day and his subject), adapted into fiction by Anthony Trollope, and perhaps the inspiration for Shaw's Pygmalion.Wendy Moore is a freelance journalist and author. Her work had been published in numerous national newspapers and magazines and has won several awards Her first book KNIFE MAN: THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE AND TIMES OF JOHN HUNTER, FATHER OF MODERN SURGERY, won the Medical Journalists' Association Consumer Book Award in 2005 and was shortlisted for both Saltire and the Marsh Biography Awards. Her Second book. WEDLOCK: HOW GEORGIAN BRITAIN'S WORST HUSBAND MET HIS MATCH, has been highly acclaimed in reviews and was chosen as one of the ten titles in the Channel 4 TV Book Club. She lives in London with her husband Pete and two children, Sam and Susie.Visit Wendy Moore's website at http://wendymoore.org and follow her on Twitter https://twitter.com/wendymoore99. WEDLOCK was a popular Richard & Judy TV Book Club choice and a No.1 bestseller. It stayed in the Top Ten charts for 12 weeks, and has sold 80,000 copies in paperback.With close parallels to the story of Pygmalion, HOW TO CREATE THE PERFECT WIFE has huge commercial appeal.'Only Wendy Moore has the genius to find and bring to glorious life the hidden histories, the personal follies, and very human desires of our 18th-century ancestors. THE PERFECT WIFE is a perfect read' Amanda ForemanWendy's first book, THE KNIFE MAN, is being adapted for television by David Cronenberg. It is Cronenberg's first foray into television so widespread coverage is guaranteed!
Orion

The Heart Whisperer

By Ella Griffin
With the humour and compassion that marked her triumphant debut Postcards from the Heart, Irish writer Ella Griffin returns with this bittersweet comedy about love, loss, lies and the healing powers of hairy lurchers.

Claire Dillon still lives in the shadow of the past. On her thirty-third birthday, she gives herself a present. One year to change her future.

Claire Dillon's mother had everything to live for. A husband, two children, a successful medical practice. Then, at thirty-three, she died in a tragic accident. And it was Claire's fault.

Now Claire is the same age. A floundering actress with a broken heart, a collection of draft snakes, and a talent for self-sabotage. She is frittering her life away with the help of her oldest friend, the gorgeous ex-rock star, Ray Devine.

On her 33rd birthday she gives herself one last year to be more like her mother. But you should be careful what you wish for . . .

Her estranged brother Nick is back from America and keeping his distance from his clingy sister and his pathetic father while he reinvents himself as a daytime TV relationship guru. But Dublin is full of memories and Nick is already dreaming of escape. While his wife Kelly, has dreams of her own. Ones she isn't telling him about.

What will happen when another accident throws the dysfunctional Dillons together? And the secrets they have kept from themselves and one another finally begin to emerge?

Written with warmth and humour Irish authors appear so good atA brilliant debut novel (4 stars)A fresh, funny new voice. Ella Griffin can make you laugh and then cry in the turn of a page.A touching story that reminds us all that love's never as simple as it sounds.This thrilling story of romance and deceit is too good to put downAs debut novels go this is one stomping entry into the world of storytelling. Like all good romcoms, Postcards from the Heart is a love story with a twist, but its also got the added element of wit, humour and the odd tear here and there. A fabulous readA smart portrayal of four friends' efforts to find a path through the undergrowth of thirtysomething lifeFollowing the lives of four thirty-something friends, it has all the elements of great chick-lit: think the humour of Marian Keyes, the warmth of Cathy Kelly, with just a sprinkling of Jackie Collins naughtiness thrown in for good measure.Ella Griffin's hugely enjoyable debut ... deftly mixes light and shade, humour and conflict ... like Allison Pearson in I don't know how She Does It, Griffin puts a fresh spin on the having-it-all conundrum of juggling relationships and caring from children and parents with the demands of a career.A brilliant read which I found it hard to put downpacked with characters, plot twists and humorous incident ... a journey on which many readers will be happily swept awayA funny, zany romp through the glitzier side of DublinElla Griffin was born in Dublin. She always wanted to be a writer, but before she got around to it she was a waitress, an extra, a pickle-factory worker, an award-winning advertising copywriter and travel writer. Her debut novel, Postcards from the Heart, was published in 2010. Ella lives in County Wicklow, Ireland, with her husband, Neil, and an incredibly large dog called Haggis.In 2011, POSTCARDS FROM THE HEART introduced the world to an exciting new star in commercial fiction, appearing in the Heat Seekers chart.A contemporary of Marian Keyes, Ella's inviting, lively voice shows why Irish fiction is heralded for its broad appeal and emotional honesty.Funny, warm and poignant, THE HEART WHISPERER once again proves that Ella Griffin is a natural and accomplished storyteller.
Orion

A Week in Winter

By Maeve Binchy
Set on the west coast of Ireland, a brand new book from No.1 bestselling author Maeve Binchy.

The Sheedy sisters had lived in Stone House for as long as anyone could remember. Set high on the cliffs on the west coast of Ireland, overlooking the windswept Atlantic ocean, it was falling into disrepair - until one woman, with a past she needed to forget, breathed new life into the place. Now a hotel, with a big, warm kitchen and log fires, it provides a welcome few can resist.

Winnie is generally able to make the best of things, until she finds herself on the holiday from hell. John arrived on an impulse after he missed a flight at Shannon. And then there's Henry and Nicola, burdened with a terrible secret, who are hoping the break at Stone House will help them find a way to face the future . . .

A WEEK IN WINTER is full of Maeve's trademark warmth, humour and characters you want to spend time with.

A book to treasure. It's classic Maeve Binchy territory, filled with characteristic warmth and captivating storytellingThe final novel by late Irish author Maeve Binchy is out now. Set in a country house hotel on the West coast of Ireland it's full of her trademark warmth, humour and lovable characters.It's vintage Binchy and doesn't disappointBinchy's compassion and warmth are undimmed to the very end. Over her long career as a novelist she tackled many serious issues with with the compassion, intelligence and wit that anyone who ever read her wonderful journalism would expect. ... All the characters in A Week in Winter are struggling - with traumatic memories, with isolation, with regret. Yet Binchy guides her creations through their troubles with a firm and kind hand, leaving them ready for a happier future. Maybe that's why so many readers loved her so much. That and the fact that she always knew how to tell a very good story.It is no exaggeration to say that Maeve and her books were loved. Deservedly so. A Week in Winter is shot through with her trademark charm ... here is an author who had a zest for life'In the final novel from the Irish legend, we meet the motley holidaymakers of Stone House hotel, each nursing their secrets or sadness during a winter break. The plot is almost irrelevant though; what matters is the warmth and charm of Binchy's storytelling.This is a book designed to be read in a dark January chill; it begs for a fireside and the sound of wind and rain howling outside. ... Binchy died this year after a prolific career that began in 1982 and during which she wrote more than 20 books, all of them bestsellers. If you haven't come across her before, you've got a real treat in store.Maeve Binchy was born in County Dublin and educated at the Holy Child convent in Killiney and at University College, Dublin. After a spell as a teacher she joined the IRISH TIMES. Her first novel, LIGHT A PENNY CANDLE, was published in 1982 and she went on to write over twenty books, all of them bestsellers. Several have been adapted for cinema and television, including TARA ROAD. Maeve Binchy received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the British Book Awards in 1999 and the Irish PEN/A.T. Cross award in 2007. In 2010 she was presented with the Bob Hughes Lifetime Achievement Award at the Bord G?is Irish Book Awards by the President of Ireland. She was married to the writer and broadcaster Gordon Snell for 35 years, and died in 2012. Visit her website at www.maevebinchy.comMaeve Binchy is one of the world's best-loved and most successful authors.She is a regular SUNDAY TIMES No.1 bestseller and GUARDIAN fastseller.The entire backlist was recently reissued with a new cover look, behind the paperback of MINDING FRANKIE.There are now over 8 million Maeve Binchy Orion paperbacks in print and overall her novels have sold over 40 million copies around the world.Maeve has won numerous awards, including a LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD at the BRITISH BOOK AWARDS.Maeve Binchy's novels have been translated into over 30 languages, and two have been made into films, including TARA ROAD.All her previous novels received wonderful reviews.
Orion

The Chalice

By Nancy Bilyeau
A curse to kill a king, a fight to save a nation. Follow young Joanna Stafford right into the dark heart of King Henry VIII's court in this stunning Tudor thriller.

England, 1538. A bloody power struggle between crown and cross tears England asunder. Young Joanna Stafford has already tasted the wrath of the royal court, seen what lies inside the king's torture rooms and escaped death at the hands of those desperate to possess the power of an ancient relic.

After seeing such sights, the quiet life is not for Joanna. Soon she risks arrest and imprisonment again, when she is caught up in a conspiracy scheming against Henry VIII. As the powerplays grow deadly, Joanna must realise if her role is more central than she'd ever imagined. As one fateful night at the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket proves, she must make a choice between those she cares for most and taking her place in a prophecy foretold by three different seers, each more powerful than the last.

To learn the final, sinister piece of the prophecy, she flees across Europe with an amoral spy sent by Spain. As the necromancers complete the puzzle, Joanna realises the life of Henry VIII as well as the future of Christendom are in her hands; hands which must someday hold the chalice that lies at the centre of these deadly prophecies...

A stunning debut. One of the best historical novels I have ever readTHE CHALICE offers a fresh, dynamic look into Tudor England's most powerful, volatile personalities: Henry VIII, the Duke of Norfolk, Stephen Gardiner and Bloody Mary Tudor. Heroine and former nun Joanna Stafford is beautiful, bold and in lethal danger. Bilyeau writes compellingly of people and places that demand your attention and don't let you go even after the last exciting pageRarely have the terrors of Henry VIII's reformation been so exciting. Court intrigue, bloody executions, and haunting emotional entanglements create a heady brew of mystery and adventure that sweeps us from the devastation of the ransacked cloisters to the dangerous spy centers of London and the Low Countries, as ex-novice Joanna Stafford fights to save her way of life and fulfill an ancient prophecy, before everything she loves is destroyedBilyeau paints a moving portrait of Catholicism during the Reformation and of reclusive, spiritual people adjusting to the world outside the cloister. This intriguing and suspenseful historical novel pairs well with C. J. Sansom's Dissolution (2003) and has the insightful feminine perspective of Brenda Rickman Vantrease's The Heretic's Wife (2010).As in The Crown, Bilyeau's writing style means that the story reads almost flawlessly. The narrative really makes the reader throw themselves into the story, and makes it so the book is really difficult to put down. I was really very impressed with Bilyeau's writing (As I was in The Crown), and honestly can't recommend this book highly enough.THE CHALICE is a compelling and pacey time machine to the 16th Century. And when you're returned to the present, you'll have enjoyed an adventure and gained a new perspective on a past you'd wrongly thought to be a done dealNancy Bilyeau's acclaimed first novel, THE CROWN, was shortlisted for the CWA Ellis Peters Dagger Award for historical fiction and dubbed 'the year's most impressive debut' by the judging panel. It took five years to research and write. Nancy, a magazine editor, lives in New York City with her family. Find out more about Nancy and her lifelong passion for Tudor history via her website, www.nancybilyeau.com Facebook/NancyBilyeauAuthor @TudorScribe, Nancy Bilyeau is a magazine editor and writer who lives in New York City with her husband and two children. She has worked on the staffs of Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, and Good Housekeeping. Most recently, she served as deputy editor at InStyle magazine. Her screenplays have placed her as finalist in several prominent industry competitions, including the Nicholl Fellowship, Page International Screenwriting Awards, Scriptapalooza, and Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope competition. Her first novel, THE CROWN, was shortlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger award.THE CROWN was shortlisted for the 2012 CWA ELLIS PETERS AWARD, noted by the judges as 'the year's most impressive debut'.Nancy's debut, THE CROWN, received fantastic reviews:
Orion

Jasmine Nights

By Julia Gregson
A captivating WW2 love story from the bestselling author of EAST OF THE SUN, a Richard & Judy selection.

1942 and the world is at war. It is a war that has already shattered families and devastated countries. But for some, it will also mean the greatest of adventures.

In a burns hospital in Sussex, a beautiful young singer performs to a ward full of injured soldiers. Saba is captivating and one pilot, Dom, shudders as her gaze turns his way. He can't bear her to see his scars but resolves to write to her once they have healed.

The world is on the brink of enormous change. Saba's journey as a singer with ENSA takes her to the fading glamour of Alexandria and the heat and decadence of Turkey. On the glamorous Middle Eastern social circuit, Saba rubs shoulders with double agents and diplomats, movie stars and smugglers. Some want her voice, some her friendship, and some the secrets she is perfectly placed to discover...

JASMINE NIGHTS is a tale of decadence and destruction, of love and of danger. It is the captivating love story set in an extraordinary world.

Jasmine Nights is a tale of decadence, destruction, and a captivating love story.In 1942, Saba Tarcan, a half English, half Turkish singer breaks away from the influence of her domineering father to entertain troops in Europe. Drafted into ENSA, she sings in a hospital in East Grinstead where a young, injured airman, Dom Benson, hears her voice and vows never to forget her.Julia Gregson is the prize-winning author of three novels, one book of non-fiction, and several short stories. Her novel, EAST OF THE SUN, was chosen for the Richard and Judy TV Book Club and became a SUNDAY TIMES bestseller in the UK. It won Romantic Novel of the Year and the Prince Maurice Prize and has since been translated into more than twenty languages. Previously a journalist, for the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, THE TIMES, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, and ROLLING STONE in the USA, she is married and lives in Wales.Julia Gregson is a major talent in historical fiction.A nation of readers fell in love with EAST OF THE SUN, which sold over 400,000 copies in the UK.Chosen for the RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB, EAST OF THE SUN stayed at No.2 in the paperback bestseller list for weeks.JASMINE NIGHTS draws on the author's own fascinating family history - it is a compelling love story of two young people thrown together during WW2.Includes Reading Group Notes.Julia Gregson is a brilliant storyteller who captures period and place like no other. Her novels have received terrific reviews.
W&N

Mrs Beeton How to Cook

By Isabella Beeton
The complete guide to British cooking by our most famous cook - fully updated for the 21st century kitchen.Published to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Mrs Beeton's first publication, the 220 classic British recipes in this stunning collection are taken from the original Book of Household Management and have been updated for the twenty-first-century kitchen. Combined with sound, modern advice on how to source good food, plus detailed information on ingredients and equipment, and illustrations of all the techniques required, this is still the go-to for any aspiring or experienced home cook.With sound advice on how to source good food, plus detailed information on ingredients and equipment, and accompanying illustrations of all the techniques required, this cookbook will be your kitchen bible.It's been 150 years since legendary home-maker Mrs Beeton first published the Book Of Household Management, which told readers how to live econimically, tastefully and well'. To celebrate, this new version contains 220 classic recipes from the book - from queen of puddings to roast goose - updated for the twenty-first century cook. It offers modern advice on sourcing good food as well as helpful culinary tips.The original domestic goddess has been given a modern make-over with loads of added techniques and updates to her original recipes. To quote the lady herself, this book will help you to live 'economically, tastefully and well'. Hear, hear!updated to take into account modern ingredients and cooking techniques... [Mrs Beeton's] concerns for animal welfare and local seasonal food feel more relevant today than everBaker, a food historian, channels the spirit of the original domestic goddess with a collection of 220 recipes to mark the 150th anniversary of Beeton's Book fo Household Management. The recipes form a core repertoire of traditional British cooking, although the ideas are adapted to suit modern ingredients and audiences... but it would still make a Victorian housekeeper proudGerard Baker is a chef, food writer, broadcaster and historian. He has written extensively for The Times, The Kitchen Garden, BBC Good Food magazine and has been a specialist food contributor for BBC's national news networks and programmes for over 12 years.

He has been nominated for Pick of the Year on BBC Radio Four food programme and he has made numerous television appearances; most notably on the judging panel on Rosemary Schrager's School for Cooks and as the food historian to the Hairy Bikers on their Mums Know Best BBC tour.The complete guide to British cooking by our most famous and influential cook - the original Domestic Goddess.A stunning collection of 220 classic recipes for the modern kitchen.Mrs Beeton's recipe books have been continuously in print and have sold over 4.5 million copiesPublished to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Mrs Beeton's first publication.Gerard Baker is a well-known TV food historian and personal chef - he is 'the man in the tent' on the Hairy Bikers' TV show.
W&N

The John Lennon Letters

By John Lennon, Hunter Davies
First ever collection of the letters of John Lennon, an international publishing event.

John Lennon was a writer as well as a musician. It was entirely natural for him to put pen to paper whenever he had an idea, a thought, a reaction or a desire to communicate.

He lived - and died - in an age before emails and texts. Pen and ink was what he turned to. John wrote letters and postcards all of his life; to his friends, family, strangers, newspapers, organisations, lawyers and the laundry - most of which were funny, informative, campaigning, wise, mad, poetic, anguished and sometimes heartbreaking. For the first time, John's widow, Yoko Ono, has given permission to publish a collection of his letters. The Editor is the Beatles' official biographer, Hunter Davies, who knew John well.

John's letters are in a way something of a mystery - where are they all? Over the years many have come up at auction, then sold to dealers and collectors. Or they have been kept by the recipients, locked up safely. It has been a wonderful piece of detective work tracing many of these 250 letters, postcards and notes, which are arranged in chronological order, so that a narrative builds up, reflecting John's life. It will be visual - in a sense that many of the letters are reproduced as they were, in his handwriting or typing, plus the odd cartoon or doodle. THE JOHN LENNON LETTERS is fundamentally a book to read and study, providing a unique insight into the mind of one of the great figures of our times.

I read it from cover to cover and will probably give it as a Christmas present.The triumph of these 200 or so letters is that they are not just about John and Mimi, or John and The Beatles, or John and Yoko. they are all of that but, within the framework editor Hunter Davies has given them, they're about a time and place, and Lennon's role within it.A labour of loveHunter Davies, the man who wrote the official 1960s biograph of The Beatles, releases The John Lennon Letters today, a collection of nearly 300 quirky letters and postcards sent by Lennon to his family and friends, giving an insight into his life and humour.A treasure troveCorrespondence with estranged family is especially touching in later yearsThe detective work in sourcing the material was carried out by Beatles biographer Hunter Davies. As Yoko Ono writes in a foreword, he has done well.Davies was contacted by the band's manager, Brian Epstein, to write the only authorised pre-Yoko Beatles biography (first published in 1968), so to be entrusted with the keys to the kingdom of Lennon's correspondence (to which Ono own the copyright) more than 40 years later is a diplomatic coup upon which Kofi Annan might look with envy.Though most of the letters are slapdash and artless in themselves, they have a curiously moving cumulative effect when taken as a whole.The book exudes beauty in an all-white hardbound book. The paper is especially high quality and heavy. The letters are in color, and very well-copied. I highly recommend this book for Lennon fans who want more than surface information; the fan who studies and researches Lennon's life, and want to understand his history. For those who care to really digest it, they will learn a great deal.Long years of research and collection have enabled Davies to compile this revealing archive of notes, doodles, pranks, protests and heartfelt confessions from the Liverpool art-school kid who became an icon of the 20th century.Much of Lennon's correspondence is published here for the first time. Beatlemaniacs will no doubt home in on his sometimes violent exchanges with Paul McCartney in the 1970s, but equally interesting are the more quotidian entries, like grocery lists, homemade Christmas cards and curiously loopy responses to fan mail.While his public expression is that of a quick-change artiste, the private correspondence is constant. His handwriting is that of an intelligent being. He is often charming, which is maybe surprising. He evinces a generosity of spirit in letters to strangers. He is loyal to his often very odd relations and his ne'er-do-well father. His jocular punning and externally adolescent verbal extravagance are recurrent.It looks beautiful: the cover is 'Imagine' - white, the pages carefully designed to weave Hunter Davies's commentary around both the letters themselves and the transcripts.More than 200 examples are published (set out in chronological order so the story builds), painstakingly tracked down or borrowed back from those who'd paid handsomely to own them, all full of glorious turns of phrase and, occasionally, in mangled language.What is fundamental, however, is the sheer quality of the production, which immediately makes the book a desirable piece of Beatles memorabilia to be treasured. And, once you dismiss the nonsense items, the overall impact remains tremendous, especially the fact that Lennon is thrown off that loner pedestal we thought he inhabited. He is poignantly shown to be a warm, family man, forever concerned about keeping in touch with those he loved as he grappled with significant world issues that troubled him.Read as a whole, the book follows his path as an exuberant, cocky young Liverpool musician with the world at his feet who experiences an astonishing ascent to global fame. We read his thoughts on his bed-ins for peace, his encounters with the Maharishi, and his love for Yoko, and end up with the multi-millionaire holed up in his Berkshire mansion, then in an apartment in New York's Dakota, looking after his business interests, lying low, reading books, caring for his second son, Sean, writing when the mood seized him.Individually they don't tell us a whole lot, but gathered together these missives add hugely to our understanding of what was going on in Lennon's headHunter Davies, who knew Lennon well and wrote the Beatles' official biography in 1968, has certainly done a superb job of sourcing this material from all over the world. It is beautifully presented, with striking photographs and colour facsimiles of the original texts as well as lengthy annotations.Lennon's scribbles tell the story of a boy blessed with genius; his emotional, and cultural and political awakenings are captured in his writings.The fact that Hunter Davies was asked by The Times to write an obituary for each of The Beatles in 1967, is clear proof that he knows his subject well. In that same year he first met Yoko Ono who has given her blessing to this remarkable project. Davies has done an amazing job tracking down nearly 300 of Lennon's letters, notes and postcards to fans, friends, lovers, and even his laundry. He has then put each missive in a clear personal and historical context.Fascinating glimpses into an unguarded mind at work.I've often wondered and shuddered at the prospect of having one's personal letters, scribble, photos, etc. eventually published for all to see. How embarrassing. But how great that Lennon's stuff, spanning from childhood to death, have appeared here.Nearly 300 are collected and annotated by Beatles biographer Hunter Davies here, and, as most of the originals are reproduced, we can also see the surrealistically silly drawings and graphics he often added in the margins.John Lennon was, as one of the Beatles and the composer of many of their greatest songs one of the most famous people of the 20th century. He died aged 40 in 1980.Edited and introduced by Hunter Davies, the authorised biographer of the Beatles.John Lennon's popularity as a songwriter, Beatle and 20th century icon continues to grow, and this first ever collection of his witty, informative and sometimes heartbreaking letters will enhance his stratospheric reputation.Published on the 50th Anniversary of the Beatles' first record, 'Love Me Do'. Had he survived, John would have been 72 that week.
Orion

The Children's Nurse

By Susan Macqueen
The memoir of a Great Ormond Street nurse.

This is the inspirational story of life as a nurse during the 1960s, 70s and 80s, most of which was spent at Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital.

Susan Macqueen was 12 years old when she accompanied her mum to see her friend Ms Fairweather, the matron at the local nursing home and from that day on she knew she wanted to be a nurse. A few years later, despite being told that her grades weren't good enough and having left school with only two O-Levels, Susan was accepted on the three-year nurses training course at Addenbooke's hospital in Cambridge. It wasn't long before Susan knew she wanted to work with children and set her sights on a job at Great Ormond Street. Thirty-five years later, on her third attempt, Susan has finally retired from that iconic hospital and is enjoying a more leisurely pace of life.

Hope, despair, laughter and tears, Susan's stories move the reader through the incredible stories that she was faced with on an every day basis.

When Susan Macqueen was a child, she knew she wanted to be a nurse. Despite being told her grades weren't good enough, Susan was accepted on to a nurse training course and never looked back. Over forty years later and, on her third attempt, Susan finally retired from Great Ormond Street Hospital in 2011, and is now enjoying a more leisurely pace of life. She is the President of the Great Ormond Street Nurses' League and still works for the Hospital in a consultative role.Great Ormond Street Hospital is one of the most iconic hospitals in the world.Susan has spent the majority of her 35 year career at Great Ormond Street and her story provides tears, laughter and an intelligent insight into the world of nursing and how it has changed.No other Great Ormond Street nurse has told their story.The recent BBC documentary on Great Ormond Street pulled in over a million viewers and the hospital was celebrated in the opening ceremony at the Olympics.Susan is a wonderful storyteller and will be brilliant for publicity.
Gollancz

NOS4R2

By Joe Hill
A terrifying new novel from the NEW YORK TIMES bestselling horror writer.

Summer. Massachusetts.

An old Silver Wraith with a frightening history. A story about one serial killer and his lingering, unfinished business.

Anyone could be next.

We're going to Christmasland...

NOS4R2 is an old-fashioned horror novel in the best sense. Claustrophobic, gripping and terrifying, this is a story that will have you on the edge of the seat while you read, and leaving the lights on while you sleep. With the horrific tale of Charles Manx and his Silver Wraith, Joe Hill has established himself as the premiere horror and supernatural thriller writer of his generation.

This is a book that starts with a bang and then relentlessly builds. Joe managed to make my skin crawl in the first chapter, turning what should be a time for celebration into something decidedly creepy. At the mid-point of a lengthy book it became near un-putdownable, in that horrifying 'can't look away from a car crash' kind of way. Although the details are dark and even horrible, the narrative pull is relentless and unstoppable.I found myself swept up by Hill's prose and story, drawn on through the novel. The author manages to make the mundane fascinating - the little details of these characters' lives, their thoughts and every-day concerns... In many authors' hands, this attention to detail would be suffocating and perhaps tedious, giving the novel a bloated feel. Not so for Hill; when added to the creepy goings-on related to Christmasland and its master, Charles Manx, he spins a fascinating, engrossing, suspenseful tale. If you have any interest in classic, literary horror fiction, then NOS4R2 is for you. Recommended.Joe Hill is a recipient of the RAY BRADBURY FELLOWSHIP and the winner of the A.E. COPPARD LONG FICTION PRIZE, WILLIAM CRAWFORD, WORLD FANTASY, BRITISH FANTASY, BRAM STOKER and INTERNATIONAL HORROR GUILD AWARDs. His short fiction has appeared in literary, mystery and horror collections and magazines in Britain and America.Joe Hill is the new king of horror.HEART-SHAPED BOX sold more than 60,000 copies in paperback, and was critically acclaimed.HORNS was not only a bestseller, but will also be released as a major movie in 2013.There is scarcely an award Joe Hill has not won: WORLD FANTASY AWARD, RAY BRADBURY FELLOWSHIP, BRITISH FANTASY, BRAM STOKER, INTERNATIONAL HORROR GUILD, A.E. COPPARD and WILLIAM CRAWFORD AWARDs.NOS4A2 is absolutely terrifying.This is true horror - perfect for Stephen King, James Herbert and Dean Koontz readers.
Ian Rankin, Si King and Dave Myers received awards at the annual celebration of the best of British writing and publishing.

Orion Authors Triumph at Specsavers National Book Awards

The Hairy Dieters received the award for Food & Drink Book of the Year and Ian Rankin took home a special Outstanding Achievement Award for his contribution to literature.
Download now

The John Lennon Letters App

The stunning app based on The John Lennon Letters book is available for download from the iTunes App Store.
Orion

Under the Jewelled Sky

By Alison McQueen
A vibrant and powerful story of forbidden love and secrets in a divided India.

From the mysterious opulence of a maharaja's palace to the devastated landscape of post-Partition India, a young woman's search for everything she loved and lost.

India, 1947. As daughter to the personal physican of an Indian Maharaja, Sophie Schofield spends her days exploring the palace and trying to stave off the loneliness she feels. She makes an unlikely friend but soon loses her heart - to the one person she shouldn't fall in love with. On the night of Indian independence, something happens that changes everything for Sophie.

Years later, Sophie has almost managed to put the past behind her. But when her diplomat husband is posted to Delhi, she finds her secrets won't stay buried. As India struggles with its new identity, Sophie realizes her own story is about to fall apart. Facing the truth will mean a journey back into her past and to the memory of a young boy with tourmaline eyes.

Born to an Indian mother and an English jazz musician father, Alison McQueen grew up in London. After a convent education, Alison worked in advertising for twenty years before retiring to write full time. Her family story is one of the inspirations behind The Secret Children. Alison lives in Northamptonshire with her husband and two daughters.Alison McQueen writes beautiful anglo-Indian novels that carry you to another time and place.Drawing on her own family's Indian heritage, Alison writes about secrets, family and love with a passion and flair that make her perfect for bookclub readers or fans of upmarket women's fiction.Under her pen-name, Alison Penton-Harper, Alison was a Richard & Judy How to Get Published finalist and wrote the bestselling series of Housewife Down novels.
Author

Anthony Horowitz

As a TV screenwriter Anthony Horowitz created both MIDSOMER MURDERS and the BAFTA-winning FOYLE'S WAR. He is also the author of a string of bestselling children's books, including the ALEX RIDER series which has sold 13 million copies worldwide. But it was his admiration of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle which led Horowitz to write The House of Silk, the first official new Sherlock Holmes mystery and a Sunday Times bestseller.

It is November 1890 and London is gripped by a merciless winter. Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson are enjoying tea by the fire when an agitated gentleman arrives unannounced at 221b Baker Street. He begs Holmes for help, telling the unnerving story of a scar-faced man with piercing eyes who has stalked him in recent weeks. ..
Gollancz

Inside HBO's Game of Thrones

By Bryan Cogman
Bryan Cogman is a script writer and editor. When not in Belfast shooting GAME OF THRONES, he lives in Los Angeles. He also serves as the unofficial 'keeper of the mythos' for the show, and wrote the series bible outlining character and background information for other writers, actors and crew to consult.GAME OF THRONES is Sky Atlantic's most successful drama, and the DVD sold over 350,000 copies in its first week on sale.Season 2 has seen increased ratings and widespread critical acclaim.The books on which the TV series are based have all been bestsellers, with over 750,000 copies sold in the UK alone.Series 3 has been greenlit, and the fans are already talking about it!Essential for those who love the series, the books or the world, with full coverage of the first two series.
Orion Childrens

Operation Bunny

By Sally Gardner, David Roberts
A brand-new quirky series about a fairy detective agency brimming with mystery and magic by million-copy selling author Sally Gardner, and illustrated by bestselling artist, David Roberts.

Emily Vole makes headline news in the first weeks of her life, when she is found in an abandoned hatbox in Stansted Airport.

Then, only a few years later, her neighbour Mrs String dies leaving Emily a mysterious inheritance: an old shop, a small bunch of golden keys and a cat called Fidget. It's the beginning of an adventure of a lifetime as the old Fairy Detective Agency comes back to life.

It is up to Emily to reopen the shop, and recall the fairies to duty. Together they must embark on their first mystery and do battle with their great fairy-snatching enemy, Harpella.

This is a funny and exciting story with memorable characters and great illustrations from the brilliant David Roberts that should be popular with young readers.Young readers will be captivated by the idea that magic is just beneath the surface of everyday life in gardner's new series about a fairy detective agency. Huge fun.There's mystery, magic, humour and adventure in this quirky new series set in a fairy detective agency. Perfect for young fans of all things magical who want a more challenging story.You don't have to be a child to enjoy a children's book. Thank goodness, because there are some really brilliant ones out there at the moment and ... Operation Bunny is no exception. ...Thought provoking and lots of fun.For mystery solving with a magical twist, you'll love Wings & Co ... Quirky, fun and totally charming, this is a magical mystery series....I love it! It's cute, funny and bizarrely believable. I found myself loving every character, even the baddies! The illustrations really add to the effect of this story. Each page bursts with adventure, following the intrepid Emily as she becomes an awesome detective.This story has a wonderfully contemporary feel to it. The language is modern and the pace of the story is fast and exciting. Yet there is also a very Dahl-esque darkness o the tale ... Operation Bunny has all the magic ingredients for a perfect children's novel ... I really enjoyed this kooky story. It was fun and endearing. The illustrations were brilliantly entertaining ... Operation Bunny is a quirky tale full of imagination. I highly recommend it. I'm sure it will become a favourite amoung newly fluent readers.I normally don't read stories involving magic but this one I couldn't put down! I would recommend this book to children who like adventure and powerful magic stories. My book rating is an epic 10/10!...an absolute cracker. Gardner writes with a delirious wit, sketching out intriguing characters and doling out jokes and pathos in exactly the right measure.Magic and mystery with a generous sprinkling of humour make this a great read for 7+. David Roberts' quirky drawings are just right!This fun, magical story will delight young readers ... Highly recommendedYoung readers will be thrilled when they enter Emily Vole's magical world...a fantastic story that had me laughing out loud in places. The characters are wonderful and diverse ... I didn't want the story to end. Gardner has vividly brought to life a magical world of talking cats and colourful bunnies. I can't wait to read the next installment!This is a marvellously inventive, comic tale which subverts our expectations of fairys and fairy tales. There is plenty of play on words and the wry humour is compounded by the dark, sly edge of the wonderful illustrations of David Roberts ... great fun.A delightfully quirky and amusing story...a story that will make you laugh, give you some wonderful twists and when blended with the fantastical takes you into a world of its own ... a book that I really can't recommend enough ... Great stuff....this story will carry you away from reality into a world of enchantment and adventure ... a quirky and entertaining read. Emily Vole is an adorable and likable heroine and this is a story spiced with secrets and magic which will appeal hugely to younger readers....plenty of excitement, laughter, and yes, sparkling magic throughout, this first book in a new detective series for yuong readers is a delightWonderful stuffSally Gardner is on sparkling form...a delightThis quirky story from Sally Gardner is packed with magic, humour and imagination, as well as a touch of Roald Dahl-esque darkness. Young readers will be charmed by resourceful heroine Emily and her sidekick Fidget ... David Roberts's entertaining illustrations are the perfect match for Gardner's pleasingly eccentric text. This first instalment of the Wings & Co series is great fun and is sure to delight newly independent readers.Operation Bunny has Sally Gardner's usual humour, charm, pace and overall feeling of whimsy which will spellbind young readers. Operation Bunny is a beautifully written, original story complemented perfectly by David Roberts's quirky illustrations.I love this book so much ... It is an enchanting book ... If you like mind-boggling adventures filled with brilliant illustrations and strange talking animals, then do not hesitate to pick up this brilliant book.a must for any junior school librarythis is classic young fiction at its bestSally Gardner brings to [the book] a great plot and her trademark quirky humour ... a rollercoaster - we're very much looking forward to the second.David Roberts's spooky illustrations have a Goreyesque detail that is perfect. The poignancy of Emily's plight is offset by a buoyancy that counters the acid wit with which her world is described ... this brims with quirky charm reminiscent of Eva Ibbotson, Joan Aiken and early JK Rowling.A fine story to read aloud...such a charming story; with tons of quirky details, plenty of whimsy but also some looming darkness in both the real and magical world, Gardner offers us a story of exquisite quality ... Roberts is such a talented, unusual artist.One of our featured books last issue but so due another mention as a wackily surreal magical story with stunning illustrations ... Bonkers but brilliant, we love it!Punctuated by David Roberts's chaotic, enjoyable illustrations, Sally Gardner's Operation Bunny... is fun, quirky and imaginative ... With shades of Roald Dahl's Matilda, this is a marvellous, wild ride for eight- to 10-year-olds.Operation Bunny has got what it takes to become a classicI love Sally's original take on life and language, both of which shine through here. The illustrations by David Roberts are marvellous and make this book doubly desirable.I enjoyed it because it was funny and imaginative. The pictures were fantastically detailed and the story itself was very engaging. I would recommend this book to girls aged 7-10 for reading on their own and 5-7 for it to be read by parents.exciting story that is filled with wacky characters. It's ideal for pre-teens who want to start reading long, chapter books, with or without a little help from mum and dad at bedtime.Sally Gardner is an award-winning novelist from London. Her books have been translated into 22 languages and have sold more than one million copies in the UK. Her historical novel for older readers, I, Coriander, won the Smarties Children's Book Prize in 2005. Two thrillers both set at the time of the French Revolution, The Red Necklace and The Silver Blade, which was shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize in 2009, followed. Actor Dominic West (The Wire) has bought the film rights to both titles. Her YA novel, The Double Shadow, was published in 2011 to critical acclaim. Sally Gardner's stories for middle readers include Lucy Willow and the popular Magical Children series of six titles: The Strongest Girl in the World, The Invisible Boy, The Boy with Magic Numbers, The Smallest Girl in the World, The Boy with the Lightning Feet, and The Boy who could Fly, which are also available as audio books. She has also written and illustrated picture books including The Fairy Catalogue, The Glass Heart, The Book of Princesses and Playtime Rhymes. Sally Gardner continues to be an avid spokesperson for dyslexia, working to change the way it is perceived by society. She is dyslexic and argues that it is not a disability, but a gift.Bestselling author Sally Gardner delivers witty and imaginative storytelling in the launch of a brand new character and magical new world that will enchant younger readers.Combining the charm of traditional fairytales with unconventional fairies and a lively modern heroine, OPERATION BUNNY is perfect for the fairy / Rainbow Magic market.Stunning new illustrations by bestselling illustrator David Roberts bring the loveable cast of characters to life.Sally Gardner's sales overall for Orion exceed 1.3 million copies.I, CORIANDER won the NESTLE CHILDREN'S BOOK PRIZE GOLD AWARD (2005) and sold over 170,000 copies.Rights sales for Sally's older fiction in 21 territories.Territories: World, all languages.
W&N

Rococo

By Chantal Coady
A gorgeous collection of recipes from London's most exclusive chocolatier.Rococo makes the finest chocolates in the world. Its founder, Chantal Coady, has been a pioneer of the nouveau chocolat revolution for 30 years. She established the award-winning Rococo chocolate business and school and continues to blaze the trail for chocolate creativity. In this beautiful and indulgent book, Chantal shares her expertise and chocolate alchemy. From the perfect ganache recipe to delicious salted caramel truffles, and from a stunning chocolate roulade to extreme chocolate combinations, Rococo celebrates gastronomy's finest, most complex and luxurious of ingredients - chocolate.Buy this book as a present for a chocoholic friend to drool over the delicious recipes and photographs - or buy it yourself and give delicious homemade chocolates this Christmas.How Roald would have loved this book - it is truly a masterpieceThis book is indeed beautiful; however, it is much more than that. It is one of the most candid insights into the life and business history of an entrepreneur and industry pioneer, coupled with a selection of brilliant recipes written in plain English.A glamorously packaged book that distils the wisdom of one of Britain's chocolate pioneers.. Her clear instructions mean they are well within the capabilities of the average cook.This plush book intends to reveal the secret to successful chocolate making. With techniques, tips and 80 recipes, you can make all things chocolate - from truffles and biscuits to ice creams and sauces.Motcomb St chocolatier Chantal Coady has written a cookery book that is sure to appeal to those with a sweet tooth.If you want to give a chocolate-loving friend a very special present you couldn't do better"The book is a gorgeous object, with padded blue and white covers and fuchsia-pink page edges, all presented in a wooden box in Rococo livery.This Christmas, we'll be self-gifting the lush, ribbon-adorned Rococo"A new book by Coady is worth paying attention to - and this one is beautiful.I commend it to every other husband looking to assemble a "thoughtful stocking"(A) beautiful and informative book...From truffles to slabs, and tarts to pralines, this is a must for chocolate lovers everywhere.Chantal Coady is the founder of Rococo Chocolates, the first 'new wave' chocolate boutique of its kind. Chantal works closely with the Grenada Chocolate Company, as part of a joint venture to produce fairly traded and 'ethical' choclate. She is also the founder for the Campaign for Real Chocolate and The Chocolate Society.https://twitter.com/chantalcoadyhttps://twitter.com/RococoChocs http://rococochocolates.com/blog/Rococo won the industry award of CHOCOLATIER OF THE YEAR 2011.Rococo is the go to for exclusive and organically sourced chocolate.Rococo chocolates are widely available in London's influential retailers including Harrods, Maison Blanc, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, Liberty and Waitrose.The Rococo Chocolate School is a unique and innovative venue, teaching the basics of chocolate making and the latest chocolate trends.GREEN & BLACK'S CHOCOLATE RECIPES has sold 44,314 copies.Chantal Coady is a professional blogger and Tweeter, constantly using new media for publicity purposes.
Orion Childrens

Moody Margaret's Makeover (Early Reader)

By Francesca Simon, Tony Ross
Horrid Henry and Moody Margaret go head to head as makeover artists in this hilarious story perfect for Early Readers.

Early Readers are stepping stones from picture books to reading books. A blue Early Reader is perfect for sharing and reading together. A red Early Reader is the next step on your reading journey.

Anything Moody Margaret can do, Horrid Henry can do better. So when Margaret starts giving her friends makeovers, Henry decides to steal - no, borrow! - her idea. He is sure he can do it much, much better. It can't be that hard to make people look really fantastic... can it?

Francesca Simon spent her childhood in California, and then went to Yale and Oxford Universities to study medieval history and literature. She now lives in London with her family. Tony Ross is one of Britain's best known illustrators, with many picture books to his name. He has also produced line drawings for many fiction titles.Total UK sales across the HORRID HENRY range exceed 18 million copies.Sales for the Early Reader series are now approaching 2 million copies.Brand new Early Reader packaging for 2013, with clear guidance for parents.Different colour bands. Blue Early Readers are perfect for sharing and reading together, red Early Readers are the next step.Hugely successful animated TV series on CITV.Rights sold in 29 territories.Full range of POS including posters, bookmarks, dumpbins and stickers.Fully updated website - www.horridhenry.co.ukTerritories: World exc. USA
Q&A

Maeve Binchy

Maeve Binchy, author of The Return Journey, answers our questions.
Orion

The Black Box

By Michael Connelly
Harry Bosch returns to the scene of a 20-year-old crime.

May 1992, and after four LAPD officers were acquitted after the savage beating of Rodney King, Los Angeles is ablaze. As looting and burning take over the city, law and order are swept away in a tidal wave of violence. But under threat of their lives, homicide detectives like Harry Bosch are still stubbornly trying to do their job. With no effective police presence on the streets, murder just got a whole lot easier - and investigating them got a whole lot harder.

Escorted by national guard soldiers from murder scene to murder scene, Harry and his colleagues are only able to do the bare minimum in terms of collecting evidence. And for Harry that's not enough.

When he finds the body of a female journalist executed in an alley, he cannot accept that he will never be able to bring her killer to justice, and her tragedy starts to eat into his soul. But then, twenty years later, Harry finds himself working in the Open Unsolved Unit, and suddenly the past comes back to haunt him once again, in a way he could never have imagined.

Connelly's Los Angeles cop Harry Bosch finds himself retired but roped in to try to reduce the growing pile of unsolved crimes in his city ... Bosch steps in proves his retirement is just as exciting, dangerous and gripping as his previous life.For 20 years Connelly's creation Harry Bosch has been fighting crime in LA and the author is marking the anniversary with this taut and clever thriller ... a treatan engrossing slice of LA noirThe Black Box is another novel steeped in recent history ... it's a story that's as old as the genre itself but Connelly's skill is such that it all feels entirely fresh and vibrant, but heartbreakingly poignant too.another gripping and excellent thrillerAnother winner from Michael ConnellyA former police reporter for the LOS ANGELES TIMES, Michael Connelly is the author of the Harry Bosch thriller series as well as several stand-alone bestsellers, including the highly acclaimed legal thriller, THE LINCOLN LAWYER, selected for the Richard & Judy Book Club. Michael Connelly has been President of the Mystery Writers of America. His books have been translated into 31 languages and have won awards all over the world, including the EDGAR and ANTHONY AWARDS.He lives in Tampa, Florida, with his family.Michael Connelly is a No. 1 bestseller in the UK, the US, Ireland, Australia, France and Italy.Connelly gets consistently brilliant reviews and is acknowledged as one of the leading, if not the leading, American crime writer of his generation.Michael Connelly has won or been shortlisted for every award in the book: his first novel THE BLACK ECHO won the EDGAR AWARD; CITY OF BONES won the ANTHONY AWARD; BLOOD WORK was nominated for an EDGAR; ANGELS FLIGHT and CITY OF BONES for the CWA GOLD DAGGER.
W&N

In One Pot

By Blanche Vaughan
Delicious, simple and seasonal recipes to enjoy and cook with the least amount of fuss.

In this delicious collection of one pot recipes, Blanche Vaughan transforms how we cook. It's the perfect book for those who love simple food, cooked with the least amount of fuss without sacrificing any of the flavour.

Taking inspiration from the seasons, chef and food writer Blanche Vaughan has brought taste, flavour and variety to a delightful collection of one pot recipes. From quick weekday suppers to slow food for the weekend, and from celebratory party pots to mouth-watering puddings, In One Pot is perfect for those who love to cook but want easy, affordable and delicious food, made in one pot. The book will also include invaluable tips from store cupboard staples to basic techniques that are invaluable for any cook.

Recipes are surprising, fresh and simple to make - ideal for those who want good food without the washing up.

Unfussy, elegant and deeply readable...A fine tomeA book jam-packed with great dishes.In her first solo cookbook, (Blanche Vaughan) has produced a wonderfully simple but inviting selection of recipes that can all be thrown together in one pot - perfect for the time-poor cook, but sophisticated enough to tempt the most ardent of foodies.Blanche Vaughan is a food writer and chef. She trained at the River Cafe and then worked at Moro and St John. She writes for the GUARDIAN online.You can follow Blanche on Twitter at https://twitter.com/blanchevaughan Blanche Vaughan trained at the River Cafe and has cooked professionally in restaurants across the UK including Moro and St John.Blanche is now a prolific food writer for the GUARDIAN online.Blanche's recipes for THE GREAT BRITISH FOOD REVIVAL have been well-reviewed.Blanche ghosts for a number of very well-known food writers and she is a star in the making.Books in this market really sell - GOOD FOOD: 101 ONE POT DISHES has sold 400,000 and HAMLYN'S 200 ONE POT MEALS has sold 28,000 copies to date.Featuring vibrant photography by Simon Wheeler, acclaimed photographer of the River Cottage cookbooks

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Orion

One Last Thing Before I Go

By Jonathan Tropper
For fans of Nick Hornby and David Nicholls, a brilliantly funny and touching new novel from the bestselling author of HOW TO TALK TO A WIDOWER, selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club.

Meet Silver. Forty-four, divorced and living alone. His once celebrated music career is now a faded memory and his ex-wife is about to marry another man. The only good thing in Silver's life is his Princeton-bound teenage daughter, Casey - and she would probably say the exact opposite about him. So in Silver's opinion, things could be going better . . . a lot better.

Then Casey drops a bombshell: she's pregnant. Yes, it was her first time, and, no, she hasn't told her mom. Silver knows things have got to change, and when he discovers he has a fatal heart condition that means he could drop dead at any minute, he decides it's time to make a list:

1. Be a better father

2. Be a better man

3. Fall in love

4. Die

But the question is, can Silver rebuild his life, regain the respect of his family, and be there for Casey when she needs him most, or has he left it all too late?

Laugh-out-loud funny and tear-jerkingly sad, One Last Thing Before I Go is a testament to Jonathan Tropper's impeccable observation, faultless style and utterly unrivalled wit.

Jonathan Tropper was born and raised in Riverdale, New York. He attended the creative writing program at New York University Graduate School of Arts and Science, where he received a Masters degree. He is the New York Times bestselling author of five previous novels: Plan B, The Book of Joe, Everything Changes, How to talk to a Widower, and This Is Where I Leave You. His books have been translated into more than twenty languages. He is also a screenwriter and the cocreator and executive producer of the HBO/Cinemax television series Banshee, premiering in 2013. . He lives with his wife and children in Westchester, NY, and teaches writing at Manhattanville College.Visit his website at: www.jonathantropper.com.How to Talk to a Widower was a Richard and Judy Bookclub selection and sold over 200,000 copies.Jonathan Tropper is one of the freshest voices in contemporary fiction. He combines humour, pathos and romance in a unique and remarkable way.ONE LAST THING BEFORE I GO is Jonathan Tropper at his farcical, touching and wittily observant best. It will have you roaring with laugher on one page and move you to tears on the next.
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Orion

Six Years

By Harlan Coben
International No. 1 bestseller Harlan Coben returns with a standalone thriller that explores the depth and passion of a lost love...and the secrets and lies at its heart.

Six years have passed since Jake Fisher watched Natalie, the love of his life, marry another man. Six years of hiding a broken heart by throwing himself into his career as a college professor. Six years of keeping his promise to leave Natalie alone, and six years of tortured dreams of her life with her new husband, Todd.

But six years haven't come close to extinguishing his feelings, and when Jake comes across Todd's obituary, he can't keep himself away from the funeral. There he gets the glimpse of Todd's wife he's hoping for...but she is not Natalie. Whoever the mourning widow is, she's been married to Todd for more than a decade, and with that fact everything Jake thought he knew about the best time of his life - a time he has never gotten over - is turned completely inside out.

As Jake searches for the truth, his picture-perfect memories of Natalie begin to unravel. Mutual friends of the couple either can't be found or don't remember Jake. No one has seen Natalie in years. Jake's search for the woman who broke his heart - and who lied to him - soon puts his very life at risk as it dawns on him that the man he has become may be based on carefully constructed fiction.

One of the most gripping and clever mysteries we've read in ages. An instant classic."Coben's in the top of his game in this gripping mystery thriller""Gripping and professional popular entertainment of the very highest order."The taut and action-packed thriller from the bestselling American writer is gripping.Every chapter ends on a tense cliffhanger, so save this one for a rainy Sunday and read it in one sitting.'Every bit as suspenseful as his ticktock thrillers . . . Coben's artful depiction of his protagonist makes for riveting reading'Coben is one of the best thriller writers in the business, and he delivers another amazing novel that will resonate with readers long after the final page is turned. The narrative is immersive, and the well-drawn characters and twisting plotting are stellar. With such a cool hook and a surprising and satisfying payoff, don't wait six years to read what might be Coben's best since Tell No One.Harlan Coben is an international No. 1 bestselling thriller author. He is the winner of the EDGAR, SHAMUS and ANTHONY AWARDS - the first to receive all three. His books are published in over 40 languages, with more than 47 million copies in print worldwide. www.harlancoben.comHarlan truly is one of the thriller genre's biggest global stars - now published in over 40 languages and an international bestseller with more than 47 million copies of his books in print around the world.The release in 2011 of Harlan's latest thriller LIVE WIRE proved once again that he is a reader favourite as he went straight to the No. 1 spot on the SUNDAY TIMES bestseller list.With his classic novel PLAY DEAD selling over 350,000 copies in paperback, he added another string to his bow in 2011 as he broke into the world of crossover YA fiction with SHELTER.
Orion

The Boot Camp

By Kate Harrison

Three women, each with a reason to change their lives. But will they survive the next seven days . . . ?

From the bestselling author of the Secret Shopper series.

How far would YOU go to feel good about yourself?

It's New Year and three desperate women begin the toughest week of their lives . . .

No booze, no carbs, no men, no excuses.

Steph invents puddings for a living - now the only part of her body she doesn't hate is her wrists. Will she prove to herself - and her ex - that she can change?

TV presenter Darcy is living the dream - yet haunted by nightmares of a single night where she made the wrong choice. Can she let go of the past?

Mum of three Vicki is under doctor's orders to lose weight - but it's not the only burden she's carrying.

Three women, seven days . . . and one last chance to change their lives for good.

A poignant, very funny story, full of warmth and insightA slick, bittersweet comedyNostalgic and funnyFresh, feisty and funThe author of the Secret Shopper series introduces three women from different walks of life to a boot camp. Harrison's characters, including TV presenter Darcy, are written with equal measures of wit and calamity.Kate Harrison has worked as a producer, director and developer across an array of TV programmes including PANORAMA and NEWSROUND. She now writes full-time, and lives by the sea in Brighton.http://kate-harrison.comhttps://twitter.com/katewritesbooksKate Harrison's Secret Shopper series has sold over 200,000 copies to date.THE SECRET SHOPPER'S REVENGE was shortlisted for the MELISSA NATHAN COMEDY ROMANCE AWARD.With her unique blend of comedy and pathos, Kate Harrison is becoming hugely popular in the commercial fiction market.Kate has recently founded the New Romantics, a group of comedy romance authors including Jojo Moyes and Veronica Henry.
Orion

Rage Against the Dying

By Becky Masterman
A gutsy, gory, startlingly original serial killer thriller with a heroine who'll blow a hole in the American crime landscape

In her hey-day, ex FBI agent, Brigid Quinn, not only worked serial killer cases but became their prize. Small and blond, from a distance she looked vulnerable and slight...the perfect bait to catch a killer. But as Quinn got older, she realised she needed to find a prot?g?, a younger field agent to take her place. So Quinn trains a twenty-two year old and lets her loose in the field. The plan works. Until the Route 66 killer not only takes the bait, but kills the bait.

Years on, Quinn is trying to move past the fact that she has a young woman's death on her conscience. She's now the perfect Stepford Wife - until she gets a knock on her door. The girl's body has finally been discovered. Quinn is pulled back into the case and the more she learns about the killer the more she comes to believe, despite the overwhelming forensic evidence to hand, that they have the wrong man.

Blown away. What else can I tell you? Brigid Quinn is a heroine to cheer for, and Masterman writes like an angel who has seen far too many ungodly things.Wow! An Absolute pleasure. Chilling, smart, funny, and what a voice she has.Becky Masterman spends her days working in a forensic science publishing house and her nights writing stylish, exhilarating thrillers. Rage Against the Dying is her debut novel. Becky lives and works in Tucson, Arizona.This novel is hot property - it's set to be a huge US debut with St Martin's Press and in Canada with PenguinIntroducing Brigid Quinn- the feisty, battle-hardened and inspiring FBI veteran who's not going quietlyA 61-year-old debut novelist with a scarily authentic, darkly funny and uncompromising voice writing for 'all the admirable women who are not going gently into that good night'For her day job, Becky Masterman publishes texts for medical examiners and forensics professionals, so her research is based on a wealth of experience, and has been thoroughly vetted by her associates. It adds a credible tone to an already excellent and original thriller
W&N

Theo

By Paul Torday
From the bestselling author of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, a haunting novella about a child and the mysterious circumstances surrounding a local churchyardJohn Elliott is the recently-appointed vicar of St Joseph 's - a dilapidated church with a congregation of sixteen and a leaky roof. Having entered the Church more by default than through any great calling, he struggles to inject some life into his ailing parish. His wife Christine longs for them to escape the endless rounds of coffee mornings and cake sales. Then Theo, a child at her school, starts to exhibit strange marks on his hands and feet that vanish almost as soon as they have appeared. What has produced these marks - is it physical violence or something stranger? And why has the previous vicar of St. Joseph's ended up in a psychiatric hospital?Paul Torday was born in 1946 and read English Literature at Pembroke College, Oxford. He spent the next 30 years working in engineering and in industry, after which he scaled back his business responsibilities to fulfil a long-harboured ambition - to write. He burst on to the literary scene in 2006 with his first novel, SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN, an immediate bestseller that has been sold in 25 countries. He is married with two sons by a previous marriage and has two stepsons and lives close to the River North Tyne.Breakfast at Hotel Deja Vu, Paul's first ebook novella, has sold over 8,500 copies and continues to sell stronglyPaul's sales have seen a tremendous upsurge following the success of the film of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen - the film tie-in alone sold 100K copies and we had excellent sales for Hartlepool HallPaul's ebook sales are going from strength to strength - the whole of the backlist has taken off and we saw very strong ebook sales for Hartlepool Hall. This novella will also provide a link to Light Shining in the Forest although both books can stand alone.
Silver Award for New Group Websites

Hachette UK Wins at Digital Impact Awards

Hachette UK, in partnership with The BIO Agency (Big Ideas Online) won a Silver Award at the 2012 Digital Impact Awards on Tuesday 16th October.
Orion

The Hidden Cottage

By Erica James
Family ties, secrets, love and guilt are woven with warmth, honesty and wit in this delightful new novel from SUNDAY TIMES bestseller Erica James.

We all hide things, some more than others...

Mia Channing appears to have an enviable life: a beautiful home in the village of Little Pelham, a happy, stable marriage, a job she enjoys and three grown up children to whom she's devoted.

But appearances are deceiving; the truth is that it's all a precarious balancing act. When the family gather for her son's thirtieth birthday, Daisy, her youngest daughter, drops a bombshell in the way only Daisy can. Once again Mia finds herself cast in the role of peacemaker. It's a role she's tired of, particularly since her husband refuses to believe he's responsible for the problems they're facing. Not surprisingly, Mia longs for escape.

For Owen Fletcher, buying the Hidden Cottage was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream and provides the perfect escape for him. When Mia meets him, she must decide whether she has the courage to do something for herself for a change. And if she does, can she ever go back to the life of compromise she had before?

With an insatiable appetite for other people's business, Erica James will readily strike up conversation with strangers in the hope of unearthing a useful gem for her writing. She finds it the best way to write authentic characters for her novels, although her two grown-up sons claim they will never recover from a childhood spent in a perpetual state of embarrassment at their mother's compulsion. The author of many bestselling novels, including Gardens of Delight which won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award, and her recent Sunday Times top ten bestseller, The Queen of New Beginnings, Erica now divides her time between Cheshire and Lake Como in Italy, where she strikes up conversation with unsuspecting Italians.Erica's warm, witty and wise storytelling goes from strength to strength.Erica James is a regular in the SUNDAY TIMES and women's fiction bestseller lists.Total Erica James sales in the UK are over 2 million.GARDENS OF DELIGHT won the RNA ROMANTIC NOVEL OF THE YEAR.Erica James receives rave reviews for her sparkling, accomplished novels: 'Delightful . . . a blend of emotion and wry social observation' DAILY MAIL; 'A captivating read: beautifully written and heartrendingly sad' DAILY TELEGRAPH; 'A skilful writer possessing great sympathy and humour' GOOD BOOK GUIDE; 'A terrific tearjerker . . . humorous and sensitive' BELLA; 'A captivating novel of love, deception and misunderstanding' WOMAN AND HOME; 'Another witty, sharply observed tale of the kind that we've come to expect from this author' WOMAN'S WEEKLY; 'An entertaining read with some wickedly well-painted cameo characters. It's a perfect read if you're in the mood for romance' PRIMA.
Orion

The Twelve

By Justin Cronin
The epic story of THE PASSAGE continues.

THE TWELVE

Death-row prisoners with nightmare pasts and no future.

THE TWELVE

Until they were selected for a secret experiment.

THE TWELVE

To create something more than human.

THE TWELVE

Now they are the future and humanity's worst nightmare has begun.

THE TWELVE

The epic sequel to

THE PASSAGE

...as exhilarating as The Passage, with people variously trapped in hideous bleak labour camps, engaging in cage fights with virals (Cronin's name for vampires) or chained up for decades.For fans of apocalyptic thrillers who aren't afraid of the dark[The Passage was] smart, well-crafted and entertaining ...The Twelve delivers much of the same vitality and vision. Like it's predecessor, it is a strange new creature for the 21st century: The literary superthriller, driven at once by character and plot.The follow-up to the much-lauded The Passage deepens and darkens the apocalyptic events of the first bookBorn and raised in New England, Justin Cronin is a multi-award-winning writer. He is Professor of English at Rice University, and lives with his family in Houston, Texas.The eagerly anticipated follow-up to THE PASSAGE, the most talked about book of 2010.THE PASSAGE went straight in to the SUNDAY TIMES bestseller list and stayed there for nine weeks.To date it has sold over 160,000 copies in the UK alone across all editions.It achieved widespread coverage, with phenomenal reviews - unprecedented for a debut.
Indigo

Ketchup Clouds

By Annabel Pitcher
Secrets, romance, murder and lies: Zoe shares a terrible secret in letters to a stranger on death row in this second novel from the author of the bestselling debut, MY SISTER LIVES ON THE MANTELPIECE.

Fifteen-year-old Zoe has a secret - a dark and terrible secret that she can't confess to anyone she knows. But then one day she hears of a criminal, Stuart Harris, locked up on death row in Texas. Like Zoe, Stuart is no stranger to secrets. Or lies. Or murder.

Full of heartache yet humour, Zoe tells her story in the only way she can - in letters to the man in prison in America. Armed with a pen, Zoe takes a deep breath, eats a jam sandwich, and begins her tale of love and betrayal.

In Ketchup Clouds Annabel Pitcher perfectly captures a teenage voice harbouring a guilty and devastating secret as Zoe writes letters to a death row prisoner and slowly reveals the sequence of events that led up to the terrible act she believes she has committed. The letters offer an honest, moving and at times humourous insight into Zoe's life, including her family, first love and friendships, ensuring this book will have wide appeal.Award-winning author Annabel Pitcher's new teen novel is a taut and dramatic adventure with a deep yearning at its heart. Ketchup Clouds vividly captures the terrifying roller coaster of emotion that envelopes Zoe when she gets caught in a tragic love triangle between two brothers. Zoe's heart races for the mysterious Aaron but, despite his seeming keenness, he already has a girlfiend. And then there is younger brother Max, unattached and very keen on Zoe. How can Zoe manage her own feelings without hurting the boys especially when she's also coping with puzzling dramas at home?A wonderful, romantic and sad story told through a series of letters written by a fifteen-year-old girl to a man on death row. It's heartstoppingly gorgeous and we'd recommend it to anyone.An endearing love story, a painful account of guilt and loss, and a chilling show of the consequences of our actions this book is a worthwhile and thought provoking read.Ketchup Clouds was a wonderful insight into a guilty heart. The book was fantastic and the writing was flawless, what more could you ask?Wow. Ketchup Clouds is without question one of the best books I have ever read. This is one of those books that you start to read, and three hours later look up from and realize the whole world looks differentThis is a suspenseful mystery and a moving tale of first love, handled with humour.Any teenager doing an anxious post-mortem on a Christmas party can take comfort from Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher, an honest portrayal of emerging sexuality and the excitement, embarrassment and power games it generates, set in the context of the cost of secrecy and betrayal.Award-winning author Annabel Pitcher's new teen novel is a taut and dramatic adventure with a deep yearning at its heart. Ketchup Clouds vividly captures the terrifying roller coaster of emotion that envelopes Zoe when she gets caught in a tragic love triangle between two brothers. Zoe's heart races for the mysterious Aaron but, despite his seeming keenness, he already has a girlfriend. And then there is younger brother Max, unattached and very keen on Zoe. How can Zoe manage her own feelings without hurting the boys especially when she's also coping with puzzling dramas at home?Ketchup Clouds is smart, funny, moving, suspensful and psychologically astute.Ketchup Clouds is risky, confident, compelling and ends... with hope for redemption and self-forgiveness.Pitcher's award-winning first novel, My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece, had guilt at its core. This superb follow-up also explores guilt and responsibility but with such a pitch perfect tone that the innocence of adolescence, the violence of murder and an undercurrent of black humour sit happily side by side. This is a vivid and rewarding portrait of passion and betrayal, captured in authentic teenage tones.Blending powerful emotion and darkness with ironic humour, it is a gripping and moving story about secrets, lies and growing up. Sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes wistful, often funny and always compassionate, this is a beautifully-crafted and unexpected coming-of-age story that will win readers' hearts.A gripping, must-read book for 2013Annabel Pitcher creates a moving and compassionate story, capturing Zoe's loss of innocence beautifully as well as her journey of heartache and desire. Ketchup Clouds is edgy and poised. With twists and turns, its hard to put down and makes the perfect follow up to Pitcher's sensational debut.A wonderful, romantic and sad story told through a series of letters written by a fifteen-year-old girl to a man on death row. It's heart-stoppingly gorgeous and we'd recommend it to anyone.It's utterly refreshing to see a YA writer be so honest about everyday life and not look away when times are dark. I suppose the beauty of her work is in her honesty, but also in her humour.Pitcher's tale of troubled family life is deftly done... A moving and ultimately highly compassionate tale. To be human is to err, after all.a memorable and compelling novel to devour in one, weepy, sitting.Clever, warm and poignant, this book is the perfect way to begin your new year's resolutions to fill those bookshelves!...poignant, funny and utterly beguiling. The author's writing style is as appealing and offbeat as the book's title.Powerful and utterly original...

Annabel Pitcher studied English at Oxford and has since worked as a script writer and an English teacher. She lives in Yorkshire with her husband and is now a full time writer.

Visit Annabel's website at www.annabelpitcher.com

MY SISTER LIVES ON THE MANTELPIECE was the winner of the BRANFORD BOASE AWARD, and was shortlisted for the CILIP CARNEGIE MEDAL, the DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE, the GALAXY BRITISH BOOK AWARDS, the RED HOUSE CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD and the WATERSTONE'S CHILDREN'S BOOK PRIZE and longlisted for the GUARDIAN CHILDREN'S FICTION PRIZE.MY SISTER LIVES ON THE MANTELPIECE has sold more than 35,000 copies in the UK.Rights for MY SISTER LIVES ON THE MANTELPIECE were sold worldwide at auction for record-breaking sums.Major marketing and publicity campaigns to launch. Bound proofs available.Territories: World ex USA.
Orion

Trust Your Eyes

By Linwood Barclay
No. 1 bestseller Linwood Barclay delivers another masterclass in suspense.A schizophrenic man spends his days and nights on a website called Whirl360, believing he's employed by the CIA to store the details of every town and city in the world in his head. Then one day, he sees something that shouldn't be there: a woman being murdered behind a window on a New York street. Suddenly Thomas has more to deal with than just his delusions, as he gets drawn into a deadly conspiracy.As always author Linwood Barclay grabs you from the first and Trust Your Eyes is a belter.An absolutely compelling read in which Barclay manages to combine thumbscrew tension with touching sensitivity to Thomas Kilbride's illness.I've seldom, if ever, been as hooked after reading a prologue as with Trust Your Eyes, A twisty tale that well told.Linwood Barclay is married with two children and lives near Toronto. He is the author of three acclaimed Zack Walker mysteries, a former columnist for the Toronto Star, and is the author of the Richard & Judy 2008 Summer Read winner and number one besteller, NO TIME FOR GOODBYE.NO TIME FOR GOODBYE was the bestselling paperback novel of 2008, selling almost 650,000 copies.Winner of the Richard & Judy Book Club Summer Reads, it was R&J's fastest-selling title ever.
Orion

617

By Tim Bouquet
The inside story of today's Dambusters at war in Afghanistan.

In May 1943, 617 Squadron RAF executed one of the most daring operations in military history. Flying barely 50 feet above black marble waters, Wing Commander Guy Gibson and his bombers mounted a raid against hydro-electric dams in Germany. Bold, courageous and precise - 617 Squadron became a World War II legend.

Nearly seventy years later in April 2011, a new generation of elite flyers followed their Dambuster heroes into the theatre of war. Now flying supersonic Tornado GR4 bombers, 617 Squadron was deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan - their mission, to provide close air support to troops engaged in brutal conflict on the ground.

Commanding 617 is new boss Keith Taylor. An operational veteran with seven tours over Iraq, he knew that even with the latest cutting-edge weapons and sensors, only rigorous flying standards and watertight tactics would keep his young pilots safe. A full-throttle account of daring feats in modern fast attack jets, this is also a very personal story of a closely-knit band of men and women working under immense pressure, where every decision could affect the lives of NATO troops and an entire country's hopes for a better future.

Tim Bouquet was given unprecedented access to 617's pre-deployment training at RAF Lossiemouth and blistering tour in Afghanistan. From dramatic air strikes to the life-and-death search for IEDs and low-flying shows of force designed to spook and drive insurgents from civilian cover, he tracks every mission - and the skill, resilience, banter and exceptional airmanship that see 617 through.

617 is the richest, most insightful and gripping account of the Royal Air Force at war for a generation.

A gripping and revealing account of how the modern generation of Dambusters uphold the traditions of courage and sacrifice of their World War II brethren. One cannot fail to be impressed by the bravery, dedication and professionalism displayed by this new breed of aviator.The legendary Dambuster squadron is still in safe hands. 617 offers a rare and privileged insight into the modern RAF.The 617 Squadron of 2011 might not have bombed targets on a daily basis, nor found itself under constant enemy attack, but this book is no less fascinating for that. As a detailed picture of how a modern fast-leg squadron operates and functions, it is utterly compelling.Bouquet's clear, informative writing places us alongside these brave professionals and will open up reader's eyes to life in the theatre of war.Tim Bouquet is a journalist, writer, editor, broadcaster and traveller. He contributes to leading titles including the Telegraph Magazine and The Times Magazine.https://twitter.com/BouquetTim617 Squadron's legendary history will guarantee interest.A unique insight into the modern RAF: the book covers an aspect of the war in Afghanistan that has not previously been written about and ends with 617's deployment to Libya.First official book endorsed by the RAF to come out in years.Full of gripping TOP GUN-style aerial action.
Orion

The Eighty Days Collection

By Vina Jackson
The first four novels in Vina Jackson's Sunday Times bestselling romance series . . . includes a brand new Christmas short story!

Eighty Days Yellow



When passionate, flame-haired violinist Summer meets Dominik, a university professor with powerful desires, she is unable to deny her attraction to him. Following a very private performance, the Summer and Dominik embark on an intense affair full of daring twists and turns, as unpredictable as it is thrilling. For Summer it is a chance to finally embrace her long-denied dark side, but she'll soon learn that where there's pleasure must come pain. And can a relationship born of such all-consuming passion, ever really survive?



Eighty Days Blue



Recently settled in New York but unable to escape the bittersweet memories of her time with Dominik, Summer is enjoying life as a successful violinist with a major orchestra. Under the watchful eye of Simón, her attractive Venezuelan conductor, Summer and her career flourish. But a new city brings fresh temptations, and it isn't long before Summer is lured back to a dangerous underground world of intrigue and desire that she thought she'd left behind her for good.



Eighty Days Red



World-renowned violinist Summer Zahova returns to London - the city where, for her, it all began. Free and single in the hedonistic capital, Summer embarks on a series of steamy affairs. But when Summer's priceless violin is stolen, fate brings wealthy and charismatic Dominik back into her life. Neither Summer nor Dominik can deny the obsession that still exists between them, but history has left its scars, and both realise that love and passion can't always go hand in hand. Summer knows that if she plays with fire, she'll end up getting burned, but then there are some pleasures that are just too hard to deny...


Can Summer and Dominik overcome the obstacles that stand between them, and will Summer choose to follow her head or her heart?



Eighty Days Amber



When she moves to New York, Russian dancer Luba falls for Chey, a handsome, enigmatic rare amber dealer who sweeps Luba off her feet. But Chey has a shocking secret and when Luba discovers it she knows she must flee from the man she loves. From elite private clubs in New Orleans to the London mansion of enigmatic rock star Viggo Franck, Luba sets out on a journey of self-discovery and embraces the exciting, enticing experiences now available to her. Her adventures introduce her to a passionate violinist, Summer, and Lauralynn, a woman with decidedly dark desires. But can this new life ever truly satisfy Luba, or will she forever crave the one man she knows isn't good for her?



Eighty Days of Christmas: A Short Story



What do you get the man who has everything for Christmas? This is the big question for Summer as she plans the perfect festive surprise for Dominik. With the help of her mischievous friend Lauralynn, Summer devises an extra special gift for the man she loves - and one he's unlikely to forget in a hurry!

Vina Jackson is the pseudonym for two established writers working together for the first time. One a successful author, the other a published writer who is also a city professional working in the Square Mile.
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Labyrinth on TV and The France Show

Kate Mosse News for January 2013

Kate Mosse will be at this year’s France Show, Earls Court, London, 18–20 January 2013, talking about her Sunday Times bestselling novel CITADEL. And a special advance screening of the TV film adaptation of LABYRINTH.
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Visit the Gollancz blog

Read posts from authors and the Gollancz team, plus the latest book news, trailers, interviews and extracts
Orion Children's

Early Readers

From Horrid Henry to Cinderella, there's an Early Reader for everyone to share and enjoy!
- Full colour illustrations
- Short, accessible chapters
- Ideal for newly confident readers
Orion

When In Rome

By Nicky Pellegrino, Sinem Erkas
A city of love, food, music and passion - this is a novel for anyone who fell in love with LA DOLCE VITA.

Rome in the 1950s, there's nowhere quite like it. The narrow stone streets, the fountains and piazzas full of life in the heat of the day, the cafes and bars full of music and desire by night...

This is where Serafina calls home. Having grown-up with her sisters in a tiny apartment tucked in the top of a tumbledown building, she has watched her mother get by on next to nothing, and turn herself beautiful with a sweep of eyeliner and a hand-sewn dress.

When her mother goes out, Serafina and her sisters go singing in the nearest piazza, busking for spare change and cinema tickets. The girls long to meet their matinee idols and Serafina daydreams of Mario Lanza and his spellbinding voice. But the sisters will grow up quickly and for Serafina, a choice opens between the world she knows and the life she dreams of.

A captivating tale of love and music, food and passion, let Nicky Pellegrino take you on a journey to a city of beauty and heartbreak, at one of the most glamorous points in its magical history.

It was Nicky Pellegrino's Italian father who gave his family a true passion for food. Now living in New Zealand working as a journalist, Nicky hordes her holidays so that she and her husband can return to Italy to see family, eat mozzarella and research her books.Gorgeous, gastronomic, Italianate dramas, Nicky's novels are full of sunshine, humanity and intrigue.Rights have sold around the world, and she's already a major bestseller in Australia and New Zealand.A mouthwatering writer, she is as adept at describing an Italian feast as she is at writing about the pain of heartbreak.Nicky gets fabulous reviews, and we're building a press presence here to rival that of her local one at home.
W&N

The Orchardist

By Amanda Coplin
A highly original and haunting debut about a makeshift family in the untamed American West.

At the turn of the twentieth century, in a remote stretch of Northwest America, a solitary orchardist, Talmadge, tends to apples and apricots as if they were his children.

One day, two teenage girls steal his fruit at the market. Feral, scared and very pregnant, they follow Talmadge to his land and form an unlikely attachment to his gentle way of life.

But their fragile peace is shattered when armed men arrive in the orchard. In the tragedy that unfolds, Talmadge must fight to save the lives of those he has learned to love while confronting the ghosts of his own troubled past.

THE ORCHARDIST is an astonishing and unforgettable epic about a man who disrupts the lonely harmony of his life when he opens his heart and lets the world in.

This is a powerful, wonderfully written first novel.Coplin's rendering of place invites comparison with William Faulkner's recreations of Mississippi.Amanda Coplin follows the path of American epic naturalist writers such as John Steinbeck in her beautifully written debut, in the way she tracks the movement of communities and examines the relationship between people and their environment...From brooding long over deceptively simple ingredients, Coplin has created a psychologically complex novel of considerable emotional power.The Orchardist is a powerful, finely crafted novel.Amanda Coplin's The Orchardist is a haunting and epic debut with shades of Steinbeck.An utterly enthralling, heart-breaking story.I was still thinking about this moving tale, set in early 20th century America, days after reading it. A reclusive man lives alone until two pregnant, feral girls ask for help. As he lets them in, stories of love, loss and revenge unfold. If you like emotional, historical fiction, you'll love this.A powerful moving novel.This is a story about love, often intensely moving but far bigger than your common or garden tear-jerker and gorgeously written...There are echoes of Silas Marner, as the lonely man and the wild girls become an unorthodox family, but the outside world can't be kept out, as strangers on a mission bring violence into this Eden. The writing is vivid and poetic, with a strong sense of emotional wisdom.A beautifully evocative storyThe prose is rich and slow, the book takes its time to immerse us in the lives of the area's inhabitants. It's an immersive experience, about how over years we shape our lives and the lives of those we love and how every action has consequences, good and bad.This is a stylishly written debut novel of intense imagery and fine storytelling.Powerful, intense and deeply tender, The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin is set in the American North West at the start of the last century...An original and stunning story by a remarkable new writer.The first big debut of 2013 - and it's a corker. Set in a remote part of north-western America at the turn of the 20th century, reclusive William Talmadge has tended his beloved orchard for years. His peace is disturbed by two young girls, pregnant and desperate, needing help, and his decision to offer them shelter on the farm will prove a brave one when armed men arrive to take the girls back. What unfolds is a compelling story of survival in harsh times - don't missThere is a strong thread of melancholy running through the novel but it is the great sweep of the landscape that lingers and Talmadge, patiently tending his treasured trees as he watches the world change around him."The Orchardist" is engaging and enthralling. The reader wants to turn each page quickly as the story develops, and wants at the same time to dwell on the lyrical moments of sunshine, soil and loveAmanda Coplin's somber, majestic debut arrives like an urgent missive from another century. Steeped in the timeless rhythms of agriculture, her story unfolds in spare language as her characters thrash against an existential sense of meaninglessness. Confronted by the stark reminder of mortality, one responds, "It didn't matter" - a weary comment any of them might have made. Coplin's saga of a makeshift family unmoored by loss should be depressing, but, instead, her achingly beautiful prose inspires exhilaration. You can only be thrilled by a 31-year-old writer with this depth of understandingAnother debut generating buzz is Amanda Coplin's The Orchardist, a novel set in the untamed American West in the early 20th century. We think this well-crafted tale of a makeshift family whose lives are shaped by love, violence, and an indelible connection to the land is immensely affecting.His face is pitted, his skin oily, his nose bulbous, his ears elephantine. What gives him a reason to live, his earthly salvation from so many grievous human losses, are fruit trees. This is William Talmadge, the unlikely hero of Amanda Coplin's first novel, "The Orchardist," due Aug. 21. Digging a living out of the hardscrabble fields of the Pacific Northwest in the early 20th century, Talmadge is comfortable with his spare, solitary life. But when two feral girls seek refuge with him, he is reluctantly drawn into a crusade and a family. To describe the plot or characters in more detail would undermine one of the many satisfactions of "The Orchardist"-its surprises. But the soul of the book is its landscape, the avenues of apple, plum and apricot trees that produce not just fruit, but bowers in which to hide, branches from which to drop."Why are we born?" wonders Della, a question that haunts all the characters. Coplin offers no answers, only the hard certainties of labor and of love that is seldom enough to ease a beloved's pain. Yet the novel is so beautifully written, so alive to the magnificence of the land and the intricate mysteries of human nature, that it inspires awe rather than depression. Superb work from an abundantly gifted young writerThere are echoes of John Steinbeck in this beautiful and haunting debut novel set in early-20th-century Washington State.The Orchardist is a stunning accomplishment, hypnotic in its storytelling power, by turns lyrical and gritty, and filled with marvels.Many contemporary novelists have revisited the question of what constitutes a family, but few have responded in a voice as resolute and fiercely poetic.The best first novel of 2012a tender, rich, earthy novel...Coplin tells this story with a sensitivity to the workings of the human heart that manages to be rich with understanding while hardly ever courting condescension. She knows that there are aspects to human motivation about which, to borrow from Henry James, one should never say one knows the last word. By resisting temptation, Coplin has written a novel that is both wonderfully expansive and sharply focused.The novel, which often has an epic feel to it, brings to life a fascinating era in American history and vividly depicts a unique set of characters to tell a story that includes action and excitement while at the same time exploring the soul of its protagonist.A native of Washington State, Amanda Coplin has been a Fellow at The Fine Arts Work Centre in Provincetown, Massachusetts, as well as Ledig House International Writers' Residency Program in Ghent, New York. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.http://www.facebook.com/AmandaCoplinWriterAn exciting new voice bursts on to the scene in what is sure to be the most talked about debut of 2013.THE ORCHARDIST caused a fierce auction in the USA and rights are selling around the world.Perfect for fans of Cormac McCarthy, Annie Proulx, THE TENDERNESS OF WOLVES and THE SNOW CHILD.Huge crossover potenial: beautiful writing underpinned by a heart-wrenching story that immerses you in a fully realised world.The success of Cormac McCarthy shows there is a huge appetite for gritty rural Americana.THE ORCHARDIST has gone straight into the NEW YOUR TIMES bestseller list at number 22.
Phoenix

A History of Ancient Britain

By Neil Oliver
Continues Neil's landmark exploration of how our land and its people came to be, which began with the acclaimed A HISTORY OF SCOTLAND.

Who were the first Britons, and what sort of world did they occupy? In A HISTORY OF ANCIENT BRITAIN Neil Oliver turns a spotlight on the very beginnings of the story of Britain; on the first people to occupy these islands and their battle for survival.

There has been human habitation in Britain, regularly interrupted by Ice Ages, for the best part of a million years. The last retreat of the glaciers 12,000 years ago brought a new and warmer age and with it, one of the greatest tsunamis recorded on Earth which struck the north-east of Britain, devastating the population and flooding the low-lying plains of what is now the North Sea. The resulting island became, in time, home to a diverse range of cultures and peoples who have left behind them some of the most extraordinary and enigmatic monuments in the world.

Through what is revealed by the artefacts of the past, Neil Oliver weaves the epic story - half a million years of human history up to the departure of the Roman Empire in the Fifth Century AD. It was a period which accounts for more than ninety-nine per cent of humankind's presence on these islands.

It is the real story of Britain and of her people.

Oliver, an archaeologist whose long black hair and piercing gaze has earned him a superstar status, is a fascinating guide.Neil Oliver's love of his subject shines through.Above all, Oliver is a great storyteller, and what a tale it is''Neil Oliver is a Scottish archaeologist, historian and broadcaster best known for his distinctive voice and long black hair and as the charismatic presenter of the award-winning documentary series Coast. His 10-part 'bold, pugnacious and authoritative' History of Scotland on BBC2 was a critical success as was the book of the same name that accompanied it.http://www.neiloliver.com/https://twitter.com/NEIL_OLIVER_ http://www.facebook.com/pages/Neil-OliverFully redesigned for the paperback edition, in the same style as A HISTORY OF SCOTLAND Neil Oliver's 8-part prime time BBC series on Ancient Britain reached a diverse audience of 3 million, cementing his reputation as one of the best historians on TV.The previous series, A HISTORY OF SCOTLAND, attracted 2 million viewers.It won the prestigious ROYAL TELEVISION SOCIETY AWARD FOR BEST NATIONS AND REGIONS PROGRAMME.The paperback edition of A HISTORY OF SCOTLAND reprints regularly, with nearly 30,000 copies in print now.
Orion

I Am Half-Sick of Shadows

By Alan Bradley
Christmas is coming - but for Flavia de Luce, in the deep midwinter there's a murder to solve...

All is not well at Buckshaw, home of Flavia de Luce...

With the family finances in a parlous state, Flavia's father has, with deep misgivings, rented Buckshaw to a film company for a location shooting. Naturally enough, director, crew and stars do nothing to endear themselves to the household - especially the servants - until, when a heavy snowfall cuts off Bishop's Lacey from the rest of the world, the actors are talked into staging a benefit performance in the parish hall.

But old jealousies surface, and the leading lady is murdered. Flavia, who has been enlisted to help out behind the scenes, finds herself up to her knees in snow - and murder!

This is the fourth murder mystery for eleven year old sleuth, master chemist and expert on poisons, Flavia de Luce. While her father is preoccupied with a deepening financial crisis, and her sisters continue to outdo one another in beastliness to their younger sibling, the undaunted Flavia brings her keen eye and sharp mind to all that's' going on around her.Alan Bradley was born into a family of storytellers who never stopped talking about the old days 'back home' in England - for which he is eternally grateful. He lives with his wife, Shirley, in Gozo.Sam Mendes has optioned the Flavia series for Neal Street Productions (who made the hugely successful CALL THE MIDWIFE - the BBC's highest-rated drama series since 2001).The fourth novel in the 'delightfully entertaining' [GUARDIAN] Flavia de Luce series.The Flavia de Luce books are now bestsellers around the world - they have spent 16 weeks on the NEW YORK TIMES bestseller list and rights have been sold in 30 countries.Flavia de Luce is now established as the freshest and most engaging sleuth to appear since Alexander McCall Smith's Precious Ramotswe.Alan Bradley has won numerous awards, including: the CWA DEBUT DAGGER, the ARTHUR ELLIS and the AGATHA.Includes Reading Group Notes.All the Flavia de Luce novels have received splendid reviews.
Read an extract

Eighty Days Yellow

Read an extract from the first in our sizzling, tantalising new trilogy.

Flame-haired violinist Summer spends her afternoons busking on the underground, lost in the works of Vivaldi or Mendelssohn. When her violin is damaged beyond repair, Summer receives a surprising proposition from Dominik, a university professor with powerful desires, who has been captivated by Summer ever since he heard her perform. Dominik will replace her priceless violin, but only if she agrees to play for him in a private concert.
Orion

Hit Me

By Lawrence Block
The fifth book in the Keller series from the master of classic American crime

The conclusion of Hit and Run found Keller living in a big old house in post-Katrina New Orleans, with a new name, a new wife, a new career rehabbing houses, and a baby on the way. It certainly looked as though he was done killing people for money.

But old habits die hard, and when the economic downturn knocked out the construction business, a phone call from Dot draws him back into the old game. His work takes him to Dallas, to settle a domestic dispute; to Florida, where he joins a government witness on a West Indies cruise; to Wyoming, where a house has burned down; and to New York, where he lived for so many years, and where people might remember him.

Keller's plight is expertly handled by Block who manages to inject the hitman with wry warmth - he may be a killer he's a good guy really. Excellent.Hard hitting, sharply written and gripping stuff.Block's elegant writing is funny, philosophical and full of surprises. As a bonus, in this fourth Keller book, we get to know a lot more about Block's most unknowable protagonist.One of the very best writers now working the beat... Block has done something new and remarkable with the private eye novelLawrence Block was awarded the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger in 2004. He is also a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America. He is the author of many novels and short stories and has won numerous awards for his mystery writing. He lives and works in New York City.Lawrence Block returns to his deadliest hitman in the fifth book in the Keller seriesBlock is an acknowledged master of the crime genre and recipient of numerous awards.The Keller series showcases his trademark mix of mordant humour and slick plotting
Science Fiction and Fantasy

Gateway

Welcome to Gateway, for Science Fiction and Fantasy.
W&N

The Second World War

By Antony Beevor
A magisterial, single-volume history of the greatest conflict the world has ever known by our foremost military historian

The Second World War began in August 1939 on the edge of Manchuria and ended there exactly six years later with the Soviet invasion of northern China. The war in Europe appeared completely divorced from the war in the Pacific and China, and yet events on opposite sides of the world had profound effects. Using the most up-to-date scholarship and research, and writing with clarity and compassion, Beevor assembles the whole picture in a gripping narrative that extends from the North Atlantic to the South Pacific, from the snowbound steppe to the North African Desert, to the Burmese jungle, SS Einsatzgruppen in the borderlands, Gulag prisoners drafted into punishment battalions, and to the unspeakable cruelties of the Sino-Japanese War.


Moral choice forms the basis of all human drama, and no other period in history has presented greater dilemmas both for leaders and ordinary people, nor offered such examples of individual and mass tragedy, the corruption of power politics, ideological hypocrisy, the egomania of commanders, betrayal, perversity, self-sacrifice, unbelievable sadism and unpredictable kindness. Although filling the broadest canvas on a heroic scale, Beevor's THE SECOND WORLD WAR never loses sight of the fate of the ordinary soldiers and civilians whose lives were crushed by the titanic forces unleashed in this, the most terrible war in history.

His singular ability to make huge historical events accessible to a general audience recalls the golden age of British narrative history, whose giants include Gibbon, Macaulay and Carlyle.Beevor can be credited with single-handedly transforming the reputation of military history.A truly outstanding historian of warA British historian of great distinction and range, who ... demonstrates his mastery of his sources.his accounts of the key moments in the second world war have a sense of colour, drama and immediacy that few narrative historians can matchIf you want to understand the war as military struggle, this book is all you really need. However well you thought you knew the subject, you will learn something new on every page.You feel yourself being carried along on the narrative flow, channelled this way and that through the pools and rapids by Beevor's expert helmanship.Brocaded with details of the great campaigns and thoughtful explanations of Hitler's murderous belligerence, The Second World War is an absorbing, unsparingly lucid work of military history.The myriad pieces of this intricate kaleidoscope are pieced together with exemplary skill.This is a splendid book, erudite, with an admirable clarity of thought and expression.Beevor's book is a pleasure to read and an example of intelligent, lively historical writing at its best.Everyone who is interested in the Second World War should read this book.This is as comprehensive and objective an account of the course of the war as we are likely to get, and the most humanly moving to date.The book that Beevor has been building towards writing - and everybody else has been anticipating reading.remarkably well-written and informativeThis is the place to begin if you need to get your knowledge of the war in order.This is history writ large.Beevor is excellent at catching the individual in the flood-tide of events.The book could not really have been done better.A magnificent performance - true excitement from one page to the next delivered in faultless prose.the whole story told in the author's usual erudite yet highly readable proseThe heart of Beevor's appeal is precisely that straightforward narrative approach, coupled with his lively, engaging style and his use of memorable, almost cinematic, set-pieces.He is the most humanitarian of historians, and covers huge sweeps of history through the real stories of the individuals who experienced them. Reading this will be like having him walk me through the history of the war like a personal guide.This is a book demanding to be read.a masterly understanding of the conflict's many facetsFor as harrowing and politically convoluted as the years 1939-1945 were, Beevor writes with such a panache and literary flair, that the reader is almost uncannily charged to keep turning the pages at a rate of ten by ten, twenty by twenty, chapter by chapter - until such point that s/he has stumbled upon the end as if by chance, as if by default.By deploying his keen eye for tiny detail and penchant for story telling, and then marrying them both with an acute historical investigation, Antony Beevor has once again written a book that is simply superlative.This imposing history can both be read as a whole or dipped into, and never fails to inform.This book is a perfect mixture of world history and human experience, unbiased and highly readable.As we have come to expect from this master, he excels at using eye-witness testimony to illustrate how mankind can be capable of both terrible cruelty and astonishing courage.global history at its grandest and bestthe most incredibly detailed researcha truly rewarding account of the global conflict. Beevor has a special gift for linking great events with individual testimonyAntony Beevor served as a regular officer in the 11th Hussars in Germany. He is the author of Crete - The Battle and the Resistance, which won a Runciman Prize, Paris After the Liberation, 1944-1949 (written with his wife Artemis Cooper), Stalingrad, which won the Samuel Johnson Prize, the Wolfson Prize for History and the Hawthornden Prize for Literature, Berlin - The Downfall, which received the first Longman-History Today Trustees' Award, and The Mystery of Olga Chekhova. Stalingrad and Berlin have been translated into twenty-five languages and sold more than two and a quarter million copies between them. His latest work, A Writer at War - Vasily Grossman with the Red Army 1941-1945, is an edition, with his Russian researcher, Dr Luba Vinogradova, of Grossman's wartime notebooks. A fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres in France, Antony Beevor has also been the chairman of the Society of Authors and is a visiting professor at the School of History, Classics and Archaeology at Birkbeck College, University of London. He lives in London and Kent and has a daughter and a son.http://www.antonybeevor.com/ http://www.facebook.com/pages/Antony-Beevor https://twitter.com/antonybeevor http://www.youtube.com/user/antonybeevortestAntony Beevor is our most popular historian of the Second World War.His multi-award-winning, bestselling books have appeared in thirty foreign editions and sold over four million copies.
Orion

Eighty Days Amber

By Vina Jackson
The brand new racy romance novel in Vina Jackson's bestselling EIGHTY DAYS series, for fans of Fifty Shades and Sylvia Day.

I'd always liked bad boys. And as I grew up, they became bad men . . .

In her youth, Russian dancer Luba fell for a bad man; a handsome but dangerous rare amber dealer who would disappear for months on end but expect Luba to drop everything when he called. Despite everything Luba could not deny her attraction to the seductive Chey, but their passionate, turbulent relationship came to an end when Luba fled Russia having discovered a shocking secret about her lover.

From elite private clubs in New Orleans to the London mansion of an enigmatic rockstar, Viggo Franck, Luba embarks on a journey of self discovery and embraces the exciting, enticing experiences her new life as a dancer brings. Her adventures introduce her to a fiery, flame-haired violinist, Summer, and Lauralynn, a woman with decidedly dark desires. But can this new life ever truly satisfy Luba, or will she forever crave the one man she knows isn't good for her.

Vina Jackson is the pseudonym for two established writers working together for the first time. One a successful author, the other a published writer who is also a city professional working in the Square Mile.The Eighty Days series has already been incredibly successful. EIGHTY DAYS YELLOW spent five weeks in the SUNDAY TIMES Top 10, and both EIGHTY DAYS BLUE and EIGHTY DAYS RED were SUNDAY TIMES Top 10 bestsellers.EIGHTY DAYS AMBER focuses on a new central character, the feisty Russian dancer Luba, whom fans of the series will remember from previous novels.EIGHTY DAYS YELLOW has sold well over 200,000 copies of the MMP alone.Vina Jackson is now a major bestseller in Germany and translation rights in the initial trilogy have already sold in 17 countries.Written by a dynamic double act - an experienced published author and a city professional - with an unparalleled knowledge of their genre.EIGHTY DAYS AMBER will be published in MMP and ebook in November, followed by EIGHTY DAYS WHITE early in 2013.
Gollancz

The Armageddon Rag

By George R.R. Martin
Magic, music, drugs and rock'n'roll in an early novel from George R. R. Martin, author of A GAME OF THRONES.Onetime underground journalist Sandy Blair has travelled far from his radical roots in the 1960s - until the bizarre and brutal murder of a millionaire rock promoter draws him back. As Sandy sets out to investigate the crime, he finds himself on a magical mystery tour of the pent-up passions of his generation. For a new messiah has resurrected the once legendary rock band Nazgul - but with an apocalyptic new beat that is a requiem of demonism, mind control and death which only Sandy may be able to change in time...George R.R. Martin published his first story in 1971 and quickly rose to prominence, winning four HUGO and two NEBULA AWARDS in quick succession before he turned his attention to fantasy with the historical horror novel FEVRE DREAM, now a Fantasy Masterwork. Since then he has won every major award in the fields of fantasy, SF and horror. His magnificent epic saga A Song of Ice and Fire is redefining epic fantasy for a new generation. George R.R. Martin lives in New Mexico.George R. R. Martin is the bestselling fantasy author in the world.This early novel has been unavailable in the UK for many years.With the success of HBO'S A GAME OF THRONES series, Martin's popularity continues to skyrocket.
Indigo

If You Find Me

By Emily Murdoch
A gripping and mesmerising thriller, beautifully told in Carey's voice. She and her little sister must leave their home in the woods for the wider world, but will they ever be free from the terrible secret they've been keeping?

What happens in the woods, stays in the woods...

Carey is keeping a terrible secret.

If she tells, it could destroy her future.

If she doesn't, will she ever be free?

For almost as long as she can remember, Carey has lived in a camper van in the heart of the woods with her drug-addicted mother and six-year-old sister, Jenessa. Her mother routinely disappears for weeks at a time, leaving the girls to cope alone. Survival is Carey's only priority - until strangers arrive and everything changes . . .

I rarely rate books as five stars but in all seriousness, this book is a five. The story, the setting, the characters and the pace were just incredible. I thought that the book was going one way and it actually went another, I half guessed where it was going but I was still happy with it, as much as you can be happy with a story that continually punches you in the gut. I had to stop reading during my few sittings with this book because of the things that were revealed but that is just a sign of a brilliantly written book.I found this book spellbinding and didn't want to put it down. It's one of those wonderful YA crossover books that you feel no shame in reading as an adult... This is a book that makes you appreciate what you have, not in a soppy way, but in a matter of fact one... A lot of the pain in the book is subtle, understated, unemotional, almost because that's the way Carey has had to deal with it. It's not a big deal, except of course it is, it's a huge, massive deal. And yet, because of the low key way she talks about the past, it seems all the more poignant than any woe-is-me misery memoir. This is a book I've been thinking about all weekend, and I finished it some days ago. I suspect I'll be thinking about it for many more days still.As a debut pitched in the young adult market it is faultless. The details and scenes within the story were grittier than I was expecting and definitely darker but the fact Murdoch doesn't shy away from this is what makes If you find me all the better. This book comes highly recommended.... a powerful read that I have absolutely no qualms recommending. It is (at times) rather emotionally draining, but the unparalleled beauty and feeling in its pages make it wholeheartedly worth it.It's an extremely emotional roller coaster of a book, and I bet more than one point will make you cry, but it's full of hope and free will too, which makes you smile. Definitely recommended for thirteen/fourteen and up, this is a must read which I'm sure will capture the hearts of so many people. The characters and the tear-jerking story will stay with you long after you close the book after reading the last page- I know they did with me.Emily Murdoch is a writer and poet. She is passionate about animal welfare and offers sanctuary to abused and abandoned horses on her family ranch in rural Arizona. IF YOU FIND ME is her first novel. Visit her website at http://www.emilymurdoch.com, read her blog at http://emilymurdoch.wordpress.com, follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/LeftyWritey and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/emily.murdoch.author and like the page for If You Find Me at http://www.facebook.com/Ifyoufindme.An outstanding debut novel from an exciting new talent.IF YOU FIND ME has received starred reviews from prestigious US publications Kirkus, Booklist and School Library Journal.A powerful story with beautifully drawn characters and a gripping mystery at its heart.Sophisticated and beautifully written, this YA novel is realistic and has huge crossover appeal.Carey is a strong, resilient, loving and earnest character who is flawed but determined to find light in the darkness - a magnificently human heroine for modern readers.
The Twelve by Justin Cronin

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Q&A

Charlaine Harris

Charlaine Harris, author of the bestselling series of supernatural romantic thrillers starring Sookie Stackhouse, answers our questions.
Orion

Robert Ludlum's The Utopia Experiment

By Robert Ludlum, Kyle Mills
The brand new Covert-One novel.

With U.S. intelligence agencies wracked by internal power struggles and paralyzed by bureaucracy, the President was forced to establish his own clandestine group - Covert-One. It is only activated as a last resort, when the threat is on a global scale and time is running out.

When Christian Dresner of Dresner Industries unveils a device that will revolutionize the world - the Merge, a personal computer that communicates directly with your brain - army microbiologist Colonel Jon Smith is assigned to assess its military potential. In addition to giving you the ability to control all your applications using only your mind, the Merge also gives you perfect eyesight, infrared vision, and incredibly accurate aim with a gun.

Meanwhile, in the wilds of Afghanistan, Randi Russell encounters an entire village of murdered Afghans - who all have Merge studs in their skulls. As Smith and Russell begin to delve into the circumstances surrounding the Afghans' deaths - and the bizarre fact that they all have Merges weeks before the official on-sale date - they're quickly blocked by someone at the highest level of the military. Is the Merge really as innocuous as Dresner claims? And what secrets is the military hiding about its development?

Smith and Russell are determined to learn the truth. But they may pay for it with their lives...

Robert Ludlum launched his career as a bestselling writer with THE SCARLATTI INHERITANCE in 1971, the first of a string of international bestsellers. There are more than 300 million copies of his books in print and they have been translated in 32 languages.Through the bestselling novels and the blockbuster Bourne films, the Ludlum name is at a new peak of popularity.Over 220 million copies of Ludlum's novels have been sold in 40 countries and 32 different languages.
Gollancz

Deadlocked

By Charlaine Harris
Visting vampires, feuding faeries, deadly romance. No-one throws a party like Sookie Stackhouse...This is the penultimate, wonderful, twelfth Sookie Stackhouse novel.

Sookie has a murder investigation on her hands. A young girl has died at a vampire party - and it looks as though her lover, Eric, might be responsible. Eric swears he didn't do it, the police don't believe him, and even Sookie isn't so sure. Nor is she inclined to take his word for it, not having caught him enjoying the victim's blood minutes before she was killed.

But something strange is going on. Why had Sookie been asked to come to the fateful party a few minutes early - just to catch Eric in the act? And why had the victim spiked her blood before approaching Eric? Was it simply because she wanted to be irresistible, or was it something more sinister?

Sookie will have to find out... but it's the worst moment to investigate, as her Fae family are having troubles of their own and Sookie is, inevitably, drawn in. And there is one last complication. The cluviel dor her grandmother left her. It will grant her one wish, which could fulfil Sookie's heart's desire. The only problem is, she still doesn't know what - or who - her heart truly desires...

Charlaine Harris is the author of the No. 1 SUNDAY TIMES bestselling Sookie Stackhouse series. She is married, with children, and lives in Texas.Charlaine Harris is a No. 1 bestselling author, and a superstar in the urban fantasy field.TRUE BLOOD, Alan (SIX FEET UNDER) Ball's award-winning TV adaptation of the Sookie Stackhouse novels, has taken the UK and America by storm!This penultimate Sookie Stackhouse novel is the best yet - lies, love, danger and a brilliant murder-mystery.Packaged in our new, trend-setting cover style, DEADLOCKED is sure to stand out brilliantly in store, in our full advertising campaign, and in reviews.
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W&N

The Great Train Robbery

By Nick Russell-Pavier, Stewart Richards
Definitive account of the famous 1963 Great Train Robbery - and its aftermath.

?2.6 million stolen in 46 minutes, prison sentences totalling 378 years, 23 criminals, countless victims.

In the early hours of Thursday, 8 August 1963 at Sears Crossing near Cheddington in Buckinghamshire, ?2.6 million (?45 million today) in unmarked ?5, ?1 and 10 shilling notes was stolen from the Glasgow to London mail train in a violent and daring raid which took forty-six minutes. Quickly dubbed 'the Crime of the Century', it has captured the imagination of the public and the world's media for fifty years, taking its place in British folklore. Ronnie Biggs, Bruce Reynolds and Buster Edwards became household names and their accounts have fed the myths and legends of 'The Great Train Robbery'.

But what really happened?

This definitive account dismantles the myths and strips away the sensational headlines to reveal a flawed, darker and more complex story. The crime, the police investigation, the trial, two escapes from high-security prisons, and an establishment under siege are all laid bare in astonishing detail for an epic tale of crime and punishment.

Fifty years later, here is the story set out in full for the first time -- a true-life crime thriller, and also a vivid slice of British social history.

our fascination with the Great Train Robbery shows no sign of fading. It's Britain's real-life Wizard of Oz - no matter how familiar the tale, we can never resist savouring it just one more time... This well-written book also tackles the question of why the crime still holds our attentionThis racing read reveals a strangely seductive lost worldFor the robbers who lost their liberty, all they had left was the myth of a brilliant crime. But that myth is comprehensively blown away by this thorough and often gripping bookWith hindsight, the irony is that the Great Train Robbery was not a harbinger of the Swinging Sixties, but rather, with its cast of cops and criminals in matching trilbies, a reminder of the old Britain - class-bound and violent yet still strangely innocent - that was about to be swept awaya cool analysis of a violent and daring raid that still frustrates investigators and fascinates aficionados of big-time crimeThe idea that the great train robbery was a masterpiece of planning and execution by the cream of Britain's villains has been strangely persistent. In fact, as Nick Russell-Pavier and Stewart Richards' fascinating, if mildly obsessive, new book proves, this was always a myth that handily suited everybody involved: police, media and the criminals themselvescompelling...reveals failings in the initial investigation, but also in the execution of the robbery

Nick Russell-Pavier is a writer, dramatist, TV and film composer and producer.

Stewart Richards has worked as a film producer, television executive and audio book publisher.

50th anniversary of the crime is August 2013, the month of publication.There is timeless interest in this daring night-time mailtrain robbery by a gang of 16, and in the fates that befell the twelve who were caught.ITV is currently producing a 5-part drama series and a one-hour documentary about the robbery.
Gollancz

Broken Homes

By Ben Aaronovitch
From the author of RIVERS OF LONDON - the SUNDAY TIMES bestselling PC Peter Grant series returns with something dark south of the river...

Ben Aaronovitch has stormed the bestseller list with his superb London crime series. A unique blend of police procedural, loving detail about the greatest character of all, London, and a dash of the supernatural.

In the new novel DC Peter Grant must head south of the river to the alien environs of Elephant and Castle. There's a murderer abroad and, as always when Grant's department are reluctantly called in by CID, there is more than a whiff of the supernatural in the darkness.

Full of warmth, sly humour and a rich cornucopia of things you never knew about London, Aaronovitch's series has swiftly added Grant's magical London to Rebus' Edinburgh and Morse's Oxford as a destination of choice for those who love their crime with something a little extra.

Ben Aaronovitch was born and raised in London and all his work has reflected his abiding fascination and love for what he modestly likes to refer to as the Capital of the World. He worked as a bookseller before writing tie-in novels and TV scripts. He used to write for DOCTOR WHO.With over 300,000 copies sold, titles in the PC Grant series are SUNDAY TIMES bestsellers.The third book, WHISPERS UNDER GROUND, has sold 30,000 copies in trade.Ben Aaronovitch's author tours have been massive successes, winning countless new readers.Perfect for both the crime and genre readership.
Book Groups

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen Reading Group Notes

Reading Group guide for Paul Torday's Salmon Fishing in the Yemen with a short introduction to the book and key themes for possible discussion in your reading group.
Crime and Detective Classics

The Murder Room

Where criminal minds meet...
Gollancz

Dreams and Shadows

By C. Robert Cargill, Sinem Erkas
A stunning debut. A twisted modern fairy tale in the style of American Gods.

In the debut novel DREAMS AND SHADOWS, screenwriter and noted film critic C. Robert Cargill takes us beyond the veil, through the lives of Ewan and Colby, young men whose spirits have been enmeshed with the otherworld from a young age.

This brilliantly crafted narrative - part Neil Gaiman, part Guillermo Del Torro, part William Burroughs - follows the boys from their star-crossed adolescences to their haunted adulthoods. Cargill's tour-de-force takes us inside the Limestone Kingdom, a parallel universe where whisky-swilling genies and foul-mouthed wizards argue over the state of the metaphysical realm. Having left the spirit world and returned to the human world, Ewan and Colby discover that the creatures from this previous life have not forgotten them, and that fate can never be sidestepped.

With sensitivity and hopeful examination, Cargill illuminates a supernatural culture that all too eerily resembles our own. Set in a richly imagined and constructed world, complete with its own richly detailed history and mythology, DREAMS AND SHADOWS is a deeply engaging story about two extraordinary boys becoming men.

As a noted film critic, there is evidence that C. Robert Cargill draws inspiration from urban legends tackled by the big screen. After reading the first chapter, you will be left wondering how on earth the remaining 359 pages are ever going to live up to the the ones just turned. C Robert Cargill's debut crams so much into its first chapter, can there be any more story to tell? Emphatically, the answer is yes.For a first novel, it's phenomenal. Deliciously moreish, expect Dreams and Shadows to become modern horror fantasy legend and Cargill's lore to soar.Writing a story that has the capacity to both frighten and capture an audience takes a rare talent, but Cargill's characterisation and humour, sparked by genuinely terrifying moments, makes this one of the best debut novels of 2013.The author has created a world where genies argue philosophy and complain about booze, and angels use rooftops as a place to perch. Though none of this is terribly original or subtle, it is very well put together and the narrative is multi-layered and clever, but not so cunning as to be a difficult read. If you liked American Gods and Some Kind of Fairy Tale, then this will be right up your alley. Undoubtedly one to watch, C. Robert Cargill has penned a thoroughly enchanting debut novel.Dreams and Shadows has elements of Gaiman, Rothfuss and the Brothers Grimm themselves. But make no mistakes, this is Cargill's novel - a majestic tale of love in the shadows and death in bloody dreams. It's an astounding novel, and hard to believe this is Cargill's debut. If he ever decides to return to the world of the Limestone King, I'll be there.Dreams and Shadows examines humanity - the imperfections and the tenacity of the human spirit. Imaginative, alluring with astoundingly enhancing writing, if you are a fan of urban fantasy or contemporary fairy tales Dreams and Shadows will blow your socks off.All in all, this was a fantastic book - as strange at times as the characters within its pages, but ultimately satisfying and an excellent exploration of the delights and horrors of the fairy world. Superb reading, highly recommended.Cargill has written for Ain't it Cool News for nearly 10 years under the pseudonym Massawyrm, as well as serving as a staff writer for Film.com and Hollywood.com. He appears as the animated character Carlyle on spill.com, where he also hosts a featured podcast. His first screenplay SINISTER is currently in production in New York City, co-written and directed by Scott Derrickson and starring Ethan Hawke.Pre-empted in a six figure deal.That rare thing - an original fantasy with broad appeal.Perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman.A debut of extraordinary power and beauty.Author has a high-profile web presence and has written for Aint it Cool.com for 10 years.His first film script is in production starring Ethan Hawke.Faeries brought up to date, faeries as you have never seen them before.
Orion

The 5:2 Diet Book

By Kate Harrison
Feast for 5 days a week and fast for 2 to lose weight, boost your brain and transform your health.The 5:2 Diet will transform your body, your mind and your health. It's the revolutionary part-time weight loss diet with lifelong health and anti-ageing results. This is the simplest, most flexible and most health enhancing weight loss programme you'll ever follow - and with this book to guide you, you can start today. You'll still get to eat all the foods you love but enjoy incredible health benefits, with positive effects on cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's and more.

Intermittent fasting is revolutionising the weight loss world. Simply by eating significantly less for one or two days a week you can trigger incredible physical and mental changes that protect your body and brain from damage and help it repair itself.

And The 5:2 Diet Book - packed with tips, science, recipes, inspiration and case studies from over thirty dieters - will help you join the revolution to lose weight, boost your brain and transform your body.

And it'll even save you money, with no specialist diet foods or supplements required. No wonder it's as popular with men as it is with women - and with first-time dieters as with weight loss veterans.

Journalist and former yoyo dieter Kate Harrison has finally won the battle with her weight - now she shares the secrets that are helping thousands of men and women transform their bodies. The 5:2 Diet Book is your comprehensive guide to the wonderful world of intermittent fasting.
It includes:

. All you need to trigger the 'healing' mode that happens when you restrict your diet for as little as one day a week
. The incredible effects on your brain cells
. The transformation in the way you view hunger and food
. The cost savings you can make - saving pounds from your food bill as you lose them from your body!
. 5:2 your way - how to personalise the diet to your exact requirements and preferences
. Detailed meal plans, and simple but healthy recipes...
. Or ready-made suggestions for when you don't feel like cooking
. Hundreds of real-life tips and success stories from men and women like you

This is more than another diet craze - it's anything but crazy and it's a lifestyle you'll want to adopt for the rest of your life.The 5:2 diet made easy!Harrison presents the facts, practical tips, anecdotes and recipes.This book is the go-to 5:2 bible... Kate's inspiring tone, motivational tips and simple menu ideas make this book a convert's best bud.Before becoming a novelist, Kate Harrison worked for a news agency, reporting mainly for the national tabloids. She then moved to the BBC where she was a reporter in regional news in Bristol and Birmingham, producer on Newsround, and worked on Panorama and other investigative/consumer shows and documentaries. Kate is the author of eight novels, including the Secret Shopper series (Orion), and, most recently, The Boot Camp (Orion 2012). In 2011, Orion Children's Books published the first of her young adult trilogy, Soul Beach. Kate has written for national newspapers and magazines including the Telegraph, Mail on Sunday, Red and Cosmopolitan.
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    Ian Rankin

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Orion

Defending Jacob

By William Landay
If your son was on trial for murder, what would you do?

Andy Barber's job is to put killers behind bars. And when a boy from his son Jacob's school is found stabbed to death, Andy is doubly determined to find and prosecute the perpetrator.

Until a crucial piece of evidence turns up linking Jacob to the murder. And suddenly Andy and his wife find their son accused of being a cold-blooded killer.

In the face of every parent's worst nightmare, they will do anything to defend their child. Because, deep down, they know him better than anyone.

Don't they?

Riveting, suspenseful, and emotionally searingDefending Jacob is smart, sophisticated, and suspenseful - capturing both the complexity and stunning fragility of family lifeNot since the novels of Scott Turow has a crime thriller - any thriller, though this too happens to be a literary legal thriller - shaken me by the throat like this. It's a stunning, shocking, emotionally harrowing ride ... Landay has written an unflinching account of the complexities of family life in a changing worldThis is a legal thriller worthy of mention in the same breath as Turow's masterpieceA taut, tense, well-written thrillerWord of mouth on a new novel is not always to be trusted but sometimes a new book handsomely fulfils all the expectations. This is such a novel. ... Tackle this quickly before friends start to discuss the shocking endingMakes Scott Turow and John Grisham seem like amateurs.PRESUMED INNOCENT meets WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN in the thriller of the year.DEFENDING JACOB spent several weeks on the NEW YORK TIMES bestseller list and film rights have been optioned by Warner Brothers.A masterfully written courtroom drama that is also a heartwrenching story of a family in crisis.William Landay's first novel, MISSION FLATS, received widespread critical acclaim - 'A most assured debut, cleverly plotted with an unguessable ending' Daily TelegraphIncludes Reading Group Notes and a Q&A with the author.
W&N

The Honey Guide

By Richard Crompton
Richard Crompton will do for Nairobi what Ian Rankin does for Edinburgh - the first in a powerful crime series featuring a former Maasai warrior turned police detective.

Meet Mollel, a former Maasai warrior whose beloved wife died in the bombing of the US embassy in Nairobi. Mollel has been assigned to the investigation of the brutal murder of a local prostitute. Despite the resistance of his colleagues, Mollel soon begins to uncover something more far-reaching. But are his warrior's instincts, which have always served him so well, correct? Or will his convictions about the case be turned on their head? The investigation will become more personal to him than he could have possibly imagined...



Set against the backdrop of turbulent elections, THE HONEY GUIDE brings Nairobi and its citizens vividly to life, and introduces a truly unforgettable leading character in crime fiction.

The Honey Guide introduces Mollel, a former Maasai warrior...an intriguing figure, famous as the man who pulled dozens of survivors from the wreckage of the US embassy after it was bombed in 1998...Mollel's vulnerabilities gradually unfold, revealing a damaged but determined character who promises to be a fine addition to the ranks of fictional detectivesThis is a smashing debut, as fleet-footed as the warrior himself. It will make you long for the next instalmenta good plot and an interesting cast of charactersCrompton brings the streets of Nairobi to life, Mollel and Kiunga, his investigation partner, are strong characters and with the traditions and history of the country integral to the plot, this is an excellent crime series in the makingGood news for fans of exotic police procedurals, crime fiction's first Maasai detective makes his debut here in what promises to be a series to watch. It is 2007 and Mollel, an outsider in a mostly Kikuyu force, investigates the murder of a woman as riots sweep through Nairobi following claims of corruption and vote- rigging in the Kenyan electionsA fascinating debut novel set against the turbulent Kenyan 2007 election in which more than 1,500 were killed in riots, this is the first in a series that will bring Nairobi and its colourful citizens vividly to lifeThis outstanding debut... a vivid and sensitive depiction of an alarmingly volatile situation, riven with tribal divisions, in a place where glittering tower blocks and shopping malls sit cheek-by-jowl with tin shacks. This, however is more than mere local colour, with traditions, beliefs and conflicts being properly defining factors in the characterisation of a strong cast... The good news is that it is the first in a projected series - more, please[Crompton] successfully incorporates the regions many customs and difficulties within his characters, giving readers a real insight into what makes Nairobi and its citizens tick. The Honey Guide is the first in a planned series of crime novels featuring Mollel, and, if it is anything to go by, we are in for an enjoyable rideEver since the success of tartan noir and the Scandinavian crime wave, publishers have been searching for the next sleuth and location. Now, Richard Crompton, a former BBC journalist, offers us Mollel, a Maasai detective in Nairobi. Mollel is a good character, with a credibly tragic past, and an even more credible inability to give his young, motherless son the attention he needs... virtuous and brave but domestically careless, a rule-breaker who always gets his man... The setting feels authentic and the glimpses of Mollel's tribal past are sparing and well drawn, as are the murderous tensions in the Nairobi slumsRichard Crompton is an ex-BBC journalist who moved to East Africa several years ago with his wife, a human rights lawyer who worked on the Rwanda genocide trials. Richard won the Daily Telegraph Short Story Award in 2010.


http://richardcrompton.com/about/

https://twitter.com/racrompton/Mollel is a truly unforgettable hero and this series has great cross-over potential.Richard Crompton won the DAILY TELEGRAPH SHORT STORY AWARD in 2010.Richard is a well-connected former BBC journalist who lives in Nairobi.Incredibly accomplished, authoritative writing - this book has real DAGGERS potential.This will appeal to a literary audience who enjoy sharply plotted storylines set in intriguing places, e.g. fans of SNOWDROPS.
Phoenix

The Spies Of Warsaw

By Alan Furst
The thrilling BBC tie-in edition starring David Tennant. 'In the world of espionage thrillers, Alan Furst is in a class of his own' William Boyd.

On a cool October evening in 1937, German engineer and secret agent Herr Edvard Uhl arrives in Warsaw. He suppresses a chill of fear. Tonight, he will be with his mistress; tomorrow, he will be at a bar, where he will meet with a French military attache. Information will be exchanged for money.

War is coming to Europe. And although bombs and bullets have yet to fly, French and German operatives are already caught in a deadly espionage battle. In a war of intelligence and subterfuge, no spy can help being drawn into the murky world of abduction, betrayal and intrigue.

Furst is a former journalist whose books are intelligent, realistic and full of historical knowledge and understanding. They have plenty of sex, steam trains and drama, tooFurst writes mordantly and precisely about the drabness and the excitement of spying and the book slowly draws you into his finely drawn worldAlan Furst has lived for long periods in France, especially in Paris, and has travelled as a journalist in Eastern Europe and Russia. He has written extensively for Esquire and the International Herald Tribune.Published to tie in with a huge new BBC drama starring David Tennant.THE SPIES OF WARSAW has sold over 20,000 copies in mmp alone.Alan Furst recreates the 'spy noir' novel better than any other author. He's perfect for alll readers of John Le Carré, Charles McCarry, Henry Porter and John Lawton.THE SPIES OF WARSAW is Alan Furst's finest novel to date: the history is precise, the writing evocative and powerful. More a novel about spies than a spy novel - it's exciting, atmospheric, erotic and impossible to put down.
Gateway

Flowers For Algernon

By Daniel Keyes
Classic novel of a daring experiment in human intelligence.Charlie Gordon, IQ 68, is a floor sweeper, and the gentle butt of everyone's jokes, until an experiment in the enhancement of human intelligence turns him into a genius. But then Algernon, the mouse whose triumphal experimental tranformation preceded his, fades and dies, and Charlie has to face the possibility that his salvation was only temporary.Daniel Keyes (1927 - )
Born in Brooklyn in 1927, Daniel Keyes worked as merchant seaman, editor and university lecturer. He has published four other novels, but Flowers for Algernon, originally a short story, for which he won the Hugo Award, later expanded into the Nebula Award-winning novel and adapted as an Oscar-winning film (Charly, 1968) remains his best-known work. Daniel Keyes has a masters degree in English and American literature and is a Professor of English and Creative writing.#25 in the Millennium SF Masterworks series, a library of the finest science fiction ever writtenThe original story Flowers for Algernon won the Hugo Award and the expanded novel later won the Nebula AwardFlowers for Algernon was filmed in 1968 as the Oscar-winning film Charly
Orion

Heavenly's Child

By Brenda Reid
A beautiful, atmospheric novel set in the heat of Crete from the author of the highly acclaimed THE HOUSE OF DUST AND DREAMS.

It is the late 1960s and after her strict English boarding school, Angel is delighted to be back on Crete, the island she loves. She and her friend Chrissi are planning to spend the long summer days as they've always done before, hanging out together, playing pranks on their unsuspecting neighbours and generally running wild on the mountainside.

But when tragedy strikes at the heart of Angel's family, she and Chrissi resolve to run away together. For two girls on the brink of womanhood, the turmoil that is Greece at that time makes it a dangerous place to be. As Angel falls in love, tragedy strikes a second time...

Following the success of THE HOUSE OF DUST AND DREAMS, Brenda Reid draws us back to Crete in this delightful coming of age story.

Brenda Reid was an award winning producer at the BBC before becoming Head of Drama at Anglia Television. She worked with, amongst others, Rose Tremain, Alan Bennett, Jilly Cooper, P.D. James, Fay Weldon and Lynda la Plante. She was also the executive producer of the popular series Ballykissangel. Brenda now divides her time between the Welsh borders, her children's houses in London and her village house in Crete.THE HOUSE OF DUST AND DREAMS introduced a wonderful new voice in historical fiction from a debut author.HEAVENLY'S CHILD follows the story of the next generation of characters that we met in Brenda's debut.Brenda's writing is evocative, engaging and utterly engrossing - her recreation of Cretan village life is perfect and makes you long for a holiday in the Grecian sun.Set in the 1960s this is another perfect period read.In the vein of Victoria Hislop and Julia Gregson, Brenda Reid conjures up a Cretan village peopled with vivid characters, a wealth of fascinating historical detail and amazing stories.THE HOUSE OF DUST AND DREAMS reprinted several times.
Orion

One Last Thing Before I Go

By Jonathan Tropper
For fans of Nick Hornby and David Nicholls, a brilliantly funny and touching new novel from the bestselling author of HOW TO TALK TO A WIDOWER, selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club.

Meet Silver. Forty-four, divorced and living alone. His once celebrated music career is now a faded memory and his ex-wife is about to marry another man. The only good thing in Silver's life is his Princeton-bound teenage daughter, Casey - and she would probably say the exact opposite about him. So in Silver's opinion, things could be going better . . . a lot better.

Then Casey drops a bombshell: she's pregnant. Yes, it was her first time, and, no, she hasn't told her mom. Silver knows things have got to change, and when he discovers he has a fatal heart condition that means he could drop dead at any minute, he decides it's time to make a list:

1. Be a better father

2. Be a better man

3. Fall in love

4. Die

But the question is, can Silver rebuild his life, regain the respect of his family, and be there for Casey when she needs him most, or has he left it all too late?

Laugh-out-loud funny and tear-jerkingly sad, One Last Thing Before I Go is a testament to Jonathan Tropper's impeccable observation, faultless style and utterly unrivalled wit.

Genuinely very funny, as well as engaging and rather movingWitty story of Silver, a lonely middle-aged ex-rockstar with a pregnant teenage daughter.Another tear-jerker that's told with great wit, this time written from a bloke's point of view. Jonathan has been a pick on the Richard and Judy Book Club before, and this is a nicely observed poignant take on learning to be a man and a father before time runs out.Tropper is a master of the mid-life male coming-of-age story, and his latest is full of the charm and wit his readers cherishIt's amazing what can happen in the hands of the casually brilliant author. . . . Read and weep with laughter'A poignant story about facing death and celebrating life, even when things seem well beyond repair''Eminently quotable, hilariously funny, and emotionally draining, this arresting tour de force will entertain well after the book is done''A tender and unexpectedly hilarious take on the messiness of family life'Very well-observed . . . fabulously entertainingConsistently witty, often insightful and full of strong and engaging charactersSad, funny, brilliant'Darkly entertaining . . . fast and fresh'

Jonathan Tropper is the New York Times bestselling author of five previous novels; Plan B, The Book of Joe, Everything Changes, How To Talk to a Widower, which was a Richard and Judy Book Club selection, and This Is Where I Leave You. He lives with his family in Westchester,New York, where he teaches writing at Manhattanville College.

Find out more at www.jonathantropper.com

How to Talk to a Widower was a Richard and Judy Bookclub selection and sold over 200,000 copies.Jonathan Tropper is one of the freshest voices in contemporary fiction. He combines humour, pathos and romance in a unique and remarkable way.ONE LAST THING BEFORE I GO is Jonathan Tropper at his farcical, touching and wittily observant best. It will have you roaring with laugher on one page and move you to tears on the next.
Lezanne Clannachan Jellybird Video

Jellybird

Orion

Capital Punishment

By Robert Wilson
A crime thriller to take you on a terrifying journey into London's dark side.

Meet Charles Boxer - ex-army, ex-police and now a high-stakes kidnap recovery specialist, he knows only too well how the dark forces in the city can reach out and ensnare an innocent victim.

The hostage is the beautiful Alyshia D'Cruz, daughter of Indian tycoon Francisco 'Frank' D'Cruz. After a boozy night out she gets into the wrong cab home and Boxer is the only man Frank will trust to go down into the criminal underworld to retrieve her.

Boxer knows that Frank's crooked business empire has made him plenty of enemies, but despite the vast D'Cruz fortune, the kidnappers don't want his cash. They prefer a crueller, more lethal game and to have any chance of saving Alyshia, Boxer must play it out with religious fanatics, London's home-grown crime lords and Indian mobsters, as his trail crosses paths with a terrorist plot on British soil.

Capital Punishment is a thrilling journey to the dark side of people and places hidden just out of sight, waiting for the moment to tear a life apart.

Like most of Wilson's novels, this one occupies the shadow territory between the crime novel and the intelligent thriller... it's dark and powerful stuff. And the ending has a kick like a horse.Fast-moving and breathlessly exciting, this is the first of a series to feature Charles Boxer from award-winning author Robert Wilson.Gripping from start to finish, this intricately plotted page-turner will keep you transfixed.Absolutely brilliant.Full of action and tension, a guaranteed great read from this CWA Gold Dagger winning author.Wilson blends psychological intensity, constant action with a brilliantly intricate plot that will leave you gasping after the final page.[Robert Wilson's] hotter than ever... One killer of a crime caper.

'"If you like dense, complex and internationally widespread thrillers, then Capital

Punishment is for you... Unputdownable."'

Featuring a large cast of well-sketched players and a plethora of plot twists, "Capital Punishment" shifts scenes briskly from London to Lisbon, Mumbai to Lahore. Mr. Wilson writes with elegant vigor as he describes the shoot-outs and emotional crescendos that result from the political and criminal intrigue at the heart of the book.A genuine thriller and the first in a new series, CAPITAL PUNISHMENT is one of the best books in the genre to come along at the start of a new year... A brilliant beginning for what is sure to be a very exciting and worthwhile series indeed.Robert Wilson has worked across the world, including spells shipbroking, tour-guiding and exporting bathrooms to Nigeria. After escaping car crashes, civil wars and angry baboons, he and his wife settled in Portugal. Since then, he's written 10 acclaimed crime novels including the CWA GOLD DAGGER AWARD winner, A SMALL DEATH IN LISBON.Robert Wilson is known for his acclaimed and gripping crimewriting in far-flung settings. Now, he's set his sights on London.CAPITAL PUNISHMENT introduces a fantastic new character in the shape of Charlie Boxer, kidnap consultant.Winner of the CWA GOLD DAGGER, and translated into 28 languagesWilson gets stunning reviews
Orion

Never Saw it Coming

By Linwood Barclay
A chilling story of double-dealing, fraud and murder from the No.1 bestseller

Keisha Ceylon is a psychic. At least, that's what it says on her business card. What Keisha actually does for a living is she watches the news for stories about people who have gone missing. She gives it a few days, then makes her move - telling the distraught family that she's had a vision about their missing loved one and may just have a clue to where they could be found. Which she'd be happy to reveal - for a modest fee, of course.

Keisha's latest mark is a man who's wife disappeared a week ago. She's seen him on TV, pleading for his wife to come home or for whoever took her to let her go - and right away she can see dollar signs too.

But when she pays Wendell Garfield a visit to give him the good news, things don't go exactly according to plan. At first he's sceptical, hostile, even. But once she starts telling him about her visions, visions that might just explain why his wife of twenty-one years had been missing for four straight nights, she can tell she's got him hooked.

The trouble is, unbeknownst to her, Keisha's 'vision' is uncomfortably close to the truth. And advertising it may be the last thing she wants to do...

Never Saw it Coming is based on the novella Clouded Vision, which was published as part of the Quick Reads programme in 2011.

A fake psychic con-artist gets a nasty surprise in a thriller that'll take your mind off the weather outside.a witty, thoroughly enjoyable tale of crime verging on farcean amusing tale of a fake psychic who finds herself in jeopardy when she realises the husband she is 'helping' may have killed his missing wife. A page-turner par excellence.A devilishly clever, tightly plotted thriller, this grips from the first pages to the superb whip-smart conclusionLinwood Barclay is married with two children and lives near Toronto. He is the author of three acclaimed Zack Walker mysteries, a former columnist for the TORONTO STAR, and is the author of the Richard & Judy 2008 Summer Read winner and No. 1 besteller, NO TIME FOR GOODBYE.This features a character who first appeared in the No.1 bestseller NO TIME FOR GOODBYE.NO TIME FOR GOODBYE has sold over 800,000 copies in paperback alone, reprinting 32 times so far.Winner of the Richard & Judy Book Club Summer Reads, it was R&J's fastest-selling title ever.
Fiction and Non-Fiction

Weidenfeld & Nicolson

High quality, prize-winning fiction and non fiction across a range of categories including autobiography, business, cookery, economics, fiction in translation, history, literary fiction and popular science.
Orion Childrens

Back to Blackbrick

By Sarah Moore Fitzgerald
Lost memories, lost times, lost lives - a stunning new debut novel.Cosmo's brother Brian died when he was ten years old. His mum hides her grief by working all the hours God sends and Cosmo lives with his grandparents. They've been carefree days as Granddad buys him a horse called John and teaches him all he knows about horses. But the good times have to come to an end and although he doesn't want to admit it, Cosmo knows his Granddad is losing his mind. So on one of the rare occasions when Granddad seems to recognise him, Cosmo is bemused that he gives him a key to Blackbrick Abbey and urges him to go there. Cosmo shrugs it off, but gradually Blackbrick draws him in... Cosmo arrives there, scared and lonely, and is dropped off at the crumbling gates of a huge house. As he goes in, the gates close, and when he turns to look, they're rusty and padlocked as if they haven't been opened in years. Cosmo finds himself face to face with his grandfather as a young man, and questions begin to form in his mind: can Cosmo change the course of his family's future?Orion has high expectations for this debut author, and deservedly so. Original and compelling, this is a beautifully written novel about love, loss, history and memory for readers of 10+. Wonderful storytelling.Back to Blackbrick tackles one of the great social and medical issues of our time, but does so eloquently, sensitively and with knowing humour. We are the sum of our memories, and Sarah Moore Fitzgerald explores this idea in a unique and compelling way. As well as being a thoroughly enjoyable read, the book could help young people to understand how Alzheimer's takes its toll as the disease becomes increasingly common.A thoughtful novel about memory, the past and about how our actions have consequencesBack to Blackbrick deals with the serious and complex emotions facing a young teenager as he comes to terms with his grandfather's dementia. Sarah Moore Fitzgerald explores the complex emotions surrounding Alzheimer's disease, but in the context of a warm and humorous story exploring memory, family, separation and loss. A highly entertaining read, this will also introduce young people to one of the greatest social, medical and economic challenges of our time.The characters are well-drawn in this absorbing and thought-provoking timeslip novel. Sarah Moore Fitzgerald tells a moving and original story of love and loss with both humour and understanding.A beautifully pitched book about seeing a grandparent deteriorate due to Alzheimer's. A pitch perfect book that had me hooked from the first page and refused to let go.The reader is drawn into a strange world of great friendships, loyalty and tragedy. Back to Blackbrick is a very original and unusual read.It is told in such a way that it will appeal to the children for whom it is written as much as it will an adult audience who need and want to understand how to come to terms with terminal illness, disease and memory loss. A book not to miss.The characters are well-drawn in this absorbing and thought-provoking timeslip novel. Sarah Moore Fitzgerald tells a moving and original story of love and loss with both humour and understanding.'A tear-jerker with lessons in how to live life to the full.

...a clever, engaging story of a teenager who finds an unexpected way to deal with the gradual disintegration of his grandfather's memories and personality.

A compelling time shift drama about love and loss.This beautiful novel is deceptively easy to read; the story rattles along while dealing sensitively with issues of love, loss, illness and memory. It's a moving and poignant story, but there are funny moments, too. Back to Blackbrick is an impressive debut novel that already feels like a classic.This beautifully-written time-slip novel explores memory loss, grief and family relationships. It's narrated in a lively 21st-century voice by Cosmo, who lives with his grandparents. We learn that Cosmo's mother has gone to Australia to work and that his brother Brian died in an accident. His grandfather, Kevin, is in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, and Cosmo searches the internet trying to find a way to reverse his beloved grandfather's memory loss.I haven't been able to get Back to Blackbrick out of my mind since I read it. It's a deep, thought-provoking debut by an Irish author, showing the depths of family love and the horror when these bonds begin to fray from tragedy. It also shows the stark class divide in Irish society a century ago, and the power and control held by the rich over their staff, and the portrayal of these themes make this novel more suitable for 12+. Above all, however, this is a novel about families and love and deserves to be read by as many people as possible.I enjoyed the book so much. The adventure, the mystery, and the characters all work wonderfully in story telling terms but the big message is that love is the key. To be loved is to be known and without that, we're lost, whatever our circumstances. This book deserves to be read by people of all ages. It's a delight.Sarah Moore Fitzgerald was born in New York in 1965 but grew up in Co. Dublin. She's a professor and associate vice president at the University of Limerick in Ireland, specialising in psychology and effective pedagogy in higher education, and has published several non-fiction books on teaching, learning and academic writing. She runs regular writers' retreats for academics and students in Ireland and internationally.Launch of a debut author: a fantastic new Irish talent with an undoubted publishing future.Dutch and US rights already sold.Exceptional plotting and brilliant time-slip device.Strong characters and sense of place.Bound proofs available. Major publicity and marketing campaign.
W&N

Light Shining in the Forest

By Paul Torday
From the author of SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN, a dark tale about a failing politician and the search for two missing children.

Norman Stokoe has just been appointed Children's Czar by the new government. He sells his flat and moves up north to take up the position. However before his first salary cheque has even hit his bank account, new priorities are set for the government department for which he works. The Children's czar network is put on hold but it is too late to reverse the decision to employ Norman. So he is given a P.A. and a spacious office in a new business park on the banks of the Tyne.


He settles down in his new leather chair behind his new desk, to wait for the green light to begin his mission. The green light never comes. What does happen is that two children go missing. As Children's Czar, surely this case should fall within his remit, but Norman has built a career on doing nothing, on stamping pieces of paper with 'send to the relevant department'. Now, faced with a campaigning journalist and a distraught mother, he is forced to become involved. The search will take him to dark places and will make him ask questions about the system he is supposed to uphold.

Paul Torday switches water for woodlands in Light Shining in the Forest, a tale of missing minors set in the author's Northumberland homeA great story, and very dark in places.A well-crafted novel...there is momentum, and there is excitement.(Torday) has blended some excellent social satire and even a dollop of the supernatural...this is an excellent mash-up, well-written, well-crafted and constantly grippingTautly written, the tone acid and angryWe move from comedy, through pain, to a greater mystery than the mystery with which, on the ordinary level of crime and detection, the author has gripped us.Torday has a vivid flair for describing...(A) disquieting and atmospheric psychological novel.An unsettling, haunting story...Torday has created some strong characters in this memorable, atmospheric and tense novel...His prose is controlled, elegant and measured and his totally unexpected conclusion is very powerful.Torday's exploration of human anguish and pain, interspersed with the dark, haunting rural environment, provides the template, while his biting social comment showcases a writer at the very top of his game.This is a terrific read in Mr Torday's simple and effective prose style, which should alert us all to what is happening in Britain.(A) grippingly dark thriller....Great writing from a master storyteller.Paul Torday was born in 1946 and read English Literature at Pembroke College, Oxford. He spent the next 30 years working in engineering and in industry, after which he scaled back his business responsibilities to fulfil a long-harboured ambition - to write. He burst on to the literary scene in 2006 with his first novel, SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN, an immediate bestseller that has been sold in 25 countries. He is married with two sons by a previous marriage and has two stepsons and lives close to the River North Tyne.SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN was a Richard & Judy Summer Read and a SUNDAY TIMES Top 10 bestseller.It continues to backlist extremely well, with well over 300,000 copies now sold in UK alone and rights sold in over 25 countries.The film of the book, starring Ewan McGregor, Kristin Scott Thomas and Emily Blunt was a box office hit.THE GIRL ON THE LANDING sold over 80,000 paperbacks and was chosen for the YOU magazine book club.Julian Fellowes is writing a screenplay of the novel, and filming is slated to begin this year.THE LEGACY OF HARTLEPOOL HALL saw up an upswing in sales and his ebook exclusive, BREAKFAST AT HOTEL DEJA VU, was a real hit with ebook readers.
Orion

Pep Guardiola

By Guillem Balague
Entertainingly perceptive biography of the hugely successful manager of FC Barcelona, Pep Guardiola.As a footballer, Josep 'Pep' Guardiola was a much-acclaimed defensive midfielder who spent the majority of his playing career with FC Barcelona. He was part of the great Johan Cruyff's 'dream team' that won the club's first European Cup.

After retiring as a player, Guardiola became a coach at Barcelona, succeeding Frank Rijkaard as first-team manager in 2008. In his first season, he led the team to the treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League - and became the youngest-ever winning manager of that tournament. The following season the club won six trophies in six competitions, playing some of the most fabulous football ever witnessed. The team comprises global stars like Lionel Messi, Xavi and Iniesta and continues to compete at a level its rivals cannot match. This book tells how Pep Guardiola did it, playing the Beautiful Game - and winning.Guillem Balague is a key fixture in Sky Sports' coverage of Spanish football, appearing regularly both on live match coverage and on the weekly round-up show, Revista de La Liga. He is also the UK Correspondent for AS, the Madrid-based Spanish sports newspaper and El Larguero, Spain's most popular sports radio show, attracting some 1.5 million listeners. His work appears regularly in The Times and in Champions magazine, where he writes a regular column on international football.
He also wrote the bestselling "A Season on the Brink", an insider's account of Liverpool's 2004-05 Champions' League winning campaign, updated later with the 2006 FA Cup victory.

He has written or worked for The Observer, Talk Sport, BBC, Onda Cero radio, 442 and World Soccer.

Guillem has most recently interviewed the following personalities: Samuel Etoo, David Villa, David Beckham, Raul, Xavi, Iniesta, Van Nistelrooy, Robben, Frank Lampard, Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher, Kenny Dalglish, Fernando Torres, Mikel Arteta, Frank Rijkaard, Gianluca Vialli, David Moyes, Xabi Alonso, Harry Redknapp, Mark Hughes, Alex McLeish, Roy Hodgson, Gilberto Silva, Steve McClaren, Alan Curbishley, Nico Kranjcar, plus a host of other influential figures in the game.

http://www.guillembalague.com/en/home

https://twitter.com/GuillemBalague

https://www.facebook.com/guillembalaguePep Guardiola is the most charismatic and successful manager in club football, and not only football fans but those interested in team-building and management will be informed and entertained by this book.On 9 January 2012 Pep Guardiola received the FIFA WORLD COACH OF THE YEAR FOR MEN'S FOOTBALL AWARD.Author Guillem Balagu? is the acknowledged expert on Spanish football on Sky Sports, and has access to Guardiola.Foreword by Sir Alex Ferguson.
Phoenix

What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank

By Nathan Englander
A FRANK O'CONNOR AWARD-winning, simply stunning short-story collection by one of America's most critically acclaimed young writers.From the up-and-coming young American writer who has contributed to McSweeney's and written for THE NEW YORKER comes a masterful collection of short stories that has already received rave reviews from many of the most prominent writers working today. Some of the stories are comic masterpieces, some embody as dark a vision of the universe as you are likely to encounter, and all of them showcase a writer grappling with the great questions of modern life.few literary works have better demonstrated their veracity lately than this glorious collectionSome of these stories are comic masterpieces, some embody as dark a vision of the universe as you are likely to encounter and all of them showcase a writer grappling with the great questions of modern life.Englander has written a fine collection, as intricately patterned across its length as a novel, although its stories are set in various decades and locations... a book of cautious, crafted, crafty stories that catch you off guard again and again.This collection of short stories is covered with enthusiastic quotes from American literati. "This," you may think, "is either going to be fantastic or hyped nonsense." Thankfully, it's the former.A remarkable collectionThe titular story - a twist on Raymond Carver's, of a similar name - jumps from brilliant Woody Allen-esque dialogue and comedy to darkness.Englander deals with powerful questions of morality, history and vengeance.His stories are moving and thought-provoking, pwerful and hilarious by turns.An amusing and moving collection.This collection by one of America's best short-story writers displays his inimitable capacity to shock, sadden and simultaneously entertain in his explorations of Jewish history and politics.remarkable precision, agility and depthNathan Englander is the author of the internationally bestselling story collection For the Relief of Unbearable Urges and the novel The Ministry of Special Cases. Translated into more than a dozen languages, Englander was selected as one of '20 Writers for the 21st Century' by The New Yorker. He has received a Guggenheim Fellowship, a PEN/Malamud Award, the Bard Fiction Prize, and the Sue Kaufman Prize from the American Academy of Arts & Letters.http://www.nathanenglander.com/ http://nathanenglander.tumblr.com/ https://www.facebook.com/NEnglander https://twitter.com/NathanEnglanderWinner of the FRANK O'CONNOR AWARD - the world's most lucrative and prestigious prize for a short-story collection.Rave reviews across in the USA and UK.One of the THE NEW YORKER's '20 Writers for the 21st Century'.Winner of the PEN/MALAMUD AWARD and the SUE KAUFMAN PRIZE from the American Academy of Arts & Letters.
Orion

Jo Frost's Toddler SOS

By Jo Frost
Jo Frost comes to the toddler rescue in this essential companion to her No. 1 bestseller, CONFIDENT TODDLER CARE.

Jo Frost Saves Our Sanities in this essential toddler guide.

The toddler years can test the most patient and energetic of parents and in this new toddler book, Jo Frost provides her invaluable advice on the hot-spots of toddler care. She answers the most pressing of problems - head on - including: tantrums, whining, potty-training, sleeping and mealtime dilemmas.

This essential guide is the perfect complement to Jo's No. 1 bestselling book CONFIDENT TODDLER CARE and will satisfy all of your toddler questions such as:

How do I get my toddler to eat vegetables?

What do I do when my toddler has a tantrum in public?

How can I get my toddler to sleep through the night?

This is a must-have book for all parents with toddlers. Light-hearted yet authoritative, JO FROST'S TODDLER SOS will provide the answers to parents' most testing questions.

Frost is a nanny for the 21st centuryA far cry from some of the fluffier child-rearing guides on the market, this is solid, practical and easy-to-follow advice.Jo Frost is one of the UK's leading childcare and baby experts. She presents the hit TV show SUPERNANNY and has become the nation's preferred nanny.http://www.jofrost.comhttps://twitter.com/Jo_Frosthttp://www.youtube.com/JoFrostDotCom http://www.ustream.tv/channel/jo-frostJo Frost's CONFIDENT TODDLER CARE was a No. 1 bestseller and has sold over 60,000 copies.Jo Frost's CONFIDENT BABY CARE has sold over 30,000 copies and has become a core stock title.Jo Frost is a household name in childcare and parenting expertise.Jo's approach to raising children is to help parents feel confident and understand their emotional response.
Orion

The Killing Handbook

By Emma Kennedy
Emma Kennedy tells you everything you ever wanted to know about THE KILLING - and more.

Hej! If you've been experiencing an inexplicable longing for rain, long dark nights, and an overwhelming urge to pull on a slightly itchy looking jumper then congratulations - You have Forbrydelsen Fever. There's no need to panic.

This is your chance to get inside the world of Sarah Lund: from the characters, the plot holes and the politics to the language, dating the Danish way and the jumpers...

So if you've ever wondered who cut the CCTV wire outside Lund's flat in series one, why Morten went so far to protect Troels (TROOOOOOOOOELLLLLLS), where you can start your walking tour of Copenhagen from woods to warehouses and the County Hall or even how you can knit your own Lund jumper - this is the book for you.

Emma Kennedy is a superfan and this is her hilarious guide to everything you're going to need to pretend you are Danish, bone up on everything suspicious and transform yourself into Sarah Lund herself.

Written by actress and Celebrity Masterchef-turned-Forbrydelsen fanatic Emma Kennedy, this includes the lowdown on everything from the plot twists from series one to instructions for Knit Your Own Sarah Lunda hilarious vade mecum for fans of the gloomy Danish crime dramadesigned to look like a Danish jumper its contents will send shivers of happiness down the spines of those addicted to the seriesEmma Kennedy is an actress and writer who has appeared in many award-winning comedy shows including Goodness Gracious Me and The Smoking Room. In 2003 she won the Comedy Lounge Best Actress Award for her role in Bill Shakespeare's Italian Job and in 2005 won the British Television Advertising Craft Award for Best Actress. She has been writing for TV and radio for over a decade and has won Sony Awards for the Sunday Format and The Now Show. Her first book was How to Bring Up Your Parents and her website is www.emmakennedy.net.https://twitter.com/EmmaK67 http://www.facebook.com/emma.kennedyPublished to coincide with the third series of THE KILLING and the Christmas market.THE KILLING/FORBRYDELSEN was one of the most talked about TV series of 2011 and alongside Wallander and Borgen, it is part of a 'Nordic Noir' phenomenon.The series recorded viewing figures of 1.4 million on BBC4 but one report puts the total close to 3 million including catch-up. The DVDs are consistently in the Top 100 on Amazon Film and TV.Emma Kennedy is a KILLING superfan. She has written articles about it for the GUARDIAN and the TELEGRAPH and frequently Tweets about the show. She is going to Copenhagen to watch part of the third series being filmed.Sarah Lund is a cult heroine and her jumper has become iconic in its own right. It is the subject of many articles including the GUARDIAN, the INDEPENDENT, and the TELEGRAPH. The company who makes the Faroese jumper have struggled to keep up with the orders and are selling them for EUR280 each.Emma is a brilliant (SUNDAY TIMES bestselling) writer and can bring some humour to the book as well as a lot of readers.THE KILLING got fans talking and the GUARDIAN launched a blog for fans to vent their latest 'whodunit' theory. The blog attracted thousands of comments after each episode.
Orion

Tyrant: Destroyer of Cities

By Christian Cameron
The fifth volume in the scintillating TYRANT series brings the epic siege of Rhodes in 306BC to spectacular life.Demetrius, son of Alexander's former comrade, Antigonus One-Eye, was perhaps the most dashing and charismatic of the Successors, the Macedonian generals who fought a bitter war for the spoils of Alexander's short-lived empire. Still smarting from his epic defeat at the hands of Ptolemy, Demetrius has his eye on one of the richest prizes in the ancient world - the naval superpower of Rhodes. But the Rhodians know that defeat will mean annihilation, and Demetrius's campaign will entail five separate naval battles over several years before he can begin to breach the city walls - leading him to employ an array of fantastic war machines: ancient super-weapons like his gigantic lens of polished bronze used to focus on the city's wooden ramparts and set them ablaze. If she is to survive against such a merciless assault, Rhodes will need the help of every ally she can muster - including the newly crowned King of the Bosporus, Satyrus, and his fiery twin, Melitta...Christian Cameron is a writer, re-enactor and military historian. He is a veteran of the United States Navy, where he served as both an aviator and an intelligence officer. He now lives in Toronto with his wife and daughter, where he writes full time.Ancient historicals are constantly in the bestseller lists, from Conn Iggulden and Bernard Cornwell to Simon Scarrow and Harry Sidebottom. BUT, for scintillating battle scenes, gripping plots and engaging characters, nobody does it better than Christian Cameron.The Tyrant series has already forged a loyal fan base - and with this novel it continues the story of one of the most intriguing, action-packed and hitherto overlooked episodes in ancient history: the wars of Alexander's successors.Features one of the most spectacular campaigns of the ancient world - the Siege of Rhodes in 306BC.
W&N

The Silver Spitfire

By Tom Neil
A brilliantly vivid WWII memoir by one of 'the Few' fighter pilots.

During the build up to the Allied invasion of Northern Europe, Battle of Britain hero Tom 'Ginger' Neil was assigned as an RAF liaison to an American fighter squadron. Acting as a British representative, Neil was tasked with negotiating and overcoming the countless culture clashes that existed between the two allies. From encountering unfamiliar planes and uncomfortable attitudes towards the British to meeting the King of Yugoslavia and General George Patton and falling in love, Neil's time with the Americans was anything but dull.

As the Allies pushed east, Neil commandeered an abandoned Spitfire as his own personal aeroplane. Erasing any evidence of its provenance and stripping it down to bare metal, it became the RAF's only silver Spitfire.

Love affair and culture clashes on hold, he took the silver Spitfire into battle alongside his US comrades until - with the war's end - he was forced to make a difficult decision. Faced with too many questions about the mysterious rogue fighter, he contemplated increasingly desperate measures to offload it, including bailing out mid-Channel. He eventually left the Spitfire at Worthy Down, never to be seen again.

The Silver Spitfire is the first-hand, gripping story of Neil's heroic experience as an RAF fighter pilot and his reminiscences with his very own personal Spitfire.

An icon of battle as well as one of the most successful pilots, Neil is uniquely qualified to tell a story that is both the ultimate military epic and also distinctly personalTom Neil is one of the last of the FewAn icon of battle as well as one of the most successful pilots, Neil is uniquely qualified to tell a story that is both the ultimate military epic and also distinctly personal.The first-hand, gripping story of Neil's heroic experience as an RAF fighter pilot and his reminiscences with his very own personal Spitfire.Wing Commander Tom Neil DFC*, AFC, AE, joined 249 Squadron flying Hurricanes just before the start of the Battle of Britain. He was one of the pilots the War Ministry used in their propoganda at the time of the Battle of Britain, partly because of this height (6'4'') and his good looks. He flew 141 combat missions (few pilots reached 50). His other books include GUN BUTTON TO FIRE, FIGHTER IN MY SIGHTS, and ONWARD TO MALTA. He is 92 and lives in Norwich with his wife Eileen who was a Fighter Command plotter when they met in 1940.Neil is one of four RAF veterans participating in the 2012 Battle of Britain Thanksgiving march at Westminster Abbey this September.Few World War II fighter pilots reached their 50th combat mission. Tom Neil flew 141.He's a fantastically engaging interviewee.In the tradition of Geoffrey Wellum's FIRST LIGHT.
Phoenix

The Prisoner of Heaven

By Carlos Ruiz Zafon
You've read THE SHADOW OF THE WIND - now read what happens next ... Includes Reading Group Notes.

THE PRISONER OF HEAVEN returns to the world of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books and the Sempere & Sons bookshop.

It begins just before Christmas in Barcelona in 1957, one year after Daniel and Bea from THE SHADOW OF THE WIND have married. They now have a son, Julian, and are living with Daniel's father at Sempere & Sons. Fermin still works with them and is busy preparing for his wedding to Bernarda in the New Year. However something appears to be bothering him.

Daniel is alone in the shop one morning when a mysterious figure with a pronounced limp enters. He spots one of their most precious volumes that is kept locked in a glass cabinet, a beautiful and unique illustrated edition of HE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO. Despite the fact that the stranger seems to care little for books, he wants to buy this expensive edition. Then, to Daniel's surprise, the man inscribes the book with the words 'To Fermin Romero de Torres, who came back from the dead and who holds the key to the future'. This visit leads back to a story of imprisonment, betrayal and the return of a deadly rival ...

Carlos Ruiz Zafon's writing is atmospheric, descriptive and totally compelling. His words draw such solid pictures in the head of the reader that the sounds, sights and smells of underground Barcelona jump from the page.Carlos Ruiz Zaf?n is the author of six novels, including the international phenomenon THE SHADOW OF THE WIND, and THE ANGEL'S GAME. His work has been published in more than 40 different languages and honoured with numerous international awards. He divides his time between Barcelona, Spain, and Los Angeles, California.The third in the cycle of novels that began with THE SHADOW OF THE WIND and THE ANGEL'S GAME.This book takes up where THE SHADOW OF THE WIND left off and is very much the story of Fermin, everyone's favourite character from SHADOW.THE SHADOW OF THE WIND was a Richard & Judy Best Read and has sold 15 million copies worldwide, with 1.4 million copies sold in the UK alone.THE ANGEL'S GAME was the fastest selling novel ever in Spain, and was an instant SUNDAY TIMES bestseller in the UK.This long-awaited novel will attract massive media attention.All his previous novels have received terrific reviews.
Orion Childrens

About Zooming Time, Opal Moonbaby!

By Maudie Smith
Sparkling, original and fun - Opal Moonbaby, the alien who came to stay, is back, and this time she's going to school in this brilliant new series for 7+ girls.

Opal Moonbaby is spending a year on Earth. A whole year! Martha can't wait to take her to school, to introduce her to her friends and to recreate all the fun they had during the summer.

But things don't turn out quite as expected and before Martha knows it, Opal is off making new friends, doing new things and throwing herself into life on Earth - and Martha can't keep up. When Opal's Uncle Bixie warns them that the nasty Mercurials, enemies from their home planet of Carnelia, are on their way to Earth, planning mischief, Martha begins to worry. But Opal is far too busy making friends to be bothering about those stupid Mercurials. Besides, her eyes would z-ray them immediately and she'd dazzle-kick them all the way back to Carnelia. Wouldn't she?

A really unusual book with two excellent heroines.Opal Moonbaby is one of the most entertaining and colourful characters I have had the pleasure of spending time with... I am in awe of the powers of Maudie Smith's imagination. How she comes up with such unique and entertaining characters and settings, I have no idea...I would buy this series for any young girl, who enjoys comical tales and knows the true meaning of friendship. A blooming, zooming, fantabulous read!The sequel to the brilliant Opal Moonbaby and a real treat for the tween girl. Highly recommended.You'll also realise that this is a book for the girl who is comfortable with reading and can appreciate what great fun words can be. I giggled my way through the book - and at my age that is Simply Not Dignified.This is a touching story that had me laughing out loud. I highly recommend this book, it is so much fun!A magical adventure about friendship and family that's out of this world.Debut author, Maudie Smith began her career as an actor. She spent years perching on scenery in the back of a van, while touring with a small-scale theatre company. In children's theatre, she played well-known characters such as Piglet and the Snow Queen. She co-devised many of the plays in which she performed and has written lyrics for musicals, cabaret and a libretto. She recently graduated from Bath Spa University with an MA in Writing for Young People. Maudie lives in a village near Bath with her screenwriter husband, two daughters, two cats, two chickens and far too many stick insects.Heartwarming, hilarious new series for 7+ girls about trust, difference, friendship - and ALIENS!Second book from an author who writes with charm, humour, and insight.A brilliant, madcap, quirky, original character that children will love - Opal Moonbaby.Liz Kessler for younger readers - this is a classic in the making.Transports you to the alien world of Carnelia, packed with the weird and the wonderful - scoff capsules, mingles, hydrophones, swimbats and fantariums.
Orion

Jellybird

By Lezanne Clannachan
A chilling debut of first love, damage and a brutal murder.

'I'm good at secrets,' Libby says. Yes, thinks Jessica, I bet you are . . .

Jessica should have everything to make her happy: a loving husband, a growing reputation as a jewellery designer, hope for a family of her own in the future. Then she meets Libby - flattering, attentive - and believes she has found the friendship she missed out on as a child. Until Jessica catches her husband and Libby alone, heads together in whispered collusion.

With her life unravelling, Jessica flees home to the seaside town where she grew up. The discovery of an old postcard among her childhood belongings sends Jessica in search of her first love, Thomas, 'the ghost boy' who disappeared one night seventeen years ago. The last time Jessica saw Thomas he was covered in blood and begging her to hide him. Now to find him, Jessica must confront the secrets that link her to Libby, the missing boy and a brutal murder.

Jellybird, a dark, unsettling novel of childhood secrets, is the remarkable debut from Lezanne Clannachan.

A tremendous debut with real psychological texture. The plotting is subtle, the balance between past and present finely judged, the prose fresh and preciseA book to devour in one sitting, Jellybird is a dark and unsettling thriller from exciting new voice Lezanne ClannachanThis is a nail-biting debut full of twists and betrayal - an author to look for again.Lezanne Clannachan was born in Denmark before moving to England when she was fourteen. After university, she lived in Singapore for several years before moving to London to work in marketing and event management. Married with three children, Lezanne lives in West Sussex in a haunted house.Lezanne Clannachan is a terrific new voice reminiscent of Sophie Hannah and Julia Crouch.Pre-empted at London Book Fair 2012; numerous foreign sales are following.This is a haunting novel of childhood nostalgia and menace.ONE HALF OF THE TRUTH was shortlisted for the Cinnamon Press Novel Writing Competition 2010.Lezanne has had three short stories published in Cinnamon Press anthologies and most recently, her short story BURIAL won the NEW WRITER AND PROSE AND POETRY AWARDS.This is a perfect choice for reading groups.
Orion

We Are Here

By Michael Marshall, Sinem Erkas
An intelligent, page-turning thriller from the international bestselling author of THE STRAW MEN.

It should have been the greatest day of David's life. A trip to New York, wife by his side, to visit his new publisher. Finally, after years of lonely struggle it looks as though the gods of fate are on his side. But on the way back to Penn station, a chance encounter changes all of that. David bumps into a man who covertly follows him and, just before he boards the train, passes by him close enough to whisper: 'Remember me.'

When the stranger turns up in his home town, David begins to understand that this man wants something from him...something very personal that he may have no choice but to surrender.

Meanwhile, back in New York, ex-lawyer John Henderson does his girlfriend Kristina a favour and agrees to talk to Catherine Warren, an acquaintance of hers who believes she's being stalked by an ex-lover. But soon John realises that Catherine's problem is far more complex and terrifying than he could ever have imagined...

There are people out there in the shadows, watching, waiting. They are the forgotten. And they're about to turn.

An intelligent and profoundly unsettling novelOn one hand this is an absorbing thriller, on the other it provokes us to mistrust our perceptions of reality, to doubt the facts of our familiar surroundings... Engrossing and uncanny.Yet another engrossing thriller from an author who remains a cut above the rest, always writing from the heart, aches and all. We Are Here... and we're not going anywhere.Another winner from a master of his game, We Are Here is a welcome addition to Michael Marshall's growing catalogue. Part crime, part horror, part urban fantasy, it should appeal to new and old readers alike with its mixture of dark comedy, horror, mystery and abrupt violence. Fast-paced, tightly-plotted and beautifully-written, We Are Here packs thrills and chills into an intelligent story that, despite its fantastical elements, never loses its plausibility or sense of realism.There's loads to enjoy here, and more than a handful of properly creepy moments and paranoid situations. After all, who's never had the nagging thought that someone's been through their stuff, or re-arranged their belongings, or might - just might - be in their house right now?Michael Marshall was born in England but spent his early years in the United States, South Africa and Australia. He read Philosophy and Social and Political Science at King's College, Cambridge, before publishing his first novel in 1994. His critically acclaimed novels have won a string of awards and his breakout blockbuster, THE STRAW MEN, was a SUNDAY TIMES bestseller, consequently becoming an internationally bestselling sensation. Marshall has also worked extensively as a screenwriter, writing for clients in both LA and London. He lives in Santa Cruz and Brighton with his wife and son.Michael Marshall is a SUNDAY TIMES Top 10 bestseller.He is an award-winning author on both sides of the Atlantic.His books written under the name Michael Marshall Smith have won the BRITISH FANTASY AWARD five times.His recent novel, THE INTRUDERS, is currently in series development with the BBC and his second novel, SPARES, has been optioned for film by Dreamworks.THE STRAW MEN was an international besteller and received rave reviews.
Orion Childrens

Sun Catcher

By Sheila Rance
A sweeping magical reality adventure inspired by the Bronze Age Far East, in which Maia undertakes a dangerous quest to find her place as a Sun Catcher and saviour of her people.

On her 13th birthday Maia, who has been brought up by Tareth, the weaver and warrior who she has always believed is her father, falls into an adventure that will take her on a perilous journey to a kingdom poisoned by bitterness and jealousies. A kingdom that she must save. Tareth is no ordinary weaver - the silk he weaves sings of destiny and danger, of Maia's future. Because she is no ordinary girl either. She has always been the flame-headed outsider among the Cliff Dwellers, but she doesn't want to listen to the song of the silk, or to the terrifying words of the village Watcher. Guarding her secret, denying her future, Maia steps into places she has never explored where she'll encounter mercenaries, spies, friends and enemies. And where she will face her destiny as a Sun Catcher.

Exotically located in the Far East in an age when trading and communities were gaining more exposure to a wider world than ever before, this debut novel is beautifully, richly written, thoroughly researched and a pleasure to read.

... it's hard not to be won over by the zest and originality of Sheila Rance's debut novel Sun Catcher, set in the Bronze Age Far East... Sun Catcher is a fine and unusual children's tale.And so the quest is set in this, although first part of a trilogy, completely self-contained story. Reading the book what came across was a love of nature what with the animals such as the leopard, eagle, lizard and moths that adorn the cover. Plus the animals have names, and the relationships with the humans are close, together with a touch of magic.Flame-haired Maia has known she was different from the Cave Dwellers since the day many years before when she and her father Tareth were washed up, half-drowned, on their beach. But now she is thirteen, and her destiny as the Sun Catcher who must save a distant land from failed harvests and starvation is slowly revealed to her.Sheila Rance works as a teacher and dyslexia tutor in Sussex. She recently studied for an MA in Children's Literature at Bath Spa University, where SUN CATCHER won the annual UNITED ARTISTS' PRIZE for the most promising first 15,000 words of a children's novel in her final year. It was also shortlisted in the Chicken House MA Graduate Children's Author competition. Her research is thorough and makes full use of the internet, as well as travel.In the tradition of the international bestselling Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series: a stunning new voice and a major new talent.Book 1 of a hotly anticipated trilogy that will appeal to middle grade readers and fans of Michelle Paver and Rick Riordan.Exotic Far East settings and Bronze Age inspiration, rich, multi-layered story telling and historical research combine to deliver an engrossing and rewarding novel.High five-figure pre-empt from Germany.Bound proofs available.Major marketing and publicity support.
The late much-loved author has won the Popular Fiction Prize for A WEEK IN WINTER.

Maeve Binchy triumphs at Bord Gais Energy Irish Book Awards

Maeve Binchy triumphed for one last time last night when she won the Popular Fiction prize at this year's Bord Gais Energy Irish Book Awards.
Gollancz

Wolfhound Century

By Peter Higgins
A gripping SF thriller in a brilliantly realised alternative Russia - a superb debut.A thousand miles east of Mirgorod, the great capital city of the Vlast, deep in the ancient forest, lies the most recent fallen angel, its vast stone form half-buried and fused into the rock by the violence of impact. As its dark energy leeches into the crash site, so a circle of death expands around it, slowly - inexorably - killing everything it touches. Alone in the wilderness, it reaches out with its mind.

The endless forest and its antique folklore are no concern to Inspector Vissarion Lom, summoned to the capital in order to catch a terrorist - and ordered to report directly to the head of the secret police. A totalitarian state, worn down by an endless war, must be seen to crush home-grown terrorism with an iron fist. But Lom discovers Mirgorod to be more corrupted than he imagined: a murky world of secret police and revolutionaries, cabaret clubs and doomed artists. Lom has been chosen because he is an outsider, not involved in the struggle for power within the party. And because of the sliver of angel stone implanted in his head at the children's home.

Lom's investigation reveals a conspiracy that extends to the top echelons of the party. When he exposes who - or rather what - is the controlling intelligence behind this, it is time for the detective to change sides. Pursued by rogue police agents and their man-crushing mudjhik, Lom must protect Kantor's step-daughter Maroussia, who has discovered what is hidden beneath police headquarters: a secret so ancient that only the forest remembers. As they try to escape the capital and flee down river, elemental forces are gathering. The earth itself is on the move.Well paced action.. This world of a totalitarian state pitted against equally extremist revolutionaries is gripping... a solid page-turner.We can expect great things of Peter Higgins... his debut novel is uniquely intriguing.Wolfhound Century is an extraordinarily accomplished debut from a real master of atmosphere. Peter Higgins has managed to create a completely unique fantasy world with a plot that wouldn't be out of place in a modern day thriller.The surprises keep on coming ... but quietly and subtly, like a dreaded knock on the door of an apartment in a brutalist concrete tower block in the dead of night. [An] excellent debut novel.[The] vivid descriptions and pulsing action sequences are very reminiscent of Fleming. Add this to a sci fi mystery, blending an alternate totalitarian state with an ancient mythical world and you have a potent mix.There is much to admire in Higgins's writing, and his fantastical inventions are compelling and enjoyable. It's certainly an intriguing thriller. The plot unfolds swiftly and with an engaging clarity. You turn the pages, eager for clues. Events happen. People you were coming to think of as major players get brutally murdered. Still there is a mystery at the heart of things. The world Higgins creates is immersive and often compelling.With a beautifully descriptive style, this imaginative thriller is impossible to put down.Whilst Wolfhound Century may be just the first chunk of a bigger story, it is still a finely-written and compelling story. Higgins has created an engrossing fantasy world which is a million miles away from the more played-out ends of the genre and all the better for it.Brilliant world-building, great writing, and a pace that challenges you to put it down and then slaps you in the face with a constant niggling itch to return - a truly excellent debut, and Higgins' writing style ensures it just keeps flowing: in merely describing something as simple as a dash through rain-soaked streets, the author leaves you reaching for a towel and shivering from the clinging damp that lingers long after you've moved further down the page. Very highly recommended.Every so often there comes along a book that manages to make you go wow, one that stands out as a book that is destined to become a classic. Last year Osama was such a book; this year Wolfhound Century takes that honour. an incredibly rich, rewarding novel that has an amazing feeling of depth. The use of an alternative noir-tinged Russia complete with the authoritarian, iron-fisted and deeply corrupt bureaucracy works brilliantly with the plodding world-weary gumshoe narrative and bleak, angel-wrought alternative world. The immersion is absolute, carried forward by the rich quality to the prose that borders on the poetic in places.Wolfhound Century is Peter Higgins' debut novel and what a way to begin. There is a strong emphasis on the magical and mythical, with living embodiments of the forest and nature itself interacting with human characters. There's also a strong strand urging people not to be too ambitious and overreach, but to be grounded and in touch with the world around them; this is a frequent theme in fairytales as well as science fiction. It also has that kind of gothic sensibility, where characters play god, creating new strange creatures like the Eastern European 'Golem' but also like Shelley's Frankenstein. Add to this a view of a city inexplicably in flux, ever changing but without explanation, magical or scientific and you have something with the feeling of the most magical realist works of Neil Gaiman.His prose style is splendid, his world-building comes across as immersive and encompassing, with hints of a greater world than the plot dictates, and the plot is enticing and promising in and of itself. Beautiful prose, elegant book, exciting times.Like vintage China Mieville, but with all the violent narrative thriller drive of Ian Fleming at his edgiest.An amazing, fast-paced story in a fantasy world poised dangerously on the edge of quantum probability, a world where angels war with reality.I absolutely loved WOLFHOUND CENTURY. Higgins's world is a truly original creation, Russian cosmism and Slavic mythology filtered through steampunk and le Carre. What really captured me was his beautiful style and language: his metaphors and associations flow smoothly like the waters of the Mir, and, like Lom without his angel stone, make you see the world in a new way.Peter Higgins read English at Oxford University and Queen's, Ontario. He was a Junior Research Fellow at Wolfson College, Oxford and worked in the British Civil Service. His short stories have appeared in Fantasy: Best of the Year 2007, Best New Fantasy 2, Asimov's Science Fiction, Fantasy Magazine, Zahir and Revelation, and in Russian translation in the St Petersburg magazine Esli. He lives with his family in South Wales.A powerful new voice in the genre.Will appeal to readers of CHILD 44 and other Russia-based novels as well as alt-history and SF readers.Author is UK based and keen to promote.Bought after a fiercely fought auction.
Orion

The Glass Rainbow

By James Lee Burke
Dave Robicheaux is on the trail of a serial killer, while trying to protect his daughter from a boyfriend with a dark side, in the eighteenth novel in James Lee Burke's classic series.

When Dave Robicheaux gets the call saying his ex-partner Clete Purcel is in jail for felony assault and resisting arrest, bailing him out is instinctive. After all, Clete is the man who saved Dave's life by carrying him down a fire escape with two bullets in his back. But Clete's latest escapade isn't just worrying because it shows his demons are gaining the upper hand; it also brings some of those demons into Dave's life, in the most personal way possible.

The man Clete assaulted, a big-time pimp and meth dealer is a suspect in the murder of a series of young women - but his criminal activities are hidden behind his involvement in a charity aimed at getting young women off the streets. As Dave probes the charity further, he finds that its main sponsor is the smooth-talking scion of a wealthy family, and a man whose motives Dave instinctively mistrusts. He also happens to be Dave's daughter's boyfriend.

With the atmosphere as thick as the fug of Louisiana's swamps, Burke displays a poetic vein that sets him apart from most crime writers. He also knows how to tell a cracking story.A deeply lyrical howl of outrage from a master.A superior piece of crime fiction.James Lee Burke is the author of many previous novels, including twelve featuring Detective Dave Robicheaux. He has been awarded Edgar Awards for Black Cherry Blues and Cimarron Rose, the CWA Gold Dagger for Sunset Limited, the Louisiana Writer Award and the MWA's Grand Master Award. He lives with his wife, Pearl, in Missoula, Montana and New Iberia, Louisiana.He has written many novels and has won numerous awards including a BREADLOAF and GUGGENHEIM FELLOWSHIP, two EDGARS for BEST CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR and the CWA GOLD DAGGER, establishing himself as one of America's most revered writers.His novel Heaven's Prisoners, Two For Texas and In the Electric Mist With Confederate Dead have been made into motion pictures.His novel The Lost Get-Back Boogie was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.James Lee Burke's reputation as a crime fiction giant is well established.Includes Reading Group Notes.
Orion

Crusader's Cross

By James Lee Burke
America's most acclaimed crime writer returns to Louisiana and one of the best-loved detectives in fiction, Dave Robicheaux.

In the summer of 1958, Dave Robicheaux and his half-brother Jimmie are just out of high school. Jimmie and Dave get work with an oil company, laying out rubber cables in the bays and mosquito-infested swamps all along the Louisiana-Texas coastline. But on the Fourth of July, change approaches in the form of Ida Durbin, a sweet-faced young woman with a lovely voice and a mandolin. Jimmie falls instantly in love with her. But Ida's not free to love - she's a prostitute, in hock to a brutal man called Kale. Jimmie agrees to meet Ida at the bus depot, ready for the road to Mexico. But Ida never shows.

That was many years ago. Now, an older, well-worn Dave walks into Baptist Hospital to visit a man called Troy Bordelon, who wants to free himself of a dark secret before he dies. A bully and a sadist, he has a lot to confess to - but he chooses to talk about a young girl, a prostitute who he glimpsed briefly as a kid, bloodied and beaten, tied to a chair in his uncle's house

The characters and atmosphere are, as ever, first rateJames Lee Burke is the author of many previous novels, including twelve featuring Detective Dave Robicheaux. He has been awarded Edgar Awards for Black Cherry Blues and Cimarron Rose, the CWA Gold Dagger for Sunset Limited, the Louisiana Writer Award and the MWA's Grand Master Award. He lives with his wife, Pearl, in Missoula, Montana and New Iberia, Louisiana.Another brilliant installation in the Dave Robicheaux series from an award-winning author.With a brilliant series style, new author branding and new title branding, these novels are brought up-to-date and made accessible to a new wave of crime fiction readers.James Lee Burke is a classic and a must-read for all crime fiction fans. He's won the CWA Gold Dagger and two Edgar Awards for best novel of the year.
W&N

The Fishing Fleet

By Anne de Courcy
The untold stories of the young women who went out to India during the Raj in search of husbands.

From the late 19th century, when the Raj was at its height, many of Britain's best and brightest young men went out to India to work as administrators, soldiers and businessmen. With the advent of steam travel and the opening of the Suez Canal, countless young women, suffering at the lack of eligible men in Britain, followed in their wake. This amorphous band was composed of daughters returning after their English education, girls invited to stay with married sisters or friends, and yet others whose declared or undeclared goal was simply to find a husband. They were known as the Fishing Fleet, and this book is their story, hitherto untold.


For these young women, often away from home for the first time, one thing they could be sure of was a rollicking good time. By the early twentieth century, a hectic social scene was in place, with dances, parties, amateur theatricals, picnics, tennis tournaments, cinemas, gymkhanas with perhaps a tiger shoot and a glittering dinner at a raja's palace thrown in. And, with men outnumbering women by roughly four to one, romances were conducted at alarming speed and marriages were frequent. But after the honeymoon life often changed dramatically: whisked off to a remote outpost with few other Europeans for company and where constant vigilance was required to guard against disease, they found it a far cry from the social whirlwind of their first arrival.


Anne de Courcy's sparkling narrative is enriched by a wealth of first-hand sources - unpublished memoirs, letters and diaries rescued from attics - which bring this forgotten era vividly to life.

This book is highly evocative... De Courcy takes the reader through an enchanted worldThe Fishing Fleet is an entertaining, richly detailed account of a world that vanished overnight in 1947 with independenceThe Fishing Fleet is a fascinating and evocatively told history, which summons both the exoticism of India under British rule and the lives and characters of the women who risked all for a husbandlively and well-researchedAnne de Courcy combines the perseverance of a social historian with the panache of a novelist in her tales from the Raj... she vividly and cleverly evokes the ironclad social culture of rank and race, the oppression of expatriate life once a husband was bagged and boredom set inA seasoned social historian, Anne de Courcy brilliantly evokes the era, often by allowing her heroines to do the talking. We hear vivid contemporary descriptions of everything from tiger hunts and tea dances to the agonies of prickly heat... the women who married into the Raj were true adventurers. de Courcy's book restores their proper reputation: as brave, sometimes batty, irredeemably British heroinesDe Courcy tells their story with perspicacity and aplombThrough heat, dust, lust and wedlock, de Courcy's memsahibs step a lively danceAnne de Courcy's sparkling book is an unalloyed delightThis is a fascinating account of the rules, roles and relations of the British RajThis entertaining book...paints a broad picture of life in the Raj...memorable events are retold with zest and humour...Their stories are a perfect read for a cruise ship sailing eastwards or a deckchair in the sunbrilliantly researched, skilfully constructed and full of delightsAn entertaining and insightful romp...De Courcy has a remarkable talent for analysing subtle questions about Victorian and Edwardian femininity, politics, the empire, love and the nature of marriage. She is convincing, entrancing even. Quite simply she is a wonderful storytellerde Courcy's delightful tale...draws on unpublished memoirs, leters and diaries to bring to life a hitherto under-explored aspect of life in the Raja fascinating corner of British social history...a jolly good readilluminating volumeAnne de Courcy has used many unique sources, such as letters, diaries and memoirs to explore the 'Fishing Fleet' phenomenon, telling individual stories with insight and eloquence. Crammed with colourful detail of life in British India, it is a revelation - and a rollicking good readFrom the late 19th century, when the Raj was at its height, many of Britain's best and brightest young men went out to India to work as administrators, and businessmen - and many young women followed in their wake. Anne de Courcy tells of the lively social life and the contrasting, remote worlds where the resulting marriagese often ended upA vivid, well-written book, and a delightful readfascinating and very readablea rich and exhilarating study of an ancient sport known as 'getting your man to the altar'the richly evocative story of the women who sailed out to the Indian Raj in search of husbands. A fascinating era and a picture of a closed world and society long gone but which the author recaptures vividlyAnne de Courcy's entertaining book... may prove perhaps to be the last of a kind, a nostalgic, non-judgmental look bacKAnne de Courcy is a well-known writer and journalist. In the 1970s she was Woman's Editor on the London Evening News and in the 1980s she was a regular feature-writer for the Evening Standard. She is also a former feature writer and reviewer for the Daily Mail. Her recent books include THE VICEROY'S DAUGHTERS and DEBS AT WAR.http://www.annedecourcy.com/A fascinating subject with a broad appeal, touching on themes of empire, women's history and high-society life.Anne de Courcy's books always gain excellent reviews.
W&N

Brazil

By Michael Palin
Michael Palin, the No. 1 bestselling author, explores an exotic country now a global superpower.Brazil is one of the four new global super powers with its vast natural resources and burgeoning industries. Half a continent in size and a potent mix of races, religions and cultures, of unexplored wildernesses and bustling modern cities, it is also one of the few countries Michael Palin has never fully travelled. In a new series for BBC1 - his first for five years - he explores in his inimitable way this vast and disparate nation. From the Venezuelan border and the forests of the Lost World where he encounters the Yanomami and their ongoing territorial war with the gold miners, he follows Teddy Roosevelt's disastrous expedition of 1914. Journeys by river to the headwaters of the Xingu, by plane over huge tracts of forest, by steam train and by road along the Trans-Amazonica allow him to reach a kaleidoscopic mix of peoples: the indigenous hunter-gatherers of the interior, the descendents of African slaves with their vibrant culture of rituals and festivals and music, the large community of German descent who celebrate their patrimony at the biggest beer festival outside Munich, and the wealthy guachas of the Pantanal amongst them. His journey ends at the border with Uruguay and the spectacular Iguacu Falls.The prose of his travel writing is... economical, descriptive and rarely repetitive, making for a fluid, compulsive and engrossing read.Palin does his job as a travel writer very well indeed. He knows how to entertain the reader at first, resists any temptation to lecture, then builds up a slow boil of interest before teasing out some answers through some skilful interviewing. The resulting mosaic of opinions draws out a fascinating composite picture of a nation.Michael Palin's Brazil is a good primer, written in the same chatty style as he uses in the television seriesMichael Palin established his reputation with MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS and RIPPING YARNS. His work also includes several films with Monty Python, as well as THE MISSIONARY, A PRIVATE FUNCTION, an award-winning performance as the hapless Ken in A FISH CALLED WANDA and, more recently, AMERICAN FRIENDS and FIERCE CREATURES. His television credits include two films for the BBC's GREAT RAILWAY JOURNEYS, the plays EAST OF IPSWICH and NUMBER 27, and Alan Bleasdale's GBH. He has written books to accompany his six very successful travel series, AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS, POLE TO POLE, FULL CIRCLE, HEMINGWAY ADVENTURE, SAHARA and HIMALAYA. He is also the author of a number of children's stories, the play THE WEEKEND and the novel HEMINGWAY'S CHAIR.www.palinstravels.co.ukHis TV series regularly outperform all other television documentary series by a very large factor, achieving huge audiences of between 9 and 11 million, and winning many prestigious awards.His books dominate the bestseller lists - Himalaya, Sahara and New Europe were all no 1 bestsellers and Himalaya was No1 for 11 consecutive weeks.The new series is scheduled for peak-time viewing this autumn on BBC1.