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‘When Tom Holt’s on form, the world seems a much cheerier place’ – SFX

‘Frantically wacky and wilfully confusing … gratifyingly clever and very amusing’ – MAIL ON SUNDAY

Once upon a time (or last Thursday, as it’s known in this matrix) everything was fine: Humpty Dumpty sat on his wall, Jack and Jill went about their lawful business, the Big Bad Wolf did what big bad wolves do, and the wicked queen plotted murder most foul.

But the humans hacked, cried havoc, shut down the wicked queen’s system (mirrors 3.1) and corrupted her database – and suddenly everything was not fine at all. But at least we know that they’ll all live happily ever after. Don’t we?

Computers and fairy tales collide to hilarious effect in the latest sparkling cocktail of mayhem, wit and wonder from the master of comic fantasy.

Books by Tom Holt:

Walled Orchard Series
Goatsong
The Walled Orchard

J.W. Wells & Co. Series
The Portable Door
In Your Dreams
Earth, Air, Fire and Custard
You Don’t Have to Be Evil to Work Here, But It Helps
The Better Mousetrap
May Contain Traces of Magic
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Sausages

YouSpace Series
Doughnut
When It’s A Jar
The Outsorcerer’s Apprentice
The Good, the Bad and the Smug

Novels
Expecting Someone Taller
Who’s Afraid of Beowulf
Flying Dutch
Ye Gods!
Overtime
Here Comes the Sun
Grailblazers
Faust Among Equals
Odds and Gods
Djinn Rummy
My Hero
Paint your Dragon
Open Sesame
Wish you Were Here
Alexander at World’s End
Only Human
Snow White and the Seven Samurai
Olympiad
Valhalla
Nothing But Blue Skies
Falling Sideways
Little People
Song for Nero
Meadowland
Barking
Blonde Bombshell
The Management Style of the Supreme Beings
An Orc on the Wild Side

‘Armstrong is quite deft at making Savannah simultaneously formidable, sympathetic and real. . . . A quick and fun read, Waking the Witch is . . . a good starting point for readers new to Armstrong.’ – The Miami Herald

‘Kelley Armstrong must have decided one day to throw every genre she could imagine — mystery, horror, supernatural thriller, romance and chick lit — into her writerly cauldron. What she conjured up is the hilariously hip Women of the Otherworld series.’ – Calgary Herald

Columbus is a small, fading town, untouched by the twenty-first century. But when three young women are found dead – victims of what appear to be ritual murders – things start to get very dark, and very dangerous . . .

Private investigator Savannah Levine can handle ‘dark and dangerous’. As the daughter of a black witch, she has a lot of power running through her veins, and she’s not afraid to use it. But her arrival in Columbus has not gone unnoticed. Savannah may think she’s tracking down a murderer, but could she be the killer’s next target?

Of course she could always ask her old friend (and half-demon) Adam Vasic for backup. But Savannah has her own – very personal – reasons for keeping Adam well away from Columbus. And in any case, she can rely on her own powers. Can’t she . . . ?

Books by Kelley Armstrong:

Women of the Otherworld series
Bitten
Stolen
Dime Store Magic
Industrial Magic
Haunted
Broken
No Humans Involved
Personal Demon
Living with the Dead
Frost Bitten
Walking the Witch
Spellbound
Thirteen

Nadia Stafford
Exit Strategy
Made to be Broken
Wild Justice

Rockton
City of the Lost
A Darkness Absolute
This Fallen Prey
Watcher in the Woods
Alone in the Wild

Darkest Powers
The Summoning
The Awakening
The Reckoning

Otherworld Tales
Men of the Otherworld
Tales of the Otherworld
Otherworld Nights
Otherworld Secrets
Otherworld Chills

Darkness Rising
The Gathering
The Calling
The Rising

Cainsville
Omens
Visions
Deceptions
Betrayals
Rituals

***50 MILLION TERRY BROOKS COPIES SOLD AROUND THE WORLD***

THE SHANNARA CHRONICLES IS NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES

‘Terry’s place is at the head of the fantasy world’ Philip Pullman

Fifty years from now, our world looks very different. Governments have fallen. Thousands live in fortified strongholds; others roam the landscape as either predator or prey. Standing against the forces that have tipped the balance from good to evil are a very few heroes, men and women imbued with powerful magic and sworn to a high destiny.

Logan Tom is one of those heroes. He’s on a desperate quest to deliver the street kids he rescued in Seattle to safety. So, too, is Angel Perez, who is leading a second group in the Oregon wilderness where she encounters the long-hidden Elves of Cintra. And Hawk – just learning his magic – has an encounter with the mystical King of the Silver River, who promises safety for both humans and elves – if only they can reach him. . .


Praise for Terry Brooks:

‘A master of the craft . . . required reading’ Brent Weeks

‘I can’t even begin to count how many of Terry Brooks’s books I’ve read (and re-read) over the years’ Patrick Rothfuss, author of The Name of the Wind

‘I would not be writing epic fantasy today if not for Shannara‘ Peter V. Brett, author of The Painted Man

‘If you haven’t read Terry Brooks, you haven’t read fantasy’ Christopher Paolini, author of Eragon


The Genesis of Shannara trilogy:

ARMAGEDDON’S CHILDREN
THE ELVES OF CINTRA
THE GYPSY MORPH

In 2008, American journalist Jere Van Dyk was kidnapped and held for 45 days. At the time, he had no idea who his kidnappers were. They demanded a ransom and the release of three of their comrades from Guantanamo, yet they hinted at their ties to Pakistan and to the Haqqani network, a uniquely powerful group that now holds the balance of power in large parts of Afghanistan and the tribal areas of Pakistan. After his release, Van Dyk wrote a book about his capture and what it took to survive in this most hostile of circumstances. Yet he never answered the fundamental questions that his kidnapping raised: Why was he taken? Why was he released? And who saved his life?

Every kidnapping is a labyrinth in which the certainties of good and bad, light and dark are merged in the quiet dialogues and secret handshakes that accompany a release or a brutal fatality. In The Trade, Jere Van Dyk uses the sinuous path of his own kidnapping to explain the recent rise in the taking of Western hostages across the greater Middle East. He discovers that he was probably not taken by the anonymous “Taliban,” as he thought, but by the very people who helped arrange his trip and then bargained for his release. It was not a matter of chance: CBS, Van Dyk’s employer at the time, launched a secret rescue and, he learned later, paid an undisclosed ransom to a tribal chief who controlled the area in which he was kidnapped and who delivered him and his guide safely to a US Army base.

In 2013, Van Dyk returned to the Middle East to unravel the links among jihadist groups, specifically that of the Haqqani network. His investigation finally paid off in 2015, when Van Dyk was taken to a discreet room in a guesthouse in Islamabad where he met Ibrahim Haqqani, part of the leadership of the Haqqani network who has been seen by very few outsiders since 9/11. There, Van Dyk learned of the Haqqanis’ links to Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the ISI, and the CIA and their involvement in the kidnapping of Bowe Bergdahl and many others.

Back in the United States, Van Dyk saw the other side of the kidnapping labyrinth as he became involved with other former hostages and the families of recent kidnapping victims murdered by the Islamic State. Van Dyk’s investigation shows how America’s foreign policy strategy, the terrible cynicism of the kidnappers, and a world of shadowy interlocutors who play both sides of many bargains combine to create a brutal business out of the exchange of individual human lives for vast sums of money.

The chances are good that every one of us will become a caregiver at some point in our lives. We come to this challenge in the most personal way possible,we want to help someone we love, but we don’t know how, and we’re afraid of losing ourselves in this daunting task. If you have picked up this book, you are probably a caring person. You may prove that every day by helping someone who is elderly or developmentally disabled or who suffers from a physical or mental illness.It helps to know that Rosalynn Carter, former First Lady and a director of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Human Development, which is committed to studying caregiving issues, knows firsthand the challenges of this labour of love. From her own personal experience as a caregiver for her father and grandfather and from that of hundreds of caregivers she has encountered before, during, and since her years in the White House, Mrs. Carter knows that caregiving can be rewarding, but also lonely, stressful, confusing, and frustrating.In Helping Yourself Help Others , Mrs. Carter writes, Caregivers give so much of themselves and sometimes receive very little in return. The purpose of this book is to encourage you, to empathize with you, and to advocate for your special needs. I hope it will help you have an easier and more enjoyable life.”Mrs. Carter addresses the issues most caregivers face. How do you avoid burnout,the sense of feeling completely overwhelmed and unrewarded? How do you balance your responsibilities as a caregiver with the rest of your life? How can you enlist the aid of other family members? How can you educate yourself about your loved one’s condition and work more effectively with the health care team? When is an institution the right choice for your loved one? How can you access helpful associations, literature and government aid? (A helpful appendix lists hundreds of resources.) Helping Yourself Help Others is a rare combination of a warmly personal account of caregiving and a reassuring, clear-eyed guidebook that offers practical solutions to caregiver’s typical problems. Filled with empathy, this sensitive, encouraging guide will help you meet a difficult challenge head-on and find fulfillment and empowerment in your caregiving role.

The world tells us that having a good job, owning your own business, money, fame, and influence are all important for a successful life. If we don’t have them, we feel like a failure. But even when we achieve them, we still end up unhappy, unfulfilled, or lonely.

God wants us to be successful, but His definition of success is not the same as the world’s definition. The truth is, God’s way of achieving the dreams and desires that truly fulfil us and bring genuine joy to our lives is very different-and that is what we need.

In The Pathway to Success, you will discover a deeper understanding of what it means to seek success God’s way. Through her practical, relatable insights based on God’s Word, beloved Bible teacher Joyce Meyer reveals how to actively pursue the keys to true, lasting success. Full of rich encouragement and timeless wisdom, The Pathway to Success will allow you to refocus your life and fulfil your God-given destiny as you walk out the purpose He’s planned for you.

‘A thrilling and often hilarious road trip across America in the very near future, told by a winning and murderous narrator’ Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl

Sleepwalk’s hero, Will Bear, is a man with so many aliases that he simply thinks of himself as the Barely Blur. At fifty years old, he’s been living off the grid for over half his life. A good-natured henchman with a complicated and lonely past and a passion for LSD microdosing, he spends his time hopscotching across state lines in his beloved camper van, running sometimes shady often dangerous errands for a powerful and ruthless operation he’s never troubled himself to learn too much about.

Out of the blue, one of Will’s many burner phones heralds a call from a twenty-year-old woman claiming to be his biological daughter. She says she’s the product of one of his long-ago sperm donations; he’s half certain she’s AI. She needs his help. She’s entrenched in a widespread and nefarious plot involving Will’s employers, and for Will to continue to have any contact with her increasingly fuzzes the line between the people he is working for and the people he’s running from.

With his signature blend of haunting emotional realism and fast-paced intrigue, Dan Chaon populates his fractured America with characters who ring all too true. Sleepwalk examines where we’ve been and where we’re going and the connections that bind us, no matter how far we travel to dodge them or how cleverly we hide.

‘Dan Chaon has given us one of the most intriguing, original, and fully-realized characters in recent memory; that he’s the center of an absolute page-turner is the icing on the cake. Sleepwalk is riveting, propulsive, chilling, and (no shocker) pure genius’ Rebecca Makkai, author of The Great Believers

‘Brixton Hill shares the confident sheen of its predecessors and offers [Moggach’s] most accomplished plot yet . . . And, like all the best storytellers, Moggach knows how to choreograph an ending’ – the Observer

As Rob reaches the end of a seven year stretch inside, he winds up in an open prison in Brixton. Each morning, he exits the prison gates and begins the short walk to a local charity shop, where he spends the day in the backroom sorting through other people’s discarded belongings. All he needs to do is keep his nose out of trouble and in just a few months’ time, he’ll be out for good.

One morning in the bustle of commuters on Brixton Hill, Rob notices a well-dressed woman trip over. He helps her up and they exchange a few words before parting ways, but she’s made a lasting impression on him. From that day on, Rob keeps an eye out for her – and always seems to get lucky with a sighting. Despite coming from very different worlds, the pair slowly become acquainted and Rob gets increasingly desperate to hide his current residence from her.

But who exactly is this woman who seems to have a growing interest in him? Rob must be very careful – one false step and it could set him back years . . .

Brixton Hill is a teasing study of desperate lives delivered in a series of charged encounters on the streets of south London. Nail-biting in its execution, award-winning author Lottie Moggach ratchets up the tension, taking us behind the prison walls and into a world in which no one is quite who they seem.

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‘Brixton Hill is brilliant. So utterly gripping and clever and heartbreaking. The details of the prison and the sense of being poised-over-the-abyss are acutely conjured and yet never overload the nail-biting nature of the story’ Sabine Durrant

‘[A] compelling, twisty-turny look at a prisoner coming to the end of his sentence’ The Sun (Fabulous Magazine)

‘Gripping and full of twists and turns’ Daily Mail (review of the Radio 4 production)

‘I was soon pulled right into the novel’s tight, twisting plot that never relaxes its hold. The prison scenes are extraordinarily well drawn, as are the characters, and in particular the main protagonist’s fear of been pulled into a situation which could jeopardize his desperately-sought release’ CJ Sansom

‘Finely judged writing like this comes from a place of instinct, and it marks Melrose out as someone to watch . . . Midwinter is a great success’ Melissa Harrison, Guardian

Father and Son, Landyn and Vale Midwinter, are Suffolk farmers, living together on land their family has worked for generations. But they are haunted there by a past they have long refused to confront: the death of Cecelia, beloved wife and mother, when Vale was just a child. Both men have carried her loss, unspoken.

Until now.

With the onset of a mauling winter, something between them snaps.

While Vale makes increasingly desperate decisions, Landyn retreats, finding solace in the land, his animals – and a vixen who haunts the farm and seems to bring with her both comfort and protection.

Tender and lyrical, alive to language and nature, Midwinter is a novel about guilt, blame, lost opportunities and, ultimately, it is a story about love and the lengths we will go to find our way home.

‘Melrose elegantly weaves narratives detailing the men’s internal tumult with lush descriptions of their natural surroundings . . . A moving story about the cruelty of chance, modern masculinity and the transformative power of the bonds between men’ Financial Times

‘I have rarely read a narrative voice as distinctive as Landyn’s, and the loving depiction of regional English working-class masculinity is unusual and timely . . . This is certainly not a light-hearted book, but it offers the true consolation of some very good writing’ Sarah Moss, TLS

‘A penetrating study of grief and guilt’ Daily Mail

‘Finally, eight decades on, there comes a convincing reason as to how an entire nation was able to swallow and then endorse the warped ideology of Hitler and the Nazis. Not only a brilliantly argued book, Mobilising Hate is also a grimly compelling and utterly absorbing examination of one of the most terrible events in world history. Martin Davidson’s meticulous and scholarly research and exquisite writing has provided us with one of the most important books ever written on the subject.’ JAMES HOLLAND

‘A highly readable thesis of how ordinary people were turned into monsters by the malevolent propaganda of Hitler and his henchmen … A very good book.’ SAUL DAVID, Telegraph

By 1942, it was an article of faith that what the Nazis called ‘The Jewish Question’ had only one answer: the mass extermination of an entire people. Six million European Jews were savagely murdered as a result of this perverted but profoundly held conviction.

In this radical new perspective on Hitler’s so-called ‘Final Solution’, Martin Davidson shows that the terrible fate of Europe’s Jews was not one Nazi policy amongst many, but the central preoccupation of the regime, one which they were determined to achieve and of which they were most chillingly proud.

How were so many people convinced that the Jews deserved such treatment – or were at least persuaded to shrug their shoulders and turn a blind eye? Why did they think Germany could only be reborn with their eradication? That Jewish suffering was not only necessary, but deserved? How were the moral standards of an entire nation so warped and perverted, that the Final Solution came to be regarded as a rational, thrilling, even sacred, element of Nazi state policy?

Mobilising Hate examines in detail how Nazi ideologues worked to frame and amplify anti-Jewish feeling in Germany. Davidson explores the origins of radical anti-Jewish polemic in the volcanic upheavals that swept over Germany in the months after the First World War. How it seeded a theory that claimed to explain the truth of the entirety of human history. How that theory would go on to pervert science; corrupt the law; rewrite history; taint art, music and literature; and turn the media into the servant of a brutal and pitiless regime with a single message to communicate: destroying Jews lives was the indispensable first step to making Germany – and indeed, Europe – great again.

Davidson goes on to track the way in which Nazi leaders moved from theory to practice, by accident and by design, skilfully dramatising the many twists and turns that would lead to Auschwitz and beyond, many of which are not generally included in conventional accounts.

Mobilising Hate is driven by the first-hand accounts of many of those defined by the Nazi genocide; both its architects and perpetrators, as well as its targeted victims. Poignantly too, the book turns the spotlight on the whistle-blowers who saw, recorded and shared accounts of the horrors unfolding across the continent – only to be greeted time and time again, with guarded and non-committal hedging from Allied governments. Many people inside Germany, and across the world, knew, but, it seemed, very few felt they needed to care.

As our world once again grapples with the challenges of global mass resentment, economic insecurity and the growing desire to find people – entire populations – at whom to point the finger of blame, the issue of Hitler’s Final Solution and the thinking that gave birth to it have worrying new resonance. Rarely has the ‘warning from history’ been so acute, nor the refrain ‘never again’, been so heartfelt.

Above all, Mobilising Hate is the story of how the Nazis spawned a vision of ‘us’ and ‘them’, that taken to its logical conclusion, spelled a death sentence for millions. Hitler may have lacked an early masterplan for the mass extermination of Europe’s Jews, but it would be his zealously constructed policies and unflinching determination to see them through to the bitter end that would make it impossible for his Nazi Holocaust not to happen. That the Jews should face total extermination was Hitler’s biggest, proudest prophecy, and the one he moved mountains to make come true, no matter the cost.

‘Revelatory and accessible’ Sunday Post

‘[Dr Carmichael] has studied nutrition, hormone balancing and aesthetic medicine, and his passion, on which he lectures globally, is healthy ageing. His approach in his fascinating new book, Younger for Longer, is scientific and holistic’ The Times

‘Be good to yourself . . . [Younger for Longer] features wisdom on nutrition, sleep, mood regulation and, most importantly, hormonal health for men and women’ Scotsman

‘I have not stopped learning on my Low-Carb, Healthy Fat journey. Younger for Longer continues that process for me with an incredibly well-referenced text. It’s refreshing to see the balance of nutrition and lifestyle discussed in such an informed and robust manner’ Gary Fettke, orthopaedic surgeon, health activist and author

‘Younger for Longer tells you exactly what you need in order to live an extended, healthy life. It’s very 80/20 and one of the best books I’ve read in ages’ Richard Koch, author of million-seller The 80/20 Principle

‘Fascinating. Packed with the most incredible information about health’ Radio Today, South Africa

‘Offers valuable, honest and solid medical insights into how you can age better. It is, without doubt, one of the best books I have read in my many years as a health activist’
Longevity magazine

Targeted at the general reader, the goal of this book is to show readers how to live a healthy life free from the debilitating effects of ageing, helping them to stay mentally alert and physically active, and making sure they get the most out of all of their years. It reveals practical steps to slow the ageing process and stay healthy – in short, how to stay younger for longer. With research showing that obesity, nutrition and lifestyle illnesses can hamper our body’s response to Covid-19, such advice has become even more crucial in reducing Covid-19 risk factors.

The key is to aim for optimal health. However, foucsing on one factor alone will not get us there. Our sleep, our mood, what we eat, our detoxification system and our hormones are just some of the factors that interact in amazing ways to make us who we are; they are also at the very heart of the ageing process.

This book shows how these different strands combine in ways that can be positive or negative, and explains why this interaction depends far more on the lifestyle we choose than on the genes we inherit. In that way it gives the reader a unique and comprehensive understanding of their body and tells them how, with this knowledge, they can optimise their health.

The topics range from nutrition, toxins, men’s health and women’s health to understanding why our skin, brain and liver age – and how to undo the damage and stave off ageing. But the book’s main focus underlying all of this is hormones: the chemicals that tell different parts of our body what to do. Our hormone levels vary throughout our life, but if they are supported correctly, they can keep us youthful and vital into our final years.

Finding health then is not about ‘seven ways to detox’ or ‘the five best vitamins’. The body is far more complex than that and, in an approach aimed specifically at the layperson, Younger for Longer traces the exciting path of how the body works to help the reader create the best person they can be for the rest of their life.

Our brains evolved to solve the survival problems of our Stone Age ancestors, so when faced with modern day situations that are less extreme, they often encounter a mismatch. Our primitive brains put us on the wrong foot by responding to stimuli that – in prehistoric times – would have prompted behaviour that was beneficial. If you’ve ever felt an anxious fight or flight response to a presenting at a board meeting, equivalent to facing imminent death by sabre-toothed tiger, then you have experienced a mismatch.

Mismatch is about the clash between our biology and our culture. It is about the dramatic contrast between the first few million years of human history – when humans lived as hunters and gatherers in small-scale societies – and the past twelve thousand years following the agricultural revolution which have led us to comfortable lives in a very different social structure. Has this rapid transition been good for us? How do we, using our primitive minds, try to survive in a modern information society that radically changes every ten years or so?

Ronald Giphart and Mark van Vugt show that humans have changed their environment so drastically that the chances for mismatch have significantly increased, and these conflicts can have profound consequences.
Reviewed through mismatch glasses, social, societal, and technological trends can be better understood, ranging from the popularity of Facebook and internet porn, to the desire for cosmetic surgery, to our attitudes towards refugees.

Mismatches can also affect our physical and psychological well-being, in terms of our attitudes to happiness, physical exercise, choosing good leaders, or finding ways to feel better at home or work.

Finally, Mismatch gives us an insight into politics and policy which could enable governments, institutions and businesses to create an environment better suited to human nature, its potential and its constraints.

This book is about converting mismatches into matches. The better your life is matched to how your mind operates, the greater your chances of leading a happy, healthy and productive life.

“You are going to be transported by what Bernheimer has to say. You’ll make different decisions and figure out how your brain is working and what should be prioritized in your life” Jo Good, BBC London

What makes everyday spaces work, how do they shape us, and what do they say about us?

The spaces we live in – whether public areas, housing, offices, hospitals, or cities – mediate community, creativity, and our very identity, making us who we are. Using insights from environmental psychology, design, and architecture, The Shaping of Us reveals the often imperceptible ways in which our surroundings influence our behaviour.

Wide-ranging and global examples cover the differences between personalities and nationalities, explore grass-roots and mainstream efforts to build environments promoting well-being, and look ahead to what will become of us if we don’t listen closely to what we know is good for us.

You will learn whether you are a natural ‘prospector’ or ‘refuger’ in the office environment, what roundabouts and stoplights say about British and American culture, whether you are guilty of NIMBYism or being drawn to ‘ruin porn’, and how the half-house may be a common sight in the near future.

The environments we inhabit define our identities – from the earliest moments of our evolution to the worlds we build around ourselves.

‘Like all good diarists Paling’s musings are funny, tender and uncensored’ Sunday Times

6 April 2007


Writing income for the year so far: minus £300


‘I feel that this might just be the year in which something happens. Then again it might not. But hope drives all writers on.’


It’s unlikely that you’ll know Chris Paling’s face or have heard his name. This is his diary of trying to make a living as a writer, through the typical career trajectory of what is deemed a ‘mid-list novelist’. Publishing rule 6: there is no such thing as a ‘low-list’ novelist.


In renumeration terms, writing is a career that often ends in disappointment and despair, and occasionally disgrace. Paling artfully explores what compels him and so many others to write – the battling joys and agonies of when that compulsion beds itself in one’s psyche, and a day without writing is a day wasted. A fascinating insight into the writing process, he tracks the need to write something new, or something old in a new way, something relevant, something that needs to be written when very little actually does, in search of that ever-elusive goal of being ‘in print’.


By turns moving, wry and brutally honest, A Very Nice Rejection Letter unveils the rewarding yet soul-baring life of a novelist. At its heart is a love letter to the art of writing but this delightful book is also a profound reflection on the forces that drive us all.

‘An unputdownable thriller’ Gregory Dowling

‘It is no surprise to find that Philip Gwynne Jones lives in Venice… art and architecture interweave into a story that builds to an almost surreal climax’ Daily Mail

‘Gwynne Jones’s talent for evoking place and atmosphere is clear as ever’ Literary Review
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It’s the night of 12 November 2019. The worst flooding in 50 years hits the city of Venice. 85% of La Serenissima is underwater. Gale force winds roar across the lagoon and along the narrow streets. And the body of Dr Jennifer Whiteread- a young British art historian, specialising in the depiction of angels in Venetian painting – is found floating in a flooded antique bookshop on the Street of the Assassins.


As the local police struggle to restore order to a city on its knees, Nathan Sutherland – under pressure from the British Ambassador and distraught relatives – sets out into the dark and rain-swept streets in an attempt to discover the truth behind Whiteread’s death.

The trail leads to the “Markham Foundation”, a recent and welcome addition to the list of charities working to preserve the ancient city. Charming, handsome and very, very rich, Giles Markham is a well-known and popular figure in the highest Venetian social circles, and has the ear of both the Mayor and the Patriarch.

But a man with powerful friends may also have powerful enemies. And Nathan is about to learn that, in Venice at least, angels come in many forms – merciful, fallen and vengeful…
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Praise for Philip Gwynne Jones

‘Superb – always gripping, beautifully constructed and vivid’ Stephen Glover

‘Clever and great fun‘ The Times

‘Sinister and shimmering, The Venetian Game is as haunting and darkly elegant as Venice itself’ L.S. Hilton, bestselling author of Maestra

‘The Venetian setting is vividly described… good, fluid writing makes for easy reading’ Literary Review

‘Un-put-downable . . . If you love Venice, you’ll love this because you’ll be transported there in an instant. If you’ve not been to Venice, read this book and then go. If you like intrigue, and a clever plot, you’ll love this book’ Amazon reviewer, 5*****

‘The lively, colourful narrative scuds along as briskly as a water taxi…you’ll enjoy the ride‘ Italia Magazine

‘While Oxford had Morse, Whitstable, famous for its oysters, has Pearl’ Daily Mail

Murder on the Downs is the seventh book in Julie Wassmer’s popular crime series – now a major Acorn TV drama, Whitstable Pearl, starring Kerry Godliman as private detective and restaurateur, Pearl Nolan.

A controversial new property development is planned in Whitstable which will encroach upon the green open space of the downs, to the dismay of Whitstable residents who view this as the thin end of the wedge with regard to local wildlife conservation.

A campaign springs into life, spearheaded by a friend of Pearl’s family, Martha Laker. A committed environmentalist, Martha is no stranger to controversy herself. She has also managed to divide opinion across town, with the locals viewing her as their fearless champion while establishment figures seeing only an interfering agitator.

Tensions escalate between the developers and Whitstable residents, straining Pearl’s close relationship with London-born police officer, DCI Mike McGuire, who harbours concerns that the local campaign will spiral out of control. Pearl’s loyalties are torn, but the protest duly goes ahead – and newspaper headlines claim a moral victory for the residents in this David and Goliath battle.

But the victory is short lived when Pearl discovers a dead body on the downs…

Praise for Julie Wassmer’s Whitstable Pearl Mysteries…

‘While Oxford had Morse, Whitstable, famous for its oysters, has Pearl . . . True to the tradition of classic crime, [Julie Wassmer] weaves a strong story into a setting that has more to offer than murder and mayhem’ Daily Mail

‘As light as a Mary Berry Victoria sponge, this Middle-England romp is packed with vivid characters’ Myles McWeeney, Irish Independent

‘All of the thrills without any of the gore’ The Sun

‘This is a quality title…a very entertaining read’ The Puzzle Doctor

‘My new favourite author in the genre’ George Galloway

‘A wonderful way to explore Whitstable . . . if you love cosy mysteries, then get acquainted with Pearl (and her mum and her cats!) and enjoy a trip to Whitstable through the eyes of this very convincing author’ Trip Fiction

‘Proves she’s mistress of her craft’ John McGhie, author of White Highlands

‘Thoroughly enjoyable with a host of wonderful characters – I adore Dolly! – and evocative descriptions of Whitstable. Perfect for foodies too. Pearl is great and the ongoing will they/won’t they love story with McGuire is compelling. Comforting, cosy and entertaining with excellent Agatha Christie-style reveals. I love these books!’ Jane Wenham-Jones, author of Mum in the Middle

‘If you enjoy cosy crime fiction and you still haven’t picked this series, then you are missing out’ Alba in Bookland

‘Julie Wassmer really knows how to tell a story’ Victoria Best, Shiny New Books

‘Good, solid whodunits, without gruesome details or gratuitous violence, Murder on Sea may be just your cup of tea’ Bec Stafford

‘Come to Whitstable without actually coming to Whitstable. A good read!’ Anthony Jemmett

Praise for the TV series

‘Scandi noir meets the English seaside in Whitstable Pearl, a murder mystery series based on Julie Wassmer’s novels…’ Drama Quarterly

‘…explores all the murder and debauchery in the seemingly perfect English seaside town of Whitstable…’ Washington Post

‘…you never know what might turn up, either on the menu or alongside an oyster boat.’ Wall Street Journal

‘Single mum turned amateur detective in a gripping new family drama…’ We Love TV

‘Quirky and enjoyable…’ TV Satellite

Who do you turn to, when everyone’s a stranger and you stop believing what your own eyes see?

Finnie Doyle and Paddy Lamb are leaving city life in Edinburgh behind them and moving to the little town of Simmerton. Paddy has landed a partnership in a local solicitors and Finnie’s snagged a job as a church deacon. Their rented cottage is quaint; their new colleagues are charming, and they can’t believe their luck.

But witnessing the bloody aftermath of a brutal murder changes everything. They’ve each been keeping secrets about their pasts. And they both know their precious new start won’t survive a scandal. Together, for the best of reasons, they make the worst decision of their lives.

And that’s only the beginning. The deep, deep valley where Simmerton sits is unlike anywhere Finn and Paddy have been before. They are not the only ones hiding in its shadow and very soon they’ve lost control of the game they decided to play…

Praise for Catriona McPherson:

‘An unnerving and suspenseful novel‘ Karin Slaughter

‘Just the right mixture of spookiness and mystery‘ James Oswald

‘A gripping thriller‘ Ian Rankin

‘A Gothic feast of a novel, this is a country house book with a difference: contemporary, punchy and disturbing, but using the tricks and twists of the best of Christie‘ Ann Cleeves

‘Go To My Grave is both a classic ‘country house mystery’ and a thriller. Atmospheric, with mind-bending twists, a narrator who may or may not be reliable, and an ending that will take your breath away and leave you astonished’ Louise Penny

‘ . . . drew me in from the very first page, and I stayed up late reading it because I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. That’s the definition of a good book’ Charlaine Harris, #1 New York Times bestselling author

‘A tale that shivers with suspense‘ The New York Times

‘Paling’s deftly drawn vignettes are frequently funny, sometimes sad and occasionally troubling . . . Borrow a copy from your local library, if you still have one. Better yet, buy it’ Neil Armstrong, Mail on Sunday

‘Not only was I captivated by Paling’s lovingly wrought series of pen portraits, I was amused, moved and – perhaps most surprising of all – uplifted’ John Preston, Daily Mail

‘There are many detractors who question whether libraries are still relevant in the digital age. Paling’s keenly and kindly observed account of his encounters offers a gentle insight as to why they still are’ Helen Davies, Sunday Times

Chris works as a librarian in a small-town library in the south of England. This is the story of the library, its staff, and the fascinating group of people who use the library on a regular basis.

We’ll meet characters like the street-sleepers Brewer, Wolf and Spencer, who are always the first through the doors. The Mad Hatter, an elderly man who scurries around manically, searching for books. Sons of Anarchy Alan, a young Down’s Syndrome man addicted to the American TV drama series. Startled Stewart, a gay man with a spray-on tan who pops in most days for a nice chat, sharking for good-looking foreign language students. And Trish, who is relentlessly cheerful and always dressed in pink – she has never married, but the marital status of everybody she meets is of huge interest to her.

Some of the characters’ stories are tragic, some are amusing, some are genuinely surreal, but together they will paint a bigger picture of the world we live in today, and of a library’s hugely important place within it. Yes, of course, people come in to borrow books, but the library is also the equivalent of the village pump. It’s one of the few places left where anyone, regardless of age or income or background, can wander in and find somebody to listen to their concerns, to share the time of day.

Reading Allowed will provide us with a fascinating portrait of a place that we all value and cherish, but which few of us truly know very much about …

‘While Oxford had Morse, Whitstable, famous for its oysters, has Pearl’ Daily Mail

May Day Murder is the third book in Julie Wassmer’s popular crime series – now a major Acorn TV drama, Whitstable Pearl, starring Kerry Godliman as private detective and restaurateur, Pearl Nolan.


It’s springtime and Whitstable is emerging from hibernation.

While neither the restaurant nor detective agency is too busy, Pearl resolves to spend some time at the family allotment. But her best friend, Nathan, has persuaded one of his favourite actresses to open the May Day festivities at Whitstable Castle and involves Pearl in his plans.

Like Pearl, Faye Marlowe is a Whitstable native, but having left the town more than two decades ago, the star has been living in the South of France since her agent’s phone stopped ringing. Charming but ‘sensitive’, she arrives with a small entourage and though her presence in the town causes a stir Pearl’s mother Dolly remains unimpressed, choosing to remember Faye Marlow when she was plain old Frankie Murray, the daughter of a local whelk merchant.

Nathan soon realises he has made a mistake with this invitation and his doubts are confirmed when Faye is nowhere to be found on the morning of May Day. And as ‘Jack in the Green’ puts on his impressive costume to lead the parade, the actress’s dead body is discovered – tethered to the maypole on the Castle grounds . . . and so it’s left to Pearl and DCI Mike McGuire to unravel the mystery of the May Day murder.

Praise for Julie Wassmer’s Whitstable Pearl Mysteries…


‘While Oxford had Morse, Whitstable, famous for its oysters, has Pearl . . . True to the tradition of classic crime, [Julie Wassmer] weaves a strong story into a setting that has more to offer than murder and mayhem’ Daily Mail

‘As light as a Mary Berry Victoria sponge, this Middle-England romp is packed with vivid characters’ Myles McWeeney, Irish Independent

‘All of the thrills without any of the gore’ The Sun

‘This is a quality title…a very entertaining read’ The Puzzle Doctor

‘My new favourite author in the genre’ George Galloway

‘A wonderful way to explore Whitstable . . . if you love cosy mysteries, then get acquainted with Pearl (and her mum and her cats!) and enjoy a trip to Whitstable through the eyes of this very convincing author’ Trip Fiction

‘Proves she’s mistress of her craft’ John McGhie, author of White Highlands

‘Thoroughly enjoyable with a host of wonderful characters – I adore Dolly! – and evocative descriptions of Whitstable. Perfect for foodies too. Pearl is great and the ongoing will they/won’t they love story with McGuire is compelling. Comforting, cosy and entertaining with excellent Agatha Christie-style reveals. I love these books!’ Jane Wenham-Jones, author of Mum in the Middle


‘If you enjoy cosy crime fiction and you still haven’t picked this series, then you are missing out’ ? Alba in Bookland

‘Julie Wassmer really knows how to tell a story’ — Victoria Best ? Shiny New Books

‘Good, solid whodunits, without gruesome details or gratuitous violence, Murder on Sea may be just your cup of tea’ — Bec Stafford

‘Come to Whitstable without actually coming to Whitstable. A good read!’ Anthony Jemmett

Praise for the TV series

‘Scandi noir meets the English seaside in Whitstable Pearl, a murder mystery series based on Julie Wassmer’s novels…’ Drama Quarterly

‘…explores all the murder and debauchery in the seemingly perfect English seaside town of Whitstable…’ Washington Post

‘…you never know what might turn up, either on the menu or alongside an oyster boat.’ Wall Street Journal

Wesley, Samuel (British clergyman and poet, 1662 – 1735). On Christmas Day 1716, Wesley was haunted by an apparition of a badger with no head. It was called Jeffrey.
Frank writes:
“It occurred to me that it would be a good idea to write a modern, updated version of John Aubrey’s Brief Lives. But it further occurred to me that some books are unimproveable, and that in trying to follow in Aubrey’s footsteps I would embarrass myself and become the butt of ridicule. The idea continued to nag at me, however, and eventually I decided the solution was to outdo Aubrey in brevity. My own Brief Lives would consist of a single, unadorned fact about each of my subjects. So the reader may not learn very much about the life of X or Y or Z, but they would be armed with one little nugget which might come in handy to chuck into a lull during the conversation at the kind of swish sophisticated cocktail party to which they no doubt get invited.”
Other entries include:
Gibson, Willie (Irish, 2nd Baron Ashbourne, 1868 – 1942). An enthusiastic Gaelic nationalist, Gibson was rumoured to keep a tortoise in his sporran.
Harmsworth, Alfred, Lord Northcliffe (British newspaper magnate, 1865 – 1922). One day at a seaside resort, Northcliffe wantonly struck down a seagull with his stick and beat it to death on the sand.
Jansson, Tove (Finnish writer and illustrator, 1914 – 2001). When staying at her Finnish island retreat, it was Tove Jansson’s practice to get out of bed at four o’ clock in the morning and stand stock still, pretending to be a tree, while a squirrel ran up and down her frozen limbs.
Lennon, John (British musician, 1940 – 1980). According to Bernard Levin (q.v.), “there is nothing wrong with John Lennon that could not be cured by standing him upside down and shaking him gently until whatever is inside his head falls out”.
Stein, Gertrude (American writer, 1874 – 1946). Stein liked to write while looking at cows. She and Alice B Toklas would drive around until they found a suitable spot, then Stein would sit on a campstool armed with pad and pencil, while Toklas coaxed a cow into her line of vision.
Nixon, Richard Milhous (American politician and Potus, 1913 – 1994) Nixon’s favourite pastime was mashing potatoes.
Schubert, Franz (Austrian composer, 1797 – 1828). Upon his deathbed, Schubert’s final wish was that someone would bring him some books by James Fenimore Cooper.
Tippett, Michael (British composer, 1905 – 1998). Tippett called the refrigerator in his kitchen “Bernard Levin”.
Anderson, John Henry (British magician, 1814 – 1874). The first magician to pull a rabbit out of a hat, Anderson also did a trick which he described as “a Grand Ambidexterological Illusion with 12 Handkerchiefs, into which will be introduced the Enchanted Loaf and Learned Bottle, the Animated Orange and the Invisible Pigeon”.
Brooke, Charles (British, Rajah of Sarawak, 1829 – 1917). An austere character, Brooke deemed jam “effeminate” and replaced his glass eye with one taken from a stuffed albatross.
Callaghan, James (British politician and Prime Minister, 1912 – 2005). When Tom Driberg married Ena Binfield in 1951, Callaghan gave them as a wedding present four ashtrays, two of which were broken.
Russell, Ken (British film director, 1927 – 2011). According to Glenda Jackson, the only direction Russell ever gave to his actors was to say “It needs to be a bit more … urrrgh”, or “a bit less hmmm”.

Eternal good girl Casey Tanner moved to White Pine for a fresh start. Her mission: to finally have fun. And a fling with a reckless bad boy is the very first item on the to-do list she pretended not to make. After one long, lingering look at a sexy firefighter, Casey has found her man.

Getting women into his bed has never been a problem for Abe Cameron. Letting one into his heart is an entirely different matter. But just one kiss, just one touch, just one smile from beautiful Casey has this lifelong bachelor flirting with the idea of forever. And Casey’s refusal to settle down only makes Abe more determined than ever to win her heart. Now the one woman who can’t be caught is the only one Abe can’t live without . . .

A LIFE THAT MATTERS is a fascinating and profoundly moving new book by a surgeon who has devoted his life to helping the world’s most unfortunate children grow up with faces that allow them to know they are part of the human community – assured that they are ordinary in the very best way and fully capable of being loved.

We present ourselves to the world foremost with our faces, Dr. Ken Salyer explains, and the people we meet initially look to our faces to ascertain who, in fact, we are. Dr. Salyer is a fiercely intelligent, energetic, insatiably inquiring, and deeply compassionate man whose life has been one of service. As he writes in his introduction to A LIFE THAT MATTERS, he is ‘convinced that possessing a face you aren’t forced to hide is a fundamental human right – as important to a fully lived life as freedom from fear or want.’ And in clinics and operating room around the world, today Dr. Salyer continues a groundbreaking forty-year career whose nexus melds cutting-edge medicine with humanitarian aid offered to profoundly unfortunate children.

A LIFE THAT MATTERS focuses on the moving stories of the children whose lives have been transformed and their moving personal testaments to how precious their ‘normalcy’ now is. It is these children who inspired Dr. Salyer to found the World Craniofacial Foundation and establish clinics across the globe that now offer hope for good lives to hundreds of poor children in still-developing countries who otherwise would be shunned, locked away, or abandoned. In a voice that’s compelling, eloquent, and always impassioned, he issues a call for a new worldwide understanding of the rights of the terribly disfigured, and he encourages readers to be inspired by the lives of these children and to transform our own challenges into triumphs.

‘What a read!’ MARIAN KEYES
‘Deeply moving and very funny…I loved it’ LOUISE O’NEILL
‘The funniest book you’ll read this year’ LAUREN BRAVO

Katherine lives by the rules, ticks all the boxes and prepares for the worst, even while she hopes for the best.

Then the worst actually happens and, as she tries to navigate life as a young widow, it turns out she was not prepared at all.

Nothing scares Katherine more than stopping, but everyone insists she needs to take some time for herself. Head to a wellness retreat, they said. Enjoy some me-time, they said…

Except this retreat isn’t the pity party she was hoping for. Instead of massages, she has erotic meditation, and instead of spa treatments she has scream therapy.

Katherine has never lost control in her life. In fact, she’s fairly certain that if she starts screaming she might never stop.

But she’s about to let go, and everyone had better stand back…

Hilarious, heartbreaking and honest, this is a story about learning how to stop playing it safe in a world that feels so dangerous – and showing up to the party, even when it feels impossible.

***

‘Thought-provoking, charming, cathartic and hilariously vivid’ SARAH KNIGHT
‘Pity Party is perfection’ LINDSEY KELK
‘Unbelievably good’ LUCY VINE
‘I laughed, I cried, I screamed, I devoured every page… a laugh-out-loud balm’ NIKKI MAY
‘Daisy Buchanan makes me laugh out loud’ KATHERINE HEINY
‘Wonderfully funny. Her best book yet’ NINA STIBBE
‘Crackling with energy, humour, warmth, and quirk’ JENNY MUSTARD
‘Every line in this book is a wonder’ CAROLINE CORCORAN
‘Moving, funny and wise all at once’ KATE RIORDAN
‘Smart, sexy, and will grab hold of your heart’ JADE BEER
‘Nobody writes about the messiness of life like Daisy’ JULIE OWEN MOYLAN
‘Gloriously readable…I tore through it!’ MARINA O’LOUGHLIN
‘Original, moving and totally addictive’ ROXY BOURDILLON

In this new mystery for Max Tudor, he is forced to revisit the past to solve a very recent case of murder…

Max Tudor thought he’d left the world of deceit when he resigned from MI5 to become an Anglican priest. Then his bishop asks him to return to his Oxford college, St Luke’s, to investigate the death of its chaplain, and Max realizes there’s no leaving the past behind.

At first, Max agrees with the official police verdict of death by natural causes. The Rev. Ace Graybill was as harmless a man as ever lived. It’s difficult to see how he managed to cross anyone capable of murder.

And the suspects are all above reproach: the celebrated Principal, the cautious bursar, the wise librarian, and a raft of benign students and academics.

But someone in the college wanted the kindly chaplain dead… and looks can be very deceiving.

Praise for G M Malliet

‘A superb novel, a wonderful read.’ Louise Penny

‘G M Malliet has brought the village cosy into the twenty first century… Wicked Autumn is a refreshing read for everyone who loves a really good murder.’ Charles Todd

‘There are certain things you want in a village mystery: a pretty setting, a tasteful murder, an appealing sleuth… Malliet delivers all that.’ New York Times Book Review

‘For readers who relish a traditional mystery with a satiric edge, perfect for a cozy fireside read’ – The Boston Globe

From the series named “Best Mystery of the Year” by Library Journal and The Boston Globe