Colleen Hoover brought you the beautiful, unforgettable It Ends With Us - now a major film starring Blake Lively. Now, discover her thriller with a twist that will leave you reeling . . . Verity is a global word-of-mouth hit, with over a million five star reviews from readers.
Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.
Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity's recollection of the night their family was forever altered.
Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already-grieving father. But as Lowen's feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife's words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue loving her . . .
Before you start reading, ask yourself: are you ready to stay up all night?
And if you love Verity, don't miss Colleen Hoover's thrilling new suspense - Too Late is out now.
1 MILLION READERS HAVE ALREADY GIVEN VERITY FIVE STARS
'One of the best thrillers I have ever read' *****
'Powerful, mind-blowing and emotional' *****
'The plot twists and that ending came out of nowhere' *****
'There are no words. Bravo' *****
'Dark, creepy, and one hundred per cent original' *****
'I NEEDED to know how this was going to end' *****
'Left me completely speechless' *****
VERITY was a No.1 Kindle bestseller on 18.03.22
Winner of The British Book Awards' Pageturner of the Year Award 15.05.23
The fourth book in the Kay Scarpetta series, from No. 1 bestselling author Patricia Cornwell.
'America's most chilling writer of crime fiction' The Times
The fingerprints say the murderer is the man who's just been executed . . .
At 11.05 one December evening in Richmond, Virginia, convicted murderer Ronnie Joe Waddell is pronounced dead in the electric chair. At the morgue Dr Kay Scarpetta waits for Waddell's body. Preparing to perform a post-mortem before the subject is dead is a strange feeling, but Scarpetta has been here before. And Waddell's death is not the only newsworthy event on this freezing night: the grotesquely wounded body of a young boy is found propped against a rubbish skip. To Scarpetta the two cases seem unrelated, until she recalls that the body of Waddell's victim had been arranged in a strikingly similar position . . .
Praise for the groundbreaking series:
'One of the best crime writers writing today' Guardian
'Devilishly clever' Sunday Times
'The top gun in this field' Daily Telegraph
'Forget the pretenders. Cornwell reigns' Mirror
'The Agatha Christie of the DNA age' Express
Stephen King's iconic horror masterpiece. An international bestselling and highly acclaimed novel, a must-read for any horror fan, also a hugely successful film starring Tom Hanks.
The Green Mile: those who walk it do not return, because at the end of that walk is the room in which sits Cold Mountain penitentiary's electric chair. In 1932 the newest resident on death row is John Coffey, a giant black man convicted of the brutal murder of two little girls. But nothing is as it seems with John Coffey, and around him unfolds a bizarre and horrifying story.
Evil murderer or holy innocent - whichever he is - Coffey has strange powers which may yet offer salvation to others, even if they can do nothing to save him.
Readers are reading The Green Mile through their fingers:
'This is King at the top of his game. It's the perfect length with all six parts, it ends well, and he doesn't rely on horror or too much salty language to tell a fantastic story . . . Seriously, this is my favourite book I've read from him. Go read it if you haven't already' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'Shocking, poignant, thought-provoking. A great story that will transport you into the story and make you feel the characters' pain and agony. Well-written, wonderful characters, compassionate storyline. Stephen King is at his peak here' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'This particular book gave me rather noticeable palpitations and for a moment or two, it made me feel quite faint . . . I very much doubt that I'll be able to forget this book for the years ahead of me' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'A beautiful, touching book which I am never going to forget' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'Overall, this was a wonderful reading experience and I already know that this story is going to stay with me for the rest of my life' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'I went through all sorts of emotions when reading this story. The writing is vivid and the story believable and you feel and experience everything this tale has to offer . . . If you have this on your TBR Shelf ........... Do yourself a favour this summer and bump it right up to the top of the pile' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'Teems with sly humour, witty asides and intelligence ... A pleasure to read' TIMES
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Now a major BBC drama: The Strike series
When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, she just thinks he has gone off by himself for a few days - as he has done before - and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home.
But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine's disappearance than his wife realises. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel were published it would ruin lives - so there are a lot of people who might want to silence him.
And when Quine is found brutally murdered in bizarre circumstances, it becomes a race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer, a killer unlike any he has encountered before . . .
A compulsively readable crime novel with twists at every turn, The Silkworm is the second in the highly acclaimed series featuring Cormoran Strike and his determined young assistant Robin Ellacott.
*** The latest book in the thrilling Strike series, TROUBLED BLOOD, is out now! ***
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PRAISE FOR THE STRIKE SERIES:
'One of the most unique and compelling detectives I've come across in years' MARK BILLINGHAM
'The work of a master storyteller' DAILY TELEGRAPH
'Unputdownable. . . Irresistible' SUNDAY TIMES
'Will keep you up all night' OBSERVER
'A thoroughly enjoyable classic' PETER JAMES, SUNDAY EXPRESS
THE TIMES '100 BEST SUMMER READS'
NEW YORK TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLER
LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE 2020
'Sublime' Candice Carty-Williams
'An epic in miniature' Tayari Jones
'A banger' Ta-Nehisi Coates
'Generous and big-hearted' Brit Bennett
'A true spell of a book' Ocean Vuong
'A proclamation' R.O. Kwon
'A little masterpiece' Paula Hawkins
'I adored this book' Elizabeth MacNeal
'Pure poetry' Observer
'A sharply focused gem' Sunday Times
'Will remind you why you love reading' Stylist
'Haunting' Guardian
'A wonderful, tragic, inspiring story' Metro
'Prose that sings off the page... Gorgeous' Mail on Sunday
'A nuanced portrait of shifting family relationships' Financial Times
'As seductive as a Prince bop' O, The Oprah Magazine
'Razor-sharp' Vanity Fair
'Dazzling... With urgent, vital insights into questions of class, gender, race, history, queerness and sex' New York Times
An unexpected teenage pregnancy brings together two families from different social classes, and exposes the private hopes, disappointments and longings that can bind or divide us.
From the New York Times-bestselling and National Book Award-winning author of Another Brooklyn and Brown Girl Dreaming.
Brooklyn, 2001. It is the evening of sixteen-year-old Melody's coming of age ceremony in her grandparents' brownstone. Watched lovingly by her relatives and friends, making her entrance to the music of Prince, she wears a special custom-made dress - the very same dress that was sewn for a different wearer, Melody's mother, for a celebration that ultimately never took place.
Unfurling the history of Melody's family - from the 1921 Tulsa race massacre to post 9/11 New York - Red at the Bone explores sexual desire, identity, class, and the life-altering facts of parenthood, as it looks at the ways in which young people must so often make fateful decisions about their lives before they have even begun to figure out who they are and what they want to be.
*** ONE OF THE BOOKS OF THE YEAR FOR: New York Times; Washington Post; Time; USA Today; O, The Oprah Magazine; Elle; Good Housekeeping; Esquire; NPR; New York Public Library; Library Journal; Kirkus; BookRiot; She Reads; The Undefeated ***
'Deliriously clever' GUARDIAN
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Now a major BBC drama: The Strike series
When a mysterious package is delivered to Robin Ellacott, she is horrified to discover that it contains a woman's severed leg.
Her boss, private detective Cormoran Strike, is less surprised but no less alarmed. There are four people from his past who he thinks could be responsible - and Strike knows that any one of them is capable of sustained and unspeakable brutality.
With the police focusing on the one suspect Strike is increasingly sure is not the perpetrator, he and Robin take matters into their own hands, and delve into the dark and twisted worlds of the other three men. But as more horrendous acts occur, time is running out for the two of them...
A fiendishly clever mystery with unexpected twists around every corner, Career of Evil is also a gripping story of a man and a woman at a crossroads in their personal and professional lives. You will not be able to put this book down.
*** The latest book in the thrilling Strike series, TROUBLED BLOOD, is out now! ***
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PRAISE FOR THE STRIKE SERIES:
'One of the most unique and compelling detectives I've come across in years' MARK BILLINGHAM
'The work of a master storyteller' DAILY TELEGRAPH
'Unputdownable. . . Irresistible' SUNDAY TIMES
'Will keep you up all night' OBSERVER
'A thoroughly enjoyable classic' PETER JAMES, SUNDAY EXPRESS
A young woman is making a living faking it as a cut-price psychic (with some illegal soft-core sex work on the side). She makes a decent wage mostly by telling people what they want to hear. But then she meets Susan Burke.
Susan moved to the city one year ago with her husband and 15-year-old stepson Miles. They live in a Victorian house called Carterhook Manor. Susan has become convinced that some malevolent spirit is inhabiting their home. The young woman doesn't believe in exorcism or the supernatural. However when she enters the house for the first time, she begins to feel it too, as if the very house is watching her, waiting, biding its time . . .
The Grownup, which originally appeared as 'What Do You Do?' in George R. R. Martin's Rogues anthology, proves once again that Gillian Flynn is one of the world's most original and skilled voices in fiction.
Barbara Nadel's gripping Ikmen mysteries are the inspiration behind The Turkish Detective, BBC Two's sensational eight-part TV crime drama series available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
Barbara Nadel introduces Inspector Cetin Ikmen for the first time in her debut novel, Belshazzar's Daughter. The Ikmen mysteries have been highly praised:
'Ikmen is one of modern crime fiction's true heroes, complex yet likeable, and the city he inhabits - Istanbul - is just as fascinating' The Times
'Barbara Nadel's distinctive Istanbul-set Inspector Ikmen thrillers combine brightly coloured scene setting with deliciously tortuous plots' Guardian
A secret worth killing for...
Leonid Meyer is found murdered in his flat in Balat, Istanbul's decrepit Jewish quarter, a swastika daubed on the wall in the old man's blood. But Inspector Cetin Ikmen is quick to eschew the obvious conclusion that this is a racist attack. The evidence leads Ikmen and his young lieutenant, Suleyman, to two people: Robert Cornelius, a teacher observed outside Meyer's flat shortly after the murder, and a retired businessman, Reinhold Smits, known to have had Nazi sympathies. But another link connects these two: a ninety-year-old Russian émigré, Maria Gulcu, a widow who thinks she possesses a secret worth killing for...
What readers are saying about Belshazzar's Daughter:
'An engaging, fascinating picture of life in Turkey. Wonderful characters and a deep plot that constantly draws one to read on'
'An excellent murder mystery set in the twilight world of old aristocracies in modern day Istanbul'
'An intense psychological drama with an impressive array of characters and colourful descriptions of the less salubrious areas of Istanbul. Nadel successfully evokes the hot sultry atmosphere of modern Turkey
'Hugely absorbing. . . the best Strike novel yet' SUNDAY MIRROR
'Highly inventive storytelling' GUARDIAN
'Outrageously entertaining' FINANCIAL TIMES
'Come for the twists and turns and stay for the beautifully drawn central relationship' INDEPENDENT
'Blistering piece of crime writing' SUNDAY TIMES
'Fans will love it' HEAT
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*** The latest book in the thrilling Strike series, TROUBLED BLOOD, is out now! ***
When Billy, a troubled young man, comes to private eye Cormoran Strike's office to ask for his help investigating a crime he thinks he witnessed as a child, Strike is left deeply unsettled. While Billy is obviously mentally distressed, and cannot remember many concrete details, there is something sincere about him and his story. But before Strike can question him further, Billy bolts from his office in a panic.
Trying to get to the bottom of Billy's story, Strike and Robin Ellacott - once his assistant, now a partner in the agency - set off on a twisting trail that leads them through the backstreets of London, into a secretive inner sanctum within Parliament, and to a beautiful but sinister manor house deep in the countryside.
And during this labyrinthine investigation, Strike's own life is far from straightforward: his newfound fame as a private eye means he can no longer operate behind the scenes as he once did. Plus, his relationship with his former assistant is more fraught than it ever has been - Robin is now invaluable to Strike in the business, but their personal relationship is much, much more tricky than that . . .
Epic and enthralling, Lethal White is the gripping fourth instalment in the ongoing story of Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott.
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PRAISE FOR THE STRIKE SERIES:
'One of the most unique and compelling detectives I've come across in years' MARK BILLINGHAM
'The work of a master storyteller' DAILY TELEGRAPH
'Unputdownable. . . Irresistible' SUNDAY TIMES
'Will keep you up all night' OBSERVER
'A thoroughly enjoyable classic' PETER JAMES, SUNDAY EXPRESS
When frantic, dishevelled Edie Ledwell appears in the office begging to speak to her, private detective Robin Ellacott doesn't know quite what to make of the situation. The co-creator of a popular cartoon, The Ink Black Heart, Edie is being persecuted by a mysterious online figure who goes by the pseudonym of Anomie. Edie is desperate to uncover Anomie's true identity.
Robin decides that the agency can't help with this - and thinks nothing more of it until a few days later, when she reads the shocking news that Edie has been tasered and then murdered in Highgate Cemetery, the location of The Ink Black Heart.
Robin and her business partner Cormoran Strike become drawn into the quest to uncover Anomie's true identity. But with a complex web of online aliases, business interests and family conflicts to navigate, Strike and Robin find themselves embroiled in a case that stretches their powers of deduction to the limits - and which threatens them in new and horrifying ways . . .
A gripping, fiendishly clever mystery, The Ink Black Heart is a true tour-de-force.
Salonika, 1940. To the bustle of tavernas and the smell of hashish, a secret war is taking shape. In the backrooms of barbers, envelopes change hands, and in the Club de Salonique the air is thick with whispers.
Costa Zannis is the city's dashing chief detective - a man with contacts high and low, in the Balkans and beyond. And as unknown ships and British 'travel writers' trickle through the port, he is a man very much in demand. Having helped defeat Italy in the highlands of Macedonia, Zannis returns to a city holding its breath. Mussolini's forces have retreated - for now - but German sights are fixed firmly on the region. And as the situation in Germany worsens, Zannis becomes involved in an audacious plot - smuggling Jews to Istanbul, through the back door of Europe. The British hear he can penetrate the continent's closed borders, and soon Zannis is embroiled in the resistance, and in a reckless love affair that could jeopardise everything.
With a remarkable cast of operatives, SPIES OF THE BALKANS is a brilliant espionage novel from Alan Furst.
Stephanie's digging up a whole heap of bad news...
New secrets, old flames and hidden agendas send bounty hunter Stephanie Plum on her most outrageous adventure yet in Lean Mean Thirteen. Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series is not to be missed by fans of Sue Grafton and Lee Child.
Raves for Evanovich's bestselling novels: 'Highly enjoyable... who can resist? (Chicago Tribune); 'Romantic and gripping' (Good Housekeeping); 'Plum is not just a smart private eye but a heroine with a sense of humour' (Daily Mail).
Stephanie Plum is used to dealing with crimes in the neighbourhood, but she's not used to being accused of committing the crimes. Her no-good ex-husband, Dickie, has gone missing the day after Stephanie was seen having an argument with him, threatening bodily harm. Now Stephanie is suspect number one.
Stephanie is going to have to find Dickie, and fast, to clear her name. Hot cop Joe Morelli can't tell her anything, and mentor Ranger is offering to help...for a price that doesn't involve money.
What readers are saying about Lean Mean Thirteen:
'Fast paced and funny and the characters are getting better and better as we get to know them'
'Laughs a plenty and another great storyline'
'A fabulous book that has not only served to make me eager for the next, but given me hours of enjoyment in the meantime
Raves for Janet Evanovich's novels: 'Stephanie Plum in ass-kicking form...utterly delightful' (Cosmopolitan); 'A laugh-out-loud page turner' (Heat); 'Plum is not just a smart private eye but a heroine with a sense of humour' (Daily Mail)
Catching the bad guys has never felt so good.
FBI Special Agent Kate O'Hare and semi-retired, expert conman Nick Fox are going after Carter Grove, the head of a mercenary security agency. Problem is, if you're planning on crossing Carter Grove, you'd better also be planning your funeral.
Confronting Grove's elite assassins, Fox and O'Hare mount a daring heist that results in a deadly chase from Washington, D.C., to Shanghai, China. Luckily it'll take more than death threats, trained henchmen and sleepless nights to outsmart the unlikely duo...
Jack Howard is the only man who can find out. But the clock is ticking against him. The quest to find out takes him from the fall of the Roman Empire to the last days of Nazi power - and uncovers a trail more thrilling than anyone could have imagined...
The third book in the Kay Scarpetta series, from No. 1 bestselling author Patricia Cornwell.
'America's most chilling writer of crime fiction' The Times
A killer is stalking young lovers. Taking their lives . . . and leaving just one tantalising clue . . .
When the bodies of young courting couples start turning up in remote woodlands areas, Dr Kay Scarpetta's task as Chief Medical Examiner is made more difficult by the effects of the elements. Eight times she must write that the cause of death is undetermined.
But when the latest girl goes missing turns out to be the daughter of one of the most powerful women in America, Kay finds herself prey to political pressure and press harassment. As she starts to investigate, she finds that vital evidence is being withheld from her - or even faked. And all the time a cunning, sadistic killer is still at large . . .
Praise for the groundbreaking series:
'One of the best crime writers writing today' Guardian
'Devilishly clever' Sunday Times
'The top gun in this field' Daily Telegraph
'Forget the pretenders. Cornwell reigns' Mirror
'The Agatha Christie of the DNA age' Express
The seventh book in the Kay Scarpetta series, from No. 1 bestselling author Patricia Cornwell.
'America's most chilling writer of crime fiction' The Times
An investigative reporter is found dead in Virginia's icy waters . . .
New Year's Eve and the final murder scene of Virginia's bloodiest year takes Scarpetta thirty feet below the Elizabeth River's icy surface. A diver, Ted Eddings, is dead, an investigative reporter who was a favourite at the Medical Examiner's office. Was Eddings probing the frigid depths of the Inactive Shipyard for a story, or simply diving for sunken trinkets? And why did Scarpetta receive a phone call from someone reporting the death before the police were notified?
The case envelops Scarpetta, her niece Lucy, and police captain Pete Marino in a world where both cutting-edge technology and old-fashioned detective work are critical offensive weapons. Together they follow the trail of death to a well of violence as dark and forbidding as water that swirled over Ted Eddings.
Praise for the groundbreaking series:
'One of the best crime writers writing today' Guardian
'Devilishly clever' Sunday Times
'The top gun in this field' Daily Telegraph
'Forget the pretenders. Cornwell reigns' Mirror
'The Agatha Christie of the DNA age' Express
'You turn the pages as if your very life depends on it' - Daily Mail
Mr Marseille is polite, elegant, and erudite. He would do anything for his genteel true love Anabelle. And he is a psychopath.
A quiet Philadelphia suburb. A woman cycles past a train depot with her young daughter. And there she finds a murdered girl posed on a newly painted bench. Strangled. Beside her is a formal invite to a tea dance in a week's time.
Seven days later, two more young victims are discovered in a disused house, posed on painted swings. At the scene is an identical invite. This time, though, there is something extra waiting for Detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano.
A delicate porcelain doll. It's a message. And a threat.
With Marseille and Anabelle stalking the city, Detectives Byrne and Balzano have just seven days to find the link between the murders before another innocent child is snatched from its streets.
Praise for Richard Montanari
'A relentlessly suspenseful, soul-chilling thriller that hooks you instantly'
Tess Gerritsen
'The author's elegiac tone takes the curse off this blood-drenched thriller . . . Gripping'
New York Times (the 10 best crime novels of 2016)
'A master storyteller'
James Ellroy
'Scary good!'
Lisa Gardner
'Taut, propulsive and darkly gripping, Montanari is a master of suspense'
Chris Ewan
'A specialist in serial killer tales . . . a wonderfully evocative writer'
Publishers Weekly
Amazon readers love Richard Montanari
***** 'One of the best detective stories I have ever read'
***** 'If you haven't read these books yet.... START READING THEM!'
***** 'Great plot and incredible pace. A real page turner'
***** 'I couldn't put it down - utterly absorbing and compelling!!'
***** 'The last 20 pages had me biting my nails and sitting on the edge of my chair!'
***** 'Absolutely brilliant - almost impossible to put down'
***** 'Every once and while I read a classic which I'll NEVER forget.This is a book I'll never forget'
***** 'This is a chillingly good read with a fast-paced storyline full of twists and turns'
***** 'From start to finish, you never want to stop! You have to know what happened!'
***** 'An outstanding tale with as many twists as a game of snakes and ladders'
***** 'One of the best crime/thriller writers'
***** 'Amazing'
***** 'Richard Montanari never lets you down. The ending is always a surprise'
***** 'So easy to pick up, so hard to put down
Who guards the guardian angel?
New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is on the trail of a con-man in Notorious Nineteenth, the nineteenth sizzling adventure in the hilarious Stephanie Plum series by bestselling author Janet Evanovich. The perfect series for fans of Sue Grafton and Harlan Coben.
Praise for Evanovich: 'Evanovich is a clever writer with a strong streak of laugh out loud sardonic humour' (Melbourne Weekly); 'Non-stop laughs with plenty of high jinks' (USA Today); 'As smart and sassy as high gloss wet paint' (Time Out).
Tracking down a multi-million-dollar fraudster who somehow walked out of hospital after major surgery should be easy, right?
But Stephanie's got more pressing work: her unbearably handsome mentor Ranger has been getting death threats from a fellow ex-Special Forces operative. Suddenly, she's meant to be the one looking out for him.
But between her attraction to Ranger and the killer's determination, she'll be lucky if she makes it through the week...
What readers are saying about Notorious Nineteen:
'As usual once I started I couldn't put it down'
'Excellent read - kept me in hysterics'
'Hilarious, understated and well-written
A sinister king. A scheming queen. A deadly plot.
An Evil Spirit Out of the West is the first novel in a trilogy set in one of the most turbulent and exciting periods of Ancient Egyptian history, from acclaimed author Paul Doherty. Perfect for fans of Brad Geagley and Wilbur Smith.
'Doherty has typically woven a delightfully dark tale around what must have been the most remarkable period of Egyptian history... So stoke up the fire, draw the curtains and put your feet up in order to enjoy this delightfully spooky and robust tale of demons, death and disease in old Egypt. Great stuff!' - Historical Novels Review
Known as the Veiled One, the ugly and deformed Akenhaten is a shadowy figure. As a child he is overlooked and despised by his own father. As an adult he is thrust into the political limelight when his elder brother dies. Mahu, ambitious and ruthless, watches the young prince carve his own path to power. He becomes Akenhaten's alter ego, his protector and confidant, standing by as Akenhaten proclaims that there is only one God, the Aten, and that he, Akenhaten, is that God's only son.
Revolution and chaos follow in this dramatic reign filled with fraud, abduction, assassination, betrayal and treachery. But when Mahu becomes suspicious of Akenhaten's majestic and glorious wife Nefertiti, and the political skill of her brother, Ay, it seems that a hidden and malign influence may also be at work. And then Akenhaten disappears...
What readers are saying about Paul Doherty:
'5 stars are not enough for this book!'
'Beautifully written, exciting and interesting'
'The sounds and smells of the period seem to waft from the pages of [Paul Doherty's] books
Canine conspiracies, spurned lovers, murderous greed, jealousy, politics, power and knitting: Pelagia and the White Bulldog marks the beginning of an addictively entertaining new crime series from the internationally bestselling author, Boris Akunin.In the dying days of the nineteenth century, the small Russian town of Zavolzhsk is shaken out of its sleepy rural existence by the arrival from St Petersburg of a Synodical Inspector with a hidden agenda and a dangerously persuasive manner. Meanwhile, in the nearby country estate of Drozdovka, one of the prized white Bulldogs - prized because of its one brown ear, and its propensity to drool - belonging to the cantankerous lady of the house has been poisoned. The old widow has taken to her bed, sick with fear that her two remaining dogs may face a similar fate, and the many potential beneficiaries of her will wait fretfully to see whether or not she will recover.Sister Pelagia: bespectacled, freckled, woefully clumsy and astonishingly resourceful is summoned by the Bishop of Zavolzhsk to investigate the bulldog's death. But her investigation soon takes a far more sinister turn when two headless bodies are pulled out of the river on the edge of the estate.
Macbeth is a famously cursed play, fraught with gruesome violence and supernatural evil. Some of Kate Stanley's friends question her choosing to direct its production for the 400th anniversary of its first performance, but Kate's expertise in the little-known secrets and obscure mysteries of Shakespeare make her a natural. However, bizarre ritual objects begin to turn up at rehearsals, and it becomes clear someone is using the production to send a message in the form of very dark ancient magic.
The cast is unnerved both by the gruesome pranks and the historical creepiness of this play, and consider abandoning the production. But a local young boy, the namesake of the 17th-century actor who first played the role of Lady Macbeth, is abducted, and the puzzling ransom notes make the boy's survival dependent upon making the play happen. As opening night approaches, Kate digs deep into the obscure and magical allusions in Macbeth, and draws on all her skill and knowledge of occult Shakespeare to decipher the ransom note riddles and save the kidnapped boy.
Barbara Nadel's gripping Ikmen mysteries are the inspiration behind The Turkish Detective, BBC Two's sensational eight-part TV crime drama series, out now.
When peace and love turn into deadly conflict...
Inspector Ikmen and Inspector Sulleymen uncover the dark legacies of Istanbul's past in Pretty Dead Things, the tenth chilling thriller from the Inspector Ikmen series. Barbara Nadel will impress fans of Andrea Camilleri and Jason Goodwin.
'Riveting... Nadel takes us far beneath the surface of the city's ancient streets... A heady and stunningly exciting take on the crime genre' - Lancashire Evening Post
When Emine Aksu, the flamboyant wife of an Istanbul style guru, suddenly goes missing, Inspector Cetin Ikmen's investigation leads him deep into her strange and colourful past.
Emine was a hippie when she was younger, who wholeheartedly enjoyed the liberated lifestyle that swept across the city when the western Europeans flooded into Istanbul in the sixties. According to her husband, Emine never really left behind the free love pleasures she discovered back then and he suspects she was visiting an old friend at the time of her disappearance. Meanwhile, Inspector Mehmet Suleyman is called to a terrifying scene at the art deco Kamondo Stairs in the old banking district of Karakoy. The skeleton of a woman has been discovered in one of the large plant containers. Could these two bizarre incidents be linked?
What readers are saying about Pretty Dead Things:
'A well planned novel with a mixture of the politics and social history of Istanbul as a background to a thrilling mystery starring Inspector Ikmen'
'The plot is one of her [Barbara Nadel's] best and her characters [...] have become fully fleshed individuals by this point in the series
Jack Howard is about to discover a secret. Perhaps the greatest secret ever kept. What if one of the Ancient World's greatest libraries was buried in volcanic ash and then re-discovered two thousand years later? What if what was found there was a document that could shatter the very foundations of the Western World? What if you were the one who discovered this secret? And were then forced to confront terrifying enemies determined to destroy you to ensure it goes no further? This is the story of one last Gospel, left behind in the age of the New Testament, in the greatest days of the Roman Empire, and of its extraordinary secret, one that has lain concealed for years. Follow Jack Howard as he discovers the secret and must prevent others from doing the same...
THE FIELDS OF DEATH is the epic final novel in Simon Scarrow's bestselling Wellington and Napoleon Quartet. Essential reading for fans of Bernard Cornwell.
1809. Viscount Wellington and Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte have made their mark as military commanders. Lifelong enemies, they both believe their armies are strong enough to destroy any rival. But in war victory can never be certain.
While Wellington's success continues in Spain, Napoleon feels the sting of failure. Yet despite a disastrous Russian campaign and humiliating defeat at Leipzig, he persists in fighting on.
With Napoleon's power waning, the newly titled Duke of Wellington is perfectly placed to crush the tyrant. But his enemy refuses to surrender, and so the two giants must face a final reckoning on the bloody battlefield of Waterloo...
