Search Results for: Born a Crime

A young artist is searching for the truth about her past – but does she really want to know…?

With an introduction by A J Finn, bestselling author of THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW

Superb classic crime from ‘the mistress of day-lit terror!’ NEW YORK TIMES

‘Psychologically rich, intricately plotted and full of dark surprises’ Megan Abbott

When Amanda Garth was born, a nearly-disastrous mix-up caused the hospital to briefly hand her over to the prestigious Garrison family instead of to her birth parents. The error was quickly fixed, Amanda was never told, and the secret was forgotten for twenty-three years … until her aunt thoughtlessly revealed it in casual conversation.

But what if the real accident was Amanda being returned to the wrong parents? After all, she seems much more like the painter Tobias Garrison. Amanda is determined to discover the truth within her aunt’s bizarre anecdote, but soon is trapped in a web of lies, suspicions and deadly secrets …

The ultimate glamorous, escapist blockbuster – perfect for fans of Melanie Blake, Jackie Collins and Shirley Conran’s Lace.

‘Just the kind of glamorous escapism we all desperately need right now. Compelling and satisfying from start to fantastic finish’ Celia Walden

‘Campbell’s warm, wise bonkbuster...transports you to the sexual free-for-all of the 1970s… There’s an upbeat honesty in the writing that reminded me of Jilly Cooper‘ Rowan Pelling, Daily Mail

‘A rip-roaring, gold-plated, sizzling bonkbuster – this is one for Jackie Collins fans everywhere who are missing the glitz!’ Fiona Walker

Glamour. Deceit. Sex. Deadly ambition.
They have the world at their feet.
And they want it ALL.

5* reader raves for Secrets in the Dark!

‘Wow, wow, wow. Hot, steamy, surprising. Fantastically written, fun read. For anyone missing the amazing Jackie Collins your book needs are fulfilled in Ceril Campbell. I promise you won’t be disappointed’

‘Pure unadulterated fun’

‘As an avid reader of anything by Jackie Collins and Shirley Conran, this novel felt like candy to me!’

‘A fantastic gripping read hyped as the new Jackie Collins which didn’t disappoint . . . please say Ceril Campbell is already writing her next book!!’
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Innocent Phoebe has only known a life of privilege.

Street-smart Paula has had to make her own way in the world.

When the two girls meet as teenagers, they form a deep sisterly bond, recognising in one another a yearning for love and for lives that are different from the ones they were born into. But when they each suffer a personal trauma, they are torn apart and set out on very different paths.

So begins a rollercoaster journey throughout the 1970s of extreme highs and lows for Phoebe and Paula, as they travel from the epicentre of cool on the Kings Road, Chelsea, to the glamour of Paris, LA and the South of France.

It’s a scandalous world of sex, drugs, celebrity and wealth – alluring, addictive…and deceptive.
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Readers adore Secrets in the Dark!

‘For those of you missing the fabulous Jackie Collins, look no further than Ceril Campbell’s debut novel’ 5* reader review

‘The perfect escapism…easy to read, full of luxury, romance, style, fashion and rock and roll. Highly recommend!’ 5* reader review

‘Anyone interested in what made swinging London cool would enjoy this exciting, action-packed narrative – it is both a love letter to London and a tantalizing mystery’ 5* reader review

‘Loved, loved the story and could not put the book down’ 5* reader review

‘Terrific mystery that has you guessing till practically the last page. Highly recommended‘ 5* reader review

‘The new Jackie Collins‘ 5* reader review

‘A great debut novel with a clever twist at the end. Recommend as a brilliant holiday read‘ reader review

For most of human history, sudden and unexpected deaths of a suspicious nature, when they were investigated at all, were examined by lay persons without any formal training. People often got away with murder. That is, until Frances Glessner Lee.

Frances Glessner Lee (1878-1962), born a socialite to a wealthy and influential Chicago family, was never meant to have a career, let alone one steeped in death and depravity. Yet she became the mother of modern forensics and was instrumental in elevating homicide investigation to a scientific discipline.

Frances Glessner Lee learned forensic science under the tutelage of pioneering medical examiner Magrath. A voracious reader too, Lee acquired and read books on criminology and forensic science – eventually establishing the largest library of legal medicine.

Lee went on to create The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death – a series of dollhouse-sized crime scene dioramas depicting the facts of actual cases in exquisitely detailed miniature – and perhaps the thing she is most famous for. Celebrated by artists, miniaturists and scientists, they were first used as a teaching tool in homicide seminars at Harvard Medical School in the 1930s, subsequently becoming an integral part of the longest-running and still the highest-regarded training for police detectives of its kind in America.

In Unexplained Deaths, Bruce Goldfarb weaves Lee’s remarkable story with the advances in forensics made in her lifetime to tell the tale of the birth of modern forensics.

#1 bestselling author Stephen King returns with a brand-new novel about the secrets we keep buried and the cost of unearthing them.

SOMETIMES GROWING UP MEANS FACING YOUR DEMONS

The son of a struggling single mother, Jamie Conklin just wants an ordinary childhood. But Jamie is no ordinary child. Born with an unnatural ability his mom urges him to keep secret, Jamie can see what no one else can see and learn what no one else can learn. But the cost of using this ability is higher than Jamie can imagine as he discovers when an NYPD detective draws him into the pursuit of a killer who has threatened to strike from beyond the grave.

LATER is Stephen King at his finest, a terrifying and touching story of innocence lost and the trials that test our sense of right and wrong. With echoes of King’s classic novel IT, LATER is a powerful, haunting, unforgettable exploration of what it takes to stand up to evil in all the faces it wears.

(P) 2021 Simon & Schuster Audio

THE 12 MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE ENZO FILES AND THE CHINA THRILLERS
AWARD WINNING AUTHOR OF THE CWA DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY 2021

‘One of the best regarded crime series of recent years.’ Independent
‘No one can create a more eloquently written suspense novel than Peter May.’ New York Journal of Books

PETER MAY: THE MAN WHO BROUGHT MURDER TO THE OUTER HEBRIDES

A brutal killing takes place on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland: a land of harsh beauty and inhabitants of deep-rooted faith.

A MURDER

Detective Inspector Fin Macleod is sent from Edinburgh to investigate. For Lewis-born Macleod, the case represents a journey both home and into his past.

A SECRET

Something lurks within the close-knit island community. Something sinister.

A TRAP

As Fin investigates, old skeletons begin to surface, and soon he, the hunter, becomes the hunted.

LOVED THE BLACKHOUSE? Read book 2 in the Lewis trilogy, THE LEWIS MAN
LOVE PETER MAY? Buy his latest frontlist thriller, THE NIGHT GATE

An early gem from the creator of the Kurt Wallander series, charting the life of a principled man through tragedy, heartbreak, true love and the battle for a nation’s soul.

“A very engaging portrait . . . There is a powerful lack of sentimentality to the telling of the story [and] a lovely and genuinely moving love story at the heart of the book.” Liam Heylin, Irish Examiner

At 3 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon in 1911, Oskar Johansson is caught in a blast in an industrial accident. The local newspaper reports him dead, but they are mistaken.

Because Oskar Johansson is a born survivor.

Though crippled, Oskar finds the strength to go on living and working. The Rock Blaster charts his long professional life – his hopes and dreams, sorrows and joys. His relationship with the woman whose love saved him, with the labour movement that gave him a cause to believe in, and with his children, who do not share his ideals.

Henning Mankell’s first published novel is steeped in the burning desire for social justice that informed his bestselling crime novels. Remarkably assured for a debut, it is written with scalpel-like precision, at once poetic and insightful in its depiction of a true working-class hero.

Translated from the Swedish by George Goulding

Pinnacle City is many things to many people. To some it is a glittering metropolis, a symbol of prosperity watched over by the all-star superhero team, the Pinnacle City Guardians. Beyond the glitz and glamour, there is another city, one still feeling the physical and economic damage of the superhero-villain battles of generations past. The lower class, immigrants, criminals, aliens, sorcerers, and non-humans alike call this city home, looking to make a living, which is becoming increasingly difficult as the two sides of the city seem prepared to boil over into a violent conflict.
Private investigator Eddie Enriquez, born with the ability to read the histories of objects by touch, still bears the scars of his time as a youthful minion for a low-level supervillain, followed by stints in prison and the military. Though now trying to live a straight-and-narrow life, he supports a drinking problem and painkiller addiction by using his powers to track down insurance cheats. When a mysterious woman enters his office asking him to investigate the death of prominent non-human rights activist Quentin Julian, a crime the police and heroes are ignoring, he takes the case in the hopes of doing something good.
Superhero Kimberly Kline has just hit it big, graduating from her team of young heroes to the Pinnacle City Guardians with the new codename of Solar Flare. With good looks, powers that include flight, energy manipulation, superhuman strength, durability, and speed, as well as a good family name, the sky is the limit for her. Upbeat, optimistic, and perhaps a little naïve from the upper-crust life she was raised in, she hopes to make her family, and the world, proud by being the greatest superhero she can be . . . but things aren’t always as they seem.

Zerfall awakens in an alley, wounded and unable to remember her past. Chased by an assassin out into the endless wastes of the desert, she is caught, disfigured, and left for dead. Her scabbard is empty, but the need for answers-and the pull of her sword-will draw her back to the city-states.

When Jateko, a naïve youth, accidentally kills a member of his own tribe, he finds himself outcast and pursued across the desert for his crimes. Crazed from dehydration, dying of thirst and hunger, he stumbles across Zerfall.

Hunted by assassins and bound by mutual need, both Zerfall and Jateko will confront the Täuschung, an ancient and deranged religion ruled by a broken fragment of Zerfall’s mind. Swarm, the Täuschung hell, seethes with imprisoned souls, but where gods-real or imagined-meddle in the affairs of man, the cost is high.

In Swarm and Steel, the power of belief can manifest and shape reality, and for political and religious leaders, faith becomes a powerful tool. But the insane are capable of twisting reality with their delusions as well, turning increasingly dangerous as their sanity crumbles. It is here that a long prophesied evil will be born, an endless hunger. The All Consuming will rise.

A swallow flutters its wings into a dimly lit attic as Adele Foyle stumbles across the secret diary of the mother she has never met, and a shocking account of a crime committed over twenty-five years ago …

Adele Foyle has returned to Reedstown, the last place her mother, Marianne, was seen alive. With her mother’s words etched in her mind and in the pages tucked into her jacket pocket, Adele has one purpose: to find those responsible for the devastating attack on Marianne and see them brought to justice.

Born into a Mother and Baby home run by The Thorns, a self-proclaimed religious group led by Gloria Thornton, Adele needs to first unlock the disturbing chain of events that led to her own birth if she is to understand what happened to her mother.

But news of Adele’s arrival and the diary spread like wildfire amongst the small close-knit community of Reedstown. Old memories are stirring up fresh wounds.

No-one wants the truth to be told. The diary is just a story, they say. Yet as Adele begins to unravel the layers of deceit, the tissue paper lies begin to fragment.

Her mother was telling the truth. Adele just has to prove it.

A heart-stopping, intense and emotionally engrossing read that will keep you compulsively turning the pages late into the night. If you read one book this year, make it The Thorn Girl.

Read what everyone is saying about Laura Elliot:

‘This page-turner is gripping, all the more because it presents the dilemmas of betrayal with brutal honesty‘ Irish Independent

‘Electrifying, tautly written, and heart-stopping … It was so real, so powerful, I had to put it down a few times and walk away to let my emotions settle’ NetGalley Reviewer

‘I couldn’t put this book down, it really is that good … I honestly can’t rate this book highly enough. 5 stars just isn’t enough. Book of the year for me! Don’t miss this one’ NetGalley Reviewer

‘Laura Elliot has done it again – another twisty suspenseful thriller! Keeps you on the edge of your seat with many turns and surprises. The Wife Before Me is a pulse-pounding thrill ride from beginning to end!‘ NetGalley Reviewer

‘A gripping thriller which will have you reading way past your bedtime! I enjoyed the book and the twisting plot … An engrossing thriller I thoroughly enjoyed’ Escape With A Book

‘This was a nail-biting, gripping, too-close-for comfort compelling read that I could not put down. This book is an absolute winner‘ Goodreads Reviewer

‘This page-turner is gripping, all the more because it presents the dilemmas of betrayal with brutal honesty‘ Irish Independent

Flea, the iconic bassist and co-founder, alongside Anthony Kiedis, of the immortal Red Hot Chili Peppers finally tells his fascinating origin story, complete with all the dizzying highs and the gutter lows you’d expect from an LA street rat turned world-famous rock star.

Michael Peter Balzary was born in Melbourne, Australia, on October 16, 1962. His more famous stage name, Flea, and his wild ride as the renowned bass player for the Red Hot Chili Peppers was in a far and distant future. Little Michael from Oz moved with his very conservative, very normal family to Westchester, New York, where life as he knew it was soon turned upside down. His parents split up and he and his sister moved into the home of his mother’s free-wheeling, jazz musician boyfriend – trading in rules, stability, and barbecues for bohemian values, wildness, and Sunday afternoon jazz parties where booze, weed, and music flowed in equal measure. There began Michael’s life-long journey to channel all the frustration, loneliness, love, and joy he felt into incredible rhythm.

When Michael’s family moved to Los Angeles in 1972, his home situation was rockier than ever. He sought out a sense of belonging elsewhere, spending most of his days partying, playing basketball, and committing petty crimes. At Fairfax High School, he met another social outcast, Anthony Kiedis, who quickly became his soul brother, the yin to his yang, his partner in mischief. Michael joined some bands, fell in love with performing, and honed his skills. But it wasn’t until the night when Anthony, excited after catching a Grandmaster Flash concert, suggested they start their own band that he is handed the magic key to the cosmic kingdom.

Acid for the Children is as raw, entertaining and wildly unpredictable as its author. It’s both a tenderly evocative coming of age story and a raucous love letter to the power of music and creativity

***PERFECT FOR FANS OF WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING AND SOON TO BE MAJOR FILM STARRING DAISY RIDLEY***

You’d recognise my mother’s name if I told it to you. You’d wonder, briefly, where is she now? And didn’t she have a daughter while she was missing?

And whatever happened to the little girl?

Helena’s home is like anyone else’s, with a husband, two daughters and a job she enjoys. But no one knows the truth about her dark and twisted childhood.

Born into captivity and brought up in an isolated cabin until she was twelve, Helena was raised by her terrified, broken mother and the man who held them both prisoner – Helena’s own father.

Now with news that he has escaped from prison, Helena instinctively knows that her father is coming for her and if she wants to keep her family safe, she must find him – before he finds her. Even if that means returning to the darkest parts of her past, the scariest place imaginable, home.

An unforgettable, read-in-one-sitting thriller packed with gripping suspense.
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‘If you only read one thriller this year, make it this’ CLARE MACKINTOSH

‘Emotionally and intellectually thrilling, tremendously exciting’ SUNDAY EXPRESS

‘Unlike anything else I’ve read. Haunting and unputdownable’ LAURA MARSHALL, number one bestselling author of Friend Request

‘Sensationally good, I loved this book’ LEE CHILD

‘Gorgeously written eerie suspense’ KARIN SLAUGHTER

‘SO GOOD’ LAURA MARSHALL

‘You won’t be able to stop turning the pages’ MEGAN ABBOTT

‘A wonderful book… Mesmerising’ ALEX MARWOOD

‘A nail-biter’ COSMOPOLITAN

‘A knockout’ SARAH HILARY

‘I was absolutely gripped‘ GILLY MACMILLAN

‘Eerie and breathtaking, terrific and terrifying’ TÉA OBREHT

‘Original and exciting, with a thrilling ending’ MARK EDWARDS

Welfare worker Paul Gunther is killed when he looks into the blackmailing of some of his cases. Lieutenant George Shaw leads the murder investigation, which touches on the jazz community and beatnik culture of Oakland in the early 1960’s.

The House on Lily Street is the story of a corrupt and narcissistic young man, born to privilege, who dallies among the poor-and gets in over his head.

PEOPLE ARE BORN. MONSTERS ARE MADE.
Epic, thrilling and beautifully written, AFTER DARK is a twisting masterpiece of crime fiction that fans of Ian Rankin, Tim Weaver, Belinda Bauer and Tana French will love.

A girl held captive her entire life
After a shocking discovery, the police must unravel a mystery that horrifies the nation.

A detective condemned as a criminal
Violently abducted while searching for a missing woman, D.S. Abigail Boone suffered retrograde amnesia – remembering nothing of her previous life. Defying the law to hunt those responsible, she now languishes behind bars.

A monster hiding in the shadows
In desperation, police turn to Boone – who fears a connection to the disappearance of a child three decades earlier…and a mysterious underworld figure whose name is spoken only in whispers.

Freed from prison, what will Boone sacrifice – and who must she become – to uncover the terrifying truth?

Family always comes first. Until now.

Get ready for the ultimate summer read with the explosive new novel from Sunday Times No.1 bestseller and ‘undisputed queen of crime writing’ (Guardian) Martina Cole.

Diana Davis has been head of the family business since the death of her husband, an infamous bank robber. She’s a woman in a man’s world, but no one messes with her.

Her only son, Angus, is a natural born villain, but he needs to earn Diana’s trust before she’ll allow him into the business.

Once he’s proved he has the brains to run their clubs in Marbella, he is given what he’s always wanted. It’s the beginning of a reign of terror that knows no bounds.

But Angus has a blind spot: his wife, Lorna, and their three kids, Angus Junior, Sean and Eilish. And as the next generation enters the business, Angus has a painful truth to learn. Even when it comes to family, he must show no mercy…

‘She’s a total one-off’ Guardian

‘The stuff of legend’ Mirror

‘Superstar crime writer’ This Morning

‘There really is only one Martina Cole’ Closer

‘The undisputed Queen of crime writing’ Erwin James

During his first historic run for the presidency in 2016, Donald Trump made an impassioned plea to the black community. “Give me a chance,” he said. “What the hell do you have to lose?”

According to Kathy Barnette, black Americans have nothing to lose, except for crime ridden communities, neighbourhoods that have become shooting galleries, more social welfare programs, and the mocking indifference of the Democrat party. Barnette argues that even a cursory look into the black community reveals the destabilising effect liberal policies have had on the black family.

There was a time when Barnette bought into the same lie as everyone else-that if you’re black, you must be a democrat. In fact, she was born into the Democrat party just as much as she was born into brown skin. There was no point of separation. Until she began to understand what it truly means to be black in America. Barnette contends that being black is more than just the color of her skin. It’s a culture and a consciousness, too.

In NOTHING TO LOSE, EVERYTHING TO GAIN, Barnette writes about why liberal policies have failed the black community time and time again – and will fail the larger American community as Democrats rush to the hard Left of the party. From the “Great Society” to Kanye West’s ongoing war with the liberal establishment, this book provides sharp, eloquent commentary on the most pressing issues facing black Americans today: broken family structure, loss of identity, the legacy of slavery, and more.

Barnette argues that President Trump has not been willing to presume that the “black vote” is a foregone conclusion resting comfortably in the back pockets of Democrats. With his plainspoken style and willingness to face harsh truths, the president has done more for the black community than any president since Abraham Lincoln. Barnette insists the time is now to get back what has been lost, to fix the brokenness and to recognise and support those who are actually working in our favour.

We have nothing to lose, and even more to gain.

‘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

‘Finch is a born storyteller’ PETER JAMES
‘Guaranteed to elevate your heart rate’ DAVID JACKSON

A GRIPPING AND EXPLOSIVE NEW THRILLER FROM THE MILLION COPY SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

A message no one was supposed to hear.

Jodie Martindale‘s disappearance remains a mystery, unsolved to this day.

A message that will change everything.

David Kelman covered the story. But he made a huge mistake, which cost someone their life.

A message from the missing.

Now, he has evidence he shouldn’t have. It’s a message from Jodie – who has been missing for six years – but sent just two weeks ago…

‘A spine-chilling mystery from the master of suspense’ M.J. ARLIDGE

‘This might be Finch’s best yet … Grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go. If you only buy one crime novel this year, make sure it’s Never Seen Again‘ P.L. KANE

‘Exceptional crime writing. Paul Finch continues to raise the bar.’ M.W. CRAVEN

‘A cracking crime thriller that builds to an action-packed finale. Guaranteed to elevate your heart rate!’ DAVID JACKSON

READERS LOVE PAUL FINCH

5 stars ‘So bloody good… Pace, twists and what a plot!!’
5 stars ‘More twists & turns than a funfair ride. The author definitely knows his police stuff’
5 stars ‘[A] gripping, breath-holding up-all-nighter’
5 stars ‘Fast paced and seems to get faster with every page’
5 stars ‘Paul Finch is an absolute must have in your collection’

Jenny Casey was not born for this mission. She was modified for it.

The year is 2062, and after years on the run, Jenny Casey is back in the Canadian armed forces. Those who were once her enemies are now her allies, and at fifty, she’s been handpicked for the most important mission of her life – a mission for which her artificially reconstructed body is perfectly suited. With the earth capable of sustaining life for just another century, Jenny – as pilot of the starship Montreal – must discover brave new worlds. And with time running out, she must succeed where others have failed.

Now Jenny is caught in a desperate battle where old resentments become bitter betrayals and justice takes the cruelest forms of vengeance. With the help of a brilliant AI, an ex-crime lord, and the man she loves, Jenny may just get her chance to save the world. If it doesn’t come to an end first . . .

‘A beautifully told stroy about the raw pain and ecstasy of motherhood. I loved it.’ Jane Corry

‘I adored this powerful, emotive and sensitively written story about love and loss/’ Louise Jensen

‘Haunting and heart-rending … a beautifully told story’ Victoria Selman


‘Who am I? Why am I here? Why did my mother give me away?’

On the surface, Luke and his girlfriend Hannah seem to have a perfect life. He’s an A&R man, she’s an arts correspondent and they are devoted to their new-born son Samuel.

But beneath the gloss Luke has always felt like an outsider. So when he finds his birth mother Alice, the instant connection with her is a little like falling in love.

When Hannah goes back to work, Luke asks Alice to look after their son. But Alice – fuelled with grief from when her baby was taken from her 27 years ago – starts to fall in love with Samuel. And Luke won’t settle for his mother pushing him aside once again…

* * * * *

Why real readers love this emotionally gripping story by the author of HIM:


‘Read it, read it, read it. One of my books of the year, without a doubt.’ Goodreads reviewer

‘Beautiful, haunting, emotional, and totally addictive.’ Goodreads reviewer

‘A realistic, character driven, highly-emotional and addictive read.’ Goodreads reviewer

‘Be warned: this novel will take over your life while you are reading it.’ Goodreads reviewer

‘Deeply layered, fiendishly clever and absorbing’ Matt Hilton, author of the Joe Hunter series

The first gritty thriller in the Avison Fluke series by M. W. Craven, the acclaimed author of The Puppet Show.

Detective Inspector Avison Fluke is a man on the edge. He has committed a crime to get back to work, concealed a debilitating illness and is about to be made homeless. Just as he thinks things can’t get any worse, the body of a young woman is found buried on a Cumbrian building site.

Shot once in the back of the head, it is a cold, calculated execution. When the post-mortem reveals she has gone to significant expense in disguising her appearance, Fluke knows this is no ordinary murder.

With the help of a psychotic ex-Para, a gangland leader and a woman more interested in maggots than people, Fluke must find out who she was and why she was murdered before he can even think about finding her killer…

Praise for M. W. Craven:

‘Dark, sharp and compelling’ PETER JAMES

‘Fantastic’ MARTINA COLE

‘Britain’s answer to Harry Bosch’ MATT HILTON

‘Thrilling’ MICK HERRON

‘Brilliantly inventive’ WILLIAM SHAW

‘A powerful thriller from an explosive new talent’ DAVID MARK

Born in 1955, Avraham Burg witnessed firsthand many of the most dramatic and critical junctions in Israeli history. Here he chronicles the highs and lows of his country during the last five decades, beginning with the 1967 war, when, as a young boy, his mother brought him back Uzi cartridges from the Kotel, which he incorporated into the Chanukah menorah he made for his home economics class. Burg narrates the misplaced hopes of religious Zionism (informed by his conservative upbringing), Israel’s obsession with military might (informed by his own experiences as a paratrooper), the country’s democratic aspirations (informed by his tenure in the Knesset) and more. What he delivers, ultimately, is an analysis of the ambitions and failures of Israel and Judaism, from the unique standpoint of his generation–the children of the mythical “founders” who established the state.

In Days to Come is Burg’s philosophical inquiry into what Jewish-Israeli identity means today if you are personally, ethically, and politically opposed to what your country stands for. With bravery and candor, he urges his countrymen to dare to ask the difficult questions and accept the truth of difficult answers, have the courage to move on from trauma to trust, understand that Jews do not have monopoly over suffering but a responsibility to prevent crimes against humanity, have the will to solve the conflict between Israel and Palestine by adopting new paradigms, be ready to relinquish the privileges given to the Jews and create a shared space with equal rights for every human being, lay the groundwork for a constitutional reality in which every individual–under Israeli sovereignty or responsibility–has equal rights, and build a wall of separation between synagogue and state.

In this book, Burg lays bare the seismic intellectual shifts that drove the country’s political and religious journeys, offering a vision for a new comprehensive paradigm for Israel and the Middle East.

How did a scrawny black kid,the son of a barber and a domestic who grew up in Harlem and Trenton,become the 106th mayor of New York City? It’s a remarkable journey. David Norman Dinkins was born in 1927, joined the Marine Corps in the waning days of World War II, went to Howard University on the G.I. Bill, graduated cum laude with a degree in mathematics in 1950, and married Joyce Burrows, whose father, Daniel Burrows, had been a state assemblyman well-versed in the workings of New York’s political machine. It was his father-in-law who suggested the young mathematician might make an even better politician once he also got his law degree.The political career of David Dinkins is set against the backdrop of the rising influence of a broader demographic in New York politics, including far greater segments of the city’s gorgeous mosaic.” After a brief stint as a New York assemblyman, Dinkins was nominated as a deputy mayor by Abe Beame in 1973, but ultimately declined because he had not filed his income tax returns on time. Down but not out, he pursued his dedication to public service, first by serving as city clerk. In 1986, Dinkins was elected Manhattan borough president, and in 1989, he defeated Ed Koch and Rudy Giuliani to become mayor of New York City, the largest American city to elect an African American mayor.As the newly-elected mayor of a city in which crime had risen precipitously in the years prior to his taking office, Dinkins vowed to attack the problems and not the victims. Despite facing a budget deficit, he hired thousands of police officers, more than any other mayoral administration in the twentieth century, and launched the Safe Streets, Safe City” program, which fundamentally changed how police fought crime. For the first time in decades, crime rates began to fall,a trend that continues to this day. Among his other major successes, Mayor Dinkins brokered a deal that kept the US Open Tennis Championships in New York,bringing hundreds of millions of dollars to the city annually,and launched the revitalization of Times Square after decades of decay, all the while deflecting criticism and some outright racism with a seemingly unflappable demeanor. Criticized by some for his handling of the Crown Heights riots in 1991, Dinkins describes in these pages a very different version of events. A Mayor’s Life is a revealing look at a devoted public servant and a New Yorker in love with his city, who led that city during tumultuous times.

In December 1998, San Antonio Express-News reporter Philip True vanished during a solo backcountry trek in western Mexico, home of the reclusive Huichol Indians and the Chapalagana, the Twisted Serpent Canyon, a 150-mile long gash that twists and plunges through the heart of the Sierra Madre. Five days later his editor, Robert Rivard, was part of a small search party that, nearly miraculously, tracked a trail of feathers that had leaked from True’s sleeping bag to find his body. Trail of Feathers is the story of the search for True and of the quest to bring his killers to justice. It is also the story of another perplexing mystery: Why had True taken such a dangerous trip, into such a raw, uncivilized wilderness, alone and without sufficient safety preparations, in the first place? After an unhappy and unsettled youth, True was at the age of fifty finally settling down to a career and a wife he loved. His first child was about to be born. What was he running from, or to? Rivard’s search for answers to these questions leads him deep into the Sierra Madre Occidental, one of Mexico’s last true wildernesses, and deep into the secrets of Philip True’s past. It also leads him into his own past, and an acknowledgment of the ways in which his life and True’s mirrored each other. Suspenseful, atmospheric, and moving, Trail of Feathers is more than a true crime tale it’s a classic tragedy about how the past reverberates destructively into the present , for individuals, for cultures, for nations.

In The Great American Stickup , celebrated journalist Robert Scheer uncovers the hidden story behind one of the greatest financial crimes of our time: the Wall Street financial crash of 2008 and the consequent global recession. Instead of going where other journalists have gone in search of this story- the board rooms and trading floors of the big Wall Street firms- Scheer goes back to Washington, D.C., a veritable crime scene, beginning in the 1980s, where the captains of the finance industry, their lobbyists and allies among leading politicians destroyed an American regulatory system that had been functioning effectively since the era of the New Deal. This is a story largely forgotten or overlooked by the mainstream media, who wasted more than two decades with their boosterish coverage of Wall Street. Scheer argues that the roots of the disaster go back to the free-market propaganda of the Reagan years and, most damagingly, to the bipartisan deregulation of the banking industry undertaken with the full support of”progressive&rdquo Bill Clinton. In fact, if this debacle has a name, Scheer suggests, it is the”Clinton Bubble,&rdquo that era when the administration let its friends on Wall Street write legislation that razed decades of robust financial regulation. It was Wall Street and Democratic Party darling Robert Rubin along with his clique of economist super-friends- Alan Greenspan, Lawrence Summers, and a few others- who inflated a giant real estate bubble by purposely not regulating the derivatives market, resulting in the pain and hardship millions are experiencing now. The Great American Stickup is both a brilliant telling of the story of the Clinton financial clique and the havoc it wrought- informed by whistleblowers such as Brooksley Born, who goes on the record for Scheer- and an unsparing anatomy of the American business and political class. It is also a cautionary tale: those who form the nucleus of the Clinton clique are now advising the Obama administration.