Search Results for: Born a Crime

‘One of the bad girls of gritty crime’ Daily Mirror

Sarah Mullen is a beautiful child who at seven years old is put into care by her drug-addicted mother. Trying to live with the rejection is bad enough, but no one could have prepared her for the pain that was yet to come.

Harry Shaw is the boy that everyone bullies, the kid whose own mother locked him in a cupboard so she wouldn’t have to look at his face, and then left him there.

When he meets Sarah for the first time, a friendship is instantly forged. And out of a desire to be loved an alliance is born.

Then into their lives comes Vinnie Walker, a good-looking and calculating thirteen-year-old who will change both their lives forever.

‘A cracking read that will chill you to the bone’ Sun on Two-Faced

‘Mandasue has played a real blinder with this fantastic novel’ Martina Cole on Forget-Me-Not</font

FROM THE MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR – SOON TO BE A MAJOR TV SERIES

‘Superb thriller writing.’ Peter Robinson
‘A brilliant, breathless thriller’ M.J. Arlidge
‘A high concept solution to a mystery’ Sophie Hannah

A body is discovered with the dismembered parts of six victims stitched together, nicknamed by the press as the ‘Ragdoll’. Assigned to the shocking case are Detective William ‘Wolf’ Fawkes, recently reinstated to the London Met, and his former partner Detective Emily Baxter.

The ‘Ragdoll Killer’ taunts the police by releasing a list of names to the media, and the dates on which he intends to murder them. With six people to save, can Fawkes and Baxter catch a killer when the world is watching their every move?

Translated into over 30 languages, RAGDOLL is a quality, rocket-paced thriller with twists and turns you won’t see coming. For readers of Jo Nesbo. You will not stop talking about this book.

What everyone is saying about RAGDOLL:
‘A star is born. Killer plot. Killer pace. Twisted killer and a killer twist. Kill to get a copy.’ Simon Toyne
‘…the best debut I’ve ever read.’ Rachel Abbott
‘This book kept me captivated, my heart pumping and guessing to the very end!’ NetGalley reviewer
‘…a rollercoaster of a thriller.‘ NetGalley reviewer
‘…one of the most well written crime thrillers I have ever read’ NetGalley reviewer
‘A very well written debut novel which had all the twists and turns and intrigue that you need.’ NetGalley reviewer
‘Totally unputdownable‘ NetGalley Reviewer

America’s most acclaimed crime writer and winner of the CWA Gold Dagger returns to Louisiana with his great detective, Dave Robicheaux

Three men are present when Amanda Boudreau is raped and murdered, and small-time hustler Tee Bobby Hulin’s prints are found at the crime scene. Dave Robicheaux reckons he’s innocent, and Tee Bobby pleads so, then attempts suicide in his holding cell. Why?

Tee Bobby is released on bail and soon after there is a second murder. When lawyer Perry LaSalle takes on the defence of Tee Bobby, Dave knows his motives are fuelled by guilt. For Tee Bobby’s grandmother was seduced by Perry’s grandfather, and Amanda Boudreau’s death is related to events that happened long before Tee Bobby was born…

Praise for one of the great American crime writers, James Lee Burke:

‘James Lee Burke is the heavyweight champ, a great American novelist whose work, taken individually or as a whole, is unsurpassed.’ Michael Connelly

‘A gorgeous prose stylist.’ Stephen King

‘Richly deserves to be described now as one of the finest crime writers America has ever produced.’ Daily Mail

Fans of Dennis Lehane, Michael Connelly and Don Winslow will love James Lee Burke:

Dave Robicheaux Series

1. The Neon Rain
2. Heaven’s Prisoners
3. Black Cherry Blues
4. A Morning for Flamingos
5. A Stained White Radiance
6. In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead
7. Dixie City Jam
8. Burning Angel
9. Cadillac Jukebox
10. Sunset Limited
11. Purple Cane Road
12. Jolie Blon’s Bounce
13. Last Car to Elysian Fields
14. Crusader’s Cross
15. Pegasus Descending
16. The Tin Roof Blowdown
17. Swan Peak
18. The Glass Rainbow
19. Creole Belle
20. Light of the World
21. Robicheaux

Hackberry Holland Series

1. Lay Down My Sword and Shield
2. Rain Gods
3. Feast Day of Fools
4. House of the Rising Sun

Billy Bob Holland Series

1. Cimarron Rose
2. Heartwood
3. Bitterroot
4. In The Moon of Red Ponies

* Each James Lee Burke novel can be read as a standalone or in series order *

***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.
_________

‘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

The gripping new novel from bestselling author Elly Griffiths.

It starts with a magician and a murder in a Brighton boarding house; throw in a show on Brighton pier, a sinister radio personality and a potential serial killer, and you’ve got the next twisty mystery from Elly Griffiths.

Magician Max Mephisto, now divorced and living in London, is on his way to visit daughter Ruby and her new-born baby when he is hailed by a voice from the past, fellow performer Ted English, aka the Great Deceiver. Ted’s assistant, Cherry, has been found dead in her Brighton boarding house and he’s convinced that he’ll be accused of her murder.

Max agrees to talk to his friend, Superintendent Edgar Stephens, who is investigating the case. What Max doesn’t know is that the girl’s family have hired private detective duo Emma Holmes (aka Mrs Stephens) and Sam Collins to do some digging of their own.

The inhabitants of the boarding house, most of whom are performing in an Old Time Music Hall show on Brighton pier, are a motley crew. The house is also connected to a sinister radio personality called Pal. When a second magician’s assistant is killed, Edgar suspects a serial killer. He persuades Max to come out of semi-retirement and take part in a summer show. But who can pose as his assistant? Edgar shocks the team by recommending someone close. . .

***************************

Praise for Elly Griffiths

‘Original, lively and gripping’ Independent

‘Full of period detail, smart plotting and likeable characters’ Mail on Sunday

‘Full of fun and expertly plotted’ Sunday Express


The Last Remains, the final instalment of the Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries, was a Sunday Times bestseller in August 2023.

From Elly Griffiths, bestselling crime author writing under her own name, comes a heart-warming tale of family rivalry and long-held secrets. Steeped in local Italian colour, it reveals a family at their worst – and best .

‘Witty and light as a tiramisu but with tart insight on sibling rivalry’ Nottingham Evening Post

Gaby, the youngest of the de Angelis sisters, always knew she was her father Enzo’s favourite; so when Enzo dies on the day her own daughter is born, her life is turned upside down.

In the emotional aftermath of the funeral, it emerges that her father has asked that his ashes be taken back to his native city, Rome. Suddenly, Gaby and her new family are thrown headlong into the wider de Angelis clan with all of their conflicting ideas and opinions.

As the family journeys to Rome to say a final goodbye to Enzo, emotions run high; but none higher than Gaby’s, as she comes face to face with the man she once thought she would marry.

Two years have passed since the events of THE ORDER OF THE SCALES. Across the realms, dragons are still hatching. Hatching, and hatching free.

Skorl is an Ember, a soldier trained from birth to fight dragons. He is a living weapon, one-shot only, saturated with enough dragon-poison to bring down a monster all on his own. Misanthrope, violent and a drunk, to fulfil his purpose and slay a dragon, means to be eaten. Now Skorl has a choice: he can hang for his crimes, or he can go with the last of the Adamantine Men, fighting against an enemy he was born to face.

Rat is an Outsider. He’s on the run and he’s stumbled onto something that’s going to make him rich beyond all his dreams. It’s just a shame that the end of the world has started without him.

Kataros is an alchemist, one of the order responsible for keeping the dragons in check. One of the order that has just failed, and disastrously so.

Two men, one woman. One chance to save the world from a storm of dragons …

Eighteen-year-old aspiring comic Joey Rossi just found out his boyfriend has been cheating on him for the past ten months. But what did he expect? Joey was born with an addiction to toxic jerks-something he inherited from his lovably messy, wisecracking, Italian-American spitfire of a mom (and best friend): 34-year-old Gia Rossi.

When Gia’s latest non-relationship goes up in flames only a day later, the pair’s Bayonne, New Jersey apartment can barely contain their rage. In a misguided attempt at revenge, Joey and Gia inadvertently commit a series of crimes and flee the state, running to the only good man either of them has ever known-Gia’s ex, Marco. As they hide out from the law at Marco’s secluded lake house, Joey and Gia must confront all the bad habits and mistakes they’ve made that have led them to this moment-and find a way to take responsibility for what they’ve done.

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

*****Part of the bestselling John Shakespeare series of Tudor spy thrillers from Rory Clements, winner of the Ellis Peters Historical Fiction Award*****

‘Does for Elizabeth’s reign what CJ Sansom does for Henry VIII’s’ Sunday Times

England is close to war. Within days the axe could fall on the neck of Mary Queen of Scots, and Spain is already gathering a battle fleet to avenge her.

Tensions in Elizabeth I’s government are at breaking point. At the eye of the storm is John Shakespeare, chief intelligencer in the secret service of Sir Francis Walsingham. When an intercept reveals a plot to assassinate England’s ‘sea dragon’, Francis Drake, Shakespeare is ordered to protect him. With Drake on land fitting out his ships, he is frighteningly vulnerable. If he dies, England will be open to invasion.

In a London rife with rumour, Shakespeare must decide which leads to follow, which to ignore. When a high-born young woman is found mutilated and murdered at an illicit printing house, it is political gunpowder – and he has no option but to investigate.

But why is Shakespeare shadowed at every turn by the brutal Richard Topcliffe, the blood-drenched priest-hunter who claims intimacy with Queen Elizabeth herself? What is Topcliffe’s interest in a housemaid, whose baby has been stolen? And where do two fugitive Jesuit priests fit into the puzzle, one happy to die for God, the other to kill for Him?

From the splendour and intrigue of the royal court, to the sleek warships of Her Majesty’s Navy and the teeming brothels of Southwark, Shakespeare soon learns that nothing is as it seems . . .

‘Frances Brody has made it to the top rank of crime writers’ Daily Mail

‘Brody’s writing is like her central character Kate Shackleton: witty, acerbic and very, very perceptive’ Ann Cleeves

A lady with a secret

Kate Shackleton’s sterling reputation for courageous sleuthing attracts the attention of the venerable Lady Coulton. Hidden in her past is a daughter, born out of wedlock and given up to a different family. Now, Lady Coulton is determined to find her and puts Kate on the case.

A mysterious killing in the library’s basement

But as Kate delves deeper into Lady Coulton’s past, she soon finds herself thrust into a scandal much closer to home. When the body of the respected Horatio Potter is found in the Leeds Library basement, the quiet literary community is suddenly turned upside down with suspicions, accusations and – much to Kate’s surprise – the appearance of a particularly intelligent Capuchin monkey!

The most puzzling case in Kate’s sleuthing history yet

Convinced an innocent man has been blamed, Kate sets out to discover the truth. Who would want Dr Potter dead? Does Lady Coulton’s missing daughter hold a vital clue? As the stories start to emerge in the seemingly quiet Leeds Library, Kate is learning fast that in this case, she can’t judge a book by its cover . . .

What readers are saying about the Kate Shackleton mysteries:

‘Kate Shackleton is a splendid heroine’ Ann Granger

‘Delightful’ People’s Friend

‘Frances Brody matches a heroine of free and independent spirit with a vivid evocation of time and place . . . a novel to cherish’ Barry Turner, Daily Mail

‘Brody’s excellent mystery splendidly captures the conflicts and attitudes of the time with well-developed characters’ RT Book Reviews

‘Kate Shackleton joins Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs in a subgroup of young, female amateur detectives who survived and were matured by their wartime experiences’ Literary Review

No-holds-barred account of one of Britain’s most gifted and creative musical talents

In 2003, at the age of 17, Dizzee Rascal became an overnight name to drop when his debut album, Boy In Da Corner, beat Coldplay, Radiohead and The Darkness to the Mercury Music Prize.

Dizzee was born in Nigeria, but raised by his mum in Bow, east London after the death of his father when he was two years old. Dizzee was thrown out of four schools in four years, got involved with drugs and crime. But, whilst he dropped out of most formal education, music always had a guiding influence on Dizzee.

With four bestselling albums to his name, Dizzee is not only famed for pioneering grime – his style has evolved and progressed and he has become one of the biggest popstars in the UK today. Recent collaborations with artists as diverse as Arctic Monkeys and Fatboy Slim demonstrate Dizzee’s vision and musical genius. Citing influences which range from old skool hip hop to jungle and heavy metal, Dizzee embodies an artist with a unique talent who’s pioneering approach guarantee his longevity.

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.

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.

‘A searing and stunningly poignant study in what makes us and what breaks us’ S. A. Cosby, New York Times bestselling author of Razorblade Tears and Blacktop Wasteland

‘A gripping novel about rage and trauma, redemption and damnation, football and family’ Steph Cha

Friday Night Lights with a Southern Gothic twist – a powerful debut noir for fans of S. A. Cosby and Megan Abbott.

In Denton, Arkansas, the fate of the high school football team rests on the shoulders of Billy Lowe, a volatile but talented running back. Billy comes from an extremely troubled home: a trailer park where he is terrorized by his unstable mother’s abusive boyfriend. Billy takes out his anger on the field, but when his savagery crosses a line, he faces suspension.

Without Billy Lowe, the Denton Pirates can kiss their playoff bid goodbye. But the head coach, Trent Powers, who just moved from California with his wife and two children for this job, has more than just his paycheck riding on Billy’s bad behavior. As a born-again Christian, Trent feels a divine calling to save Billy-save him from his circumstances, and save his soul.

Then Billy’s abuser is found murdered in the Lowe family trailer, and all evidence points toward Billy. Now nothing can stop an explosive chain of violence that could tear the whole town apart on the eve of the playoffs.

WINNER OF THE PETER LOVESEY FIRST CRIME NOVEL CONTEST

A USA Today Best Book of the Year (So Far)
An Amazon Editor’s Pick
CrimeReads Most Anticipated Books of 2022
New York Post Top Reads for the Week

‘Southern noir at its finest, a cauldron of terrible choices and even more terrible outcomes’ The New York Times Book Review

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

‘Ill-fated love and toxic family power struggles provide emotional drive for this big dynastic saga’ JAKE ARNOTT, GUARDIAN

‘Huge, epic, immersive and absorbing . . . certain to be a book of the year’ LEE CHILD, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR

This is the age of vice, where pleasure and power are everything, and the family ties that bind can also kill

New Delhi, 3 a.m. A speeding Mercedes jumps the kerb, and in the blink of an eye five people are dead. It’s a rich man’s car, but when the dust settles there is no rich man at all, just a shell-shocked servant who cannot explain the strange series of events that led to this crime. Nor can he foresee the dark drama that is about to unfold.
Deftly shifting through time and perspective in contemporary India, Age of Vice is an epic, action-packed story propelled by the seductive wealth, startling corruption, and bloodthirsty violence of the Wadia family-loved by some, loathed by others, feared by all.

In the shadow of lavish estates, extravagant parties, predatory business deals, and calculated political influence, three lives become dangerously intertwined: Ajay is the watchful servant, born into poverty, who rises through the family’s ranks. Sunny is the playboy heir who dreams of outshining his father, whatever the cost. And Neda is the curious journalist caught between morality and desire. Against a sweeping plot fueled by loss, pleasure, greed, yearning, violence, and revenge, will these characters’ connections become a path to escape, or a trigger of further destruction?

Equal parts crime thriller and family saga, transporting readers from the dusty villages of Uttar Pradesh to the urban energy of New Delhi, Age of Vice is an intoxicating novel of gangsters and lovers, false friendships, forbidden romance, and the consequences of corruption. It is binge-worthy entertainment at its literary best.

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

BY THE AUTHOR OF THE HANDMAID’S TALE, THE TESTAMENTS AND ALIAS GRACE

‘Dark and witty tales from the gleefully inventive Margaret Atwood. Witty verve, imaginative inventiveness and verbal sizzle vivify every page’ Sunday Times

A recently widowed fantasy writer is guided through a stormy winter evening by the voice of her late husband. An elderly lady with Charles Bonnet syndrome comes to terms with the little people she keeps seeing, while a newly formed populist group gathers to burn down her retirement residence. A woman born with a genetic abnormality is mistaken for a vampire, and a crime committed long ago is revenged in the Arctic via a 1.9 billion-year-old stromatolite.

‘A collection of nine acerbic, mischievous, gulpable short stories’ Harper’s Bazaar

‘Atwood’s prose is so sharp and sly that the effect is bracing rather than bleak’ Guardian

‘[Look at these tales] as eight icily refreshing arsenic Popsicles followed by a baked Alaska laced with anthrax, all served with impeccable style and aplomb. Enjoy!’ Ursula K. Le Guin, Financial Times

‘Atwood has characters here close to death, dead already, unwittingly doomed or – in one memorable case – freeze-dried; but her own curiosity, enthusiasm and sheer storytelling panache remain alive and kicking’ Independent

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.

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.

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.
……………………………………………………………..

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

BY THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY, CAROL AND STRANGERS ON A TRAIN

‘The No.1 Greatest Crime Writer’ THE TIMES

‘I love Highsmith so much . . . What a revelation her writing is’ GILLIAN FLYNN

‘No one has created psychological suspense more densely and deliciously satisfying’ VOGUE

‘Ramón had done it. Obviously! He thought about Ramón, his Catholic soul trapped in his passion for Lelia. He’d find Ramón and see that he paid with his life for what he had done.’

In A Game for the Living, threads of sexual jealousy and guilt are shot through with all Patricia Highsmith’s uncanny talent for the unexpected.

Ramón mends furniture. Theodore paints. A devout Catholic, Ramón lives in Mexico City, not far from where he was born into poverty. Theodore, a rich German transplanted to a country where money buys some comfort but no peace, believes in nothing at all.

You’d think the two had nothing in common. Except, of course, that both had slept with Lelia. The two were good friends, so neither minded sharing her affections. They did mind, however, when Lelia was found raped, murdered, and horribly mutilated. The two friends, suspects both, twist in a limbo of tension and doubt, each seeking his own form of solace and truth.

A thrilling, psychologically complex novel, rich with setting, A Game for the Living is Highsmith at her best.

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.

Stanley J. Browne is an actor, and he has been an actor all his life. Born to a Jamaican mother in a London suburb, he began rehearsing for the role of survivor from an early age. From birth he knew nothing but a home filled with love and the vibrancy of a Caribbean culture, but this changes when his mother is diagnosed with schizophrenia.

In this honest and gripping memoir, Stanley reflects on a childhood and adolescence torn apart by mental disorder. Because of it, he adopts the mantle of ‘man of the house’ as he is forced to scavenge for food and miss school, with his two sisters, to care for his baby brother. His life is further fragmented as they yo-yo in and out of the care system and Stanley must face the reality of being separated from his siblings.
An intelligent and sensitive child, Stanley descends into a life of crime and drug abuse. During his time spent in various young offender’s institutions and prisons he battles with addiction and slowly begins to turn his life around.
Set against a backdrop of 1970s poverty, racism and hardship, Little Big Man is a powerful story of generational trauma and one man’s determination to heal the wounds of the past. Most of all, it is a book about the universal desire for love, belonging and the search to find an authentic voice through the redemptive power of creativity and recovery.