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No one can hurt you like a sister Growing up in 1970s Ghana, Evelyn and Maggie are two sides of the same coin. While reliable Evelyn is entrusted to support her struggling family, Maggie skips class to flirt with boys. Despite their differences, they’ve made a promise: one day they will escape to America, and start a new life together. Evelyn’s prospects transform when she marries Gus, a wealthy surgeon who already lives in New York, and quickly falls pregnant. Meanwhile, Maggie sees her prospects vanish when she realises she is also expecting, but without the crucial detail of a husband. When a terrible accident causes Evelyn to lose her unborn child, the answer seems simple, and Evelyn takes her sister’s unwanted baby to the States to raise as her own. But such an act has untold consequences for both sisters, and when one of them changes their mind, an impossible decision awaits. An emotional gut-punch of a novel, Half Lives is about the enduring power of love, and what it can withstand before it breaks.

'Jenny Knight's writing is brilliant – telling it like it is, full of warmth and humour' Cathy Rentzenbrink 'Powerful … A moving story of female desire, ambition and renewal' Kit de Waal 'A beautiful tale about friendship and reinvention' Fabulous, The Sun ***** A powerful and moving debut novel about coming of age again post-marriage and post-menopause. Claire's life isn't how she thought it would be when she moves into Hunter's Moon. Her long marriage is over, her children have flown the nest, and her work as an illustrator no longer satisfies her. She isn't sure who she is now or what she wants from her life. It wasn't always like this. Once, she had desires and ambitions. When her octogenarian neighbour, Tansy, suffers a fall, Claire’s solitude is broken. Under the older woman’s guidance, she finds solace and a new sense of purpose in regenerating her wild garden. And as the plants grow, Claire retreads the bittersweet journey that brought her to the second half of her life. This is a story of love. Of friendship and desire, of art and nature, of finding love for yourself and for life itself. It is a story of coming of age, once again, of giving up one’s safety net and embracing a new life beyond.

Agatha Christie's most daring crime mystery - an early and particularly brilliant outing of Hercule Poirot, 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd', with its legendary twist, changed the detective fiction genre for ever. Poor Roger Ackroyd. He knew the woman he loved had been harbouring guilty secret. And then, yesterday, she killed herself. But guilty secrets rarely stay secret. Who had been blackmailing her? Had it really driven her to suicide? Sadly, Roger Ackroyd wasn't going to live long enough to find out ...

A lost Hitchcock film. A deadly secret. It's murder in Hollywood. Hollywood, 1959. When struggling mystery writer Bobby Burgoyne is hired by Alfred Hitchcock to work on the script for his new film Crescendo, he thinks his future success is assured at last. Instead he is swept into a swirling maelstrom of madness and murder. Someone, it seems, is willing to kill to keep the film from being made and Hitch needs Bobby to find who or what is behind the sabotage. With a ruthless killer in pursuit, Bobby discovers that behind the obscure novel Hitch has based his movie on lies a true tale of abduction, amnesia and death. To save his own life as well as Hitch’s career, Bobby must penetrate to the heart of the mystery and confront a final, shocking revelation. 'A pitch-perfect pastiche that will delight fans of Raymond Chandler as well as those of Hitchcock … Now all we need is someone to film it' - The Times

Written by the New York Times, on publication of Die the Long Day:Institutions, in West Indian society, were created by slavery and colonialism, for a small elite. When a new Elite, however, began to emerge, the peasant majority began to understand their former white rulers through the black imitators who succeeded them. The peasant at this stage also recognized that the institutions sustaining the black elite were even more vulnerable than the ones that had upheld the white one; that these borrowed institutions could be co-opted, transformed and finally destroyed if necessary. A mass demonstration, an election or a coup d''etat can topple one ruling element and bring another into being. It is not that the people are unstable so much as the institutions they inherited.Orlando Patterson in “Die the Long Day,” a novel set on a Jamaican sugar plantation in the 18th century, throws new light on this unstable situation and on the subtleties of the master-slave relationship. In so doing, he gives a better understanding of contemporary West Indian society. For it is as if this society is bent on proving that those who ignore the past will be forced to relive it; as if the passing of two centuries has only deepened the conflicts, by presenting them over and over again in different guises.The novel begins with a muted, sensuous description of the landscape around the plant-, tion, and then Quasheba, a slave appears. She is running for her life. She had tried to prevent her daughter Polly from being hired out to a plantation owner. “Don''t make him touch you,” she had warned, “even if you have to kill ‘im.... Make then do what they want after. You will be just as good as dead if ‘im touch you anyway.” The owner was known to have syphilis, and Quasheba “dreaded the disease.... for her own mother had died of it and she had to look after her during her last days.”

Our darkest secrets are best left buried... When a local journalist is found dead in an isolated spot on Roydon Common, lying beneath a hangman's noose on the anniversary of a teenager's suicide, DI Tom Janssen is asked to take on the investigation as a favour to local colleagues and must unpick the deceased man's life to discover how he came to be there. The dead man was working on something, a story he was keeping close to his chest and even those closest to him, loved ones and colleagues, were kept in the dark. He had his own secrets, a side to his character that he rarely showed to others unless they were unlucky. But what did he know that was so damaging as to be worth killing fo? s the team delve into his life, past and present, the investigation pulls in successful businesspeople, grieving family members and a local celebrity, all with fascinating stories to tell. As the investigation develops it becomes clear that more than one person is harbouring a secret... but are they secrets that are worth a man's life? As past sins threaten to be exposed, will someone be forced into killing agai? et within the mysterious beauty of coastal Norfolk, this fast-paced British detective novel is a dark murder mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end when the final shocking twist is revealed. A Dark Sin is the eighth novel in the Hidden Norfolk series of thrillers from the million-copy selling British crime writer, JM Dalgliesh, the author of the Dark Yorkshire books. Perfect for fans of LJ Ross, JD Kirk, Angela Marsons, Alex Smith and Damien Boyd. Readers love J M Dalgliesh: ‘Fantastic’ FIVE-STAR READER REVIEW‘The best detective series I’ve read’ FIVE-STAR READER REVIEW‘You can’t put these books down’ FIVE-STAR READER REVIEW‘J M Dalgliesh never disappoints’ FIVE-STAR READER REVIEW‘Like watching Shetland on TV’ FIVE-STAR READER REVIEW‘So much tension’ FIVE-STAR READER REVIEW

Ellie’s universe, and this one, is falling apart. Her ailing mother is in a coma; her sister, Chris, accuses her of being insufficiently Chinese between assassination attempts; and a shadowy cabal of engineers is trying to hijack the skunkworks, the machinery that keeps the physics of each universe working the way it’s supposed to.Daniel, Ellie''s cousin, has found an illicit device in the skunkworks—one that keeps Ellie''s comatose mother alive while also creating destabilizing bugs in the physics of this universe. It''s not a good day.If she can confront her mother’s legacy and overcome her family’s generational trauma, she just might find a way to preserve the skunkworks and reconcile with her sister…but digging into her family’s past is thornier than it seems, and the secrets she uncovers will force Ellie to choose between her family and the universe itself.

*Foiled cover design exclusive to first print run* Best friends? Not really … Leonie and Nora couldn’t be less alike. Leonie is brave and bold. She left the Isle of Pitte behind in search of adventure and swore she’d never return. Nora prefers the cosy embrace of home. And besides, one of them has to take some responsibility. When her reckless lifestyle catches up with her, Leonie returns home to Pitte to recover in the comforting, cloying care of her younger sister. Instead, she's surprised to find reliable, steadfast Nora is just as lost as she is. Leonie and Nora have spent their lives certain they've nothing in common, but it seems they each have exactly what the other needs. And there's no one who can heal you – or hurt you – quite like a sister. Readers are loving Two Sisters: ‘Laura has given us another book of and for the heart’ ‘A real testament to complicated maternal bonds’ ‘Chaotic, funny, heartbreaking, and painfully honest all at once’ Praise for Laura Dockrill: 'Bursts with energy' Matt Haig 'Just DELICIOUS' Kirsty Capes 'What a book!' Giovanna Fletcher 'Extraordinary' Lindsey Kelk 'Wonderful' Sophie Ellis-Bextor 'Glorious' Salena Godden 'Transporting' Sophie Dahl 'I loved it, I loved it, I loved it!' Dawn O'Porter

Starter for Ten: the Sunday Times-bestselling comedy about love, class, growing up and the all-important difference between knowledge and wisdom'Painfully funny'ELLE'Hugely entertaining'DAILY MAIL'Wincingly good'TIME OUTIt's 1985 and Brian Jackson has arrived at university with a burning ambition - to make it onto TV's foremost general knowledge quiz. But no sooner has he embarked on 'The Challenge' than he finds himself falling hopelessly in love with his teammate, the beautiful and charismatic would-be actress Alice Harbinson. When Alice fails to fall for his slightly over-eager charms, Brian comes up with a foolproof plan to capture her heart once and for all: he's going to win the game, at any cost. Because - after all - everyone knows that what a woman really wants from a man is a comprehensive grasp of general knowledge . . . ONE OF BRITAIN'S MOST ACCLAIMED WRITERS'One of the most astute chroniclers of England as it is now'FINANCIAL TIMES'An uncanny ability to make us laugh out loud, but also care passionately about his characters'DAILY TELEGRAPH'Nicholls writes with such tender precision about love'THE TIMES'No one else writes novels that are both relatable and revelatory in the way he does'EVENING STANDARD'Genuinely brilliant'NEW STATESMAN

A laugh-out-loud romcom about female rage, public shame and learning to take your own advice, from the bestselling author of Book Boyfriend and Seven Exes. 'The best kind of rage with a gorgeous romance' BETH O'LEARY'Good For You is SO MUCH FUN! I enjoyed it so much!' MARIAN KEYES'I ADORED it . . . utterly hilarious and hugely emotionally intelligent' DAISY BUCHANANSometimes the people who give the best advice are the worst at taking it. Liv’s furious – but you’d never know. As morning TV’s go-to relationship therapist, she’s built herself a no-nonsense, easy-breezy reputation. But when she’s caught on video having a tiramisu-fuelled meltdown, she goes viral for all the wrong reasons. Suddenly everyone knows that the woman whose mantra is ‘keep calm and carry a condom’ can’t keep her cool. Her boss gives her an ultimatum: anger management or unemployment. It should be simple, just six sessions stand between Liv and her old life. The problem is her therapist, Edward, who's insufferably perceptive and, worse still . . . devastatingly hot. Readers are loving Good For You…'Friendship, a love interest, a statement on society and good writing – yes, yes and yes''A gorgeous read and gorgeous romance''Lucy sure knows how to write her humans. Loved it''A literary version of nightclub bathroom conversation, but with added sparkle''An absolute hot mess and unflinchingly, annoyingly relatable'

'Terrific' STEPHEN KING 'First-class storytelling. Hooked from the first page, I raced through the book in one sitting' Five Star Reader Review 'Dark and thoroughly absorbing' (Five stars) ***** When you hear it, be afraid… Annie Blunt and her young son Charlie moved to their house in upstate New York to put a dreadful year behind them. The death of her husband and a scandal around one of her children's books left them both needing a fresh start. But things aren't as peaceful as Annie hoped. Strange sounds wake her in the middle of the night. There's something sinister about the toy train Charlie discovers in a locked shed in the grounds. And then bizarre things start happening in the neighbourhood. Grief can play tricks on the mind, but Annie is beginning to realise she’s walked out of one nightmare and straight into another… Sunday Times bestselling author Linwood Barclay enters new territory with a fiendishly twisted supernatural chiller. ****** PRAISE FOR LINWOOD BARCLAY: ‘Linwood Barclay has crafted another perfect page-turner’ The Times ‘Pacy and tense, it’s a triumph from a master thriller writer. Every page makes your heart beat that little bit faster’ The Sun ‘You’ll be left speed-reading towards the end to discover answers expertly posed by the bestselling Toronto-based crime writer’ The Independent ‘Totally absorbing… brilliant stuff’ Neil Lancaster ‘A superior thriller’ Sunday Times ‘A suspense master’ Stephen King ***** Readers are gripped by WHISTLE! 'Whistle is simply genius … my favourite book of [Linwood Barclay's] I've ever read' (Five stars) 'A twisty horror thriller with a Stephen King feel. Do yourself a favour and read this book' (Five stars) 'Bravo Mr Barclay – Brilliant … everything I want from a book was here and so much more! I enjoyed every twisted minute of it' (Five stars)

Modern Family meets The Durrells in this life-affirming and evocative novel set against the idyllic beauty of the Tuscan countryside. Stories don't always unfold the way you expect them to... When 45-year-old Adam inherits a rundown farmhouse and castle in Tuscany from a great uncle he didn't know existed, he quits his job in Manchester to renovate the property. He's thrilled his boyfriend of two years, newly divorced and out-of-the-closet Theo, is joining him. But at the last minute, Theo's children have to come too. And they're hostile to Adam, immune to the beauty of the rural location - and scared of the resident lizards. As Adam explores the crumbling walls of the castle and sorts through his uncle's possessions, he discovers some dark family secrets. But could they finally allow him to break free from the pain of the past, start building a new family and open up a life of queer jo? he Castle of Stories is a moving, heartwarming and uplifting novel about modern family in all its forms, what it means to love, and the importance of understanding your own story. 'Matt Cain writes gay love stories that are universallyuplifting, inspiring and utterly riveting' - Lisa Jewell'Bursting with pride and joy. His best yet!' - La Voix'He's done it again! Matt Cain is one of our mostintelligent, empathetic authors and a brilliant storyteller. These are storieswe need to hear.' - Lorraine Kelly'Nobody captures the messiness, angst and utter joy of themodern family better than Matt Cain.' - Clare Pooley'A relatable, funny and moving celebration of found familyand the power of being seen' - Alexandra Potter 'SUCH a good book with themes and characters to care about. Brimming with empathy and understanding for the true meaning of family - I loved it.' - Freya North‘Matt Cain writes with joy, strength, truth and such a good heart’ - Russell T DaviesLOVE FOR MATT CAIN'A book for anybody who feels at all marginalised, small, bullied or lost' - Claudia Winkleman'I loved it! Really heart-warming and joyful, but also so poignant. I cannot recommend this book highly enough' - Lorraine Kelly'A joyful tale that will move you to laughter and cheers' - i paper'Will put a smile on everyone's face . . . A great big hug of a book!' - Michael Ball'Wonderful. Written with such a good heart, filled with joy and strength and optimism...inventive and fun but most importantly, true' - Russell T Davies'A triumphant coming-of-age tale about the power of being true to yourself' - Juno Dawson'This book made us laugh and cry, and entertains from start to finish' - Attitude'Wonderful . . . An utter treat' - Kate Mosse'A heart-warming, joyous love story - original, hopeful and totally charming' - Adele Parks'A beautiful, timely page-turner, straight from the heart . . . The perfect summer read' - Matthew Bourne'This rollicking romance entrapped me, chapter by chapter. True in its detail and its scope, it is amusing yet heart-breaking' - Ian McKellen'Utterly absorbing and affecting. Matt Cain is one of the most entertaining and illuminating writers out there' - Bryony Gordon'Positivity seeps from every page' - The Times'You will weep and yet have your heart filled with joy' - Arlene Phillips'Brilliant... I recommend to all' - Matt Lucas'Full of warmth, humour and courage and I absolutely loved it!' - Ruth Hogan'This novel is just a bucket of joy' - Glamour'A joyful read; tender, full of courage and irresistibly good-hearted' - Rachel Joyce'The most joyful, heart-warming, and beautiful book ever' - La Voix'A triumph. Brave and honest, beautiful and funny' - Alexandra Potter'Utterly joyful - you will smile your way through this' - The Sun'I have so much love for this book!' - Freya North'As sharp eyed as Hilda Ogden and as seen-it-all as Bet Lynch . . .a proudly Northern queer One Day, ingenious and unsparing' - Patrick Gale'A big warm hug of a novel' - Heat'This epic friends-to-lovers will-they-won't-they story is gorgeous!' - Clare Pooley'You don't want to mi

'Enthralling and profoundly relevant' Salman Rushdie'Joyful, illuminating and engaging ' Madeline Miller'A masterclass in translation' Blake Morrison, GuardianHow do we give old words new voices? What must a translator lose - and what might she gain - when she moves between languages, bringing ancient stories to modern lif? mily Wilson has spent a lifetime wrestling with these questions: here, she invites us to consider the meaning and messages of translators from antiquity to today - and gives a wholly fresh insight into her own work on Homer. From shifting depictions of Helen of Troy to Cardi B and Athenian comedy, Han Kang's novels and Rome's love of Greek culture, Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea is a playful and fascinating voyage into the promise, possibility and constant renewal of classical literature.

From the bestselling author of The Bookshop Ladies, Faith Hogan, comes a wonderfully gripping and poignant story of two sisters and their family hotel on peaceful Pin Hill Island, once a thriving family business now struggling to survive. All Blythe Carney ever wanted was to become a hotelier and run her family’s business, the Hope Square Hotel. But fate, and her grandfather, intervened and it fell into her younger sister Rae’s lap, taking her dreams with it. Now Blythe owns Still Water House, the most exclusive guest house on Pin Hill Island, but she can’t help but feel she’s still not living the life she was meant to. Rae Johnson had no interest in taking over the hotel, her dreams lay elsewhere, but when she ended up with the family business her sister had set her heart on, her sense of duty to continue their family legacy with her husband was too strong to ignore. Now, fifteen years later, newly widowed Rae is struggling to keep the hotel afloat and she knows that selling it could be the final straw in her already fragile relationship with her sister. What do you do when your sister lives the life that you’d set your heart on? And when the perfect storm is brewing, surely, it’s time to put aside the jealousy and disappointment that can tear a family apart, and fight for the future you have always dreamed o? RAISE FOR FAITH HOGAN:'A beautiful, captivating and emotional story' - Kate Storey'A captivating read, written with warmth and elegance... the perfect escape!' - Evie Woods'This is an absolute beauty... a book that will stay with me for a very long time' - Sally Page'Prepare to get lost in this beautiful story, masterfully told' - Amanda Prowse'So wonderfully life affirming... I always wish I could live in Faith's books' - Dinah JefferiesREADERS LOVE THE SISTERS OF HOPE SQUARE:'A beautiful, uplifting story, great writing and full of interesting characters that you can resonate with' 5* NetGalley review'A captivating emotional journey, demonstrating how everyone’s emotions and actions can influence other people’s dreams' 5* NetGalley review'I recommend a box of tissues when you read this' 5* NetGalley review

LONGLISTED FOR THE AUTHORS' CLUB BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD 2026AN OBSERVER BEST DEBUT OF 2025 'Astonishing' LUCY ROSE'Biting and rich' MOLLY AITKEN'Unforgettable' OBSERVER'A novel of rare power' GABRIELLE GRIFFITHS Myma, do you hear it? Myma, do you hear? Mym? aya and Daughter live in complete isolation in a secluded woodland, their days aligned with the light and changing seasons, a complex pattern of routine and ritual. One day, when Daughter is almost sixteen, a red-haired stranger steps into the confines of their territory. Where there was always two, suddenly there are three - and the carefully constructed world that Maya has built to keep her daughter safe may not survive it.

One lie requires commitment. Multiple lies require dedication... When the remains of a young woman are discovered near to Branodunum, a Roman archaeological site on the Norfolk coast, DI Tom Janssen and his team must work to discover who she was and how she came to be buried there. The area is steeped in myth and folklore, a site excavated many times over the years. Just how long has she lain there... and who wishes she'd never been discovered? As the victim’s life comes into sharp focus, it appears there is far more to those who crossed her path than anyone previously realised. Uncovering dark secrets at every turn, DI Janssen must unravel the web of deceit in order to unmask a killer; possibly the most cold blooded and dangerous murderer he has ever faced. Set within the mysterious beauty of coastal Norfolk, this fast-paced British detective novel is a dark murder mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end when the final shocking twist is revealed. Kill Them Cold is the seventh novel in the Hidden Norfolk series of thrillers from the million-copy bestselling British crime writer, JM Dalgliesh, the author of the Dark Yorkshire books. Perfect for fans of LJ Ross, JD Kirk, Angela Marsons, Joy Ellis and Damien Boyd. Readers love J M Dalgliesh: ‘Fantastic’ FIVE-STAR READER REVIEW‘The best detective series I’ve read’ FIVE-STAR READER REVIEW‘You can’t put these books down’ FIVE-STAR READER REVIEW‘J M Dalgliesh never disappoints’ FIVE-STAR READER REVIEW‘Like watching Shetland on TV’ FIVE-STAR READER REVIEW‘So much tension’ FIVE-STAR READER REVIEW

PREORDER BANE OF BERNICIA NOW - THE THRILLING NEW BERNICIA CHRONICLES ADVENTURE!Anglo-Saxon warlord Beobrand must navigate the caprices of kings as he fights for his honour and his life. The unmissable new Bernicia Chronicles novel from Matthew Harffy. Returning from a dangerous mission to Rome, warlord Beobrand looks forward to peace at home, but bloodshed remains his constant companion. While bringing criminals to justice Beobrand believes he has discovered a secret alliance between two of Bernicia's enemies: the Picts and the Mercians. He hastens to warn his king, but finds Oswiu distracted, preparing to marry his eldest son to the daughter of former adversary Penda of Mercia, who remains as slippery as ever. Dismayed, Beobrand finds himself blamed for breaking the truce with the Mercians, and must fight once more for his life. Worse, Penda insists on taking Oswiu's young son as a hostage. Beobrand is surprised when Queen Eanflad concocts a plot to rescue her son and orders him to take part. It will take all their guile to achieve their goal... and keep their heads, when half the kingdoms of Albion want Bernicia destroyed. A gripping Anglo-Saxon adventure perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell and David Gemmell. 'Beobrand is the warrior to follow' David Gilman

Nestled among rugged mountains, in a remote part of Catalonia frequented by wolf hunters, bandits, deserters, ghosts, beasts and demons, sits the old farmhouse called Mas Clavell. Inside, an impossibly old woman lies on her deathbed while family and caretakers drift in and out. All the women who have ever lived and died in that house are waiting for her to join them. They are preparing to throw her a party. As day turns to night, four hundred years' worth of memories unspool, and the house reverberates with the women's stories. Stories of mysterious visions, of those born without eyelashes and tongues or with deformed hearts. But it begins with the story of the matriarch Joana who double-crosses the devil, heedless of what the consequences might be. I Gave You Eyes and You Looked Toward Darkness is a formally daring and entrancing novel in which Irene Sola explores the duality and essential link between light and darkness, life and death, oblivion and memory.

One land, three curses. One quest for freedom… She was searching for the sea – but found a war. Arianwen has a private hunger: to stand on the shore and listen to the music of water she has only ever imagined. When a bone harp falls into her hands, its song draws her out of the forest she calls home and straight into danger. Dragons bleed in the sky. Lightning hunts the living. Wraiths wait in the wind to steal the language and life of anyone brave or foolish enough to speak in their hearing. Hers is a land riven by ancient plagues and now Ari must face them head on. But she has never feared being alone. Until the day she meets the dragon – and its dangerous companion, Edern. He wants the storms broken – and will risk everything to do it. Ari wants only to reach the wild edge of the land. Between them, a fierce, reluctant respect ignites. Between them also, a choice: head to the sea Ari knows has answers she needs, or stand and fight for what would be lost if the skies fall. Bold, mythic and elemental, Red Dragon Song is an epic journey of bone-deep music, binding loyalties and heartbreaking bargains. It asks whether love is balm or curse to a restless soul – and whether words in the wind can change everything. As Ari steps out of the shadows, who will she become when the sky finally answers her song?