Allison & Busby strana 5 z 7

Jude is the owner of a unique antiques shop in Cambridge. She makes it her mission to match customers with the special something that they are missing, a talisman to bring them what their heart desires. Unfortunately, Jude''s life is not overflowing with the love she wishes for. How ever, when she ''inherits'' a niece that she never knew existed, doubling her meagre family overnight, Jude''s life is soon set to get a lot less lonely and a lot more interesting.Viola is a single-minded perfectionist w hose only heart''s desire is the position of Head Chef at one of Cambridge''s most prestigious restaurants. But w hen Viola keeps bumping into a widower, Mathieu, she begins to discover that there''s more to life beyond the kitchen. Allison & Busby is delighted to be reissuing five of Menna van Praag''s magical realism novels in a stunning new livery. For fans of cosy BookTok-favourite authors like Lucy Jane Wood (Rewitched) and Evie Woods (The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris) as well as heartwarming tales like Before the Coffee Gets Cold. Menna van Praag''s books were a forerunner of the burgeoning healing fiction genre, with their cosy transformative storylines. Van Praag masterfully conjured a collection of books which mix romance, characters on life-changing journeys and a sprinkling of the supernatural.

Simmy is four months pregnant, working partly from home and partly from her Windermere florist shop when her husband Christopher asks her to take flowers to Eleanor Padgett. Eleanor has helped him in his auction house, as she is an expert in antique textiles. She lives near the church at Dacre, and Simmy meets her in the nearby churchyard. But when they notice the body of a young man by one of the gravestones, the happy outing turns dark. It is not long before Simmy once again finds herself in a complex and puzzling investigation, led by D I Moxon and aided by her friends Ben and Bonnie. A must-read for fans of MC Beaton and Carola Dunn. This compelling addition to the series is set in the Dacre area of the Lake District. Tope is a go-to author for cosy crime fiction with an atmospheric setting, whether in the Cotswolds, the West Country or, with this latest addition, the stunning Lake District.

Bologna, 1575. A talented seamstress. A powerful merchant. A fierce battle of wills. Elena Morandi has gained a fragile foothold in a master tailor's workshop, despite the profession being barred to women. But then Antonio della Fontana, a powerful man from her past, crosses her path and threatens everything she has built. Fontana has every corner of the city in his pocket and Elena knows all too well of his past abuses. Driven to fight for justice, she hatches a daring plan to get retribution for herself, a lost friend and his other victims. The sights, sounds and textures of Renaissance Italy are brought to vivid life in this breathtaking historical fiction debut.

Occupied Norway, 1944. Anni endures the war alone, aiding the resistance while longing for news of her sailor husband. Her daughter, Ingrid, is her joy, and Anni is determined to keep her safe. But when a German official is billeted at their home, danger escalates, and Anni faces an agonising dilemma. London, 1952. Ingrid has been trying to understand her mother's mysterious disappearance at the war's end. Clinging to Anni's promise that she would always come back for her, Ingrid sets out to discover what happened all those years ago.

Allison & Busby is delighted to be reissuing five of Menna van Praag''s magical realism novels in a stunning new livery. For fans of cosy BookTok-favourite authors like Lucy Jane Wood (Rewitched) and Evie Woods (The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris) as well as heartwarming tales like Before the Coffee Gets Cold. In a forgotten nook of Cambridge a little shop stands where thousands of sheets of beautiful paper and hundreds of exquisite pens wait for the next person who, with Clara Cohen''s help, will express the love, despair and desire they feel to correspondents alive, estranged or dead. Clara knows better than most the power a letter can have to turn a person''s life around, so when she discovers a cache of wartime love letters, she follows them on the start of a profound journey of her own. Menna van Praag''s books were a forerunner of the burgeoning healing fiction genre, with their cosy transformative storylines. Van Praag masterfully conjured a collection of books which mix romance, characters on life-changing journeys and a sprinkling of the supernatural.

To celebrate a writing career spanning over fifty years, this collection showcases the very best of Peter Lovesey's short stories, featuring many of his most beloved characters such as Sergeant Cribb and Bertie. These inventive and entertaining stories have something for new and old fans alike. From unexpected discoveries hidden among the branches of the family tree, to a parrot and an astonishing cache of uncut diamonds, as well as the story of a marriage revealed between the lines of a Victorian advice column, these tales are all told with Lovesey's trademark wit.

When Mary Russell was a child, she adored her Uncle Jake, the black sheep of the family. But she hasn't heard from him in many years, until her ne'er-do-well relative presents himself at her door with an abundance of problems for his clever niece to deal with. Not the least of which is the reason the family rejected him in the first place: his involvement in the infamous disappearance of the Irish Crown Jewels from Dublin Castle in 1907. It was a theft that shook a government, enraged King Edward VII and threatened the establishment. Juggling conflicting loyalties and international secrets, Russell is entangled in the web of a case that not even the great Sherlock Holmes could solve.

Lizzie Morris is ready for the first day of the rest of her life - she''s starting as a trainee teacher at Cranswell Primary and she''s hopeful that she''ll make the squad for the final of her team''s football tournament. Finally, Lizzie seems to be putting her tragic past behind her and she is sure that her parents would be proud.Coming face to face with Noah Hatton, however, was not part of the plan. He is still as athletic and handsome as she remembered and seeing him drags up painful memories. Horrifyingly, the Head Teacher then asks the pair of them to organise the school''s Sports Day and thrown together, their chemistry and competitive relationship reignites. Will the unwelcome distraction of Noah derail Lizzie''s teacher training and will she survive this blast from the past?

Ferrara, Italy. 1940. Lili Passigli is studying at the University of Ferrara when Mussolini's Racial Laws deem her of 'inferior' Jewish descent, blindsiding her completely. As Hitler's strength grows across Europe, Lili's world begins to shrink around her, with the papers awash in Fascist propaganda and the city walls desecrated with anti-semitic slurs. When Germany invades northern Italy, Lili and her best friend Esti find themselves on their own in Nazi-occupied territory. With the help of the Resistance, Lili and Esti flee with Esti's two-year-old son Theo, in tow, facing a harrowing journey south toward the Allies and freedom. On this trek through war-torn Italy, they will face untold challenges and devastating decisions.

Oxford, 1942. Frederick Rowlands receives an urgent summons to the university city from his old friend - also a blinded war veteran - Major Ian Fraser. They are to meet Professor Duncan Challoner, Fellow of Brasenose College, now working with MI5 at nearby Blenheim Palace. Challoner is about to divulge the identity of an enemy agent at Blenheim - but is murdered before he can do so. Also taking an interest in the case is MI5 agent Iris Barnes, who has her own reasons for wanting to track down the traitor.Now the race is on to find the murderer before he - or she - can kill again, and to prevent vital plans for a covert British mission to steal key components of the German radar system from under the enemy''s nose being compromised. For Rowlands, the stakes could not be higher, in this deadly game of cat-and-mouse.

December 1940. New Year''s Eve draws closer, but crowds will not be gathering on the steps of St Paul''s Cathedral to celebrate. After a quiet Christmas, the whole area has just suffered London''s most devastating air raid since the start of the Blitz and waves of incendiary bombs have burnt the heart of British book publishing to the ground. Detective Inspector John Jago finds a desolate woman sitting among the ruins of her family business and must break the news - her husband''s been found shot dead at their home in Soho. An antiquarian bookseller, he''d just acquired a mysterious volume which is priceless - and missing. Did someone covet it enough to kill for it?Obsessive collectors and unscrupulous dealers haunt Jago''s descent into Soho''s underworld, where he finds criminals are branching out in the shadows of the blackout. Allison & Busby has produced many successful crime series set in World War II, by authors such as Jacqueline Winspear and Jim Kelly. The Blitz Detective is set during World War II, when German bombs rained down nightly on London. This installment set in the shady streets of Soho provides perfect opportunities for the city''s criminal fraternity. With vivid period detail of wartime London, DI Jago is an engaging and memorable lead character.

In May 2013, St Ives farmer Philip goes missing on his way to meet a friend at Halsetown Inn. On the tenth anniversary of his disappearance and frustrated by a bungled police investigation, his grieving widow Betty commits suicide, leaving a note for her now-orphaned children Tom and Gemma.Reuniting at Betty''s funeral, their children''s anger at the failed investigation reaches breaking point. Using their family connections, Gemma''s brother-in-law Merrin convinces Inspector Louis Peppiatt to reopen the cold case.In an investigation that spans decades, unearths family secrets and uncovers emotional betrayals, St Ives'' police work to solve a case that has remained a mystery for ten years. Philip''s disappearance has triggered a series of events that threaten to expose the inner lives of a seemingly peaceful rural town, teaching its residents that no one can be trusted. A&B has longstanding success with local crime writers. Deborah''s books will appeal to fans of Stephanie Austin and Rebecca Tope and viewers of TV shows like Doc Martin. Deborah Fowler has already attracted a hungry readership for her self published crime novels, now more widely and energetically published by Allison & Busby. Following the success of the first book in the series, a St Ives case of a missing farmer is reopened, unearthing deep-hidden family secrets and emotional betrayals.

It''s 1881. 8 years have passed since Grace and Lucius Everly were punished for their crimes against humanity, yet Evergreen House is still not clean of their sins. In The Surgeon''s House, sequel to The Small Museum, Maddie''s sister, Rebecca, remains uneasy. Mysterious deaths, the unwelcome presence of Grace''s husband, Edward Threlfall, and consistent intrusions from members of the authorities force Rebecca to question the stability of the life she has created.Thwarted at every turn, caught between society''s patriarchal gaze and the Victorian era''s obsession with science and morality, it appears as though Rebecca must relinquish all that she has worked towards. How can she protect the lives of the women and children, to whom she has promised safety, when it feels as though the very walls breathe their secrets and betray her trust? Jody Cooksley''s writing is immersed in Victoriana. Her debut novel The Glass House focused on photographer Julia Margaret Cameron, The Small Museum was inspired by the extraordinary cabinet of curiosities that is the Hunterian Museum in London.

There''s something sinister about Drumdalloch Woods in the Black Isle near Inverness. It is a place of tangled growth and shadowy darkness, it has business opportunists, biological scientists and conflicted family members all competing for a say in its future. Then a body is found, and everything starts to look suspicious.As DCI Kelso Strang''s investigation grows more complex, he unearths layers of hatred, greed and revenge that cast doubt even on the local police force. Having only just found happiness with his new girlfriend, Cat Fleming, Strang faces an existential threat not only to his career but to his very life.

A flock of sheep graze on the edge of a peaceful French forest. But these are not your average sheep and, in reality, the setting is far from tranquil. While the herd are the cleverest you will ever encounter, thanks to their shepherds' regular bedtime stories and previous testing of their detective skills, they are unprepared for a fresh threat. Several sheep have recently disappeared, and other creatures have fallen prey to a shadowy figure. The theory of a werewolf might be just a wild fairy tale, but when a human is killed, it becomes clear that even fantasies can be fatal. Miss Maple, Mopple and the rest of the flock, with the help of their goat neighbours, follow the werewolf's trail in a desperate attempt to stop the killings with sheep logic, courage, and concentrated food.

Second chances and a dash of magic ... In Alba Ashby's hour of need, she finds herself on the doorstep of number 11 Hope Street, a house that has stood quietly in Cambridge for nearly two hundred years. But this is no ordinary house. Its walls are steeped in the wisdom of past residents including Virginia Woolf, Dorothy Parker and Agatha Christie. Alba accepts an invitation to stay under the condition she has ninety-nine nights, and no more, to turn her life around. Guided by the energy of the house, where portraits come alive, bookcases refill themselves and hot chocolate has healing properties, the enchanting experience Alba and her new friends share will transform their lives in unexpected ways.